I am curious if anyone here is also into growing Japanese Maple trees? Apparently you can't just grow different cultivars from seed, they revert back to the basic tree it looks like?

I am just curious if anyone here grows different species of Japanese Maples from seed? Anyone here do any grafting, which is the most common way of propagating them it looks like?

Anyone know of any good forums similar to bambooweb.info on this subject? I have been starting some research into it, but am not finding much useful info on the subject so far. I have always loved Japanese Maples, and after stumbling onto the "Timber Press Pocket Guide of Japanese Maples", I am fascinated with all the different looks out there.

Unfortunately it looks like it takes 10-15 years to get to the size I'd want, but at the prices I'm seeing advertised for "small" trees, it might still be worth it in the long run. And I don't mean for bonsai necessarily (though that might be fun to try), I am thinking of planted outside in the landscape...

Thanks for any info or advice on this subject...

---Sven, who probably doesn't need another horticultural passion added to his list...

I have done a number of grafting project and I am thinking about starting up some Japanese maple seedlings to take a stab at grafting them. I have grafted fruit trees mostly but I have also grafted a tomato and a potato together.

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Nate Abbott

I have done a number of grafting project and I am thinking about starting up some Japanese maple seedlings to take a stab at grafting them. I have grafted fruit trees mostly but I have also grafted a tomato and a potato together.

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Nate Abbott

I've been trying to sprout some Japanese Maple seeds for the past six months. No luck so far. However, I have had luck trading bamboo for two Japanese Maple seedlings.

I found the box on the porch last night, no idea how long it had been there, but they were still alive.

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Southern Indiana. Theoretically the same climate as 'needmore' & 'Eastlandia'.
My Bamboo List.

"Take Dog apart. Disinfect. Reassemble."

Sven,

I don't think the seeds revert necessarily, but like many fruit trees, they simply don't reproduce true...(that's why there are so many cultivars) so you might end up with something you like, and you might not. The only way to be sure you'll get a new plant with the same colour, leaf shape and branching habit is to graft or air layer from the one you like.

I've grabbed seeds from a nursery with awesome Japanese maples in the fall... only to not see any germinate, so I can't help you there.

Thanks for the responses everyone. I'm thinking I will wait to look into this further, as I do already have a lot on my landscaping plate at the current moment, let alone trying to get into grafting. Nate, is it something you think should be easy for a newbie, or does grafting take a bit more learned skill and tools/materials do you think?

foxd, you sent me a couple of your extra seeds, and I had the same result. I think it is the lack of cold stratification on my part, not sure if you used it on your seeds? I'm keeping them in the container though just to see if they do come up at some point!

cuttlefish, you're right about my mis-terminology. Still learning the horticultural terms, heh.

BTW, most of the sites that talk about germinating seeds talk about needing at least 3 months of cold stratification, or they don't come up very well if at all. This page explains a little bit, and most sites have mentioned putting the seeds in damp peat or perlite in a ziploc bag, then storing in the fridge for months. This site says it can be over a year, but it also has some good explanation on why how the japanese maple seed. They say also not to throw them out if they don't germinate, as sometimes they germinate after the 2nd wintering.

http://www.victoriarhodo.ca/Archives/Harvey204.htm

The other thing I see mentioned on the sites is that it is imperative that it is FRESH seed, otherwise it becomes less viable quickly. This is something I have noticed with the 3 types of bamboo seed I have tried germinating. All germinated almost 75-90% when I first got the seed. 9 months later, almost NONE of the seeds are coming up, and I have kept them in an airtight container in the fridge.

Too bad I don't have a cheap source for japanese maple seeds. Cuttlefish if you go back to your nursery this fall, keep me in mind, heh!

---Sven

Here's another article that talks about freshness of seeds, and his theory that a big part of the problem with purchasing japanese maple seeds is that they are "dead" before they are even shipped.

http://bonsainurseryman.typepad.com/bonsainurseryman/2005/09/japanese_maple_.html

There are also some germination instructions that also mention putting in the fridge for at least 3 months, etc.

