Japanese maple seeds usually are not that tricky to germinate. I've germinated thousands of Japanese maples from seed. This is one of my specialties. I use them for grafting purposes. I am the owner of Japanesemaplesandevergreens.com and I've been inside the nursery market for 15 years.
Japanese Maples generate their seeds inside the fall. This can be the optimum time to collect them. Try and collect the seed ahead of they're fully mature. When the seeds have turned reddish-green they're going to be prepared to harvest. It is important to collect the seed before they dry out. When the seed is collected after they've dried they're going to possess a hard seed coat. The challenging seed coat makes it difficult for water to get via the hardened seed coat where the embryo lives. The embryo wants water in order to develop. An embryo would be the life source of your seed. It consists of all the genetic data that will tell the Japanese maple how you can germinate and grow into a tree. It actually is really fascinating. If your seeds get seed which has already dried then this may possibly delay germination for two years. If you have seeds with hardened seed coats soak the seed in warm water (110? F) for two days followed by a cold moist chilling period in peat moss for 120 days. You could possibly plant them directly outside inside a raised seed bed or maybe a cold frame. You could possibly plant the seed in moist peat moss or inside a germination mix. You can get peat moss or possibly a germination mix at any garden center or dwelling provide warehouse. When I go to plant my Japanese maple seeds I commonly use the scatter approach. You could possibly choose to direct sow them into single containers but germination is variable and also you will have empty pots. Next I cover the seeds with about ? inch of germination mix or peat moss. I advocate mixing within a starter fertilizer. You'll be able to obtain starter fertilizer at your local garden center.
Recall germination is variable and you by no means know what you are going to get. So collect a whole lot of seed to be certain you get loads of Japanese maples. It is possible to usually toss out any maples which are weak or are not appropriate for your purposes. Make certain to leave the seedling undisturbed to get a full season prior to you transplant them into the field or bigger containers.