Growing from seed

Discussion in 'Maples' started by cafernan, Sep 9, 2011.

  1. cafernan

    cafernan Active Member

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    Hi guys
    As you already knows, I live in Argentina, the seeds I get from you and other sources starts sprouting in winter, so they should be placed indoors to germinate. I have had some succes depending on the cultivar but some topics still remains difficult to handle properly, at least to me. One of them is the lights. I have my 1-3" tall seedlings under a low consumption bulb and suddenly they got scorched. Since watering doesn not seem to be the problem, could be the distance between the light and the seedlings leaves? Which is the minimun height in between both?
    Thanks for your help!
    Regards, Carlos
     
  2. Gomero

    Gomero Well-Known Member Maple Society 10 Years

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    Hola Carlos,

    I wonder whether there are many forum viewers who grow maples under artificial light to be able to help, I am not one of them ;-)) and thus cannot help on this point. However I would like to ask you why do you think you should grow them indoors, your climate is very mild and there is little risk of damaging frosts.

    Gomero
     
  3. cafernan

    cafernan Active Member

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    Gracias Gomero!!!
    Because I think the weather could be very cold for seedlings and the amount of light they receive it would not be enough because the seeds I get sprout in mid-winter.
     
  4. maf

    maf Generous Contributor Maple Society 10 Years

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    Maybe the (lack of) humidity inside is the problem. Depending on the wattage and type of bulb you should be able to place seedlings 10-15cm away without problem. Hard to say without knowing all the variables. (The only maples I started under lights were Acer pentaphyllum, and they did OK.)

    I agree with Gomero that the seedlings would likely be OK outside at this time of year in your location. I know that when the seeds sprout outside here, the nights can still be frosty and the seedlings are not affected.
     
  5. cafernan

    cafernan Active Member

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    Ok, I´ll take your advice. After all, both of you are the "seeds owners" I have !!!
    But, what about the fotoperiod?
     
  6. maf

    maf Generous Contributor Maple Society 10 Years

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    I wouldn't worry too much about that. Plus, my Acer seeds tend to sprout soon after the spring equinox, and, if I worked this out right, you will have the spring equinox within 10 days. (Edit: I wouldn't worry too much about that at this time of year. Might not be a good idea to put newly sprouted seedlings outside in midwinter.)

    If there is a big temperature difference between inside and out be careful to acclimatise the seedlings gradually (I am sure you know this already).
     

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