Ideal time to start indoor growth of trees?

[caters]

I know for conifers it doesn't matter all that much when you start growing them but I am going to try growing maples again. I think it may have been the melted ice that prevented sprouting plus with the seeds that were in the freezer, the fact that they were in there from August to February.

So I am thinking of perhaps growing them indoors at first and then bringing them outside during the day in March(except during cold snaps that bring the temperature below freezing) and then transplanting them probably in April if any survive(gives a chance for the soil to dry up a little and for the elm tree currently in there to draw out some of that water). But, if I am going to start them indoors, when is the ideal time to do so? In February around my birthday(Feb 13 is my birthday)? Later in March before spring starts? Earlier in January?

 

[Silentrunning]

Are you talking about a couple of trees or hundreds?

 

[DirtMechanic]

It is always time to plant a tree. What you need to know is what size pot. Personally I would make sure it was pretty wide rather than deep because the tree roots really shoot out sideways.

 

[caters]

Are you talking about a couple of trees or hundreds?

I am talking about just a few trees, maybe 4 at the most.

It is always time to plant a tree. What you need to know is what size pot. Personally I would make sure it was pretty wide rather than deep because the tree roots really shoot out sideways.

So are you saying that I could plant the maple seeds indoors right now, then wait until March to bring them outside, then transplant in April and the seedlings would still start loosing leaves and changing leaf colors during September?

 

[DirtMechanic]

Sure why not? The plant cycles will normalize over time as the plant is exposed to changing light and temperature once its outside. They need hardening off like most seedlings. Is there some reason you think not? I mean you will need to replicate the condition of spring with grow lights, timing and temperature norms of course but a timer is a simple device to plug a light into.

 

[alp]

Bit confused here. Are you growing maple from seeds? If from seeds, best is to pot them up and put it somewhere not in direct sunlight in your garden if you're snowing or very cold now., as the seeds need stratification ie. a cold spell to wake them up from dormancy.

Now that I have read your post a bit further, I realised that you should have done the stratification process. Have you seen any radicals? i.e. roots?

If so, pot them up indoors and keep warmish and you can start giving them a weak feed and spray a bit of cinnamon in case of damping off. You shouldn't need this. Make sure you sterilise your compost before burying the radicals in the compost or else gnats, compost bug and fungi or even white mould will have a field day. Those that haven't sprouted can be put back into the fridge salad compartment to coax them. Some seeds have very tough skin and need a bit more kick to get them awake, like my son!

 

[alp]

Could you please show a pic of your sprouted seeds? As soon as you see sprouted seeds with proper radicals, pot them up indoors please with a bit of light. I am starting mine today so that after 100 days, it should be March and April time.. Best time to give them a good start.

 

[Silentrunning]

I am talking about just a few trees, maybe 4 at the most.

The reason I asked is, if you need just a few trees and have lots of seeds You should experiment. Plant some now and then plant every 4 weeks and see which is hardiest. Experimenting is one of the elements of gardening I enjoy most.

 

[caters]

Bit confused here. Are you growing maple from seeds? If from seeds, best is to pot them up and put it somewhere not in direct sunlight in your garden if you're snowing or very cold now., as the seeds need stratification ie. a cold spell to wake them up from dormancy.

Now that I have read your post a bit further, I realised that you should have done the stratification process. Have you seen any radicals? i.e. roots?

If so, pot them up indoors and keep warmish and you can start giving them a weak feed and spray a bit of cinnamon in case of damping off. You shouldn't need this. Make sure you sterilise your compost before burying the radicals in the compost or else gnats, compost bug and fungi or even white mould will have a field day. Those that haven't sprouted can be put back into the fridge salad compartment to coax them. Some seeds have very tough skin and need a bit more kick to get them awake, like my son!

Well, I have successfully grown summer harvested seeds with 0 stratification and I did try to stratify last year and no seeds sprouted, even the spring harvest that I have successfully grown with 0 stratification before. The 2 trees I grew in my second attempt were originally seeds produced during the spring of the same year that I planted them(It was a warm March 21st so I could plant them right away and not worry about the last frost because it already passed. So I don't bother stratifying because I have successfully grown maple trees without stratifying seeds at all or even planting seeds that were once covered in snow.

 

[alp]

I have only had experience with acer palmatum seeds, not maple seeds, so that might be different. I don't really know if maple seeds need to be stratified. Sometimes it is actually better to leave your seeds in your yard and they might sprout naturally. For acer, this is especially true when there are cold spells or snow. I will stratify mine tomorrow.

 

[caters]

Well it has been 1 day and they haven't sprouted yet. It does look like the seeds have sunk down a little. Does that mean that they have grown roots and I just have to wait a few more days until I see a stem from at least 1 seed? If it helps, I have had the heater on and a cold draft has repeatedly been going into my house. So I am basically replicating spring temperatures.

The day before I planted them(so on Tuesday), I gave all the soil in the pot a deep watering, almost to the point of waterlogging it to make sure the moisture went down deep(which it did).

Yesterday, I planted them and only watered the area around where the seeds were because the top of the soil was dry. Now, the soil is still moist so I don't have to water them again today but I probably will have to water them tomorrow.

I have noticed under ideal conditions(so a warm March 21st and the last frost having already passed) that at least for the sugar maples I am growing, they will sprout as soon as 2 days after planting.

 

[alp]

Sugar maple seeds might be very different from acer seeds. My seeds are still in the water being soaked.

 

[Montray Davis]

I am talking about just a few trees, maybe 4 at the most.

So are you saying that I could plant the maple seeds indoors right now, then wait until March to bring them outside, then transplant in April and the seedlings would still start loosing leaves and changing leaf colors during September?

That's exactly what I am doing with my Kumquat (Cold hardy, but I prefer year round growth) and Mango tree (which is super tropical and would shrivel at the slightest of Texas' harsh lows). Same for my Fig and Avocado. They're patiently waiting for some real sunlight ^_^