Extended season starting trees indoors

[cmeg1]

removed wire after two weeks

Just two weeks and the wire was biting in,so time to remove.

Going to let a couple bottom branches thicken in size for balance before I do any pruning back.Will have more trees to do in order I wired them.
Not bad for 11 weeks from seed and also into a seedling air layer!

 

[cmeg1]

chinese elms growing real fast.

these grow faster than the zelkova did.Way cool.

 

[Norcalkbonsai]

chinese elms growing real fast.

these grow faster than the zelkova did.Way cool.

These are looking great, praying nicely.

 

[cmeg1]

Zelkova growing fast

Worked on a bunch of Zelkova tonight.This one was only one that resembles a broom form.There was a very low branch I removed that helped thicken the base a little bit.
Grown from seed and air-layered all in 12 weeks!!

 

[cmeg1]

Raised lights consideralbly

I have deduced there is really no need for 1000 or more par (light intensity).
As long as photosynthesis is increased with co2 I believe usual veg light is fine...especially deciduous.......400-600.
Can do more with pines and more mature deciduous leaves like 600-900.
Zelkovas are in 400-600 now since I cut back growth on a few for developing branches.Definately do not want to scortch emerging new growth.Fingers crossed!

 

[cmeg1]

Transplanted Chinese Elms.

Potted these onto another tray so no shaded leaves.Shaded leaves get no blue light at all and will hinder nearly all important photosynthetic processes.
Kept the ones with best roots for the most part.
They are only about 19 days old.
I put into motherplant type lighting between 200-400 par.To keep growth at a slow rate and let them get strong and just photosynthesize. We’ll see how this works.I read that 1000 ppm co2 increases photosynthesis by 50% at any lighting,so this should set the stage for quick rooting with a low strength,balanced seedling strength nutrient formula just below starter veg rate with lots of supplements for leaf energy and high brix plants.
I want to make seedling air-layers from these.Wish me luck!

 

[cmeg1]

pushed the envelope on this one.

You don’t know till’ you try.This had it’s 1000 hours of dormancy basically.
I went hard on the roots and fit into a 1qt. Rootpouch.Barely fits,but it seems beneficial really.
If everything goes as planned it will hopefully make a dense rootball close to the trunk.Bottom of roots are cut on a steep angle nearly the whole length ,so maybe roots go downward only slightly.
I soaked the entire stump in a bucket of kelp and fulvic acid along with some amino acids for about 45 minutes and then the roots only for another 15 minutes or so.I did not want to introduce any pathogens or pests into grow room,so cleaned as best I could.
Have another one outside I will do tonight or tomorrow.These were planted on tiles in 2018 mid Summer from seedling air-layers.Wish me luck!

 

[cmeg1]

Another Zelkova from Grow Bed.

Last one.I will probably make a bunch of new ones to plant outside in Spring.
Hopefully these bounce back.The 45 minute complete dunk in the Kelp and fulvic acid should get these going.And also the repeated drenching.They probably callous up very quickly from the cuts and hopefully produce a lot of roots.I have confidence in the Kelp moving this process along.

Was crazy tonight.I had some organic smoothies from dailyharvest.com delivered to my home and they pack with dry ice.The open box spiked my whole house almost 2000 ppm.I thought my sensor was broke.It finally dawned on me the old box with the dry ice.Only took a few hours.Nasty stuff..........Smoothies are the bomb though!!!

 

[JeffS73]

CM, I'm really enjoying this thread, thanks for all your posts. I've just set up a more amateur indoor grow, so hopefully there will be sprouts in a couple of weeks. My last seedlings were grown outdoors, and none of my cuttings worked, so hoping for more success this time!

Can you say any more about your watering and feeding regime?
Do you water directly on top and then vacuum the waste, or do you flood, and for how long?
How often do you feed, and do you reuse your nutrient solution?

Thanks!

 

[cmeg1]

CM, I'm really enjoying this thread, thanks for all your posts. I've just set up a more amateur indoor grow, so hopefully there will be sprouts in a couple of weeks. My last seedlings were grown outdoors, and none of my cuttings worked, so hoping for more success this time!

Can you say any more about your watering and feeding regime?
Do you water directly on top and then vacuum the waste, or do you flood, and for how long?
How often do you feed, and do you reuse your nutrient solution?

Thanks!

Hey,Thanks!I just got done wiring for almost 3 hours a bunch of Zelkova!
I use a larger pump sprayer.
I water daily or twice...once in morining and evening.Could skip evening if I wanted,but pure perlite no biggie.Plants love the water.
I water with sprayer from top.Let drain and then shopvac the drainage trays.
I use botanicare....excellent stuff.Every watering.
As beginner,just get a quality hydroponic fertilizer,it may be a couple parts such as ‘a’ and ‘b’or more.
They are kept seperate some nutrients so they dont fall out.
Never go over half strength....get an ec meter,ph meter...try to pay attention to humidity and temp.
You learn quicker if get as much as can dialed in first try.Also maybe try a grow tent to get optimum conditions on a smaller scale.Im getting a huge one tomorrow.

highly recommend this course....will explain everything beginner.Important concepts about nutrient strength.Do not over fertilize...it is very gradual( see EC chart and other pictures).

