Ken’s Trees

Giant Sequoia Seeds

Before I can sow the Giant Sequoia seeds I need to put them through a period of cold stratification to trigger germination.  Essentially I am simulating the cold weather that the seeds would experience during Winter in a natural environment.  What I will do is put the seeds in a ziplock bag with a paper towel, then put this into the refrigerator for about a month.  The first thing I did was separate the seeds into two equal groups, this is one of those “don’t keep all your eggs in one basket” type of project.  There is always a risk of mold growing with any type of stratification, so splitting the seeds up into smaller groups to put into separate bags is a good idea.

Giant Sequoia seeds separated into two groups

Next I prepared the paper towels for the seeds by soaking them and then squeezing the excess water out.  You want the paper towels to be damp, but not soaking wet.  Most nurseries or seed stores will recommend vermeculate or perlite in place of the paper towel, however in my research I have found that most people who are not trying to make a sale find most success using paper towels.  There are a couple other reasons I prefer the paper towel method.  The paper towels make it much easier to check for mold and to change out if mold does happen to develop.  Even if everything goes correctly having there is an advantage to paper towels because they make it much easier to find your seeds at the end of the month, than searching through the vermeculate.

So once the paper towels were damped, I folded them half and spread my seeds out on the top quarters of the paper towels.  Again this is a percaution to avoid mold destroying too many seeds, keeping them spread out will provide a little bit of a barrier.

Giant Sequoia seeds in damp paper towel

Next I folded the bottom quarter of the paper towel over the seeds, and prepared the ziplock bags.  With a permanent marker I labeled each bag with the tree species and the date that I need to remove them from the refrigerator.  Working with a couple different types of seeds this makes it much easier for me to keep track of which bag contains which seeds and when they need attention.

Giant Sequoia seeds in ziplock bag

Once the seeds and paper towels have been placed within their ziplock bags and sealed up, I placed them with in the refrigerator.  Try to find a place within your fridge where the seeds won’t be crushed or accidentally thrown away, the sandwich drawer is a fairly safe bet.  Now all I have to do is wait 28 days and I can sow them in soil.

My seeds have finally arrived in the mail!  I have four new species to get working on this year.  Below is a brief preview of the seeds before I get into the germination processes.

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Coast Redwood Seeds

Coast Redwood (Sequoia Sempervirens) -  If not trained as bonsai these seeds could develop into the tallest trees on the planet.  The seeds look very similar to the Dawn Redwood seeds that I used last year, only these are a much darker brown with a hint of red.  Thankfully these arrived ready to go, I just needed to sow them in soil water and wait.  I was able to do this today, photos will follow in my next post.

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Giant Sequoia Seeds

Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron Giganteum) - The Coast Redwoods may grow to become the tallest, but it is the Giant Sequoias that have the greatest mass.  Again these seeds look very similar to the two different types of Redwoods I’ve seen, but these are at least twice the size if not bigger.  These will need a short period of cold stratification like the Trident Maples, only instead of three months it will only take 28 days (or a February month 3 out of 4 years).

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Temple Juniper Seeds

Temple Juniper (Juniperus Rigida) - This is a tree that is made for decoration, it is named the Temple Juniper because it is often found within Japanese temple gardens.  The seeds look like obese rye seeds, at least that’s what I immediately thought when I saw them.  The Juniper seeds are going to take a bit more work than any of the other seeds that I have worked with to this point.  They will need a hot water soak, one month of warm stratification (a new step for me), and finally two months of cold stratification before I can plant them.

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Chinese Juniper Seeds

Chinese Juniper (Juniperus Chinensis) - When most people think of Bonsai, this is the type of tree that immediately pops into their head, because it is the species that everyone gets as a gift for their introduction into Bonsai.  Unfortunately these gifts often lead to the misconception that Bonsai are really difficult because more often than not the container and soil used in these gifts are designed for safe shipping rather than the health of the tree leading to a dying bonsai.  The seeds are glossy and will follow a similar process as the Temple Juniper, only much longer.  The warm stratification will take three months, and the cold stratification will take another three months.  The other option is to sow them outside in the spring (still waiting up here in Maine) and wait a year.

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All of my seeds were purchased from seedrack.com and come with instructions for each individual species to get the best results.

If you don’t have the patience to grow bonsai from seed and want to get started with a grown tree right away try Bonsai Boy of NY where you will find unique quality bonsai trees available for purchase.