hello, i have tried a few times to grow acer trees from seeds iv got from the internet, out of about 100 seeds over 3 years iv only managed to get 1 to grow, iv read that they wont grow once dried out? do they have to be fresh seed? iv done the whole cold stratification for 3 months then in the propagator for the same time, nothing can anybody share some info please, am i doing something wrong? many thanks

Mainly, after reading your post it could be many things but if you gave the seed proper care then it might be just the timing. I grew an acer palmatum for a friend from fresh seed. But after drying out seeds are still perfect however i do not know if the same can be said for japanese maple. What kind of maple did you buy from the internet out of curiosity?

iv tried a few mixed palmatum acer packs, atropruputeum, rebrum, disectum and my favorite bloodgood. i had 3 germinate from a mixed pack but my son gave them orange juice and killed 2,1 still lives on though i dont have a clue what it is, i live in the falkland islands and customs wont let me bring in seeds from say my mum who has loads of healthy trees, i read that if you cold then hot strat them and they dont grow you need to keep repeating the process, iv failed again and again,

Yes, a plan may be to make sure the timing is right, most likely you should sew in spring. Stratifying is basically fulfilling a genes program. The gene says to germinate only after a cold period of time to make sure it germinates in spring and not winter (which will kill the seedling if germinated in winter. Maybe get a pack of seeds now and stick them in the fridge in damp paper towels for abou one and a half months and sew the seeds when the last frosts dissapear in a greenhouse. Then after a year of growth repot into individual pots and when old enough you will be able to identify the exact species.

good advice thanks, is just about summer now, i didnt start the seeds till around autumn, timing was wrong!! i didnt think it would matter because they were indoors! im a rookie!!

Well, we were all once rookies. If it is just the beginning of summer now for you, then you could sew some seeds now, if they germinate than they may have already been through a cold period. Make sure the soil is good and you water correctly and feed after two months (generally) if seeds were sewn in compost and i would see no reason why things may go wrong

Some thoughts..

- Seeds from A Palmatum are very sensitive to being old. Germination is greatly reduced once the seeds are more than a year old
- They will germinate after a good cold stratification. This has nothing to do with 'genes telling the seed what to do', but all with hormonal balances in the seed.
- Starting seeds now will give you all the reasons for failure. Cold stratification is best started in late fall, early winter. Easiest is to pop them in sterilized compost or, even better, moist sphagnum moss, and placing them outside (Assuming your winters are cold enough, dropping to below 10c for several weeks).
- All of us were rookies once. Just be carefull on fora, taking advice from people: Some rookies are also giving advice on fora.
- I am not aware of the benefits of a heat treatment. I would not do this; The increase of temnperature in spring is reason enough for the seeds to start germination
- A palmatum does not grow true from seed, except for the bloodgold. Most of the others will loose most of their traits (In general these varieties are clones of oneonather, grown from a single mutation, and reproduced through cuttings and/or grafting)

I have read and been told that there is a gene or something in the seed like a chmical that after cold periods of time allows the seed to germinate.

bob wrote: I have read and been told that there is a gene or something in the seed like a chmical that after cold periods of time allows the seed to germinate.

Genes define the whole composition and functioining of cells, yes. however, on a day to day basis the genes do not affect the cell much once these have been formed. The genes merely provide the template. Hormones & circumstances then interact to get the behaviour of cells/organisms.

(And as before, it would be great if you did not counter-argue every single thing if you are corrected.)

Ok, i get it now so it isnt a part of a gene but a chemical? I am still quite a rookie to bonsai.