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Growing acers from seed

shrugshrug Posts: 3
in Plants

Hi

I've recently taken an interest in growing from seed. I have no previous gardening experience, and hope these forums will help me learn!

A few weeks ago, I had four seeds that had started to germinate during cold stratification, and now have three healthy looking little seedlings.

But...I'm not really sure where to go from here!!

I'm in the UK. I have the seedlings in small pots on my windowsill.

Should I be trying to pop them outside for a few hours a day? I have a polytunnel they can go into through the winter but it's too hot (I think) in there for them at the minute.

Also, is it possible to leave my other seeds in cold stratification for too long? they've been in almost ten weeks so far

Hope someone out there can advise me! I'm so excited to even have these few up a little!!

Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340

    I have an Acer palmatum dissectum in my front garden. A few years ago I noticed lots of seedlings coming up through the limestone gravel on my drive. They were 2-3".

    I gently picked out 20 of them and potted them up using ordinary potting compost. They grew ok for a few weeks, but within 6 months I'd lost the lot. 

    I don't know why.

    I planted the parent tree about 25 yrs ago when it was about 6ft and cost £60.
    Bearing in mind it's still a relatively small (but very beautiful) tree, it's going to take many, many years to grow into a tree from a seed.

    But I wish you and your little acers all the best and hope someone here can offer constructive help


    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114
    The seedling should certainly be outside all the time. They should be perfectly hardy, but you may want to nurture them in the polytunnel if the weather is hard in the winter.



    Acers are pretty promiscuous so they may not look exactly like their parents. But that is the fun bit of gardening.



    Stratification is just to kid the seeds they have gone through a period of winter weather. Were they in the 'fridge? I don't know how long is too long for Acers.
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    If you leave the seeds outside to stratify naturally you can't leave them too long. They germinate when they're ready. That way there are no problems with where to grow them on. They never need artificial heat, maybe a cold frame or cold GH after germination and in the worst of the first winter.



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • shrugshrug Posts: 3

    Thanks everyone.

    Welsh, I'll pop them outside tomorrow, then put them into the poly-tunnel once it gets nippy. Should I just pot them up a size as needed? they're only in small pots at the moment.

    I bought the seeds online from Chiltern Seeds, although from the reading i've since done online, I believe that in no way means they will truly be what they claim to be in terms of sub-type

    I think I might pop the other seeds I have in the fridge into pots in the next few weeks and hope for the best

  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114
    Yes, I would go with Nut. Pot the seeds up in a well draining compost and leave them outside in all weathers to stratify naturally. Perhaps someone that knows will say whether the seeds are best sown fresh in which case you got lucky with your first seedlings.



    I only mentioned the 'fridge as you didn't mention what you had already done.
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    everything must be best sown fresh. It's what plants do



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • shrugshrug Posts: 3

    I think I was just a bit too keen to get going! 

  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114
    No, you had a good result.
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