This is really puzzling me. The larger one looks like a Japanese maple. (About seven years ago OH and I spent several happy hours sowing chitted seeds of a variety of maples, including Snakebark, Acer cappadocicum rubrum, and various Japanese maples. The supplier chitted them for us so when we got them in small polythene bags with compost, each had a little root. We didn't need to stratify them - just sowed them, and a good proportion came good. I have several in my garden now.
The seedlings looked like yours, but so do sycamore (sorry I keep coming back to them). Thing is, I can imagine your friend's father sowing maple seeds pretty densely in a seedbed, digging them up and potting them to take away, and some seeds may not have germinated right away. Sometimes they can take two or more years to break dormancy. BUT, it's four years on since you got the original one, and suddenly some more seeds have germinated. That's surprising ( to me anyway), but I guess it's possible.
The alternative is that some seeds from another tree have landed in the pot. My mother in law kept seedlings in pots outside until she had found them a home, but often by the time I got round to planting them there were birch, beech and cotoneaster seedlings among them. But you say there are no trees near you. So maybe they ARE the same as the bigger one.
Anyway, you will soon know, when the true leaves of your seedlings open fully.
As for the sickly seedlings, I agree with Alina. The roots may have been damaged, and yellowing could be because the compost is too wet for them. I would try to keep them out of the rain, but outside, to let the compost dry out a bit. Don't be disheartened if you lose a few. that's normal.
Hi, looking at "mummy", trunk colour, leaf size/colour, and general shape, she looks like acer palmatum orange dream, compare against others at the garden centres to be sure. As for the seedlings, not to sure, i have 5 acers all in pots, aged between 6 and 10 years old and only one has produced seeds (last year) but i get the same seedlings and have done for many years, would be interested to see what they are, hope you succeed in growing them on.
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And now its raining *again* and my little seedlings are going to get even more sodden
This gardening lark is stressful at times huh.
This is really puzzling me. The larger one looks like a Japanese maple. (About seven years ago OH and I spent several happy hours sowing chitted seeds of a variety of maples, including Snakebark, Acer cappadocicum rubrum, and various Japanese maples. The supplier chitted them for us so when we got them in small polythene bags with compost, each had a little root. We didn't need to stratify them - just sowed them, and a good proportion came good. I have several in my garden now.
The seedlings looked like yours, but so do sycamore (sorry I keep coming back to them). Thing is, I can imagine your friend's father sowing maple seeds pretty densely in a seedbed, digging them up and potting them to take away, and some seeds may not have germinated right away. Sometimes they can take two or more years to break dormancy. BUT, it's four years on since you got the original one, and suddenly some more seeds have germinated. That's surprising ( to me anyway), but I guess it's possible.
The alternative is that some seeds from another tree have landed in the pot. My mother in law kept seedlings in pots outside until she had found them a home, but often by the time I got round to planting them there were birch, beech and cotoneaster seedlings among them. But you say there are no trees near you. So maybe they ARE the same as the bigger one.
Anyway, you will soon know, when the true leaves of your seedlings open fully.
As for the sickly seedlings, I agree with Alina. The roots may have been damaged, and yellowing could be because the compost is too wet for them. I would try to keep them out of the rain, but outside, to let the compost dry out a bit. Don't be disheartened if you lose a few. that's normal.
Thank you so much for your help. I might have to look at trying to build a make shift home for these guys, outside, but so they dont get wet.
Appreciate everything. Fingers crossed.
Good luck thi them - think of them as an extended period lucky bag
Hi, looking at "mummy", trunk colour, leaf size/colour, and general shape, she looks like acer palmatum orange dream, compare against others at the garden centres to be sure. As for the seedlings, not to sure, i have 5 acers all in pots, aged between 6 and 10 years old and only one has produced seeds (last year) but i get the same seedlings and have done for many years, would be interested to see what they are, hope you succeed in growing them on.