Step by Step

Hello there, this is my second post now and I am even more excited about this one than the last. Today I am going to talk about why I decided to grow my own bonsai from seed vs. just buying another one from a nursery, and the steps I have taken to get to this stage. This time for my new tree I do not want to design something that someone else has started. I want to start from the beginning. I love my other trees very much but these new ones are going to be something that will be very special to me. Its funny because my wife and I are having a child soon and I wanted to plant a tree to represent our child’s life, so that he/she could look at the tree at the age of twenty and be amazed. Kinda weird I know but that’s what is happening.

OK, so I have done a little bit of research on the subject of starting trees from seed. A lot of the information on the subject says to you need to coldstratify for up to 60 days. What this means is you have to break down the germination inhibitor layer on the seed by soaking your seeds in water on the counter from 24 hours to 5 days. Then you put your seeds in a container or bag with some organic product and place in the fridge from 30-90 days. What this does is tricks the seeds into thinking it is winter. I did not do this step and I am kind of regretting it. My Azalea's are growing fine but they are also a shrub.

This is what I have done to get to day 13.

Step one; Choose your seeds. I bought mine from seedrack.com. They have a great selection and they were delivered on time. Make sure that you can grow them in your “zone”. They will also give you paper about your seeds with a little bit of germination advise. If at all possible go out for a walk around the fall and see if you can pick some seed right off of the tree. Some species only grow from fresh seeds.

Step two; Buy a standard sized germinating tray from any nursery or box store. Also buy the dome that comes with it. Its going to cost you $8. It helps keep the humidity in the tray.

Step three; Choose your soil mix. This is a huge topic on its own. All I can say is what I went with a good quality potting mix, 100% organic. Other articles will tell you to get a fast draining mix cause you can wrought the roots. I want my tree to grow healthy and strong, quick, so I went with 100% organic soil. I am going to have to be very careful about how much I water. I also believe that the seedling needs lots of nutrients and I do not want to supplement them into my soil.

Steph four; I bought a grow light from an online store. I chose to go with a single florescent tube. It has 24 Watts, 2000 Initial Lumens, 6400k – Full daylight spectrum and the tube is rated for 20, 000 hours of life. From what I understand with will do it. At the moment I do not have enough light to grow on a window, but you totally could.

<---- This is my actual setup. Total cost $125 Canadian. 

So that’s about all the steps I have taken to get here. I am going to have light on them for 15 hours a day with the lid on to keep the humidity up and water them when I feel the soil is getting a little to dry. Thank you very much for your time. I really hope to hear some comments on what you think. Thanks.