Propagation: Attempt to germinate very old Acer pentaphyllum seeds

amazing! the fact that they are 10 years old!

 

It is two months since planting the seeds, so time for an update:


The two that sprouted are doing very well in the greenhouse and have been up-potted to one litre containers. Each new set of leaves is looking closer to the adult leaf shape. They look so healthy!

The other three pots showed no signs of sprouting so I moved them to the fridge, bagged, for a cold treatment about five weeks ago. I am 99.9% sure they will be dead, as I do not think they can survive very long outside of the nutlet, but will bring them into the warm soon and give them a final chance.

 

Great to see you have two healthy Acer pentaphyllum M. The more of these endangered maples that are grown the better.

 

@maf update?

 

I think they are both alive. One is definitely alive and started leafing out from the lower trunk a couple of weeks ago in the greenhouse, and now starting to leaf out higher up. I think the other has buds swelling but no leaves yet. Will have to check the greenhouse tomorrow.

Seems to be normal for one to be farther ahead than the other, the older ones are at various stages of starting to leaf out or buds swelling also.

When they are leafed out properly I will add some pictures.

As an aside, keeping Acer pentaphyllum in a greenhouse over the winter and spring in UK climate seems to bring leaf out forward by around two to three weeks - the older plants which used to be kept outdoors would break bud around the end of May or early June, the last two years in the greenhouse it has been mid-May.

And they will be coming out of the greenhouse for the summer very soon....