How To Grow A Japanese Maple Bonsai Tree From Seed

When planting japanese maple seeds it s important to pretreat them before sowing them in the ground.
How to grow a japanese maple bonsai tree from seed. The parent tree was a senkaki also known as sango kaku or coral bark maple. If you collect seeds from trees growing in your local area planting the seeds in autumn will do just fine however if you want to plant seeds out of the season during springtime for example or if you purchase seeds online or if you like to grow seedlings from trees not growing in your local climate a process called stratification might be necessary. Fertilizing japanese maple bonsai. You can use air layering to propagate a japanese red maple or you can purchase it as a starter plant from a nursery.
If you re a first time horticulturist you need to stay away from tree species such as needle juniper white pine or hornbeam because they re more difficult to germinate. If you plan on planting your seeds outdoors in the spring place them in a paper bag and store them in a cool dark place through the winter. Remove the papery wings attached to the seeds. The first set of leaves they produce are called cotyledons.
The cotyledons will not look at all like japanese maple leaves. Keep in mind that there is no such thing as special bonsai tree seeds as bonsai are created from normal trees. Maple prefer a soil with good drainage. Repot this species every other year to replace the soil that has had all nutrients washed away.
If you are going to plant from seeds you will want to place the seeds in the refrigerator for 100 days. Then store the seeds in a paper bag at room temperature. A fun experiment seeing the genetic variation in japanese maple seed. In two to three weeks if the weather is warm you should see seedlings start to pop up.
The easiest tree species to grow from tree seeds are maple scots pine black pine larch and beech which are great tree species for first timers. Harvest japanese red maple seeds from the tree in fall when they turn brown. Cut back up to one third on the roots to ensure the tree does not become rootbound. Growing japanese maples from seed is a slow but highly rewarding process.
Repotting japanese maple bonsai. Known for its distinct red bark on young twigs.