Australian Alpine Wattle (Acacia Pravissima)

Bad-At-Bonsai

Hi everyone, received one of those "grow your own bonsai" kits a few weeks ago and followed the rather strange instructions up to the point where I have soaked the pot full of seeds and some special peat stuff for an hour, and stuck it in the fridge for a couple of weeks (it says it needs 6-10 but haven't taken it out yet). Does this method seem the correct way to grow a tree from seeds?

splendidplumage

Most temperate seeds naturally drop in autumn experience a cold period over winter then start growing in spring.

Instructions on packs of seeds like this are designed to try and fool the seed into germinating out of season. The point of putting them in a fridge is to give them a fake winter so that when you take them out they will hopefully start growing.

There are several problems with buying grow your own bonsai kits though:
They are overpriced compared to buying fresh seed from a proper specialist.
The seed has often dried out before you buy it and already won't do anything.
The companies that produce them use seed varieties that are cheap not necessarily those suitable for bonsai.
Even if you do fool some seed to germinate by refrigerating it then letting it out it will have a far shorter growing season then normal and will be far weaker then normal come its first winter. The first winter is the hardest one to get weak seedlings through.

Specific to acacias:
Acacias are a poor choice to grow as a bonsai just because they have big compound leaves.
Also all the general info about how seed germinates above does not apply to acacias
Acacias grow in areas where there are frequent forest fires that destroy all vegetation.
Acacias grow and produce seed quickly. The seed lies dormant and is triggered to germinate by experiencing the extreme heat of a forest fire.
The general instructions on your pack do not apply to the seeds inside at all. Putting these particular seeds in a fridge does not help at all. Just shows the lack of thought put into selling them.

If you have not been put off trying to grow them yet and do not fancy starting a forest fire just to try and get them to grow then the easiest thing to do is to pour boiling water over the seeds and allow them to stand overnight. The next day any seeds which have swollen are ready for sowing.

Dick

That's an excellent explanation of starting tree seeds. That;s also why, this isn't the best time to start tree seeds growing since the fall and winter, with decreased light and warmth, will be upon us sooner that later.

Bad-At-Bonsai

cheers splendidplumage, the problem is that the seeds are mixed in with some special peaty stuff, so do I remove the actual seeds from it then plant them or....?

cheers Luke

Dick

The seeds are in a medium that is supposed to promote germination and tender root growth. When the germinated seed needs a transplant, then it can be placed in a different, more characteristic growing medium