Juniper Kit

[Yoshi]

Hello,

Today I was walking through the gardening aisle when I noticed this thing: a juniper growing kit


It comes with a small bag of bonsai soil and four juniper seeds. For only 80 cents I couldn't resist hehe.
I wonder if the seeds are treated in any way. There is no manufacturer or website on the pot to be found.

The instructions make it look easy though


I would be happily surprised if anything ever pops out of the ground.
Anyone ever seen these things before?

Greetings

[rainbowgardener]

Well, I have no idea how those seeds were treated. Fresh collected juniper seed needs 2-4 months of warmth (being planted in moist potting soil and kept moist and warm at 70 -85 degrees) followed by 3-4 months of cold stratification (wrap the planter in plastic to keep the moisture in and keep it in the refrigerator at about 40 degrees), and then being brought back out in to warmth again, in order to germinate. It is hard for me to believe that they did all that for seeds they are selling for 80 c, but possibly.... After you have done all that, the germination rate is low.

Have you ever noticed how juniper bushes get covered in berries and yet there are few volunteer junipers popping up? !

"At the Lochaber site, germination took a minimum of 3 months (from spring sowing) following a 15 month stratification period (winter, summer and winter) during which the berries were buried outside in a 2:1 mixture of grit and peat. Seedlings continued to emerge for the following 5 years with the peak in germination occurring 2 years and 7 months after the start of the experiment. " https://www.forestry.gov.uk/PDF/fcin050. ... cin050.pdf

Assuming you get a successful sprout, they are still very slow growing.

Sometimes they sell "bonsai kits" complete with seed, bonsai pot, bonsai soil. You aren't going to need the bonsai pot or soil for a long time, starting from seed. The good news for you is that you didn't spend big bucks on yours and have little to lose!

[Yoshi]

I had no knowledge of the juniper kind but was already very skeptical. I grabbed it because it was the last one and got me curious. In the past I germinated other seeds which I indeed had to stratify first. By your description it sounds that in the best case, even when they are miraculously treated , four little seeds would still make it quite impossible. Now I just kinda hope they put in some look-a-like juniper bushy plant or a weed even. There where lots of different kits by the same manufacturer which contained flowers, vegetables and bushes. I wonder why they would sell this one too. For now I'll just enjoy my 80 cents worth of dirt.

At least I learned something about the juniper, thank you