THE PINE PROJECT

[Boics]

They are all so cute!
Well done and thanks for the great documentation..

[Ryceman3]

As we head into Winter, it's probably time I put in an update on these pine seedlings.
Things are looking good for most, my pine plantation has been reduced in size somewhat as quite a few seedlings have found new homes ... mostly with people from this forum so good luck with them to all who picked up a few!
I still have more than enough for me to play with, and although all the JBP, JRP and Scots I put aside have been sold, I still have about 20 or so Austrian Pines looking for new digs if anybody is interested ...
Here's a link to the appropriate thread :
viewtopic.php?f=102&t=26811

Anyhow ... back to the pines.
I haven't done much with them over the last few months, aside from water/fert and try and maximise the amount of sun they get. Some of the JBP I have wired to try and get a bit of movement down low that way, while others I have left as they were.

IMG_4078.jpg

IMG_4080.jpg

The Scots pine are a bit less developed than the JBP but are still nice and healthy nonetheless. They have plenty of buds down the trunks just waiting for Spring, I'll be keen to see how they take off later in the year - I feel like they are ready to explode.

IMG_4104.jpg

IMG_4102.jpg

I'll have to take a few progression pics of the Red Pines and the Austrians soon to complete this post, but they too are looking good and I think will get moving when Spring hits.

I plan to do a bit of root work on some/most of these pines just before the warm weather comes around and get them into slightly larger pots to give them a bit of room to expand next growing season. I'm pretty happy with how these all turned out, I feel like I really achieved something!

[boom64]

Well done Ryceman ,looking good. Amazing how much joy you get from watching a seed do its thing. Cheers John.

[MJL]

Yep - your seedlings have found a happy home here R3. No experimenting for me on these precious units - just water, fert and what sun I can find. Same goes for a range that found their way to my step-dad’s too.


Bonsai teaches me patience.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ryceman3]

Amazing how much joy you get from watching a seed do its thing. Cheers John.

Couldn't agree more John ... I like this propogation thing!

Yep - your seedlings have found a happy home here R3.

Excellent! Catch you on the weekend MJL.

And, just for completion of my above post - here's some progression shots of my other pine seedlings as they stand today.

IMG_4110.jpg

IMG_4111.jpg

IMG_4112.jpg

IMG_4113.jpg

I still have around 60-70 pine seedlings left in total ... roughly half are black pine and then even numbers spread between Red, Scots and Austrian.

[Miikeboyle]

Hey. I’m inspired after reading through this thread and have decided to have a go at growing some JBP from seed. I was just wondering after everything you have learnt from this project so far:
What time would be best to start the process? If I start say 1st August it will be well into spring when they germinate. I’m in Sydney so was thinking 24 hour soak then refridgerate for a few weeks.
Would you cover the seeds with in something like a mini greenhouse while they germinate and after they sprout or just leave them uncovered?

Thanks.

[Ryceman3]

Hey. I’m inspired after reading through this thread and have decided to have a go at growing some JBP from seed. I was just wondering after everything you have learnt from this project so far:
What time would be best to start the process? If I start say 1st August it will be well into spring when they germinate. I’m in Sydney so was thinking 24 hour soak then refridgerate for a few weeks.
Would you cover the seeds with in something like a mini greenhouse while they germinate and after they sprout or just leave them uncovered?

Thanks.

Excellent ... another germinator! Firstly, I hope you have your seed sourced cos it ain't easy to find - if you do ... well done!

There are a myriad of permutations and factors that will effect your outcome - so I'll give you the quick summary of what I did (remembering I am in Melbourne) and you can extrapolate from that a plan contingent on your own weather and set up.

SCENARIO 1 :
Early July (about now) I soaked seed for 24 hours, then wrapped that seed in moist paper towel and sealed in a zip-loc bag with a samll amount of damp vermiculite to help preserve humidity. This all went in the fridge for 2 weeks before the seeds were removed and sown into seedling trays, in regular seed raising mix with a layer of vermiculite on the top. I covered these trays with clear plastic lids (vented) after sowing to protect from cold (somewhat) and winds drying them out. They remained covered for almost a month, after which time I removed the lids. I think JBP germination was around 3 weeks??
This method had a success rate of about 75% for one batch and just over 50% for another - which I think is OK.
These seedlings were very big and very healthy by March or so. They are primed for a big growing season this year.

