Seedling Assistance

[DMagnum10]

Hi everyone,

I'm sure I'm probably just overthinking this, but in years past I've had unfortunate luck keeping seedlings and younger plants alive. Today, i received these Arakawa seedlings by mail. They were advertised in small pots, but arrived bagged in soil per the pictures. Given that the roots are so unstable in this state, I'm guessing the best course of action would be to repot into individual pots before setting them in the shade to acclimate.

Would it be better to try to slip the whole soil mass into a pot in an attempt to disrupt the roots as little as possible, then repot individually in early spring?

Also, my apologies if this has been covered recently. Upon searching, I didn't see any other posts dealing with anything quite like this.

 

[TrevorLarsen]

I would just slip pot them and not touch the roots until spring. It’s really important to get soil that is as similar as possible to the soil they are currently in. If you use total bonsai soil and it’s in pure organics you could have big watering issues. Also you might want to trim off all but a few leaves, but that might be overly cautious. For sure keep them in the shade for a few weeks.

 

[NateDyk47]

Agreed, slip pot into a similar soil. You'll be good to switch to bonsai substrate when you repot in spring.

One note - this can't be both Arakawa and a seedling. Perhaps they're seedlings from an Arakawa? If they're grown from seed, they're no longer genetically identical to the cultivar. However, they may still retain similar characteristics to the parent plant.

 

[leatherback]

One note - this can't be both Arakawa and a seedling. Perhaps they're seedlings from an Arakawa? If they're grown from seed, they're no longer genetically identical to the cultivar. However, they may still retain similar characteristics to the parent plant.

exactly. About 1 in three typically gets a rough bark. But it is not, and should not, be called an arakawa normally.

 

[DMagnum10]

Apologies for any confusion, and for putting it incorrecly. Yes, they are seedlings from an Arakawa. I knew they wouldn't all get the rough bark, but didn't know about the ~1/3 rate. Still very new to all this, so I figure there are a lot of mistakes for me to make in all facets.

Thanks for the advice and the knowledge, everyone. I'll just gently slip these into some potting soil to keep things consistent until spring.

 

[NateDyk47]

I'm sure the rate also depends on the other parent's characteristics

 

[rusticana]

Hi everyone,

I'm sure I'm probably just overthinking this, but in years past I've had unfortunate luck keeping seedlings and younger plants alive. Today, i received these Arakawa seedlings by mail. They were advertised in small pots, but arrived bagged in soil per the pictures. Given that the roots are so unstable in this state, I'm guessing the best course of action would be to repot into individual pots before setting them in the shade to acclimate.

Would it be better to try to slip the whole soil mass into a pot in an attempt to disrupt the roots as little as possible, then repot individually in early spring?

Also, my apologies if this has been covered recently. Upon searching, I didn't see any other posts dealing with anything quite like this.

I'd cut the bagy with scissors giving good access with the hands. You should be good.

 

[leatherback]

I'm sure the rate also depends on the other parent's characteristics

maye if there is arakawa * arakawa in place. Else, it seems to be pretty consistent 30% of seeds collected from an arakawa can be expected to grow cork bark. This is what I learned from a commercial japanese maple grower. I suppose they have done the stats. . Ass.U.Me...