Licuala peltata var. sumawongii seed germination

[palmad Merc]

In about a week or so I'm hoping to obtain some Licuala peltata var. sumawongii seed, has anyone got any valuable advise in germinating these?

Faster the better....

[palmad Merc]

Anyone??

[Steve Mac]

Crikey mate, you have to give at least 24hr for everyone in the world to see it not 8.

Yes, I wish that I could help you with more advice than that too.

Cheers Steve.  :)

[palmad Merc]

Haha, gtsteve

Yes, we wait patiently for answers, as the majority of palmtalkers from the US  are still well asleep. 

[GottmitAlex]

Is that palm armed?

[John in Andalucia]

I'm awake on the other side of the pond.  

I think whilst we expect tropical species (especially small tropical seeds) to have a relatively short lifespan in terms of viability, I have been told that some Licuala need up to a year to germinate. In which case, I can only advocate patience. 

 

 

[PalmatierMeg]

  On 7/20/2018 at 10:19 PM, palmad Merc said:

In about a week or so I'm hoping to obtain some Licuala peltata var. sumawongii seed, has anyone got any valuable advise in germinating these?

Faster the better....

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I just obtained seeds of that species from a US source. I was advised to crack and remove the hard outer shell before soaking and potting. I used a vise in our garage. You have to apply pressure very carefully while listening for a crackling sound. Then I picked away the bits of shell from the seeds then soaked them. Out of 50 seeds I only accidentally crushed one. I will pot them later today. If you don't have a vise, try a nutcracker.

Finally, you have to be patient. Licuala seeds can take months to germinate and need lots of heat.

[NatureGirl]

Seeds are easy to crack. I just put seeds on newspaper on the sidewalk, and roll around with my foot applying light pressure and they come right off. Then soak for a day or two and plant in moist spaghum, giving heat. They start sprouting within 2 months but then continue to sprout for many months. In other words, not all at same time. Merc, yours already have shells removed as required by AU customs. Here’s a photo with seed clearly showing the ones that have shells removed.

[palmad Merc]

Thank you NatureGirl  and PalmatierMeg and John for the great advise.

NatureGirl, thank you for going above and beyond to supply the freshest seed's going around, from my previous experience from you, I'm sure to be potting up like crazy, in the coming months.

 

Edited July 21, 2018 by palmad Merc
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[caixeta]

Seedlings at 2 years of age .

[palmad Merc]

Nice sea of licuala's,  caixeta, are they under shade cloth?

Beautiful work. 

[caixeta]

  On 7/21/2018 at 9:54 PM, palmad Merc said:

Nice sea of licuala's,  caixeta, are they under shade cloth?

Beautiful work. 

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50% shade.