Question

japanese sakura bonsai plant how to plant a seed

Answer 1

At the outset I would like to state that I have no experience in bringing up Sakura tree nor a Sakura tree as bonsai. However, my experience with other plants may offer some insight in growing a Sakura bonsai tree.

The biggest advantage of seeds is you can manage the shape of your tree from the very beginning. There are many plants that grow quickly from seed in many tropical locations. There are no bonsai specific seeds. Growing bonsai from tree seeds can be very rewarding as it gives you full control from the earliest stage possible. It takes atleast 3 years before you have a tree which you can start working on. It is technically possible and feasible to grow sakura trees from seeds for bonsai. However, it is essential to plan to achieve success even before you choose the right seed.

The following steps may be followed in growing a Sakura bonsai tree.

1. You start with appropriate treatment by stratification of seeds for proper germination by mimicking winter in order to ensure success. (Non-stratification methods too work, but it is preferable to go for stratification).

2. Rinse the Sakura (Cherry Blossom) seeds gently in a sieve.

3. Use a gardening gloves and soak the Sakura (Cherry Blossom) seeds into the 10% hydrogen peroxide solution for about 10 minutes to prevent possible moulding.

4. Pick up the seeds with a pair of tweezers and put them into a moist kitchen paper, then put them into a zip lock bag and then refrigerate them (not put in the freezer but in vegetable tray).

5. Sprouting should start in 2-8 weeks, depending on the variety. Some variety takes upto months to start germination. Check for germination once a week and if necessary, moisten the kitchen paper to maintain humidity.

6. Prepare the potting mix with a slightly acidic compost for compost add about 30% of coarse sand. Ensure the seed tray/pot is sterile.

7. Transplant the sprouted seeds on to the top layers of your growing medium in your pot by about 2 cm or in seed trays coated with copper based fungicide to prevent moulding problems.

8. Maintain a medium level of humidity by regular watering.

Do not plant the seeds or seedlings under extreme temperatures - below 15 or above 30°C. Stratification is not necessary if the seeds are very fresh. Longer the seeds are stored, shorter the germination period. It is best to start the planting of the seeds/seedlings in spring. Choose the variety of Sakura on the basis of, in which hardiness zone you live, for e.g., New Delhi, India is 11-12 AHS Heat Zone / USDA Hardiness Zone 10/b. Autumn Cherry thrives in USDA Hardiness Zone 4-8, Okame Cherry in 6-9 and Weeping Cherry in 5-8.

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Mary Miller, Over 30 years bonsai experience. Retired speaker, teacher and bonsai nursery grower. Tropical plants my spe...

Answered Mar 21, 2016 · Author has 99 answers and 49.4k answer views

The word Sakura in Japan is often used to describe Cherry trees.  Many of the cherry varieties that have been cultivated for ornamental use do not produce fruit ...  therefore they do no have seeds.  There are other cherries meant to fruit. 

The first thing to learn about growing bonsai from seed is . . . there is no such thing as ‘bonsai seeds’.  Seeds of trees “suitable for bonsai" is much better terminology.

Sometimes you will see pictures of very old bonsai trees on seed packages.  It is unlikely you will have anything like those pictures any time soon.  Depending on your age, it may not happen in your lifetime.

When attempting to grow bonsai from seed, you are really just growing a tree that at some point in time you will begin shaping it like a bonsai.  Growing in a small pot will not help that process, it will only slow it down.