Norway Maple "Crimson King" (Acer Platanoides) | 10 Seeds

Please find for sale 10 fresh (Autumn 2022) Norway Maple (Acer Platanoides) seeds. The cultivar is the multi-award winning "Crimson King"

The stand out feature of Crimson King that sets it apart from other Acers is that you get the deep rich crimson colours right through summer, not just in Autumn. The leaves start a yellow/green in spring and quickly take on their rich red colours.

As with all Acers, the more acidic the soil, the more intense the autumn colours will be. 

PLEASE NOTE: All orders received before 8pm (Mon-Fri) will be dispatched same day

SAVE PACKAGING MATERIALS - have a look at my shop for other interesting and unusual seeds & plants

INSTRUCTIONS - TO SAVE PAPER I NO LONGER SEND OUT WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS TO CUSTOMERS. INSTRUCTIONS ARE BELOW SO PLEASE BOOKMARK THIS PAGE. FEEL FREE TO MESSAGE ME WITH ANY GROWING QUESTIONS.

Germination Guide

Maple seeds benefit from cold stratification. Stratification is a process of simulating natural conditions that the seeds must experience before germination can occur (if a seed germinates in the middle of winter it will die). In the wild, seed dormancy is usually overcome by the seed spending time in the ground through a winter period and having its hard seed coat softened up by frost and weathering action. This cold, moist period triggers the seed's embryo; its growth and subsequent expansion eventually break through the softened seed coat in its search for sun and nutrients.

• Sow at any time of the year. 
• Soak seeds for 24 hours in water which starts off hand hot.  
• Sow very thinly in small tray or small pot of moist, peat based seed compost, lightly cover with compost and seal inside a polythene bag.  
• Place in a cold place for 6 weeks.  In winter then can be just left in a shady spot in the garden or a cold shed. Alternatively, in the bottom of the fridge
• Return indoor and germination should take place in a few weeks at 18-21C.  
• Ensure compost does not dry out - best to place  inside a water tight tray and water from the bottom. 
• Germination can be erratic - prick out the seedlings when they become large enough to handle minimising disturbance of the rest of the compost.

Tip! Generally for maples the more acidic the soil, the more spectacular the autumn display.

Olly's General Guide to Seed Sowing!

I love sowing seeds and it runs in the family - dad, granddad and finally my great-granddad for whom the hobby helped him get over his experiences in the Great War. I still get a big kick when I see the first seedling poking through from a new plant that I have never sown before or been successful at. However, even the most experienced gardeners draw "blanks" from time to time. Whilst I sow all the seeds that I sell so I know that they are viable, some are trickier than others and problems can arise so here are some tips to make "blanks" few and far between:

1) Dont Rush! Tempting though it is when that packet arrives in the post to simply bung the seeds in some compost!

2) Google and Youtube are your friends! Take some time so see the methods other people use to germinate the seed. 

3) Think Nature! What conditions do seeds face? For example a seed from a tropical plant will fall to the warm, wet and dark jungle floor. A seed from the mountains of Europe will fall to the floor in Autumn, then have to endure months of freezing temperatures before germinating in the spring. So as growers, what we are trying to do is to simulate the conditions that the seeds will naturally experience and there are plenty of tricks that can be done to short cut the processes somewhat.

4) Good compost pays dividends . The best investment you can make is to purchase three bags - one of potting compost, one of vermiculite and one of horticultural sand. With these three bags I can make up whatever soil type a particular seed likes (although for most seeds I find a 50/50 mix of compost and vermiculite works just fine) 

5) Rot is your enemy. The single biggest danger to seed germination is rot - either before or after "damping off" the seeds germinate. To reduce the risk, ensure you have good free draining soil mix and that it is moist but not wet. Unless the seed variety absolutely requires it I prefer NOT to cover my seeds trays with plastic bags, Whilst germination is often faster this way, it greatly increases the risk of rot. I prefer to place my seed trans inside a watertight plastic tray and water from the bottom - airflow over the surface reduces the risk.

.

Any problems? Don't rush to review - message me first and I will get it sorted quickly!