new to bonsai

updated fri 21 jul 06

Mattb on fri 21 jul 06

Hello,

I am new to bonsai and have just bought 10 trident maple seeds and have
just started scarification. I am told to leave them for 24 hours to
soak then dry them out and place i a clear plastiv bag in the
refrigerator for 90 days to start germination. Is this accurate to what
I should do? and all advice will be helpful thanks. :-)

Mattb on fri 21 jul 06

So have you actually grown any without using those methods, anyway ive
left 9 seeds soaking and tried planting one and see if I get any
results, if i do i will plant the rest and if not i will continue with
the other methods.

Many thanks mate

Donald Wagner on fri 21 jul 06

Mattb wrote:
This kind of stuff blows me away. Just unbelievable.

I always heard that putting it in dirt and adding water would work
great. Scarification wasn't even suggested when God made seeds.

Will it work? Probably. Can you just put them in dirt in a shady
place(for this time of year) and keep the dirt moist to start viable
trees? most likely. Most importantly, don't let pottoed trees freeze in
the winter, but keep them cold.

I have to qualify this with the fact that I am a layman and no master,
so YMMV. BUT, that seems like a lot of work to make seds into trees to
work with.

Donald

Donald Wagner on fri 21 jul 06

Donald Wagner wrote:
Ugggh! My spelling is atrocious.

D

Donald Wagner on fri 21 jul 06

Mattb wrote:
Not tridents, but I have taken reds right from under their parent and
had good results. The tree is defoliated right now, but budding up
again nicely(I am shooting for leaf smalling).

Good luck! Let us know your results.

Donald

Let us all know your results.

Kev Bailey on fri 21 jul 06

It's very late in the season to be starting seeds where I am. Where are you?
If the seeds were mine, I would store them cool and dry (paper bag in the
salad drawer of the fridge) until next October and then sow them. Where I am
I leave seeds outdoors to stratify naturally. Scarification is not necessary
for Tridents. The winter cold breaks dormancy and germination should occur
when temperatures rise in spring.

Cheers

Kev Bailey
Zone 9, North Wales, UK

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