HOW TO PLANT A SEED???

[JASON M]

I have 5 filifera seeds. How do I plant them? Do I just put them in dirt in a cup and they will show green in about a month???

Or more sophisticated?

Please help!

[JASON M]

What do I do to germinate??

[floridasun]

hmm i just put them in a pot and wait robusta is realy easy, i havent grown filifera, ive never seen one, (probably cause i live in a humid climate) but i know what they look like. you could let them soak in warm water for 24 hours then plant.

[JASON M]

Ok, I'm doing soaking right now. Thanks for the tip!

[floridasun]

no problem

[aztropic]

After you plant and water them,put your cup or pot inside a ziplock baggie so it doesn't keep drying out all the time.Keep it consistantly warm and they should sprout.Probably will need to be warmer than your room temperature to sprout.(maybe keep near a heat vent)They will need light once they sprout.Also make sure your pot or cup has a drain hole.(plants will rot and die in soggy soil)Be patient!But if nothing has happened over 3 months,start over with new seeds.

[PalmatierMeg]

Jason, get Miracle Gro peat moss and perlite in small bags at Lowes or Home Depot. Mix them about 50/50 in a bowl. Use that mixture in your pots (at least 6 inches deep for pot - Washies put out long radicles when they sprout). Plant the seed just below the surface. With a spray bottle mist the planting mix until it is damp but not soggy or squishy so seeds don't rot. Put pot into a zip-lock bag to keep humidity up. Keep the seeds warm. If your hot water heater is inside the house put baggies on top of it. Then wait for the first leaf to show - it will look like a blade of grass. Some palm seeds can take many months to sprout but Washingtonias come up pretty fast, maybe as soon as a few weeks if seeds are fresh.

[Rafael]

But if nothing has happened over 3 months,start over with new seeds.

Edited February 28, 2010 by rafael

[JASON M]

Umm, what about just the mix at Wal-Mart??

They are soaking for 24 hours atm...

[PalmatierMeg]

Umm, what about just the mix at Wal-Mart??

They are soaking for 24 hours atm...

Potting mix? That might work for Washies because they are not fussy. Just make sure when you moisten the mix in the pot that you don't get it "squishy" wet. Keep the seeds warm, above 80F or more. That's why you need to find a warm place like the hot water heater or furnace room. I've heard of people putting them on top of the refrigerator if that gets extra warm. The warmer they are the faster they germinate.

[BS Man about Palms]

I am reading this with amusement because I can appreciate how much Jason wants to grow a palm, but I live where we are trying to GET RID OF THEM!

To follow what we do out here:

First, try to kill them, they will only survive and try to grow.

Next, if for some reason that fails, get a large picture of a seeding Washingtonia and hang it on the wall, because inevitably whereever there is a seeding Washy in sight there are bound to be hundreds of seedlings around a 1 block area.......

But seriously, they tend to come from a very dry climate, they will tend to rot more than anything else if overwatered.

[JASON M]

So... do they need to see any sunlight while germinating? And, I do have a portable heater (Wisconsin, what will you do) it's small. So what can I do once I have my heater and potting mix?

Can't wait to see sprouts!!

[JASON M]

I am reading this with amusement because I can appreciate how much Jason wants to grow a palm, but I live where we are trying to GET RID OF THEM!

To follow what we do out here:

First, try to kill them, they will only survive and try to grow.

Next, if for some reason that fails, get a large picture of a seeding Washingtonia and hang it on the wall, because inevitably whereever there is a seeding Washy in sight there are bound to be hundreds of seedlings around a 1 block area.......

But seriously, they tend to come from a very dry climate, they will tend to rot more than anything else if overwatered.

Yes BS I want one so badly... it's called zone 5 cold hell!

[PalmatierMeg]

Seeds don't need light to germinate. Pot them, moisten them, bag the pots. Talk to the adults in your family about if/how to use the heater or if there is a better way to keep seeds warm. Check them weekly for signs of germination. When first green leaf shows plants will need daylight to grow. Good luck and relax.

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Hi jason

Washingtonia filifera are among the easiest to germinate .

