How to Grow a Rhododendron from a Seed
Rhododendrons grow well in USDA hardiness zones 4 to 8, depending on the cultivar type. While rhododendrons can be purchased at a nursery, planting them from seeds saves money. Rhododendron seeds germinate best between January and March. The seeds need to be germinated properly indoors to ensure that they sprout and remain healthy. Rhododendron seeds require moisture and heat to **** the germination process. Once the seeds reach 2 to 3 inches tall, the plants are ready to transplant into individual container.
Instructions
1
Combine equal parts of sand, peat moss and perlite to make a well-drained soil. You need enough soil to fill the amount of seed-starting containers you plan to use; the Azalea Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society suggests planting 40 to 50 seeds in a 4-by-4-inch container. Place the soil into the containers. Alternately, fill the containers with moist milled sphagnum. Water the medium to moisten it.
2
Smooth the planting surface. Sprinkle the rhododendron seeds onto the surface of the potting medium. Space the seeds evenly apart and avoid crowding them. Do not cover the seeds with the potting medium. The seeds settle on the surface.
3
Spray the potting medium with water to keep it moist. Cover the container with clear plastic or a clear container top. Leave 1 1/2 inches between the planting medium and the container to allow room for the seedlings to sprout. Continue to mist the medium with water to keep it moist. Never allow the medium to dry out completely or become too soggy.
4
Place the container in a warm, sunny location with a temperature range between 70 and 75 degrees F, such as the windowsill. Place the seeds under a fluorescent light for 16 hours each day if the windowsill does not provide enough light and warmth. Keep the light 8 inches above the seeds. Allow the seeds to grow until they are 2 to 3 inches tall, which can take up to three months.
5
Transplant the seedlings once they are 2 inches high. Separate the seedlings and thin out the weak ones. Place them into individual 3-inch containers with a fresh potting soil that contains an equal amount of peat moss and perlite. Continue to water the seedlings to keep the potting medium moist.
6
Place the seedlings outdoors when the weather warms. Place them in the shade away from direct sunlight. Leave them outdoors for an hour the first day and then gradually acclimate the seedlings to the weather to harden them. The seedlings need at least 16 hours of warmth per day, at a temperature of around 70 degrees F.
7
Fertilize the seedlings with a water-soluble acid fertilizer at one-third the strength. Follow the instructions on the fertilizer to ensure that you use it properly. Fertilize the seedlings every other watering for best results. Stop fertilizing the rhododendrons in July to prepare them for the winter.
How to Grow a Rhododendron from a Seed | eHow.com
How to Plant Acer Rubrum Tree Seeds
The red maple (Acer rubrum) grows naturally in forests throughout most of the eastern United States. In fall, its leaves turn bright red, making it an attractive ornamental tree as well. Its seeds sprout readily but don't always thrive if you plant them directly in the ground. "First year survival generally is low, and survivors may show poor growth rate and form," according to an article on Acer Rubrum by Russell S. Walters and Harry W. Yawney. Seedlings grown in containers for eight weeks and then transplanted in the ground showed higher survival rate.
Instructions
1
Collect the winged red maple seeds when they fall to the ground in late spring.
2
Fill a 6-inch-diameter or larger flower pot with potting soil for each tree you want to grow. Plant three or four seeds near the center of the pot, 1/4 to 1 inch deep. Plant the whole wing, called a samara. You don't need to remove the seed from its papery covering. Water the potting soil so it's evenly moist and place the pot in a location at room temperature.
3
Check the pot daily or every other day, and water it lightly if the surface becomes dry. The seeds should sprout within a week.
4
Set the pot in a sunny area and continue to water it as necessary to keep the soil slightly moist. Thin out the weakest seedlings and discard them, leaving one strong seedling in the pot.
5
Transplant the seedling into the ground in early fall.
How to Plant Acer Rubrum Tree Seeds | eHow.com
How to Start Maple Trees 2
Maple trees (Acer spp.) are popular ornamental trees, loved for their long life and the shade they provide in residential landscapes. Some of the more popular are sugar maples (Acer saccharum), red maples (Acer rubrum) and black maples (Acer nigrum). It is possible to propagate some of the more popular trees by seed collected from the tree at the right time of year, stratified---put in cold storage to mimic winter dormancy---and planted indoors until the seed has grown into a seedling and can be planted in its permanent locatio
Instructions
1
Gather seedpods from the tree when they are reddish-brown in color. The seedpods are called samaras. It isn't necessary to extract the seeds from the samaras.
2
Fill a plastic sealable bag with moist sand. Insert the samara in the sand.
3
Place the bag in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator to stratify the seeds.
4
Stratify red maple seeds for 60 to 75 days, sugar maple seeds for 60 to 90 days and black maple seeds for 60 to 90 days.
5
Remove from the refrigerator and plant the seed ¼ inch to 1 inch deep in moist potting soil or compost. Cover the pot with plastic wrap and secure it with a rubber band.
6
Place the pot in a 70-degree Fahrenheit location out of direct sunlight for germination. Water the pot from the bottom and take care not to let the soil dry out.
How to Propagate Katsura Trees From Seed
Katsura "Cercidiphyllum japonicum" is a deciduous tree native to Japan and China. The green leaves are heart-shaped with a tinge of red. In the fall, the leaf color changes to apricot-yellow. Katsura is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 4 through 8. The tree can grow to heights of 40 to 60 feet, with a spread of 30 to 50 feet. Katsura seeds can be picked off the tree before the pods open, or the seeds can be bought from garden supply stores or online. Start the seeds in the spring or fall
Instructions
1
Fill 4-inch pots or a tray with seed-starting soil.
