Caring for Japanese Maple Tree Seedlings
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What's the Difference Between a Seed and a Seedling?
Before you shop for a Japanese Maple tree, do you know the difference between a seed and a seedling?
The simple definition is: time and patience. For dedicated gardeners, these are their virtues.
If you aren't an experienced gardener, but you want a beautiful result, here are some basics to understand before you buy:
A seed is truly amazing. Inside this little rice grain sized seed is the full DNA of a mature Japanese Maple Tree.
You literally hold an infant tree in your hand. Like any infant, a tree seed requires total care. You must be careful about where to plant, when to plant, how to nourish and how to protect it from hungry birds.
A seedling is like a toddler, past the infant dependency stage, but still needing consistent care and attention. Another advantage of the Japanese Maple tree seedling is that you can see tiny versions of the mature leaves.
This allows you to view how the color and leaf composition will look in your landscape design. Whether you begin growing your Japanese Maple Tree from seed or seedling, follow the directions about when to plant, how deep to dig the hole and how much to water.
Be careful not to bend, break or cramp the little root system of the seedling.
Your Japanese Maple tree needs a good start in life to grow strong and tall.
Growing A Japanese Maple Tree:
Growing Tubes Versus Potting Planters for Your Japanese Maple Trees
The rabbits hate this idea. So do the birds. And the occasional mischievous raccoon is really mad about it, too.What has the wildlife in an uproar? It's growing tubes to protect Japanese Maple tree seedlings.
When you're trying to get your Japanese Maple tree seedling started, you have to protect it from those little creatures that see your tree as a snack. You may think that growing seedlings in planters is easier.
After all, you can roll the planter onto the screened in porch and it's safe. However simple potting in planters may be for you, that attractive container can become like a too-small pair of shoes to the seedling.There's no way to know if the roots are cramped or bending in the planter. If the Japanese Maple tree seedling was in the ground, its roots would wander happily amid the soil. That's the way trees were meant to grow.
Still, these Japanese Maple tree seedlings need protection while they take root. Growing tubes provide enough of a barrier between seedling and animal - while not cramping the root system.The growing tubes also give some additional stability to the seedling as it gets taller.
When the seedling no longer needs support, remove the growing tube and your Japanese Maple Tree doesn't have to deal with trauma of replanting.
Germinating Japanese Maple Tree Seeds:
Grafting a Japanese Maple After the Seedling Process
If you have the perfect Japanese Maple tree (or your neighbor does) and you want another just like it, you can have it by grafting.And if you move to a colder climate and still want a Japanese Maple Tree for your yard, then grafting a seedling to a rootstock that is more cold tolerate is the best option.
Grafting is simply an alternative method for propagation.
Japanese Maple trees are most commonly grafted by using a side grafting technique. The understock must be at least one to two years and well established in a container.
The upper section of the graft - known as the scion - is taken from the Japanese Maple tree that you want to propagate. The LaceLeaf varieties of Japanese Maple Trees are created by grafting.
That's why you can find such amazing color ranges. You might want to create your own color blend by grafting.The most successful times of the year for grafting Japanese Maple tree seedlings are January, February and March.
Although experienced growers have developed greenhouse techniques for grafting at other times of the year. If you're new to this process, keep it simple and choose the times and methods that are known to be successful.
News from the World of Japanese Maple Growers
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by kalston
Ken Alston is a business entrepreneur and internet marketer. My information lenses include:
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