Ok so I decided I want to try my hand at growing from seed. How many seeds do I need? Where can I buy seeds from? Will the ficus need stratification or scarification? Should I use fertilizer from the start?

I'd say go walking in the woods or in town and collect seeds. Get as much as you need. This way you get local and know that it will grow

Darkslide wrote:

Ok so I decided I want to try my hand at growing from seed.

That is a long and windy road. One that would need lots of patience and time, with almost no instant gratification at all. Why not visit a local nursery and get a good pre-bonsai specimen and start from there? Just a thought, though.

Alain

Unless you are in the tropics and you have a reliable sourcw for fresh fig seeds, i would not recommend geowing ficus from seed. They are tricky and getting them to grow a trunk needs tropical conditions.

alainleon1983 wrote:

Darkslide wrote:

Ok so I decided I want to try my hand at growing from seed.

That is a long and windy road. One that would need lots of patience and time, with almost no instant gratification at all. Why not visit a local nursery and get a good pre-bonsai specimen and start from there? Just a thought, though.

Alain

I have a green mound juniper that I got from a nursery in october. i really want a tiger bark ficus but every one I find online is overpriced. I know its not a quick thing, itll be roughly 3 years til I can start training it according to what I've read.

leatherback wrote:

Unless you are in the tropics and you have a reliable sourcw for fresh fig seeds, i would not recommend geowing ficus from seed. They are tricky and getting them to grow a trunk needs tropical conditions.

Yeah I live near new orleans so that wont work.

Would Japanese black pine be a better option?

Darkslide wrote:

Would Japanese black pine be a better option?

Nope. It will take even longer.
I'm growing them, they are in their 5th year. Will take another 10 years before they may be useful as pre-bonsai.

Not saying you shouldn't try it, but do not start this thinking you will be growing a bonsai. You're growing a tree.

Bonsai are NOT created by keeping seedlings small.