PINE FOREST FROM SEEDS ???

if anyone seeing this has created or knows about creating a pine forest from seed, i would be curious to hear about your experience...

i'm thinking about starting one with either limber pine or pitch pine in the spring after doing the seed stratimificationizing this winter.
i was thinking about getting them sprouted good and solid, then set 'em & forget 'em in a hillocky landscape.

i know it will take a loooooong time to develop, but i plan on living forever, so i got that going for me.

Have you seen Jonas's red pine forest? Pretty cool result for some of his seedlings.

http://bonsaitonight.com/2014/07/04/decandling-a-red-pine-forest-2/

i had not but now i have !

thanks for the link !

Can i help you whith this ?

https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t11963-shohin-forest-of-cotoneaster-seed

Good job , Daniel

yes daniel - i just saw that - gratzi !

I've always found stratification unnecessary with Pinus seed. I've grown Japanese Red, Black and White pine, Italian Stone Pine, Scots Pine and a few others from seed. All were sown in early spring and started into growth the same year.

Stratification is optional with some species of pine, but not all species. If JWP seed still has enough moisture you will get some germination without stratification, but if seed is dried past a certain point (I don't know the numbers) it will need stratification to get it started. JWP at this point may require double stratification, 3 months at warm temperatures and then 3 months at cold temperatures. This is why it is often recommended that seed flats of JWP be given 2 growing seasons to allow all the viable seed to germinate.

For P. rigida - which the OP (Kevin) has, stratification is recommended by some authors and not recommended by others. Authors recommending stratification suggest this gives a more uniform and a higher percentage of germination the first season for a seedling flat. I know that Kevin's rigida seed was harvested in 2013, so it has already been in dry storage for a while. (Kevin got the seed from me). Stratification will help re-hydrate and stimulate the seed to germinate all at once in spring.

There is a lot conflicting info in the literature. So for those of us who are doing these sorts of things for the first time, or only rarely, we end up trying all sorts of goofy things. There are many 'correct' ways to do it that give good enough results.

Given that seed is usually pretty low cost, and for bonsai hobby purposes we really end up over whelmed with any number over 20 seedlings at a time, skipping the stratification is not big deal. But if you are dealing with seed that is old, or overly dry, stratifying can make a big difference in numbers of seedlings sprouting first growing season. So I do go through the trouble for myself.