Adonidia merrillii Christmas palm seed for sale

[NOT A TA]

These Christmas palm seeds are picked at their peak of ripening just before drop by an old elf who escaped a workshop in the chilly north and relocated to beautiful, warm,  Delray Beach in S FL.  Since elves are limited in stature he climbs a step ladder & carefully picks only the ones at their color peak. The seeds are immediately cleaned for shipping by the same elf with collected rainwater (so no chemicals!).  That rain drops from thunderstorms that form over the everglades (where the gators live) from evaporation, so ya know it's fresh clean water having only been aloft a few miles! No acid rain here! After cleaning the seeds are carefully dried with dye free cloth by the garden elf to be ready for shipping. Remains of skin & pulp are returned to the earth for decomposition by.....guess who? Yup, the garden elf.

I've tried shipping these seeds without being cleaned first (because it would be cheaper for you folks because of the time involved cleaning) but they don't travel well that way, so they have to be cleaned to meet the USPS expectations and I'll only ship them cleaned.

No, they're not rare (except at the North Pole!).  Nor are they likely to get any ooohs or aaahs from the hardened exotic palm growers but they're an easy to germinate and grow great looking palm with a "tropical" appearance and look kinda like a mini Roystonea.

Don't believe in Christmas? Who cares? Grow them anyway! Don't be prejudice because of a common name. Call it a Manila palm for friends & family who don't speak Latin. Call it Adonidia merrillii and impress people who do speak Latin!  Grow them as gifts for Halloween, Valentines day, Ground Hog day, or any other special occasion just to mess with people and spread your love of palms with the masses! They can be grown in pots indoor almost anywhere in the world where you can keep them well lit and reasonably warm! Outdoor year round planting in zone 10 or higher.

Well I guess that's enough rhetoric, this batch was picked & cleaned 8/9/19 and for now I'm just shipping to the continental USA. Lots more seed will be available over the next several months should I sell out of the current batch quickly.

10 seeds       $8.00 includes shipping

20 seeds       $12.00 includes shipping

50 seeds       $20.00 includes shipping

Methods of buying/paying.

I have an online store (car parts) but use the invoicing, shipping, etc. for seed so that makes it easy & secure. By using my online store through Shopify I don't even have access to your credit card or other payment information and you can pay many different ways.

PM me here on the forum with requested quantity, full name, shipping address,  and an email address and I'll send you an invoice you can pay securely using credit cards, Paypal, etc.

Lurking and not a member here? Email me.   laboratoryfourteen@gmail.com   with requested quantity, full name, shipping address,  and I'll invoice you as described above.

Old school and still like mailing people a check? PM me or email me at the address above with quantity desired, full name, shipping address, and I'll give you my mailing address to send the check to, then I'll set aside your quantity so it doesn't get sold out before your check gets to me.

Sorry, no cryptocurrency transactions at this time. 

No guarantee that you can actually grow anything. But if you do have a problem getting them to germinate let me know and we'll figure something out.

Not really interested in any trades UNLESS you have a NOS pair of elf shoes in size 8 1/2, they're tough to find down here.

Any questions or reason you want to actually talk to an elf just PM me or email and ask for my phone #.

Here's the palms the seed comes from, seeds,  and pic of cleaning operation. Currently remodeling the house so ignore the mess & pink trim, the elf's fixing it. ahahaha.

[NatureGirl]

You win the award for most unusual 'for sale' post! LOL 

[Mostapha]

HI, 

I received some of these seeds yesterday,8/10, they are very fresh pump and healthy. Already set up for germination which I believe wont take long.  This is a great deal for people interested in growing these palms.  The parents in the picture look amazing.

Thanks again NOT A TA.

Mark

[Rickybobby]

I received seeds from @NOT A TA a week ago. Very fresh. Very! Lol will post germination results. Thanks again!

[kinzyjr]

They should germinate fast for you.  In some cases, they will germinate in as little as 2 days.  I put mine in a gallon freezer bag with some moist potting soil/perlite mix and went on vacation.  When I came back...

 

[NOT A TA]

On 8/11/2019 at 9:06 AM, NatureGirl said:

You win the award for most unusual 'for sale' post! LOL 

Forums like this are great for bringing people who share a common interest with side benefits of education and entertainment. I had a lot of time to think about writing a for sale ad while cleaning the seed, then the following day we had wicked thunderstorms so I couldn't work outside and had more than adequate time to sit at the computer and prepare an ad so I figured I'd have fun with it!

