Page 27 - Tài liệu Ebook cây cảnh Bonsai Basics

OBTAINING YOUR BONSAI 29

GROWING FROM SEED

Growing from seed remains the simplest
and most natural method of propaga-
tion but by no means the most reliable. It
also requires a great deal of patience,
particularly with very slow-growing
trees. It can take anything up to five
years to obtain a bonsai from seed.

How to obtain seeds
Look for wild seeds in autumn. With a
little skill, you will find a variety of seeds
lying about. But you may encounter the
dual problem of finding which tree the
seed has come from and what kind it is.
This is no problem with acorns or chest-
nuts, but the problem becomes acute
where several species of conifer grow in
the same place.
It should also be emphasized that the
chances of successfully germinating
The seeds of this superb ''ariegated holly could soon
seeds found in nature are very poor. be ready for collection and sowing, but the results
Some seeds, for example, may have been are uncertain.
attacked by parasites which threaten
germination or the plant's successful
development, while others may well have
been contaminated by viral or fungal
disease.
But do not let this discourage you
from collecting a suitable specimen from
the forest and experiencing the joy of
growing a tree from seed you have found
yourself. You should just be aware of the
risks and limitations. One reliable solu-
tion is to buy selected commercial seeds.
These offer a high success rate for germi-
nation and the fact that they are sold
commercially means there is less risk of
diseases and parasites. Seeds sold com-
mercially expressly for producing bonsai
come mainly from the Far East and arc
of species particularly well-suited to this
method of growing. But no seeds, having
germinated, grow into dwarf trees with-
out special care. The miniaturizing tech-
Unlike seeds collected from the wild, commercially
nique entails no genetic modification of sold seeds have a good chance of germinating (these
the trees. So bonsai seeds will produce are varieties for bonsai).