SCENARIO 2 :
In early October I soaked seed for around 36 hours and then skipped stratification and planted them directly into seedling trays using the same technique as above. I didn't cover these - being October it was warm enough and the winds weren't seeming to cause a problem. I did watch them carefully for signs of drying out - these trays will dry out in a few hours if conditions allow - you need to be vigilant.
Only sowed one batch in this method ... success rate of about 65% or so. I think germination again was around 3 weeks or so.
These seedlings (due to the later start) are substantially smaller than the others, but still healthy. I'm sure they'll catch up eventually - but if you're looking for big growth initially this may not be for you.

With differing weather/climate/conditions you may look to tweak whichever way you go ... I would be cautious covering and leaving in full sun if you can't keep an eye on them.

Good luck and let us know what you do and how it works out.

[Miikeboyle]

Thanks for the detailed reply. I have read through a bunch of threads from contestants from the 6 year JBP comp as well and I think your method is pretty consistent with them. I’ll prob try something like your scenario 1. I’ve bought some seeds from the one Aussie eBay supplier of JBP and might have one other source. I had a crack at collecting fig seeds and growing them last season and had a lot of success. This year I’m giving maples a go and they are already in the fridge. Hoping to get some pines going too. Thanks for your help.

[Ryceman3]

One year ago today I started soaking a few pine seeds, and thus began my pine growing caper. I remember being pretty excited to see what I could achieve ... and I have to say I am super happy with the way things played out over the following 12 months.
Anyway - to celebrate this milestone I... well ...

IMG_4403.jpg

These are most of what I had left over from last year. They have been hanging out in the fridge since last July so I'll be interested to see if this affects their germination rate/viability. I plan to use the same techniques I did last time to try and maintain some consistency.
There aren't as many this year - these are just what I call my "insurance". I kept these seeds just in case something went fundamentally catastrophic and I lost all my seedlings. They are primarily JBP, there are a few JRP and some Nigra too. I used all the Scots last year so unfortunately none of them to sow this year.
Hopefully the Class of 2019 can prove to be just as succesful as the Class of 2018 proved to be!
There is something addictive about propagation ...

[MJL]

As a proud parent who adopted some of the class of '18 - I look forward to the class of '19.

[shibui]

They have been hanging out in the fridge since last July so I'll be interested to see if this affects their germination rate/viability

Keeping seed in the fridge is a good idea. Warm temps, humidity and light all decrease the lifespan of seed. Storing seed in a sealed container in the fridge is the best way to prolong the viability.
Seed can even be frozen for even longer storage. There are several seed vaults around the world where thousands of species are stored frozen to hedge against extinction or other catastrophe.
Millennium seed bank is just one - https://www.kew.org/wakehurst/whats-at- ... -seed-bank

[Ryceman3]

There are several seed vaults around the world where thousands of species are stored frozen to hedge against extinction or other catastrophe.

Thanks shibui. I remember reading about a seed bank in Norway that is on an island in the arctic circle I think, maintaining a steady temp well below 0 deg. It houses seed from all over the world. If it’s good enough for them, I figure the fridge is good enough for me!

[Ryceman3]

The seeds were stratified in the fridge for 2 weeks or so and today I planted them out using the same process as last year, given I was pretty happy with sucess rates - why change it!
I also caught up with my cousin a couple of weekends ago, who gave me a present from her neighbour ... some Scots pine seed she had collected from her tree for me since I was so excited about getting them last year. She had to have the tree cut down a couple of months ago (it was wrecking the path in her backyard!!?!) so this is it - no more seeds. Hopefully these ones will be just as succesful as last year's.
All in all about 220 seeds have gone in.
140 JBP
38 Scots Pine
21 JRP
20 Austrian Pine
I liked the extra growth I got from planting early last year, hoping for the same again - we'll see.

IMG_4472.jpg

[terryb]

I hope you have as much success as last year. Will be watching on with interest.

[TimS]

I’ll be keenly following your progress again with these. I’ll be interested to see how your germination rate goes this time