Growing from seeds

I have tried for 2 years now to grow trees from seeds. Junipers, boxwoods, Jap Maples, Cypress and many others. I follow the instructions for stratification and scarification for each type to the letter and get NOTHING. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Maybe I should just go to live plant startings. Where can I get seedlings and or small trees. Ty

For me the most important part of this is sourcing known viable seed from a trusted source. The very best seed was that which I collected from desirable trees myself. After that, specialist tree seed suppliers, never eBay or foreign sellers as there are too many very poor and even fraudulent seed sellers in the market today. The Photoshopped, gaudily recoloured images that several of them use, in an attempt to lure, is an instant warning of their fraudulent practices. If the seed is good and you sow at the right time, give them the correct period of stratification at the required temperature for the species you usually get good germination. I have grown hundreds of trees from seed. It is an interesting diversion but not for the production of bonsai any time soon.

I'd urge you to buy a good sized plant, to start experimenting on and learning bonsai techniques. Smaller things can also be bought and planted out to grow on and maybe chopped a couple of times, until they are large enough diameter of trunk to begin bonsai work.

germination can be easier if you just plant the seeds in a tray in fall and put them outside. By spring they germinate. But yeah, get good quality seeds and grow bonsai from shrubs while you wait for the seeds to turn into trees.

leatherback wrote:germination can be easier if you just plant the seeds in a tray in fall and put them outside.

That is the stratification that I mentioned. :-)

I have grown several Japanese maples from seed collected from garden trees. Easy if the seeds are fresh and as noted aabove sown in Autumn and left outside . Free seeds and a year in a pot and then planted in the garden in good soil you will have a 1 inch thick trunk in a further year Juniper cuttings are even easier and faster. Good luck