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Garden Experiments

stratification of japanese maple seeds worked...now what??

20 years ago

Hi, I have about 9 seedlings, with their first REAL set of leaves, but they are still in the baggies. I had forgotten about them while they were in the fridge, & finally took them out. I set them on the top of my fridge, & about a week later they began to sprout!! I don't want to kill them, & I don't know what to do next. They seem to be doing just fine where they're at, but I know they can't stay there forever! =) PLEASE HELP!!

WHAT DO I DO NEXT???

Thanks, Alyson

Comments (3)

sleeplessinftwayne
20 years ago
Hey there: Open the baggies but don't remove them. Let the plants adjust to the lower humidity and then open the baggies a little more. Keep it up until the plants are fully exposed. It might be too warm and dry for them on top of the fridge. They will need lots of light and well draining soil. Are these for bonsai? -Sandy
Organic_Aly
Original Author
20 years ago
Thanks for the tip Sandy!
To answer your question... I wasn't planning on it. I actually didn't even think that I'd have any sucess at all with the whole stratification thing.
I have a small fridge in my garage (you know for "cold drinks" etc. Its located in front of a west facing window, so the light thing isn't too much of a problem.
Do you have any tips on feeding them?
If so, when should I?
Thanks again!
Aly
PS: why do you ask if they're for bonsai?
sleeplessinftwayne
20 years ago
Hey there: You may need more light before long. Until you get them outside, don't feed them more than 1/2 strength. They will just get too much growth between nodes and they will stretch out to the window even more than they will now. I asked about Bonsai because I grew them many years ago for that purpose and they were delightful. -Sandy

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