Tree Seeds suitable for Bonsai

Please note that there is NO such thing as Bonsai Tree Seeds. Firms that claim to sell 'Bonsai Tree Seeds' are misleading to say the least. If you plant one of these so called 'Bonsai seeds', and if they germinate, they will grow into ordinary trees. Bonsai are created from trees and shrubs by shaping, pruning and wiring. They do not just happen. Certain species of trees and shrubs are suitable for bonsai - such as Japanese Maples and Pines. Many other species are also suitable.

As specialist Japanese Maple growers for over thirty years, we have a vast stock of maples and other exotic Japanese trees, which we use for harvesting seed and for propagating our own plants. The seeds we sell for bonsai are mainly Japanese Maples (Acers) as they are one of the most popular. We harvest our Maple seeds in the Autumn and we usually have them ready for sale around November/December. No need to contact us until then as we will have no further information.

Please note:- We are only able to ship within the UK.

Instructions for storing and sowing the seeds.

After harvesting our seeds, we store them in sealed plastic bags ready to sell.
However, the seeds which we use for sowing are not stored but sown immediately into seed trays, using a general purpose compost.

The seed trays are then covered with a sheet of glass or plastic to overwinter in the open. The alternate freezing and thawing which follows in the winter will break the dormancy of the seed and encourage them to germinate in the Spring. This process is what is called 'stratification'.

The other way of germinating Maple seed is to store them in sealed plastic bags with a bit of moisture in the bag, and leave the bag in the refrigerator till late Winter or very early Spring. In the early Spring, sow the seeds in seed trays and they should germinate fairly readily.

When the seeds germinate, leave them in the seed trays till they have grown the first pair of leaves. When the leaves have hardened slightly, that is the best time to prick them out for planting in individual pots.

We find that sowing the seeds immediately after they have been collected gives the best results.