2
Water the soil thoroughly until water comes out the bottom drainage holes.
3
Place the pots onto a drainage rack to allow excess water to drain into a container below.
4
Sow the Katsura tree seeds thinly over the top of the soil. If you're sowing the seeds in a pot, place one seed in the center.
5
Cover the seed with potting soil to a 1/16-inch depth. Grit or coarse sand will also work, because the seeds need light to germinate.
6
Mist the soil or sand with a sprayer filled with water.
7
Cover the pots with clear plastic bags, and place them in a bright location that remains around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
8
Check the soil daily for moisture. Mist the top of the soil to keep it moist, but not soggy.
9
Remove the clear plastic bag when the seed germinates. It can take two weeks or longer for the seeds to germinate.
10
Place the pots back into the bright location. Water to keep the soil moist.
11
Transplant the seedlings into 6-inch pots when they have their second set of true leaves. Plant the Katsura trees outdoors in a sunny location after one year.
How to Grow a Rhododendron from a Seed | eHow.com
How to Germinate Leptospermum
Leptospermum is the genus and common name for a large group of flowering shrubs and trees sometimes called tea trees. Leptospermum scoparium is widely cultivated as an ornamental tree for its slender evergreen leaves and dainty pale-pink flowers, which last throughout the summer months. Seed propagation is the most widespread method used to grow new leptospermum trees, since they germinate reliably without any processing or special treatment. However, once germinated, the young seedlings must be kept slightly dry to prevent a potentially lethal fungal infection called "damping-off."
Instructions
1
Fill a nursery tray with neutral seedling compost. Shake the nursery tray to settle the seedling compost but do not press it firm since the rough surface will **** hold the leptospermum seeds in place.
2
Mix the seeds with an equal measure of fine sand to make distributing them easier since the individual seeds are extremely tiny and difficult to handle.
3
Sprinkle the fine sand and seed mixture across the surface of the seedling compost in a thin, even layer. Gently press the seed onto the surface of the seedling compost with the flat of your hand.
4
Mist the leptospermum seeds liberally with a spray bottle filled with filtered or distilled water. Mist the seeds until the top inch of soil feels moderately moist. Maintain moderate moisture in the top inch of soil until the leptospermum seeds germinate.
5
Place the nursery tray in a cold frame or indoors near a large window with good, filtered light, depending on what is available. Choose a spot where the leptospermum seeds will receive at least seven hours of light each day.
6
Watch for germination in two to four weeks. Thin the seedlings to one every 2 inches as soon as they produce a pair of leaves.
7
Decrease water once the leptospermum seedlings emerge. Allow the soil to dry out in the top 1/4 inch between waterings to keep the environment somewhat dry, which will lessen the likelihood of damping-off.
8
Transplant the leptospermum seedlings into 6-inch plastic pots filled with potting soil as soon as they are large enough to handle without damaging them, which is typically four weeks after emergence.
9
Keep the individually potted leptospermum seedlings under warm, bright conditions until mid-spring. Transplant the seedlings into a sunny, draining bed outdoors once soil temperatures reach 70 F.
How to Germinate a Ficus Religiosa
Known as the Bhodi tree, or the sacred fig, Ficus religiosa trees are often grown as ornamentals. Ficus religiosa is a type of banyan tree native to India, China and Southeast Asia. Ficus religiosa trees are sacred to Buddhists, as Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment while sitting under one. The trees feature oversized, intertwined root systems that are partially visible above ground. These distinctive trees are grown as potted bonsai miniatures or raised to full outdoor size in warm-climate areas such as Florida. The trees may be bought as seedlings or saplings, or grown from seed. Ficus seeds require close attention during the germination period.
Instructions
1
Take great care in selecting fertile Ficus religiosa seeds. Buy only fresh seeds, as Ficus religiosa fig nuts have a short viability shelf life. Order seeds in advance to get them within a few months of harvest. After six months, germination rates start to decline. Collect ripe figs if you have access to mature, fertile Ficus religiosa trees.
2
Squash the figs and squeeze the seeds out of the mass of pulp. Rub the seeds in a towel to remove pulp remnants. Soak the seeds for 24 hours in a bucket of water to remove germination-inhibiting chemicals from the fruit. Discard the seeds that float to the top as they are not viable. Spread the seeds out on a screen to air-dry. Speed up germination by scarifying the seed coat. Use a metal file or coarse sandpaper to create a thin spot in the hard seed shell for the emerging root tip.
3
Prepare a germination soil and medium mixture. Start by combining equal amounts of sand and potting soil. Use black dirt potting soil and any type of fine-grained silica sand. Play sand works fine. Heat the soil mix to 200 degrees F if it hasn't been sterilized. Mix two parts fine-grained vermiculite with one part perlite. Add two parts of the vermiculite-perlite mix to one part soil. Blend the growing medium thoroughly.
4
Fill 3- or 4-inch tall, 2-inch-wide plastic pots with the growing medium. Use the bottom of one of the pots to tamp the soil down so it's about 1 inch below the top of the pot. Place the pots in a tray with no drainage holes. Fill the tray with water to bottom-water the pots. Pour the water out of the tray once the dirt mix is soaked but not waterlogged.
5
Place four Ficus religiosa seeds on top of the soil. Lightly sprinkle sand over them, but don't cover the seeds. Put a translucent plastic lid over the tray. Place the tray in strong light, but keep it out of direct sunlight. Keep the temperature at 77 degrees F. Take the lids off daily to allow oxygen to reach the seeds. Use a spray bottle to mist the pots if they start to dry out. Keep the dirt damp for 15 to 90 days until you see the seedlings appear.
How to Germinate a Ficus Religiosa | eHow.com