11 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

They should germinate fast for you.  In some cases, they will germinate in as little as 2 days.  I put mine in a gallon freezer bag with some moist potting soil/perlite mix and went on vacation.  When I came back...

You win the 2019 X-mas palm in Aug. germination contest!!!

Just so those of you who aren't in the southern states know, our garages with metal hurricane doors (and no insulation above in many cases) can easily be over 100 F most days if sun hits the door. Mine only goes down to about 88 F at night because the concrete floor and many thousands of lbs of steel the cars and tools are made of also hold the heat. So don't try the garage thing up North, probably won't work.

EDIT: I knew he put them in the garage from PMs. When he posted here I combined the posts and PMs in my head. ahahaha

14 hours ago, Rickybobby said:

I received seeds from @NOT A TA a week ago. Very fresh. Very! Lol will post germination results. Thanks again!

We're counting on you as the farthest North so far to leave a seedling for the guy with the red suit & sleigh! Closer to the "workshop" so less chance of burn from the cold taking it home.

[Rickybobby]

1 hour ago, NOT A TA said:

Forums like this are great for bringing people who share a common interest with side benefits of education and entertainment. I had a lot of time to think about writing a for sale ad while cleaning the seed, then the following day we had wicked thunderstorms so I couldn't work outside and had more than adequate time to sit at the computer and prepare an ad so I figured I'd have fun with it!

You win the 2019 X-mas palm in Aug. germination contest!!!

Just so those of you who aren't in the southern states know, our garages with metal hurricane doors (and no insulation above in many cases) can easily be over 100 F most days if sun hits the door. Mine only goes down to about 88 F at night because the concrete floor and many thousands of lbs of steel the cars and tools are made of also hold the heat. So don't try the garage thing up North, probably won't work.

EDIT: I knew he put them in the garage from PMs. When he posted here I combined the posts and PMs in my head. ahahaha

We're counting on you as the farthest North so far to leave a seedling for the guy with the red suit & sleigh! Closer to the "workshop" so less chance of burn from the cold taking it home.

Omg too funny. Our garage gets warm and holds during night as well but only about 26c which is perfect for germinating trachycarpus!!!!! The Adonidia are on a heat mat ina. Controlled environment the guy in the red suit would. Be proud lol

[HtownPalms]

PM sent. Hopefully I'm not too late to the party. Thanks.

[NOT A TA]

9 hours ago, HtownPalms said:

PM sent. Hopefully I'm not too late to the party. Thanks.

Nope, not too late at all! Fresh seed will continue for months. Sent the elf up the tree for your seed when I saw your PM. Pic of your seed before cleaning below. Sent an invoice to your email.

Thanks!

[HtownPalms]

Awesome! I've heard of Elf on a shelf, but not the Elf on a palm. 

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

32 minutes ago, HtownPalms said:

Awesome! I've heard of Elf on a shelf, but not the Elf on a palm. 

I think i like Elf on a palm better honestly 

[NOT A TA]

Well the Elf on a shelf wears a pointed hat and you're in a pointed state so you Texans are in charge of growing the pointless forest of Adonidia! Bonus points to anyone who remembers Oblio

Rob's up North growing an Adonidia forest just south of the ice wall to slow the white walkers.

Dave's growing the X-mas palm forest of Doom.

Edit: Almost forgot here's your clean seed Htown

 

[HtownPalms]

They look great! I will try my best to get the forest of Adonidia growing in Texas. Thanks again!

[colin Peters]

Wow to think I cut these off and throw away by the thousand.

[PalmatierMeg]

I cut all mine off, too. Can't give them away here.

[HtownPalms]

Then you two would be flat out shocked what these sell for around here when you can even find them. My local nursery sells Christmas tree palms in 7 gallon containers for $175 and 15 gallon containers for $275. They usually sell out by early to mid July. At 40 cents a seed I am stoked! If Not A TA keeps selling these seeds I will keep buying as many as I have space for. If only we could all live in Zone 10. 

[zoli]

20 hours ago, colin Peters said:

Wow to think I cut these off and throw away by the thousand.

 

32 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

I cut all mine off, too. Can't give them away here.

