Dax
What a nice lot.
I notice you are growing them in a polyhouse. Hope you don't mind I ask; what do you use to cover the structure in winter? Is there any reusable material available rather than white poly that needs to be replaced regularly?
(My collection of Japanese maples self sow heavily this spring and I potted a large number of them. Now I think I need to revive part of my old polyhouse that was abandon many years ago.)

Hi garcan, I don't mind the question at all.

I plan to cover it in 3mm white poly that has a one time winter use. White poly for railroad cars is the best you can get. I haven't searched for it yet though.

And thanks, I enjoy this very much.

Dax

Dax,

Impressive operation. You have some beauties there. I germinated my first batch this past spring. So much fun.

I was wondering about that bagged potting mix in the background. Is that peaty type mix? or one of those flaky bark products? Just wondering about the media and if you get great roots. It looks like it.

Hey Herman,

That potting mix isn't any different from miracle grow but twice the price. It was the first time I bought it.

I was in contact with a west coast grower and he explained potting media to me from a west coast perspective and from a zone 5 Pennsylvania perspective where he used to operate. I learned that the barky pieces are what those guys use on the west coast because of the weather. Here he explained that I'd have more of a possibility of losing plants over winter because of all the air space in the potting media. For here he said however that mixes containing a lot of peat is just as bad. That too much water would be maintained in the media over winter and at other times causing root rot and a just as dangerous for potted woodies going into winter. The outcome is that he recommended a mix of 50/50 peat to perlite. The mix with perlite added he showed me in photos of his potted grafting understocks and grafts had much heavier root systems.

That's the jist.

Hope that helps.

Dax

Dax, Thanks for the info. Hope to see more pictures of these seedlings next spring.

Dax,

Thanks for info. It doesn't get so cold here we're borderline 7-into 6. I've been trying to lessen the peat in my mix. I noticed that a grower near here uses a mix that seems to be completely composed of leaf mould and small bark flakes. He gets rampant root development (Z7 polyhouse).

On interesting seedlings the perfectly formed trunks are a beautiful change from the grafted plants.

there's a place an hour or so from my home that custom blends media. I'd still like a different mix.

see ya guys,

Dax

That's interesting about the mix. I use 50/50 peat and perlite for growing seedlings from seeds. For 1g and larger, I use 3 parts screened pine bark fines, one part peat and one part expanded shale (helps weight down the container because of windy conditions over here). Everything are grown in the rootmaker containers. I get nice root system development out of rootmaker products. Everything is based on Dr. Carl Whitcomb's work. I have some JM seedlings, about 45 shantung maples which is pretty easy to grow and some unknown taxodium that has nice green color but very low germination rate (5 out of hundreds!).