Soak in water for 3 days (change water daily )

place in a ziplock bag containing a 50 /50 mix of peat moss and perlite

place the bag in a warm area ,maybe on top of your hot water cylinder or a room where the temperature does not go below 70f

If conditions are warm they will be up in 4 weeks .

They will grow slowly at first and need direct sun to do their best .

Here is a pic of mine - i grew it from seed 6 yrs ago ,quite a grower down here in cold Tasmania.

I grew my first washy from seed when i was about 10 i think LOL !

When you grow up you need to move somewhere warmer so you can grow all these wonderful palms outdoors .

[Zeeth]

Honestly, I have sprouted Sabal palmetto, Beccariophoenix alfredii, Syagrus amara, Cocos nucifera, Trachycarpus fortuneii, and Roystonea regia this winter indoors using the baggie method illustrated here: http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=4608

but with sphagnum moss instead of coco peat. Temps ranged from 68 on the coldest of days to 85 on the warmest, but usually it stayed about 73F. Washingtonia is super easy, so you shouldnt have any trouble

[Kris]

Dear Jason

I think the most easiest seed to germinate would be the washies.I was told by dave that even if they were just thrown here and there in ones garden they would grow without any sophisticated method..

I have germinated many washy filibustas & filiferas...they take at most one and half to 3 months to germinate.

While the W.filifera seeds do germinate well but later they tend to rot due my wet tropical climate when planted in thick clayee soil.

Here is a still of the one growing in pure sandy soil at our roof top garden & also one planted in a raised bed having only blue metal chips(crushed rock).

. . .

Love,

kris

[JASON M]

Thanks Kris

I'm probably going to scope some places out for palm trees in the Milwaukee area... my mom will be my chauffeur lol

[Zeeth]

Thanks Kris

I'm probably going to scope some places out for palm trees in the Milwaukee area... my mom will be my chauffeur lol

If you find a Trachycarpus fortuneii (windmill palm) or Rhapidophyllum hystrix (needle palm) you should think about purchasing if the price is right. The windmill can take down to 0F if it is old enough (younger specimens will need protection). When they have 5 feet of trunk or so, they should be fine, but I am no expert on this palm, as I can only grow it indoors, because my climate is too tropical to grow them outdoors.

Needle palms can take more cold, and they don't form much trunk, so it will always be small enough to protect. When young though, they can be damaged by below freezing temps. This palm is really variable when it comes to age and cold. When old, they are probably the most cold tolerant palm in the world, but when young they get damage and often spear pulls at temps where Sabal minor isn't damaged. I don't think any palm is long term in 5b though, so keep that in mind when planting. You really need to be in at least 6b to grow any palms with no protection.

I still say you should look into getting a Kentia palm for indoors. They make wonderfully tropical specimens that can even form trunk indoors and look a bit like a coconut, but they are the masters of the indoor palm world. If you put it in a room with a window to let light in, and you don't over or under water them, they will be one of the best house plants in the world. I've got 1 indoors that has 3 times the speed of the one I've got outdoors, they just love room temperature. These seeds take months and months to sprout though, so you're probably better off buying one. Post something in the "palms wanted" forum, and you may get someone who can sell you one. Here is mine as of today, it is 5 fronds from trunking, so probably 2-2.5 years

[JASON M]

I already have a neanthe... and I don't like it... it looks more like a bamboo stick than a palm tree. The kentia palm does look like a coconut palm, but I do not know where I can put it. My palms are taking up space by my dining room right now... and my sago will have to be moved when we want to go back outside through our sliding door.

[Zeeth]

I already have a neanthe... and I don't like it... it looks more like a bamboo stick than a palm tree. The kentia palm does look like a coconut palm, but I do not know where I can put it. My palms are taking up space by my dining room right now... and my sago will have to be moved when we want to go back outside through our sliding door.

Hmm... mine's in my room in front of my window. If your room isn't big enough to put a large kentia in it, if you get a small one and keep it potbound, it can stay a small size for a while.

[JASON M]

You know what, I think I might have a kentia upstairs. My mom doesn't know what it is... but it looks like a smaller version of that.