It's interesting to see how the basic laws of economics can paint a false picture. Where there's abundance, things lose their perceived value. On the other hand, scarcity and longing for things seemingly unattainable, adds value to things many on the flip side treat almost pest-like. 

Some of the most commonly available palms and seeds in tropical areas are virtually non-existent in the North. Palm-wise, the North is essentially a third world country, almost begging their rich Southern brethren for handouts. 

Okay, that's a bit dramatic, but you get the point.

[PalmatierMeg]

46 minutes ago, zoli said:

 

It's interesting to see how the basic laws of economics can paint a false picture. Where there's abundance, things lose their perceived value. On the other hand, scarcity and longing for things seemingly unattainable, adds value to things many on the flip side treat almost pest-like. 

Some of the most commonly available palms and seeds in tropical areas are virtually non-existent in the North. Palm-wise, the North is essentially a third world country, almost begging their rich Southern brethren for handouts. 

Okay, that's a bit dramatic, but you get the point.

I do get it. But being rich in weedy Adonidia seeds doesn't mean I have endless disposable income for postage to shell them out to everyone with a hand extended. I lost my disposable income when I was laid off by my employer and now live on limited income. "Freebies" to me doesn't include shipping and cost of padded envelopes too - sorry but that's the truth in these times. I had a few people beg me for free seeds then get huffy when I asked that they reimburse mailing expenses.

[jimmyt]

2 hours ago, HtownPalms said:

Then you two would be flat out shocked what these sell for around here when you can even find them. My local nursery sells Christmas tree palms in 7 gallon containers for $175 and 15 gallon containers for $275. They usually sell out by early to mid July. At 40 cents a seed I am stoked! If Not A TA keeps selling these seeds I will keep buying as many as I have space for. If only we could all live in Zone 10. 

Well I feel slighted too here in my 3rd world palmless country.   I cant find any Christmas palms in my local nurseries either and I am only a bit north of you Htown!  

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

I have never seen A.Merrillii for sale here and im only 30 min south of HTown haha i did buy a triple on ebay for 12$ plus shipping. I did just get my seeds from @NOT A TA today so i too will be germinating these to give the palm bug to friends and family =) 

[zoli]

1 hour ago, PalmatierMeg said:

I do get it. But being rich in weedy Adonidia seeds doesn't mean I have endless disposable income for postage to shell them out to everyone with a hand extended. I lost my disposable income when I was laid off by my employer and now live on limited income. "Freebies" to me doesn't include shipping and cost of padded envelopes too - sorry but that's the truth in these times. I had a few people beg me for free seeds then get huffy when I asked that they reimburse mailing expenses.

By all means, they should pay for shipping and then some. I wasn't trying to suggest that you should give them out for free. If palmless folk want access to difficult-to-get palmy stuff, then they should pay for that privilege, hands down. I'm with you!

[Mostapha]

2 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

I do get it. But being rich in weedy Adonidia seeds doesn't mean I have endless disposable income for postage to shell them out to everyone with a hand extended. I lost my disposable income when I was laid off by my employer and now live on limited income. "Freebies" to me doesn't include shipping and cost of padded envelopes too - sorry but that's the truth in these times. I had a few people beg me for free seeds then get huffy when I asked that they reimburse mailing expenses.

I guess that would be why someone would include postage and handling. Happens all the time. To me they are worth it, here in dark, dry nys. strangly I had been able to grow and maintain many palms here inside during the cold months and out of doors during the warmer times of the year. I have actually been told by another "palmtalker" that I seem to be able to grow many different palms here in upstate ny inside that other people can not grow ouit of doors. 

I myself appreciate NOT A TA for his seeds as well as many others. Thanks Mark

P.S. when I get an over abundance of seedlings or even plants that have outgrown my space including  seeds I donate them to horticulture school or even to green houses, I personally would rather see them used and appreciated instead of disposed of. I understand money is money, but its only paper, but experience and gratitude is much more satisfactory. I recently donated 90 howea belmoriana that I grew from seed last year as well as about 30 foxtails also from seed. I too am on a fixed income due to emphysema, my twin boys also participate, better to give than to receive,

Edited August 15, 2019 by Mostapha

[NOT A TA]

I used to cut off the seeds also till a thread earlier this year where a couple people mentioned wanting seed. Like others where they grow easily have said "Can't give them away here".  I gave Adonidia seed away for free including shipping to some people as I have done in the past with seed of other common (here) palms for other members and non members without a thread in freebies or public offer on the forum.  I didn't mind doing the work or paying for the shipping and would/probably will do it again. I like to see people (particularly young ones) get involved in ornamental horticulture.

