tree seed guide

Tree Seeds, a great way of growing Bonsai on a budget.

The following guide is a good reference to help get you started!

Best For Species How to Germinate
Beginner Maples (Acer) Collect seeds in the autumn when it is fresh and before it gets a chance to dry. With most Maples this is best done before they turn yellow.Sow your seeds immediately and place in a coldframe. Use a potting compost 3 parts soil to 1 part sand.

When the seed begins to germinate in the spring, place it in a greenhouse if possible for faster growth.

If you can’t sow it immediately place in a plastic bag with some damp compost or vermulite. Put the bag in the fridge over winter and then sow in the spring.

Beginner Birch
(Betula)
Collect seed from August onwards before the catkins disperse. When extracting the seed you will notice a lot of debris. It is best to plant these seeds as one lot and best sown immediately to achieve winter chilling.
Beginner Beech
(Fagus)
Collect in Autumn and best sown immediately in pots to stop any rodents from eating the nuts. Also be careful not to let the seed dry out prior to planting.
Beginner Larch
(Larix)
Collect cones in October and place cones in warm room to dry, then extract the seeds. You can wait till spring to sow the seeds or stratify the seeds for four to six weeks prior to sowing.
Some Experience Mountain Ash
(Sorbus)
Seeds for the Mountain Ash can be found in berries.Collect berries as soon as they are ripe (normally August\September) and extract the seed. Best to sow immediately in trays in the coldframe. Also, dependent on the type of winters you have, it may be best to stratify the seed for two months.