Hydroponic Package

growclasses.npk-industries.com

may need to go to botanicare website to read the pictures.

 

[cmeg1]

I do not reuse nutrient...gets too nasty in shop vac.
Can use flood tables and recirculating tanks and such.

 

[JeffS73]

Thanks, I will keep the nutrients weak as you say. I've gone with botanicare as well, at least I can compare roughly with your results!

My seeds are in a 2 grade soil, hydrocorn with perlite on top. Some have moss as well, I couldn't separate the small seeds out. Paper next time, live and learn.

I'm going to set up a cheap fermentation process to add CO2, so I will report on that in due course. My wife not happy to have a computer & high pressure cylinder squirting it into the house atmosphere, can't imagine why not

 

[MrWunderful]

Another Zelkova from Grow Bed.

Last one.I will probably make a bunch of new ones to plant outside in Spring.
Hopefully these bounce back.The 45 minute complete dunk in the Kelp and fulvic acid should get these going.And also the repeated drenching.They probably callous up very quickly from the cuts and hopefully produce a lot of roots.I have confidence in the Kelp moving this process along.

Was crazy tonight.I had some organic smoothies from dailyharvest.com delivered to my home and they pack with dry ice.The open box spiked my whole house almost 2000 ppm.I thought my sensor was broke.It finally dawned on me the old box with the dry ice.Only took a few hours.Nasty stuff..........Smoothies are the bomb though!!!

Damn those are monsters, are they from seed?

When you chop in winter do you a lot of buds popping in spring?

 

[cmeg1]

Damn those are monsters, are they from seed?

When you chop in winter do you a lot of buds popping in spring?

Thanks! Yes they are from seed in ‘18’ and then made seedling air-layers that same year mid-summer and planted in ground.
I figured since I have the indoor environment available,maybe could get a head start.I hope they bud and root.

 

[cmeg1]

Korean Hornbeam Cuttings.

I barerooted one of Brent’s Coreana Hornbeam to see if I can prepare it for cuttings.I hear they can be difficult to root,but with extra care maybe I can make it happen.Would be cool to see them grow in an accelerated grow environment too.

 

[cmeg1]

Pines seem good.

Few pictures.The big one has a 1/2’’ trunk already! The pouch is packed with roots.I am considering transplanting to see the root structure.The later ones ,you cannot even see the base from all the low branches.Should be interesting as they get older.
I think I need to water these twice daily now.The Rootpouches are pretty full of roots.
I have recently increased nutrient strength on the older ones by about 40%.I started to see signs of deficiency.Perhaps just slightly dehydrated though.
Twice daily watering should help them out.

 

[cmeg1]

Another Korean Hornbeam and Zelkovas.

One more of the Coreana’s from Brent I took out of cold storage today to try and prepare for propagation.Barerooted and pruned top and bottom then soaked 45 minutes in a 5:2 ratio Fulvic Acid/Kelp solution.Apparently a 10 year study at Virginia Tech concluded this ratio is 50% more effective than either product on their own.

Zelkova’s are leafing out after cutting back.I wired secondary branches yesterday.
One of them perhaps a Broom form.All of them should be fun.They are exactly 3 months old today.Grown from seed and air-layered all in that time! That’s fast.Really cool.

 

[cmeg1]

great backbudding

This makes me very happy.I feel somewhat confident I can make nice creations when I get back budding on 1” and 2” new growth! At a relatively fast rate overall.
I am going to start using Fulvic Acid /Kelp solution at a 5:2 ratio using powders for weekly foliar sprays.It has been discovered at Virginia Tech,after a 10 year study, that this ratio is 50% better than either product on their own.I used it last week.

 

[cmeg1]

Chojubai & Chinese Quince

Have to give these a try with propogation.Have a few seedlings of Quince from Bill and a few red and white Chojubai from Brent on the way.Will probably grow right away indoors.Super excited!

 

[cmeg1]

red hawthorne

also have several Pauls Scarlet from Brent on the way too.I have a tree outside,but little ones will be better manipulated for propagation indoors.
Wish me luck!
Excited to put in the hydro room right away....Early Spring anyone?
I’m curious to see if Hawthorne will have lateral growth like the other species have unusually shown in my grow room.
I will dunk all these seedlings for at least 1/2 hour in fulvic acid/kelp at 5:2 ratio and also the weekly foliar and daily drenches.Should make a differance.These are very fun experiments.
Here is a 6” seedling layer with rediculous branching.Im so pleased with this idea.