I'd follow the directions in the kit if I were you, Half those names are to Vauge to wrap the mind about, Barring that, I'd say most can be germinated in rich, free draining, neutral soil. Seeds of some species cannot last very long at all, others are sitll viable thousands of years later (wasn't a date palm grown not to long ago from a 6500 year old seed? and I know that they sprouted wheat from a tomb in Egypt), Best of luck to you, hope this helps.

If not stored properly, most seed are not going to sprout after 10 years, much less 30. You can drop them into very hot water and see if any sink down to the bottom after a few hours. If any do, they are viable.

randy

Um, Very Hot water seems like a bad idea, anything above 110F may kill/harm any viable seeds IMO

Brendan

What is you opinion based on?

I start over a 1000 seed a year doing this. If you think it's a bad idea, fine. I'm very successful using this bad idea :-). The hot water helps break down the seed coat much faster.

Seed like Texas ebony and others with hard coats are dropped into water that has been brought to a boil and allowed to cool for 10 seconds.

randy

I just put a thermometer on the hot side of the tap. Comes out at 135 degrees. I use that on 3 different types of pine, on Adenium obesum (It has an extremely soft seed coat that can be peeled off with your fingers), zelkova, Chinese Elm, and Brazilian Rain Tree.

Percentages are very good except for the Pinus contorta, but it's about 15 years old.

randy

Roy,

After 37 years I would be very surprised if you have any success with these seeds. Growing bonsai from seed is challenging enough with fresh seed, why handicap your efforts from the start. If you want to try your hand at seeds please get some fresh ones, you may still have time this season if you get a variety that does not require stratification. The kit may have some novelty or collectors value if not damaged.

A better bet for this season would be to visit local nurseries and get a few trees that are already started. By the way there is no such thing as bonsai seed merely seeds of varieties that are suitable for bonsai.

Norm

Besides which, most of those things are not traditional bonsai subjects.

I was thinking that Hot water can denature some proteins and that could be a problem for some species, and the seed coats will desolve in normal water, and if you need to speed them up a nick in the sead coat will probably do more good with less risk of harm, Just my opinion though, your seeds your choice right?

What I recommended is not something I came up with. It's from a manual printed by the USDA Forestry Service called "Seeds of Woody Plants in the United States."

Normal soaking will not break dormancy and give good percentages on some species.

They recommend hot water on a number of species, boiling water on acacia and cercis and Leucaena, boric acid on most acers, and even soaking some hard coat seed in sulphuric acid (Can't remember which ones, might look later).

randy

I guess nicking the seed would work. I doubt there would be many trees available to the public by commercial growers if nicking the seed or room temperature water submersion were the only routes to producing seed. Hiring workers to sit for days nicking seeds by the pound would make plants so cost prohibitive, there would be no garden centers to sell plants. It makes a lot more sense to place certain seed in a timed bath using different techniques or chemicals to hasten production.

Breaking dormancy in the most efficient and quickest way possible is key for growers being able to provide large quantities of different species in a cost effective manner.

I also use hot water for all my tomato, pepper, okra, basil, cilantro, lemon balm, dill, thyme, sage, parsley, sunflower, and numerous other things that don't come to mind at the moment.

Your fear of damaging seed with hot water is just that, a fear.

randy

roy83, did you already plant those seeds. I would hold on to that 1969 box, sounds like a possible collectors item on EBay. If you want to start bonsai, go to home depot, walmart or similar and buy a small ficus, juniper or elm and go from there. The plant will not cost you more than $5.
As for boiling the seeds; I tried that with 20 trident and 20 Chinese elm and had minimal success, but this was the first time I tried. The water was hot, I could stir it with my finger. I let the seeds soak in it for a day, then refrigerated the seeds in wet soil (should have been moist). Then I had about 4 seeds sprout. I then killed them by putting them in direct sun.
Ill stick with buying small plants. Thats my two cents.

Bill

Your lack of success was your sequence, not methods. I prefer to water bath and then sow immediately after. Stratification is the first thing done.

Many seed need moisture content reduced before stratification or they will rot. You reduce moisture content, cold or warm store, and then water bath and sow.

randy

Hmm, randy, you make a good point with the dry stratification, next shipment of seeds i get i might try that with them, you seem like an arsehole from your comments, but reading what most you say, you have a lot of information to back that up :)