Red Maple Sapplings

Hi All!

A few months ago I decided that I finally had the time to devote to working with bonsais which I'd always wanted to do but just never had the time. I was always moving or simply too busy. So off I went to amazon and purchased myself the following three kits.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049VPI58/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007VDIHU4/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049VXDAU/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The first one sprouted 4 saplings in one little pot that i recently transferred to four separate pots so that the roots don't become too tangled. Since then, two of them have suddenly had top leaves turn red. The other two haven't. Is this normal for red maple at this stage? I just want to check that I'm not over watering. They have a great spot on the kitchen table, which is directly under the window and receives way hot amounts of afternoon sunshine. I try to make sure that the soil is moist and not dry or soggy, but I'm not really that well versed with these plants yet and I've read a lot about bugs and fungus and disease and leaves turning whatever colour and falling off, so it has made me a bit nervous. Here is a pic of one of the sproutlets.

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So anyway the other two kits didn't sprout AT ALL. They just became somewhat fungal and soggy and started smelling really bad. I followed the instructions, but given that each of the seeds are completely different I'm not sure that they should all be planted the same. The white cherry blossom one has large hard seeds and the azalea kit had teeny tiny seeds. I wrote to the supplier and they gave me more seeds given that the last ones failed. I'm trying stratification with them but each thread I read has different instructions on it. Do I soak them overnight or only for a few hours, do they go in the freezer or fridge. So any info into that would help enormously.

Thanks
-Kami

Kami,
Here's the good news, generally speaking most maples produce new leaves that are varying degrees of red, they will turn green over a month or so as they mature. These should live outside all year long. For now wait until there is no frost in your area to leave them out over night. Germinating the seed should be done at the right time of year for the others search the forum Giangus has some good threads about growing from seed. If you plant them and put them outside now they have a better chance to grow.

The bad news is that these will take anywhere from 5-15 years before they begin to resemble anything bonsai like, and the 5-7 year range is for someone with decent bonsai knowledge and skills. You should look into getting a pre-bonsai tree or a more finished tree to work with now.

Good Luck and enjoy,
Todd

You live in Los Angeles, a city with a long bonsai tradition and plenty of good bonsai nurseries. Why are you buying kits off of Amazon?

From those links I never saw what good ol' Eve was charging for these ripoffs, but a red maple reviewer stated dissatisfaction and "Thankfully the kit only cost $20". Are you kidding me???????

Hehe
I should mention I'm not native to the US and am somewhat hesitant to go exploring all over L.A. Also, I've heard that there is a great bonsai tradition here. However, the locations I have found on the interwebs are either a fair distance or look somewhat shady. I know I shouldn't judge a book by its googlemaps but crime back home has made me fairly wary of dodge neighbourhoods. If you can recommend a nursery you like, I'd certainly investigate (on the web :< first tho)

Also, at the time I was still studying, so ordering off amazon was about all I could manage in between essays and deadlines.

I am fully open to suggestions for anyone living in the L.A. area ^^

-Kami

I live on the other side of the country and haven't spent any time in LA since 1986 so I can't be of much help. Someone else will have to answer that.

Maybe you could contact Bob Pressler, owner of Kimura Bonsai Nursery. He's a member here and I'm sure he'd be happy to help out. Stop wasting your time and money on seeds from mail order crooks.

https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/u2186