Chinese Elm Bonsai Tree Seeds?

Question

Hi.

I have got some chinese elm bonsai seeds. I have followed the instructions which say place them in a glass or bowl of warm preferrably from a recently boiled kettle and leave for 24-36 hours. The ones that sink I can keep and the ones that float i can throw away.

Anyway I have left them for 24 hours and six of them have sank! I'm going to leave them for one more day and then follow the rest of the instructions. Basically it says something about putting the seeds in a wet but no soaking wet paper towel and leave them in the fridge for so many days I cant remember how many. Then it goes on to say that the seeds might require me to go straight to stage 3 and sow them. My question is how will I know if they need to be sowed or stored in the fridge?

Thanks for your answers.

Answer 1

Pop them in the deep freeze for a couple of weeks. This process is called "stratification".

This is from my hubby who's the family bonsai expert.

I would also suggest you google "stratification",  also "zelkovia" and/or "ulmus chinensis", which are the posh names for Chinese elm.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Oh, dear. The seeds are for Chinese Elm. Bonsai is an artform. Germinate the seeds like you would any Elm seed and follow the seasonal chilling that normally happens when the seeds fall to the ground and winter outdoors before starting to grow. Once they've germinated and started to grow you can begin the BONSAI part, the miniaturization. The only advantage to saplings is that they are already small and it's relatively easy to keep them that way. Here's a site for inspiration.

http://www.american-bonsai.com