Maybe I just need to walk through a good japanese garden in October and collect seeds on the ground while fresh? I don't know of any good Japanese Maple nurseries in Portland, OR, I'll have to look.

Oh, and one of the main links I keep coming across is this guy who is trying to sell his info on how to make a japanese-maple nursery at your own home for selling, but he did have this info out in the open for free, which mentions some of the pertinent methods for grafting japanese maples for the 'fun' cultivars. I have no idea on what is needed for grafting, I just know the basic principle. He also mentions the need for "current year" seeds.

http://www.squidoo.com/japanesemapletreeseedlings

One more with pics:

http://istover.com/acer.html

---Sven

I was pulling up some Silver Leaf Maple seedlings today and noticed that the seeds tended to plant themselves nose first in the ground and germinate. I wonder if that might be the secret to getting Japanese Maple seeds to sprout?

Hmmm...do you suppose putting them all in the freezer for a few months would help?

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Southern Indiana. Theoretically the same climate as 'needmore' & 'Eastlandia'.
My Bamboo List.

"Take Dog apart. Disinfect. Reassemble."

Yeah, right... after reading about your scary government knocking on peoples doors? Didn't you know that Japanese maples are invasive?

Anyway, I'm not sure why it didn't work, but I sowed some directly into my garden, and put some in the fridge (although not for 2 years!). The ones in the ground (if there are any left) have been there for 2 winters and so far nothing... I don't think I'm going to clear the weeds from that patch anymore.

I have not tried the hot water technique for JM seeds, although it did work for some Delonix regia seeds I found in Florida. I would also like to try a trick from GardenWeb, which is to keep seeds/seedlings moist with weak camomile tea. I already do this with all my vegetables, and they seem to like it.

Japanese maples have been on the back burner for me since I realized that gypsy moths and japanese beetles eat them, both of which I have tons of.

Sven,
Grafting isn't all that bad to pick up it just takes practice. I did a lot of practicing with willow branches and a good sharp knife. I would also recomend The Grafters Handbook by R.J. Garner if you are serious about grafting. I have a friend at work who is going to dig up a bunch of Japanese maple seedling for me which I am going to grow this year and hopefully they will get big enough to graft for next year.

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Nate Abbott

Sven,
Grafting isn't all that bad to pick up it just takes practice. I did a lot of practicing with willow branches and a good sharp knife. I would also recomend The Grafters Handbook by R.J. Garner if you are serious about grafting. I have a friend at work who is going to dig up a bunch of Japanese maple seedling for me which I am going to grow this year and hopefully they will get big enough to graft for next year.

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Nate Abbott

I took a moment to look at the graft unions that were on the Japanese maples that we sell at work. Most of the small stuff was just a simple graft union where you take the scion or the top and cut it on 2 opposite sides into a v shape and then you cut down the center of the rootstock insert the scion then wrap with grafters tape or rubber. Similar to what I did when I grafted the tomato and potato except on the tomato potato I did the wedge on the bottom and not the top.

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Nate Abbott

so does that make it a to-tato, or a po-mato?

did you notice that the plant produced fewer tomatos & potatos than a plant of just one species?

curious about that... what a way to save space in the garden!

Nate, I like the po-mat-o! Amazing to me that it is possible to do that. I somehow missed the updates to the thread I started. Thanks for the name of that book, I just checked if the local library had it, and they do. I'll order it up!

Cuttlefish, LOL, at the knocking on doors comment, didn't realize you were in Canada with JohnC. If you know who Michael Geist is, and how cool it is that you guys have someone like him looking out for the normal average joe, you will know one of the many reasons why I have great respect for life in Canada. I hope someday we can have someone as cool (and as effective) as him here... =D

---Sven

I am curious if anyone here is also into growing Japanese Maple trees?
I have grafted fruit trees mostly but I have also grafted a Japanese Maple trees in our front yard.

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