Whats the seed growning secret?

bonsaibuckaroo

Okay, so I planted several European Olive seeds, a couple Catoneaster seeds and am planning on growing more. Just for fun, but none of them have germinated. Is there a secret I am missing? Is there a particular soil that works best? Wetness conditions, heat, etc... I have followed the recommended scarification, stratification, soaking, but to no avail. Teach me! I am ready...

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irene_b

I do it the old way.
Sow and go.
Some seeds can take up to 2 years to sprout.
When they are ready to come up they will.
Irene

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BonsaiTwit

I have grown all of my trees from seeds (Japanese, Amur, Trident Maples, Pomegranates, Hornbeams, Elms, and Olives) and no there is no secret. Some seeds grow right away, some don't. Just keep planting.

I like to soak my seeds first in hot water for 24-48 hours, this allows for more moisture to get into the center and 'wake up' the seed. I know maples like the cold, so I put mine into a ziploc bag and into the fridge for 3 months with some soil, about 80% of them grew right into the bag.

On another side, I planted about 30 seeds (pomegranate, olive, chinese elm, and hornbeam) in a big tray and put them under light. I think 3 trees grew from this. I did re use the soil to pot my maples and out of no where pomegranates popped up. To make a long story short, there is no secret, every seed is different, but if you follow the basic guidelines you will have success.

The more you plant, more will grow.