How to Germinate a Bonsai Red Maple

Red maples make striking bonsai specimens.

Red maples are trees that can reach up to 90 feet in height, but they can be kept as small bonsai trees. Red maple seeds can take up to two years to germinate in the wild. Bonsai growers can speed up the process by cold stratifying the seeds themselves in the refrigerator. Harvest the seeds when they are dark brown and begin the cold stratifying process three to four months before you want to plant the seeds.

Things You'll Need

• Bowl
• Warm water
• Mesh sieve
• Food storage container with lid
• Coarse sand
• Peat moss
• Plant pot
• Potting soil

Instructions

1. Fill a bowl with warm water 100 days before you want to germinate the bonsai red maple seeds. Put the seeds in the bowl and let them soak overnight.

2. Pour the water into a sieve to collect the seeds. Fill a plastic food storage container with a mix of one part peat moss and one part coarse sand. Moisten the mixture with water.

3. Place the seeds in the plastic food container and cover them with the mix. Poke three ventilation holes in the lid and put the lid on the container. Put the container in the refrigerator for 100 days.

4. Fill plant pots with potting soil, one pot for each seed. Remove the seeds from the refrigerator. Place one seed in each pot and cover the seeds with potting soil to a 3/8-inch depth.

5. Water the soil until water comes out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. Set the pot in a sunny spot. Water whenever the soil becomes dry. When the seed germinates, move it to a spot that is shaded 50 percent of the day.

References

• Bonsai Gardener: Grow Your Bonsai Red Maple from Seed; J. Peter
• Evergreen Garden Works: Red Maple As Bonsai; Jim Lewis