I started giving some Adonidia away for free to a few people as mentioned already and (having been in business all my adult life) started calculating how much time & expense was involved. Like Meg mentioned I said to myself "I can't afford to do this for a lot of people". So I thought "well if they want seed they'd probably pay at least some of the costs."  So then I figured I'd start a "for sale" thread to try and at least cover the supplies,expenses, and maybe some of the time I spent while giving people the opportunity to grow from seed and promoting palm in general by doing so.  At the current prices I posted it's not a way to make any money but it allows people to have an opportunity to grow from seed. Lets face it, in the USA you can walk into a big box store and buy a 2-3 year old palm (not necessarily Adonidia) in a couple gallon container for a little more than 20 seeds shipped cost, so the people buying the seed either want to grow from seed or live where these palms aren't sold in volume at cheap prices.

Break down of whats involved

Time, to pick fruit

Time, to clean fruit off seed. A lot more time than you'd think.

Time, to dry seed with rags then air dry so mold won't start in transit.

Time, to bag seed, in purchased bags. Very little time, lunch bags aren't expensive but......still takes time and there's expense.

Time, to communicate with customer through internet messages.

Time, to process order,  buy shipping service then print packing list & shipping label   So pay shipping fee $3.00-$6.00 for 10-50 seed. Two sheets of paper & black ink (ink jet cartridges uggggh $$$).

Time, to pack box. So pay for tape for boxes. Reuse boxes for orders under 50 seed so no expense there, some of you know what kind of Pop Tarts the Elf likes (don't forget, there will be a quiz). Small flat rate USPS boxes are free for orders over 50 seed up to 100 but also cost more to send than small boxes under 14 oz. that go 1st class.

Time, to drive to USPS and drop off boxes. Pay for fuel and wear/tear on vehicle.

Pay credit card/Paypal fees of roughly 3.5% on GROSS purchase amount.

Anyone have an abundance who want to take over selling the Adonidia seed? Just say the word and I'll stop and devote my time to something that I should really be doing instead.

Many folks here on the forum have benefited from Doomsdaves freebie offerings. When I first saw them as a lurker I thought about how much his drive to "spread the palmy love" is costing him figuring even with small seeds in envelopes it probably costs him $100.00 each time, never mind his own time (@$150.00 per hour! ahahaha).  He's been doing a great service for members at his personal expense even if he gets seed for free.

[Mostapha]

I wasnt trying to be rude to anyone, I just think its wonderful that other people are willing to share what it is they share either by selling or gifting. My hat is off  to all the palm talkers who either share their vast knowledge, or it sell their goods, and again I thank you all. I very much appreciate the seeds that I received recently from NOT A TA, as well as many others not only for the seeds but also the time and effort that they was kind enough to share. Thanks Mark

 

[HtownPalms]

Personally I GREATLY appreciate NOT A TA and others like him for selling seeds that a lot of us can't get. Even the lowly Archontophoenix palms are super exotic for us, and almost no one sells the seeds because they are " too common". It stinks that its basically a break even game for the sellers most of the time. I wouldn't mind paying more for seeds if it keeps people selling them. Honestly, as fast as most seeds sell on here people probably should be asking more. As far as the folks who say these seeds are worthless in their area and cut them off I totally understand that too. Just because they are plentiful in your area doesn't make you obligated to sell/give them away. I responded earlier to show why I want them. Plus plentiful or not they are a beautiful palm!

OC2Texaspalmlvr, The nursery that I was referring to is Joseph's nursery in Pearland. I think they are sold out now unless they got a new shipment. Besides Christmas tree palms they also sell large fishtail palms. They usually get their new palms in April or early May.

[PalmatierMeg]

Dooms Dave is the most generous member on this forum. I applaud him for sharing his love of palms with all. Ten+ years ago when PT had fewer than 1,400 members (vs 14,000 now) and I still had a job, I gave away free seeds w/shipping to share my excitement with growing palms. Of course, a padded envelope of seeds cost less than $2 (vs. $5-6 now). Shipping a 1oz. packet of free seeds to Europe cost less than $4 (vs. $15+ now) and I got 10-20 requests vs 50+ now. And, I'm sad to report, very few takers ever bothered to say, "thank you", before they retreated back to lurker heaven.

