trees from seed.

[Cliniford]

Wrong forum but this is pretty much the only one i post in so... Has anybody tried growing trees from seeds? I just ordered a bunch of giant sequoia seeds to be a little project for me and the little one. just wondering if anyone has had any luck trying this?

 

[sjp]

Wrong forum but this is pretty much the only one i post in so... Has anybody tried growing trees from seeds? I just ordered a bunch of giant sequoia seeds to be a little project for me and the little one. just wondering if anyone has had any luck trying this?

i have minneola orange tree growing started from seed
best orange i ever ate i had to grow it
very slow growing its about a 1 year old ,7 inches tall with perfect growing condtions

 

[coyotencuttin]

Dad started some paw paw and persimmon trees from seeds with good success . We just got some American chestnut seeds (non hybrid) and we are going to try them for next year. Dad starts them in the corner of his garden to keep better track of the trees and to be able to care for them better. My brother had a big sand box with a screen lid just to start his seeds. The screen is to keep squirrels and such out but let in moisture and sunlight .let us know how you make out.

 

[Cliniford]

i will definately keep up posts on how they come along. i hear they grow really quick. A guy down the road from me has some sequoias that are only 6.5yrs old and they are about 20ft tall already.

 

[iowa]

I have several green japanese maple tree seedlings. They're about 3-4yrs old. I'm trying to learn how to graft on them from several of my other cultivars..

 

[slowp]

I got some Doug fir and spruce seeds to sprout. They didn't do too well. Since then, I learned that Doug-fir does not do well in sterilized soil. It needs some mychorizii (trouble spelling that one) which is a fungus (help me I'm digging way back into the Forestry memory) to grow well. It is found in soil in the woods.

Heard an anecdote about taking seeds to South Africa. They kept sterilizing the seeds at customs. Finally, the importer snuck some in and those seeds germinated and grew.

I do not know about Sequoia. Perhaps some mixing with dirty dirt?

 

[stint]

Black Walnuts grow just great from seed.

Squirrels manage to plant at least a dozen or so for me every year in my mulched areas.

Have two nice fencerows (well away from lawns) lined with transplants.

 

[sloth9669]

black walnut

i bought 24 black walnut trees that were one foot or so...many years later they are around 20 plus feet and this past season was the first to see fruit. Its a long process but any and all gains are fun to watch and everyone involved can and will learn something about mother nature alone the way....win win you both learn and the earth gets more trees.

 

[Fronty Owner]

dont all trees come from seeds???
I dont folllow? you mean just dig a hole in your yard and throw a seed in the ground and hope for the best?

 

[boda65]

I started some Hedgeapple (Osage Orange) trees from seed and put two in my yard. Both are doing well. I think I have some sort of disorder that causes me to like messy trees. The Hedgeapples have thorns and drop grapefruit size seed pods every year. The farmers hate me because I planted some Mulberry trees, which are considered weed trees. They drop purple fruits, also birds eat lots of them and drop purple bird doo. I've got a Catulpa, also planted from seed, which drops foot long seed pods. I sure wish I knew what the heck is wrong with me. The wife would like to know as well.

 

[unclemoustache]

dont all trees come from seeds???
I dont folllow? you mean just dig a hole in your yard and throw a seed in the ground and hope for the best?

Heck no! Some trees (like Bristlecone pine, I believe) normally germinate only when there's been a fire that burns the pinecones open to release the seeds. Some (like silver maple) will grow easily anywhere, such as your gutters, sidewalk cracks, or in your own crack if you leave it there a few days :biggrinbounce2:
Some trees, (like Sugar Maple) need a certain number of days at a certain temperature for their seeds to sprout. I tried to sprout these very seeds in a plot outside, and failed miserably. Then I tried to germinate them the way we do our garden veggies - inside with the trays, and also with the wet napkin in the baggie. No luck. I did some research and found out they needed a few weeks under 30 degrees, so I stuck them in the fridge. Still no luck.
No, not all tree seeds are created equal. And then after that, once they're germinated, then you've got the various acidity of the soils, elevation, temperature, humidity, etc. etc. which causes the tree to grow well or poorly (or not at all). It's a fascinating world which I've only peeked into a little bit.

 

[firewood guy]

Wrong forum but this is pretty much the only one i post in so... Has anybody tried growing trees from seeds? I just ordered a bunch of giant sequoia seeds to be a little project for me and the little one. just wondering if anyone has had any luck trying this?

Just a couple of tips on Sequoiadendron Giganteum propogation: Expect low viability, use fresh (current season ) seed. Store the seed it an air-tight container and put it the coldest part of you're fridge for 2-3 months. This simulates natures stratification requirement, just like needing winter chilling hours for apples/ cherries / etc. Use a sterile potting mix when sowing the seed in trays as the the seedlings are subject to "damping off", a fungal problem in a lot of good garden soils. Germination is best @ 68 F and occurs in 6-8 weeks . These tips are based on notes from our experience in the nursery. Also, these trees seem to do better above 4,000 ' elev on the west coast in my experience. NOT a fast grower, 6-8 " / year.

 

[Whitespider]

I started some oaks from seeds (acorns).

The first attempt was unsuccessful; I collected acorns from Red, White and Burr Oak, saved them until spring and planted... nothing.

Because oak trees don't drop an acorn crop every year in this part of the country I had to wait three years to try again. Second time I collected during a massive crop year and planted in the fall just before freeze, three acorns to a "hill"... every darn one sprouted the next spring and I thinned them down to one tree per "hill" at one-year old. The deer ate most of them off during the second winter, a few came back from the chomping so I "deer-proofed" them the next winter. That third winter was C-O-L-D with no snow cover and I lost what was left... except for one single Burr Oak that now stands about 12-feet in my yard.

I've had better luck walking the woods with a shovel and bucket in late spring/early summer. I've got several different species growing in my yard from the shovel and bucket excursions.

 

[scag52]

Years ago my friends and i went out to use the shovel and bucket method. LOL ! We had new starter homes and needed trees . No money to buy them we headed to the local abandon gravel pit. We dug up some river birch that were nice and one maple. They looked great for w week or so then all died except the maple . We still laugh about this . Might have worked if we did it in the fall.

 

[wapacz]

Heck no! Some trees (like Bristlecone pine, I believe) normally germinate only when there's been a fire that burns the pinecones open to release the seeds. Some (like silver maple) will grow easily anywhere, such as your gutters, sidewalk cracks, or in your own crack if you leave it there a few days :biggrinbounce2:
Some trees, (like Sugar Maple) need a certain number of days at a certain temperature for their seeds to sprout. I tried to sprout these very seeds in a plot outside, and failed miserably. Then I tried to germinate them the way we do our garden veggies - inside with the trays, and also with the wet napkin in the baggie. No luck. I did some research and found out they needed a few weeks under 30 degrees, so I stuck them in the fridge. Still no luck.
No, not all tree seeds are created equal. And then after that, once they're germinated, then you've got the various acidity of the soils, elevation, temperature, humidity, etc. etc. which causes the tree to grow well or poorly (or not at all). It's a fascinating world which I've only peeked into a little bit.

Just to let you know. A fridge is usually set for about 38 degrees, so you would have to put them in the freezer to get below 30 degrees.

 

[Cliniford]

Thanks for the info and the stories guys. really looking forward to trying this out, just waiting for the darn things to show up in the mail so we can get started!

 

[unclemoustache]

Just to let you know. A fridge is usually set for about 38 degrees, so you would have to put them in the freezer to get below 30 degrees.

Well, maybe that was part of my problem!