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.

Coast Redwood Seeds

Yesterday right after I received all of my seeds in the mail, I was pleased to discover that the Coast Redwood seeds were ready to get planted immediately.  I had already picked up some seed starting soil and seed trays from Lowes last weekend so I had everything that I needed to get started.

I bought a total of 50 Coast Redwood seeds, but they only have a germination rate of 20%, so I can probably expect 10 trees if everything goes correctly.  Even though I could probably save space and place a couple seeds within each slot, I prefer to give each individual seed their own slot.  This way I avoid any possibility that two trees sprout in the same slot, and I can allow them to grow without disturbing them at a fragile age.  In the photo below I have counted out 50 slots in my seed tray and have started filling them with my seed starting soil.

When filling these make sure to tamp down the soil a bit, not too firm, but enough to ensure that you have a good soil base.  Coming straight out of the bag, this seed starter was quite fluffy and airy.  Watering the soil at this point makes it easier to work with when you are ready to sow the seeds which only need to be 1/8th of an inch deep.  I found a small stick to help make shallow holes in each slot where I will then place the seeds, this is pictured below:

One seed goes in each hole, and then they need to be covered with the surrounding soil and tamped down again, firm but not too hard.  My seed tray has a clear cover to keep the whole setup moist, the only step left is to find a warm place for the seeds and wait.

You’ll notice that I placed a label on the right most column with the letters CR to represent Coast Redwood.  If I run out of space for my other seeds I can use the remaining slots without getting confused about which seeds are which.  The wait could be as little as 21 days, but could take up to 70 to see any growth.

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.

Aside from the rain these past two days the weather has been beautiful and it is about time to get my seedlings outside. Even though it may not seem like a big deal to move these plants less than 100 feet, when a plant is moved from indoors to outside it is really being introduced to a completely new environment. It can be a real shock to the trees (or any plant) if it is not done carefully and in a gradual manner. This process is called hardening off, and it can take between one and two weeks to complete. During this time the plant will be placed outdoors in increased amounts of time and will adapt to the change in sunlight, wind, temperature fluctuation, and a bunch of other outdoor environment changes. I once saw a schedule when the gardener moved their seedlings outside for 15 minutes on the first day and then doubled the time every day until they were out for 8 hours, the next day they were left out for good. I want to be careful since these are my first seedlings and this seems a bit too aggressive and it does not account for the move into full sunlight. Here is the schedule I am using, I’m currently on Day 4:

Day 1: 15 minutes in shade

Day 2: 30 minutes in shade

Day 3: 1 hour in shade (Couldn’t find sunlight if I wanted it yesterday)

Day 4: 2 hours in shade (I would have liked to get a half hour in the sun, but it is overcast today)

Day 5: 2 1/2 hours in shade, 1/2 hour in sun

Day 6: 3 hours in shade, 1 hour in sun

Day 7: 4 hours in shade, 2 hours in sun

Day 8: 5 hours in shade, 3 hours in sun

Day 9: 6 hours in shade, 4 hours in sun

Day 10: 6 hours in shade, 6 hours in sun

Day 11: 14 hours in sun location

Day 12: 16 hours in sun location

A couple of clarifications here, the steps to my apartment are in the shade for most of the day, this will be my shady location, while the table in the backyard will be in direct sunlight for most of the day. I certainly don’t receive anywhere near 14 to 16 hours of sunlight so there is no need to move the trees twice on the last couple days. The final thing that I have not mentioned yet is a reduction of watering during this period. They will certainly need to be watered during this period, but it is recommended to do this less frequently.

After the tree was named Willard, I was asked about the sex of the tree and if dawn redwoods were referred to as male or female.  It turns out that dawn redwoods are monoecious plants, meaning they have both male and female organs that grow on the same plant, but they are found in different flowers.  So when naming your dawn redwood trees feel free to give them male or female names.

One of the great things about bonsai is the work that is put into styling the trees.  Although it is still way to early to do anything to style this dawn redwood, it is not too early to start thinking about it.  The Dawn Redwood is very natural for a formal upright tree, that is a straight vertical trunk, and most sources will suggest that they are best suited for the formal upright style.  This is the style that I envision for my Dawn Redwood trees, but this is not to say that more creative bonsai growers could not take this species in a different direction.  I will be exploring different styles with the European Olive and Trident Maple trees when they start growing.