[Zeeth]

You know what, I think I might have a kentia upstairs. My mom doesn't know what it is... but it looks like a smaller version of that.

Post a pic. I'd guess that's a majesty with no pic though, as they are far more common. They aren't as good houseplants as Kentias though.

[JASON M]

When I was taking the pictures... I slipped down the stairs. KIETH IM SUING YOU FOR YOUR FLORIDIAN HOUSE AND ALL YOUR PALMS

And this is what my sago (silhouette) looks like.

Edited February 28, 2010 by JASON M

[Zeeth]

When I was taking the pictures... I slipped down the stairs. KIETH IM SUING YOU FOR YOUR FLORIDIAN HOUSE AND ALL YOUR PALMS

And this is what my sago (silhouette) looks like.

Maybe you should be lighter on your feet

[floridasun]

Whenever you move to a warmer climate, florida is more affordable than california in most areas and there less stupid laws, i mean dont they have a law something like chickens have to have so much space.

[Zeeth]

Whenever you move to a warmer climate, florida is more affordable than california in most areas and there less stupid laws, i mean dont they have a law something like chickens have to have so much space.

Or Hawaii, you wouldn't ever have to worry about cold again. Good healthcare system too.

[JASON M]

Florida gets hurricanes, Hawaii is expensive, California has hi taxes and many wildfires and landslides.

Arizona... only has droughts.

[floridasun]

yeah but hurricanes are cool and yeah hawaii is very expensive, i mean you would have to be a millionaire just to live there, i like florida better than hawaii ive never been there but im a florida native and if im gonna grow tropical plants its not gonna be in hawaii because i live in FLORIDA. i dont care how much freak cold there is. i think hawaiis overrated too ive met people that say it smells or something. plus we have disney world most palms dont get that badly effected in hurricanes cause they just sway alot. and dont forget arizona has flash floods.

Edited February 28, 2010 by floridasun

[JASON M]

But hurricanes cause floodings, house roofs being blown off.... etc

[Zeeth]

But hurricanes cause floodings, house roofs being blown off.... etc

You have only seen a hurricane on the news probably. Now that there are strict building codes, the houses have to be strong enough to get through the hurricanes. I've been through a bunch of hurricanes with never any damage to the house. And the flooding is only if you live very close to the shore, which I don't. Usually people that live where floods will happen get a 2-3 story house, and the bottom story is the garage. That way, the water would have to rise to 10ft or more to damage the house, and I have never seen that happen

[floridasun]

a tree fell on my house and only got a tiny little leak, the house didnt even shake., its an aboveground house. it was a weak tree though

Edited February 28, 2010 by floridasun

[JASON M]

Thanks.

I think I might move to the Southern Central part. It's zone 10 a or 10b there.

And it isn't close to shore, either.

[Rafael]

But hurricanes cause floodings, house roofs being blown off.... etc

You have only seen a hurricane on the news probably. Now that there are strict building codes, the houses have to be strong enough to get through the hurricanes. I've been through a bunch of hurricanes with never any damage to the house. And the flooding is only if you live very close to the shore, which I don't. Usually people that live where floods will happen get a 2-3 story house, and the bottom story is the garage. That way, the water would have to rise to 10ft or more to damage the house, and I have never seen that happen

Here in Portugal, we were, these days, hiten by a small huricane, something rare or maybe imposible to happen in the past.

And so so many trees felt down...

My syagrus did it well

But, by the way, what was the title of this topic??

Edited February 28, 2010 by rafael

[floridasun]

hmmm you mean like sebring?

[Zeeth]

Just keep in mind what I always say, it isn't worth moving there to get warmer unless you can grow coconut palms

[floridasun]

well brevards good, and yes alot of cocos are still alive here.

[John in Andalucia]

Pardon me, but isn' t there a forum here called, PALM BASICS FOR BEGINNERS ?

[floridasun]

huh?

[JASON M]

Pardon me, but isn' t there a forum here called, PALM BASICS FOR BEGINNERS ?

WELL EXCUSE ME >