Babies on My Doorstep

[0soyoung]

About a month ago I found these two volunteer coastal Douglas firs near my doorstep. I put their roots in a little ball of damp sphagnum and crammed that into these little accent pots, along with a few prills of Osmocote. Aren't they cute? .
It is hard to believe that they will become 80+ foot tall monsters, sometimes adorned by a bald eagle instead of a Christmas angel, like their parents across the street from my house; but they will, should they live for about another century.

The possibly odd thing about them is that I don't remember them being there (by my doorstep) last summer. The fact that these two babies have buds, though, does say that they didn't sprout this spring - which leaves me with two possibilities:

1. my memory is faulty - these seedlings were actually there last summer OR
2. these actually sprouted late last fall.

I know that JBP doesn't have any chilling requirement (or, in other words, seeds don't need to be stratified). Does anybody know if coastal Douglas fir seeds are similar, not needing any chilling for seeds to sprout? Further, are there any other temperate or non-tropical trees whose seeds don't require chilling and therefore could sprout in the fall - coastal redwood and ??? , say?

 

[sorce]

OSO.

I think you have given yourself a century of responsibility!

Can't wait to see them in fall!

Sorce

 

[parhamr]

This winter in the Pacific Northwest was so erratic and mild that maybe the seeds did receive an accelerated stratification period. The days were still as short as ever, but there were some moderate periods of time where the temperature was above where they stop growing and the rainfall was not oppressive.

I agree that the presence of buds makes them appear older than a year, but maybe it’s possible they’re fresh seedlings.

 

[0soyoung]

Now I wish I hadn't such disdain for biology class in high school. I found a reference that indicates even Rocky Mountain Douglas fir don't need to be stratified to sprout (just add water and suddenly its salad!). Now I am wondering,

Is a chilling requirement for germination an angiosperm trait? In other words, is it correct that no confer seed requires cold stratification?

Surely there is a BNut that took biology in high school and remembers stuff along this line.

I think you have given yourself a century of responsibility!

You are right, but I doubt I have a century left to give to them (as nice as that might be).

 

[sorce]

Osoyoungers?

Next gen Osos?

Osoyoung 2.0's?

The plot thickens!

Sorce

 

[jamesjogi08]

I found a reference that indicates even Rocky Mountain Douglas fir don't need to be stratified to sprout just add water and suddenly its salad!.

 

[0soyoung]

The possibly odd thing about them is that I don't remember them being there (by my doorstep) last summer. The fact that these two babies have buds, though, does say that they didn't sprout this spring - which leaves me with two possibilities:

1. my memory is faulty - these seedlings were actually there last summer OR
2. these actually sprouted late last fall.

It just occurred to me that the evidence my memory is faulty (1.) is right there in the photos.

It is clear that both seedlings had produced at least two foliage flushes before I found them this spring. The most recent (prior) flush is between points 2 and 3 and there is at least one more below point 2. I am inclined to believe that these seedlings were there prior to the winter of 2013/2014 and were the little bitty guys up to point 1. At any rate, there are at least two flushes, so these seedlings must have actually been there last summer!

Douglas firs normally flush about this time of year and then form buds just after the summer solstice. In irrigated conditions (such as by my doorstep) these buds can also break to produce a second flush in July/August. By October, a second bud set (of one to three terminal buds) occurs. These do not break until the following spring. In "the wild", second flushing doesn't normally occur because of how dry the forest lands are in July/August.

But, there may have been three flushes, so it is possible that these sprouted in the fall of 2013 and I overlooked them for more than a year.

 

[Potawatomi13]

I think you're right in that they likely sprouted and grew 2 times last year. Likely from 2013 seed that was there waiting. These will grow pretty quickly and develop some decent bark in a reasonably short time if given proper care and decent exposure to the elements. I'm working on a 6 year volunteer that sprouted in one of my pots. I visualized it as a cascade almost from the beginning but these trees REALLY want to grow straight up and even after wiring and wood setting it keeps trying to straighten up. Now I'll notch the trunk 1 or 2 places and move it downward again. Have fun with these.

 

[0soyoung]

This year's spring shoots.

 

[Bunjeh]

You can get two flushes of growth easily with the little stuff. I find these all over the yard and the seeds even found their way in to a bunch of my material.

 

[0soyoung]

You can get two flushes of growth easily with the little stuff. I find these all over the yard and the seeds even found their way in to a bunch of my material.

Do you ever find new ones in late summer or fall, or just in the spring?

 

[Bunjeh]

Do you ever find new ones in late summer or fall, or just in the spring?

They turn up everywhere. Depends on how closely I pay attention. Just yesterday I found one growing in among the rhodies that must be at least 3 years old. As you know, we get the summer drought here in W-WA so sometimes I have actually noticed them germinating after the rains start in the fall.

 

[Bunjeh]

Here is what I am talking about. This is one of about 20 pots that has a volunteer Doug Fir.

 

[0soyoung]

I get lots of cones (and the seasonal mess of stobili) from the 80 foot ones across the street, but I haven't seen noticed many seedlings before now. Apparently we've just been scooping them up with the weeds all this time.

 

[0soyoung]

Must be brothers from a different mother. Little guy has more buds and is breaking out already!

 

[Vin]

Must be brothers from a different mother. Little guy has more buds and is breaking out already!

View attachment 97132

I guess you could say you have a handful of fir?

 

[sorce]

Nice!

And a little....perfirted.

Sorce

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Personally, I'd stick these in the ground to let them grow for a few years. They aren't ready for bonsai just yet.

 

[0soyoung]

Personally, I'd stick these in the ground to let them grow for a few years. They aren't ready for bonsai just yet.

I am thinking that I will repot them this August, bend both of them around a bit and try to keep them as mini's. I've already got 16 or so in pots that are now about 5 years old. None are ready for prime time, but its the journey ...

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Total tongue in cheek comment

I'm surprised they've done so well in just sphagnum moss. Interesting.