My seeds do not germinate :(

[Ilovepalm]

Hi! I have a bit of different palm seeds. Some of them I got from @@DoomsDave, others from elsewhere. I try to provide them with the right conditions (coconut fiber with perlite, moist substrate), unfortunately it's been half a year and nothing germinates. What can I do wrong?

Cocothrinac dussiana,

Hyophorbe verschaffeltii,

Dypsis Decarei,

Dypsis lanceolata,

Syagrus romanzoffiana.

Edited May 9, 2018 by Ilovepalm

[Rickybobby]

I’m not a pro but have been very successful with germinating different species 

I use a tray and dome with a heat mat under neath and a thermostat which takes temp from one of the baggies. Heat always set at least 90 sometimes 95 degrees and always there no change. Some seeds germinate for me in a week some a month 

[Ilovepalm]

I kept them warm from the bottom all the time.

[kinzyjr]

Once you run out of patience, throw them in a compost pile and forget about them.  Then one day you'll come outside and see a few "blades of grass" sticking up.  At least, that's my method for dealing with frustration.

[Rickybobby]

How warm? 

[Ilovepalm]

25-30 Celsius, but actually now heaters do not heat, so less.

[Rickybobby]

If you want good results try 35 to 40c

i germinated some desert style palms in 45c no problem 

[palmad Merc]

I use a heat mat with a thermostat, set at 28 to 30 deg Celsius.

I have the best results putting one seed in small 2 inch pots so the heat mats can heat soil fast, equal parts seed raising coco coir perlite.

Water, then let soil slightly dry before watering again.

Place in a greenhouse or a polystyrene box to keep heat in.

I also sprinkle the surface with cinnamon to minimize fungus and mold.

If you use baggie method, make sure you only have soil slightly moist.

[Ilovepalm]

@palmad Merc thanks for the advice, only in my country the electricity is very expensive, so that the heating mat can not be heated all the time. besides, I live in a block of flats and I do not have a greenhouse.

[palmad Merc]

3 hours ago, Ilovepalm said:

@palmad Merc thanks for the advice, only in my country the electricity is very expensive, so that the heating mat can not be heated all the time. besides, I live in a block of flats and I do not have a greenhouse.

Do the baggie method,place them in a zip lock bag with coco coir, perlite

Make sure it is only just moist and put the bags on top of your fridge, check the warm spots of your fridge,they may be on the sides or on top.

Tape the bags to the side, if you need to.

[Ilovepalm]

I tried this method, but it did not sprout. They were even on the decoder-box from where it was very warm.

[Grasswing]

Hello Ilovepalm,

from my experience, germinating tropical palms such as Hyophorbe requires constant temperature around 30°C and moisture. The fluctuation of temperature might be one of the causes why your seeds don't germinate.

I will share with you my setup which I use in a flat.

I use this polystyrene box and 25W, 4,5 m heating cable that is attached to rubber mat and covered by some thin metal plate as can be seen above. The thermostat is an old flat type with max 30°C, I am sure you have these in Poland too, but you can find many cheap thermostats on the internet. If my calculations are right, the energy consumption is around 18 kWh per month if turned on 24 hours a day - but keep in mind that due to good isolation of the polystyrene, the cable isn't always running. I don't know how much energy costs in Poland at all, but in Czech Rep. this "seed chamber" would cost less than 1 euro per month. I paid for the setup less than 23 euros.

Anyway, I hope I helped you a bit and good luck with growing! Glad to see someone from another northern Slavic country, where exactly do you live?

Regards,

Ondrej

[Ilovepalm]

@Grasswing I will take into account your oradies. in December I want to take off with coconut. :)