Hello everyone, I have been reading over the forum for a while, but this is my first post. This is very informative site. Glad to be here. I started growing JM last year from seed off the trees in my yard and had really good luck so I decided to try several thousand seeds from seeds of my tree and some other local and internet sources. All did really well, except the ones off the internet. I was looking at one of the flats of seed and noticed that some of the roots have fuzzy hairs on the roots that the other flats did not have. I am scared that some of the seed have fungus on them from the stratification process (which I am starting to believe isn't necessary for high germ rates for JM), since I did not use any fungicide. I am wondering if it is too late to kill the fungus by adding fungicide and what kind of fungicide does everyone recommend?
If you feel the need you can water with a liquid fungicide. Here it goes by the name "Damp-Off". Just ask for something to stop "damping off". But if you do have some kind of harmful mold growing, then I would think you would first notice if by a massive die off, not a fuzz on the roots. It could just be feeder roots. Personally I don't use fungicide on my outdoor seeds. There is no need to pamper weaklings. Other than powdery mildew you really shouldn't have to worry about fungus on your little trees.
thanks for the reply, I am pretty positive they arent feeder roots, I compared several JM, but I will try to get some pictures. I was guessing mold, bc some of the seeds looked grayish and discolored before I put them in the tray and the other batches didnt have that color and dont have the fuzz on the roots. Beside the fuzz, all seedlings in the tray look healthy and I am not concerned with damping-off. I have seen some Powdery Mildew on some of larger seedlings and I really noticed PM last season on my first year seedling in late summer when they had reached about two feet tall. I sprayed with Neem oil once, but dont think it should be a problem. Is PM particularly bad for JM? So you dont think I should worry about the fuzz on the roots? I did move them away from my other seedlings so they dont contaminate anything, just being over cautious I guess, but I dont want to lose my seedlings.
I suppose it can be. I had it showing up on some JMs and on Amur maple seedlings last year. Just pluck off the leaves that have it and move the trees to a place with better air flow and/or more sun.
is there another name this is sold under in the states, or similar product, that can be found easily at local nurseries. I have some Schults brand 3-1 (fungicide, insecticide, miticide), that is Neem based and I sprayed that on it till I can find the product you recommended
I had some batches of seed that I stratified in the frig, some that I put straight into seed flats after picking and then there were some seeds on the tree I couldnt reach, so I just sprayed with a hose and let them fall to the ground at the base of the tree and then just tossed some mulch over them. Out of all three techniques, I got almost the same germination rates (80-90%). Only difference was that Stratifying took the most time and was the biggest pain and the ones that were in the ground and in trays popped out during their natural time (not mid-winter like the stratified ones)and took less work, which made things easier to manage. I will post some more pics of my seed germinating. I just got a new digital SLR and I have been taking tons of pics. I will get them ASAP.
BayMaples, In all these cases stratification has taken place. Stratification just means being cold and wet in in order to break the seed's dormancy. It can be done in a fridge or outside; artificially or naturally.
I guess I should have been more clear. I dont think having to put them in bags in a cold frig is always neccessary. There is such an emphasis on doing it this way and people get overwhelmed and think that there so much to the process. I just want new-comers to germinating JM seeds to realize that its not a tough as it is made out to be. In my opinion the most important part is using fresh seed, instead of focusing on the method of stratification.
It is certainly fertile Your experience here is not the norm Bay. Be thankful for your new plants, and certainly for your tree :) Having said that, I have successfully stratified new seeds in a seed bed sinmply left outside over the winter (forgotten about) with great success.
Thanks for the replies. I very surprised at my success too. I dont have space for them all. I also had great success from different seeds I ordered off EBay. I got some green and red lace leaves to germinate too. The lace leaf seedlings look very cool when they are small. I will try to get some pics of those too. Here are a few of my favorite seedlings
Fox Farm brand's Ocean Forest Organic Soil mix Fox Farm brand's Peace of Mind: Japanese Maples Fertilizer Root Success Benefical Mycorrhiza. I was using this mix last year and almost all my maple seedlings grew to about 2.5-3 ft after the first years growth, but since I am in Cali, my grow season starts in Dec/Jan so I get a an extra long season wich allows for the extra growth.
