How to Start a Chinese Maple Tree From Seeds

With their hand-shaped leaves and willowy growth habit, Chinese maple trees (Acer pentaphyllum) make an attractive addition to landscaping within U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 to 9. They are rare under cultivation and are seldom seen in nurseries, so gardeners hoping to grow one may have better luck propagating it themselves. Seed propagation is the simplest way of growing Chinese maple trees at home, although the seeds require moderate pretreatment to ease their germination.

Quart-sized sealable bag
Perlite
Spray bottle
6-inch plastic pot
Peat
Pea gravel
Cold frame
1-gallon pot
Potting soil

Instructions

- 1
  Collect Chinese maple seeds in autumn after the samaras, or winged seed pods, dry out and turn light brown. Snap off the papery, membranous wings and inspect the seeds. Discard any seeds with large fissures, holes or moldy spots.
- 2
  Soak the Chinese maple seeds in a bowl of lukewarm water for 24 hours. Discard any seeds that remain floating on the surface of the water after the soaking period -- these are likely hollow or otherwise damaged inside. Drain the seeds on a paper towel for 10 minutes.
- 3
  Fill a quart-sized sealable sandwich bag halfway with moistened, sterile medium such as perlite, coarse sand or milled peat moss. Press the Chinese maple seeds into the moistened medium so they are completely covered. Seal the bag.
- 4
  Store the bag inside the refrigerator for four months to stratify the seeds. Check the medium twice weekly, adding water if it feels barely moist in the center. Apply the water with a spray bottle to distribute the moisture more evenly.
- 5
  Prepare a pot for each Chinese maple seed. Fill a 6-inch plastic pot with a mixture of half fine- or medium-grade perlite and half milled peat. Moisten the growing medium thoroughly then let the excess water drain off for 10 minutes before sowing the seeds.
- 6
  Sow one Chinese maple seed in each pot at a depth of 1/4 inch. Tamp the growing medium gently to collapse any air pockets. Spread a single layer of pea gravel over the surface of the growing medium to help hold it in place.
- 7
  Place the pots outdoors inside a lightly shaded, unventilated cold frame. Shield the pots from direct sun exposure, which can dry out the medium too quickly.
- 8
  Keep the growing medium moist in the top 1-inch during the germination process, but allow the surface to dry out completely between waterings to discourage bacterial growth. Water with a misting bottle because a heavy stream of water may dislodge the Chinese maple seeds.
- 9
  Watch for germination in spring once daytime temperatures top 70 degrees Fahrenheit for one to three months. Move the pots to a sheltered location with freely circulating air and protection from strong winds once all frost danger has passed.
- 10
  Transplant the Chinese maple seedlings into 1-gallon pots filled with potting soil once they produce a set of mature leaves. Grow them under light shade with 1 inch of water each week until the end of autumn; then acclimate them to direct sun. Transplant the seedlings into the garden in spring or autumn of their second year.

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