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Guidelines for Scarification and Stratification of Bonsai Seeds

Here is a list of some of the more popular types of seeds and how to sprout them into seedlings.

Quick Key:

Scarify is soaking the seeds in water. This is to soften it and make it easier to germinate.

Stratify is the subjecting of the seed to temperature either warm, cold or both in order to simulate the natural earth environment cycle. You plant the seeds in a bit of peat moss, moisten it then put it in a sealable plastic bag.

Plant - this is the sowing of the seed in soil so it can germinate.

Note that if at any time during this whole process your seeds germinate then they are good and you can go ahead and plant them in soil!

Type of Seed	Scarify	Stratify	Plant
Japanese White Pine	warm water for 24 hours	Warm stratify in moist peat moss for 60 days	Sow 3/8 deep
Gray Bark Elm	warm water for 24 hours	Cold stratify for 60 days	Sow seeds 1/8 inch deep
Japanese Firethorn	Warm water for 24 hours	Cold stratify for 30 days	Sow seeds 1/8 inch deep
Japanese Heavenly bamboo	warm water for 24 hours	Not needed	Sow seeds 1/8 inch deep
Japanese White Birch	warm water for 24 hours	Cold stratify for 60 days	Sow on surface of soil
Trident Maple	warm water for 24 hours	Cold stratify for 90 days	Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep
Japanese Maple	Hot tap water for 48 hours	Warm stratify for 120 days then cold stratify for 120 days	Sow seeds 3/8 inch deep
Nomura Red Maple	Hot tap water for 48 hours	Warm stratify for 60 days then cold stratify for 60 days	Sow seeds 1/8 inch deep
Japanese Larch	warm water for 24 hours	Cold stratify for 30 days	Sow seeds 1/16 inch deep
Japanese Hornbeam	Warm water for 24 hours	Warm stratify for 60 days then cold stratify for 90 days	Sow seeds 1/8 inch deep

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