Hey All, I just came across this growing kit for $14.95 and I was wondering if it was worth giving it a try? I'd like to hear what you guys think :) http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/product/226/4656/118.html -MM
Mango if your interest is in the convenience of getting something in the mail and your expectations are low then maybe worth it. Growing Japanese maples from seed takes a little practice and seeds in a packaged product aren't going to be fresh in May. If you want to try and grow a little tree I suggest collecting seeds from a tree nearby in Sept or Oct. Leaving them outside or in your fridge to stratify and then potting them up in spring after germination. There is loads of info on this if you go over to the acer forum. Another angle would be to buy a small plant from the vendors recommended in the acer forum or maybe get a deal on a small plant from ebay. You can often get a decent 1-2 yr old plant for $10 plus shipping.
I'd go for it. The suggestions from P-to-B are, of course, right on point, but you've got this neat little package right here available from National Geographic, a highly reputable outfit, which will certainly stand behind it (for instance by giving you credit if the seeds fail to germinate, which is a possibility). Buy now. The world can only benefit from having another A. palmatum fanatic. Even Poetry to Burn must agree with this.
Ya, i do agree about the benefits of growing maples. I just felt that the kit was a bit disingenuous because it's likely that a seed you try to germinate in May this year might wait a year or two to pop. Also if Mango waits till Autumn he could message me and I'll send him a bunch of fresh samaras and I'll include which plants they fell from.
Poetry, I took your advice and held off on ordering :) My sister lives out in Maryland and the stores around there have much smaller maples than we have in NY, so she promised to pick one up for me and bring it up to NY when she comes to visit :) I would still love to take you up on the offer for seeds in the autumn :D
This may be a bit late, but a few good suggestions would be to look on eBay; go to your local Home Depot or garden center such as Meadows Farms in spring to get a wide selection; go to the same in October-November to get perhaps a lesser selection, but very inexpensive. (I picked up several his November for $10 each that I plan to use for Bonsai.) You can also just google "Japanes Maples" and see what places show up online that you could try. There are some excellent sources for seedlings that are worth looking into for the JM "newbie".