JM seeds can take up to 2 years to germinate, so don't give up on them yet. I would suggest planting them in a potting medium once they germinate, rathe than vermiculite. My favorite is Pro-mix Organic, which has beneficial soil microorganisms that help root development and also protect against disease.

Keeping lids on your containers may keep in too much moisture. JMs are suceptible to damping off and root rot, both of which occur when soil stays too moist. JMs want a soil that is moist but well draining, and they appreciate air circulation. Don't be afraid to give your seedlings light. I would suggest putting them outside in a protected, shady spot as soon as the first leaves have opened. They'll do much better.

Regards,

K4

P.S. You do realize that the seeds you got will not produce "Osakazui" trees. Named JMs are grafted trees, so they are identical clones of the parent plant. The seeds you got may have come from an 'Osakazuki', but they will have considerable variation from the parent tree. This doesn't make them necessarily less desirable - you can get some beautiful trees from seed. But when vendors sell JM seeds of a named variety, they are really scamming the public. The resulting seedlings are NOT true to the named variety.

Wow.. that really is a long time to germinate. I should be happy I have 3 that sprouted after 6 months. Hopefully I get some more germinated. I think I will remove the lid from one of them and see which 'takes' better. I don't want mold or anything. I'm not sure about transplanting them again into another medium. I should have read here first, but was too excited I finally had some sprout.

The reason I am afraid to give them light immediately is that whenever I first transplant lettuce, broccoli, etc at my grow lab setup, the plants tend to struggle for a couple days with many perishing from the bright fluorescents on their baby leaves (just 4 shop lights, 8 bulbs). If I put them outside my back yard, which acts like a lens believe it or not (the sun against all the light colored neighbor's houses + my own seems to radiant right into my back yard) I will surely fry them. There's not much shade due to the youngness of the neighborhood. I figured the safer bet was to give them indirect fluorescent light by putting them below the normal shelf as light comes in diffused from the sides to below. It'll give them a little to stretch toward.

I knew about these seeds not producing true Osakazui trees. I just wanted some cheap and hopefully beautiful trees someday. I figured $8 and some change was worth the gamble. They may look uneventful or ugly, but that's the chance I already took.

This is actually my second attempt sprouting trees from seeds. The first attempt was accidental. A hazelnut accidentally popped out of my hand around Christmas last year when I was on my back patio briefly and I couldn't find it. Sometime in March I was adding mulch around my rose bushes and found the nut had actually cracked its shell with a root coming out, so I brought it inside and potted it in vermiculite. The plant is about 10" tall now. I currently have it outside in a pot. It inspired me to intentionally try germinating trees from seeds, so I went over to eBay and here I am now. :)

As long as you don't leave the trees under that light for very long, that's probably OK. But JMs don't do well AT ALL as house plants. Many seedlings die after their first year because they don't build up enough sugars and nutrients in their stems to survive the winter. Keep that in mind. You may want to rig a shelter outside to put them under. Nurseries use 50% shade cloth over their hoop-houses to keep the light just right. Also, they MUST have a dormant period, like any other deciduous tree. Below 40 degrees for 90 days minimum. You may want to protect them ths winter in an unheated garage so they don't freeze too badly, but if they are indoors, be sure to water, even when they're dormant. Not too much, but the roots will be growing all winter long.

Regards,

K4

Thanks for the tips. :)

I have a worm bin with lots of worm leechate. Could I dilute it and use it as a spray fertilizer, ya think?

I could move them into the garage, but I think I am many weeks\months from that. I looked at them this morning and the tiny leaves (not true ones yet) are starting to turn from whitish to greenish. Another hasn't left the seed pod, but is getting taller with the pod on top. I think they are on their way. I'm real iffy about taking the clear covers off them because of the history with quick dry-out in the basement with other plants I have germinated. My basement isn't damp like most basements because it is built into a slope and is really only underground for half of it. My garage is on the same level as the basement. I think once the trees are well-established, it would be a good move for the plants to shift over into the garage where they will enjoy cooler temperatures. If all goes to plan, it'll probably happen sometime in late fall. I can try them outside as well as we usually have mild fall weather. I'd have to rig up some kind of structure to lay shade cloth on for them though.

How many weeks\old should a seedling be before it is safe for the dormancy thing? Does it need a woody stem first?

In nature they have growth all summer long, but since yours have a late start I would be happy if they got the first two sets of leaves by fall.

Fertilizer - I almost forgot! You DO need to give them some kind of nourishment, as these growing mediums are pretty sterile and devoid of nutrients. JMs are sensitive to salts, so its best to use something like a seaweed extract that doesn't have an amonium nitrate source for the nitrates. Worm castings may be good. :)

I've been fertilizing my seedling with Fish emulsion. Would the seaweed extract be better?

Josh