The Trident Maple seeds soaked overnight for 24 hours for the scarification step. During the scarification process the seeds that are viable for germination will sink to the bottom of the water, while the ones that float will most likely not germinate. Although I have not completely discarded the floating seeds, I did separate them so that I can plant all of seeds with the best chance of germinate first, and with any remaining space I can try the floaters. Now the seeds are ready for the next step, stratification.

What we are trying to do with stratification is to simulate the natural conditions that the seeds would experience in nature. In this case we are focused on the cold temperature of winter. The seeds are surrounded with a rung out paper towel (just barely damp), and placed within a clear resealable bag. Some people recommend using other mediums such as vermiculite in place of the paper towel, but I am trying to keep things simple. Once the seeds are sealed within the bag, it is placed in a refrigerator for 90 days. Thanks to the leap day this year, there are exactly 90 days from today February 17th until May 17th, in case I forget I marked the outside of the bag with both dates. The seeds should be periodically checked for mold or rotting at least every month, I will probably check weekly or biweekly. In three months Ken’s Trees will be growing with not only these Trident Maple trees, but also the European Olive that I planted the other day.

Due to my inability to do anything in moderation, I have one more tree species to start this year. The Trident Maple (acer buergeranum) is a species used more traditionally for bonsai than the other trees that I am growing at this site. Some of the features that distinguish this as a great bonsai species include a thick trunk, the ability to grow in most bonsai formations, and ability to grow small leaves. The leaves on these trees are very distinct for their three points and bright colors, especially in the fall when they can be bright red, orange, or yellow. These are brilliantly vibrant trees for most of the year, and really a staple of bonsai collections everywhere.

I ordered 100 seeds, so I’m really stepping it up here as I also bought a 72 cell seed starter kit. Like the European Olive seeds, the Trident Maple has to undergo a scarification process. The recommended method is to soak them in hot water for 24 hours. My seeds are currently soaking over night to complete this step. These seeds require an additional step that we have not yet had to worry about. This is called Stratification and what we will do is essentially simulate the natural conditions the seeds would be exposed to in winter. To learn more about Stratification click here to see how I prepared these seeds for this step.

My second set of seeds have finally arrived and I am wicked excited to add another type of tree to the site. This time I am trying to grow European Olive (olea europaea) bonsai trees, a different choice when considering typical bonsai. However, growing European Olive as bonsai is not as uncommon as one might think. Pictured on the left are the seeds next to a US dime as a size reference (the coin is 18 mm in diameter).

As I am preparing to grow these seeds I am realizing that my first selection of Dawn Redwood seeds was a very lucky choice. All that was required for the Dawn Redwood seeds was to sow them in soil, water, and wait less than two weeks. The European Olive seed has a much harder shell and requires a little more work to help improve success in germination, and a lot more time. In fact the instructions that were sent from Whatcom Seed Co. with the seeds say that germination may be delayed until next year, but most sources place it within three months. One trick to help the process is call scarification, this is making it easier for water to get into the center part of the seed. There are a couple of ways this can be done, the instructions that came with the seeds advised cracking the seed coat. To do this I tried using an exacto knife to slice a little into the seed, however I did not think this did too much and I found another suggestion to file the ends of the seeds. The next step in the scarification process is to soak the seeds in warm to hot water for 24 to 48 hours. This soaking is currently taking place overnight.

Hopefully everything works out and in about three months I will have another tree to add to the daily photo blog. I certainly won’t be posting three months of dirt photos (the site started this way to help get me into the habit of posting every day), but I will post a couple updates between now and then.

It has been about three weeks since this first sprouted, I am told the first five weeks are the hardest to avoid things like damping-off which will kill seedlings.  Yesterday I propped the plastic cover up to allow more air to circulate within the mini-greenhouse, so I will have to pay more attention to watering these trees from now on.  The young seedlings can be drowned with over watering, but they cannot survive a complete soil dry out.