I recently purchased some Acer Rubrum seeds and haven't been able to find much info on starting these seeds indoors. I live out in the cold, harsh prairies and would like to add a few red maples around my acreage as accent trees. I'd like to get these seeds off to the best start possible to ensure they can handle the cold -40 winters we get. Would I be best off to start these seeds now, stratify for 120 days in fridge, start under some cfls/fluorescent light till weather permits outdoor planting? I also purchased Colorado Spruce, Blue Siberian Spruce, Balsam Fir, and Norway Spruce seeds (approx 100 of each) to establish a shelter belt around the perimeter of my property. Any tips and advise on starting these are also appreciated! Oh and I also ordered Weeping White Birch too... Hoping I can get a few to sprout as well.
Unlike most maples, Acer rubrum's seeds mature in the spring time instead of the fall and can be germinated immediately without need for stratification. Since you probably bought them recently online, they are likely dried out and past their prime already. Most maple seeds can last for years, but Acer rubrum is an exception; its seeds drop in the spring and immediately germinate so they aren't really designed to last for extended periods in the soil. I suggest you collect them fresh in the spring off a local tree, that has thrived in your climate, and then sow them immediately outdoors. Another reason to get seeds locally is because there is great variability in Acer rubrum's hardiness due to the extreme range of this species. If you were to buy Acer rubrum seeds from a source in Atlanta Georgia and try and grow them in Winnipeg Canada, they probably wouldn't survive the winter. You may want to consider going with a selected culitivar that is know to perform well in your area. I have noticed that there can be great variability in the vigor of seedlings even from the same parent tree. High variability is typical of maples, but that's why they are such a joy to grow from seed. If you must have all the maples look uniform and grow at similar rates then go with the selected cultivars from a nursery; however, if you don't care about uniformity and are willing to raise a lot of seedlings and select the best ones, then go with the local seedlings. At least with Acer rubrum seeds, they are easy to germinate and have a high germination rate. Best of luck to you.
Also may I suggest that you try and grow some Acer pseudosieboldianum seeds as well, just as ornamental trees. You can get a similar look to the desirable Japanese Maples but with a cold hardiness to survive your climate. Be advised that this species also displays variability in cold hardiness, so try and source seeds from trees that have survived in a similar climate as yours.
I guess I wasted a few bucks... I should have done more research before buying. Apparently they were from a northern source, and they'd grow in zone 3. Any slim chance some could germinate? I've got nothing to lose at this point.
One option would be to cut some of the nutlets open and see what is inside. There is a natural seam which can be cut into and the two halves prised apart. These are not Rubrum but there should not be any significant structural difference and viable embryos would look similar.
So I soaked a few of the seeds 24+ hrs and now have them in the fridge with some starting soil mix. I pried one open and found green cotyledons inside! Maybe I'll get lucky or will have a mystery maple !
