So far, I've seen anywhere from four to eight cotyledons. These little guys are so aggressive to sprout, but in adulthood, they'll grow very slowly. In the wild, they may live thousands of years old, and stay relatively small.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Seed #4 - Eight Cotyledons
So far, I've seen anywhere from four to eight cotyledons. These little guys are so aggressive to sprout, but in adulthood, they'll grow very slowly. In the wild, they may live thousands of years old, and stay relatively small.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
No Shortage of Sprouts
If it turns out that all of my bristlecones sprout, I don't think I'll be surprised. I do think that the real challenge with these little guys is going to start once they've sprouted branches and a stronger root system. From everything I've read, they're not too welcoming to excessive watering, and aren't the beginner's tree. I think with (hopefully) more than twenty to work with, I'll have a few living xmas trees in the years to come.
Seed #1 - Seven Cotyledons
For as little as I expected from my bristlecones, they've really impressed. They shoot long, rigid radicles, sprout aggressively, and open up between five to eight cotyledons, all within a couple weeks.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Seed #16 - Outside Seed Sprout
As with seed #15, this little guy really surprised me. I had all but given up on the outside seeds, switching to the indoor baggie method for the rest of my bristlecone seeds. Apparently they're not doing as badly as I thought. I guess I shouldn't be surprised - bristlecones are known for drought tolerance and growing in unforgiving climates. It was interesting to see five cotyledons too - I haven't seen this with any of my other tree seedlings yet.
Seed #15 - Outside Seeds Sprout
I really didn't expect any of my outdoor bristlecones to sprout, since I've been watering them sporadically. I never hold out too much hope for sprouts with seed coats, but I'm still very excited to have any success at all outside.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Fourteen Germinations - What a Surprise!
I originally thought I could grow bristlecone pines by planting untreated seeds directly into well-drained, rocky soil. After a couple of weeks, there's been no activity in their pots. I still had twenty-five seeds left, so a little over a week ago, I decided to try the usual route - the baggie method (pre-germinating the seeds in wet coffee filters). I really didn't expect to see any of the seeds germinate, but apparently they do very easily. Of my twenty-five seeds, fourteen have strong radicles, and several other are almost ready to be planted.
These radicles were very different from the other seeds I've worked with so far - very straight and rigid. Rather than planting these in the well-drained soil immediately, again, I'm going the usual route - cel-packs of seed-starting soil. After they sprout and grow their first season's branches, I'll move them into the rocky soil. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to keep these outside for the winter, so it looks like I might end up with somewhere near twenty indoor, living xmas trees... I'd better have a little talk with my wife...
These radicles were very different from the other seeds I've worked with so far - very straight and rigid. Rather than planting these in the well-drained soil immediately, again, I'm going the usual route - cel-packs of seed-starting soil. After they sprout and grow their first season's branches, I'll move them into the rocky soil. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to keep these outside for the winter, so it looks like I might end up with somewhere near twenty indoor, living xmas trees... I'd better have a little talk with my wife...
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