AusBonsai

With spring and germination just around the corner I thought it might be interesting to see what people are growing from seed this year?
I've got a range of seed in pots and I'm waiting for them to start rearing their heads above the soil.
I've got tridents, zelkova, euonymus and black pine.
What's every one else growing? Share your pics as things start to move. If you haven't got seed planted you still have a small window to he some in!

I am refraining this year as I'm more than out of space. Have a heap of 100mm pot black pines to be promoted and that will test the space on the benches. Would you believe I am considering the shed roof. Seriously it's that bad.

Squizz

JBP from ebay (fingers crossed), swamp cypress, tridents and some Aleppo pine from a direct descendent of the Lone Pine at Gallipoli. Cones were collected from the descendent tree at the memorial in Albany. So far about 5 Aleppos have popped.

Tridents are still in a bag in the fridge, i'm waiting for the first germination.

I have not put any seed in this year. I don't need to bother, there's plenty of tridents and Japanese maples that germinate in the garden without my help. I just dig up as many as I need. Currently pulling maple seedlings out of the pots to prevent a takeover in the nursery.

This year there are crabapples germinating in some of the pots. I think I'll keep some of those. Even some of the natives are self seeding- I nearly always have some cuttings on the go to provide future bonsai - Currently the cutting bed has: Crabapple 'profusion'; Swamp cypress; Dawn redwood; Shimpaku; Black and red pines; Hornbeam; Grevilleas; Acacia pravissima 'Kuranga cascade'; Chinese elm 'Corky bark'; Seiju elm; Hokkaido elm; Japanese maple 'rough bark'; various azaleas; persimmon; Adenanthos; a couple of Callistemon cultivars as well as a few other assorted species.

Keep me updated on the 'Rough Bark' / 'Arakawa' Japanese Maples please Shibui!

I've recently repotted a Japanese Maple 'Deshojo' into a RocketPot. They're meant to stimulate air-pruning of the roots to develop a much more dense feeder root make-up, to hopefully develop the slower growing trees along a little faster. Also have a standard Japanese Maple, that has very red terminal stem ends (took a while to find!) currently in the ground, hoping to turn that into more of a small sumo form of tree.

Junipers coming along after being repotted into diatomite/zeolite mix, after their typical 'mallsai' compacted soil was starting to take it's toll on the health of it.

Have a seedling JBP that I am also trying to develop more root mass in. I am intending to try a root-wrap style, like Grant Bowie's on this site.

I am also looking for willow-leaf ficus cuttings or tuber roots to develop a tree from. Anyone able to help me out?

I'm growing regular Japanese maple, as well as seed from red Japanese maple and weeping Japanese maple, snake bark maple (acer davidii), acer pentaphyllum and crab apples. I've already had about 20 acer davidii seedlings come up and they're still coming, and the crab apples and Japanese maples just starting

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

I've had some conifer seedlings pop up in my grow beds and pots from a neighbours tree. So I'll see what I can do with those (if I have time for more trees).

Wow, you are all so keen growing from seed. There is no way I'd bother even at 38 years old to start all over from seed. But my hat is off to all of you for your perseverance and patience.

pfff... planting from seed. I so could not be bothered.

I've got a big stash of Neil's seeds planted waited for sprouting, also close to 30 crab apples so far and more spring up, plus the usual foam boxes of ficus and elm cuttings and a few quince's.
(Plus the vege patch!)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

ive got about 4 english oak seeds sprouting so far

Chinese Quince which I sowed last week. A little later than I would like but I think they will still sprout as the weather warms up.

I am also in the middle of potting up some trident seedlings from 3 years ago, and about to finally pot-up some JBP I grew from seed 3-4 years ago.

Rory wrote:Wow, you are all so keen growing from seed. There is no way I'd bother even at 38 years old to start all over from seed. But my hat is off to all of you for your perseverance and patience.

pfff... planting from seed. I so could not be bothered.

Yes I've often wondered what the cut off age should be for growing bonsai from seed LOL, could depend on the species, I planted some meleluca seed about three to four years ago and have already got some nice looking stock, they are quick growers.

People complain about the availability of good stock. The only way to truly rectify the issue is to grow it yourself.

If you are growing small trees, in 5 years you can have some very nice pre bonsai to work with if not something much closer to a 'finished' tree.

The other side is that both growing seed and learning the techniques to produce quality stock are not only fun but help you to understand the techniques you use when refining more finished trees.

I think I enjoy growing stock as much as I do working on mature bonsai. To grow good stock you can't just set an forget. Stock needs time invested in it but the results are very rewarding.

There's still plenty of time to put seeds in. My maples are still stratifying in the fridge (Acer palmatum Akaji nishiki and Acer sieboldianum) Natives can go in right through September into October. Leptospermum, Melaleuca, Callistemon etc. Pines too.

Jow wrote:People complain about the availability of good stock. The only way to truly rectify the issue is to grow it yourself.

If you are growing small trees, in 5 years you can have some very nice pre bonsai to work with if not something much closer to a 'finished' tree.

The other side is that both growing seed and learning the techniques to produce quality stock are not only fun but help you to understand the techniques you use when refining more finished trees.

I think I enjoy growing stock as much as I do working on mature bonsai. To grow good stock you can't just set an forget. Stock needs time invested in it but the results are very rewarding.

All very true!