Sprout Photo Update! Germinating Albizia julibrissi, Pink Silk Tree Seeds (Part 4)

March 1: Planting Day -- Germinating Albizia julibrissi, Pink Silk Tree Seeds (Part 3)

Because of some technical difficulties the little effect of having the date and time in red in the top right  of the photos hasn't been working, but I didn't want an affectation to delay this post any further than it has.

Update later or not, here is the photo journal of planting day for Albizia julibrissi, and I am delighted to say that eight of the 10 sprouted!

 

 

From here I won't be keeping track of them by scarification methods so much and instead just concentrating on caring for them. But up til this point, both the Clipped (the baggie with 5 seeds) and Clipped+Scarified (baggie with 3 seeds) bunches have fared the best.

Although not all of them had rooted at least 2cm yet I decided to plant all of them together at once, roughly1cm below the soil's surface.

There is one tiny one that honestly I am a little concerned about as well as the very largest because the tip of the root got stuck in the paper towel and snapped off. That said, nutrients from the soil might be exactly what they need, so I planted those as well instead of leaving them in the paper towel. (I'm tempted to spoil the outcome, but will share it in the next post instead).

 

For soil I didn't have high quality bonsai soil on hand so I used MiracleGro's Cactus, Palm & Succulent Fast-Draining Formula. It has a mixture of nutrient-rich soil to feed the sprouts and sand to keep it well-drained and prevent molding. So although it wasn't what is most highly recommended, a quick Google suggested that this often works well for bonsai tree growing and the traits sounded like what is needed. Also, Albizia julibrissi grows as an invasive species in USA, so it gave me a little extra optimism for how my little sprouts may fare living in a temperature-controlled indoor environment.

The pots I used are trainers with lots of drainage at the bottom. For now there are two per pot a couple inches apart, and then later I'll separate them into their own separate ones.

The internet cautioned to ensure the soil is kept moist so the sprouts don't dry out, and a local threat here is our cat who likes biting plants. While Albizia julibrissi is not poisonous so he would be fine, the sprouts probably wouldn't be so I also blocked them off with a giant clear lid from another gardening tray.

This project is keeping me very pumped, and I'm excited to share some growth progress with you in Part 4.