Japanese Cherry Blossom Growing Instructions

Ecological habits:

Japanese cherry Blossom tree, likes sunny and fertile, deep and well drained slightly acidic soil, neutral soil can be also adaptive. Cold-resistant, likes wet environment. Root are shallow, avoid ponding and low humidity. Poor resistance to dust and harmful gas.

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Functions:
When it blooms, the tree is bright and, very beautiful, but the flowering time is short, can only stay 1 week or so just fade; Suitable for planting in yard, front of building and garden road.

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Seeding method:
Put the seed into hot water of 20-30 degrees first for 2-3 hours, and then use cold water to soak in, after three days and three nights out with damp sand mixing up and bury well. Seeds and sand ratio of 1 to 5. Best in a sunny place. The temperature is usually 20 to 25 degrees, seed in sand began to sprout from about 3 to 5 days.

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Steps for Stratification:
1. Rinse the Sakura (Cherry Blossom) seeds gently in a sieve.
2. Use a gardening gloves and soak the Sakura (Cherry Blossom) seeds into the 10% hydrogen peroxide solution for about 10 minutes. * This step is optional but it helps prevent possible moulding drastically.
3. Pick up the seeds with a pair of tweezers and put them into a moist kitchen paper, then put them into a zip lock bag. Finish by labelling them and then refrigerate them. (Do not put into a freezer. Let them stay in the lower part of a refrigerator – the part where you usually store vegetables or fruit will be fine.)
4. Sprouting should start in 2-8 weeks, depending on the variety. Check for germination once a week and if necessary, moisturize the kitchen paper to maintain humidity.

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Notes:
1. Do not plant the seeds or seedlings under extremely temperature. Temperature below 15 degree Celsius or above 30 degree Celsius normally guarantee a poor result.

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Bonsai Seed Cultivation

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Not all seeds are ready to sprout once they are put into soil.
For example, certain temperate species of tree like maples must undergo cold stratification before they are ready to germinate. Cold stratification simply means a cold and moist period, usually the winter months. In nature, these seeds fall off of the mother plant in fall. They spend the freezing winter months on the ground. The cold period followed by warmer weather in spring triggers them to germinate. To germinate bonsai seeds that require cold stratification, place the seed in a plastic bag filled with potting soil (link to soil page) that is kept consistently moist. Place the bag in the refrigerator’s vegetable crisper for the number of months that seed species must germinate. Then, pot it out in spring.

Other species like eucalyptus must be scarified. Their seeds are designed to germinate only under certain conditions. Most of these species have hard shells that must first travel through the digestive tract of an animal or be subjected to fire before they can germinate. When growing a bonsai tree from seed at home you can bypass these extreme measures with simple scarification. Simply file gently through the hard seed coat just until you reveal the lighter coat underneath. The seedling will break through the opening and germinate in spring.

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Soil
Most tree species like pine and maple do well in well-draining, organic commercial potting soil (link to soil page). Never use garden soil for your bonsai tree’s pot. It is too heavy for a pot and unsterilized. Your seed may not survive it.
Fill a pot (link to pots page) with drainage holes to within 1/2-inch of its lip. Place coffee filters over the drainage holes if soil crumbles out of them. Water the soil (link to watering page) liberally and allow it to drain for 30 minutes.

Planting
The depth at which you plant your bonsai tree seed depends heavily on the species of the tree and the size of its seed. As a general rule, most seed should be planted at a depth equal to the diameter of the seed. Very small seed should just be lightly covered with a thin layer of soil. Acorns may be planted as deep as 2-inches.

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Pre-Germination Care
Keep your bonsai seed moist with regular watering until it germinates. Touch the surface of the soil daily to check moisture levels. Water the soil as necessary with a fine spray of water from a spray bottle. Keep the soil from drying out quickly by placing the container in indirect sunlight, never direct. Indoors, near a large window is an ideal spot for maintaining the moisture and light levels your bonsai seed needs to germinate.

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Post-Germination Care
The amount of time your bonsai seedling takes to emerge from its seed depends on the species. Some will germinate in as little as a few weeks. Others will take several seasons. Once your bonsai seedling successfully breaks from its seed and develops two true leaves – the leaves that sprout after the first two immature leaves -cut back watering to whenever the top third of the soil in the container dries out.

 

Once your bonsai tree outgrows its seedling tray, pot it up to a larger pot (link to pots page). Insert a pencil beneath the seedling’s roots and push up to remove it from the soil. Never pull it by its delicate stem.
Once your bonsai tree seedling is planted in a larger container, you may care for it as you would any other bonsai tree. Move it to direct sunlight and water it regularly. Once the tree is five to six weeks of age you may begin a fertilization regimen.