If I were to decide to give away free seeds again, it would be to people I've gotten to know and value as members of this forum, people who bring life and enjoyment and knowledge for everyone here. They come into the light of day rather than troll the depths of Lurkdom seeking to scarf up goodies for themselves. If that's you, I encourage you to surface and start to learn, then contribute. PT is about learning and interacting with people who have common interests, not about acquiring stuff. So, you live in Rapid City, SD? So what? We got people who live in NY, Canada, Europe who contribute valuable insights and knowledge to us in FL, CA and HI. If you really love and care about palms you are remiss for not participating.

[jimmyt]

Of behalf of all the little people on Palm Talk, I would like to thanks those who provide free seed for your sacrifice, and also to thank those who give us the opportunity to purchase seed that we would otherwise not have access to.  I have gotten free seed and also purchased seed from our sellers.   I appreciate you all.  You have given me the opportunity and knowledge to experience new and different palms.  I understand the time, and expense it takes to prep, package, and mail seeds and plants out to people.    So Hey, Thanks  You  Palm People.  Keep them coming!  

jimmyt

 

 

[Rickybobby]

This seed is as fresh as they come in so pleased that in under 2 weeks they have started to germinate for me !

[NOT A TA]

I haven't tried to germinate Adonidia in over 10 years because there's always volunteers available. However, I love experimenting with things so this week I decided to try germinating these seeds quickly in baggies and in community pots in certain places as others might try. I know from previous experiments many, many, years ago that if I put uncleaned seed in community pots and keep them outside here they won't sprout till June next year at the same time volunteers come up.

I put 5 cleaned seeds in a baggie with damp orchid moss and placed the bag on the floor of my pickup truck that lives outside in the sun. I'm sure the temp is well over 100 F during the day and now at midnight the temp gun says it's 90 F on the floor in the truck. All 5 germinated in less than a week. I have some other experiments and we'll see how long they take.

[kinzyjr]

7 hours ago, NOT A TA said:

I haven't tried to germinate Adonidia in over 10 years because there's always volunteers available. However, I love experimenting with things so this week I decided to try germinating these seeds quickly in baggies and in community pots in certain places as others might try. I know from previous experiments many, many, years ago that if I put uncleaned seed in community pots and keep them outside here they won't sprout till June next year at the same time volunteers come up.

I put 5 cleaned seeds in a baggie with damp orchid moss and placed the bag on the floor of my pickup truck that lives outside in the sun. I'm sure the temp is well over 100 F during the day and now at midnight the temp gun says it's 90 F on the floor in the truck. All 5 germinated in less than a week. I have some other experiments and we'll see how long they take.

The quickest I've gotten them to germinate was 2 days.  I got fresh seed this year while I was in Miami over Christmas.  I stripped off the fleshy part of the fruit and then used needle-nosed pliers to strip off the fibrous fruit.  After stripping it down to the bare seed, I washed the seeds off in the sink and went over them with a rag to get as much residue off as I could.  I had some contact insecticide ready in a small cup and gave each one a dip.  After that, they were placed in 50/50 potting soil/perlite roughly an inch deep and put them on the heat mat in the garage. 

Two days later I was potting them.  They were even faster than Washingtonia robusta.  I couldn't effectively time the seeds you sent because they were sowed before I went on vacation for a week.  That said, all of them sprouted and are potted up and labeled at this point.  I expect to see some above ground progress sometime around Labor Day.

[HtownPalms]

Wow. I have all my Adonidia seeds that I got from you in baggies of moist sphagnum on the concrete by the pool. I guess I should start to see results pretty soon!

[NOT A TA]

2 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

The quickest I've gotten them to germinate was 2 days.  I got fresh seed this year while I was in Miami over Christmas.  I stripped off the fleshy part of the fruit and then used needle-nosed pliers to strip off the fibrous fruit.  After stripping it down to the bare seed, I washed the seeds off in the sink and went over them with a rag to get as much residue off as I could.  I had some contact insecticide ready in a small cup and gave each one a dip.  After that, they were placed in 50/50 potting soil/perlite roughly an inch deep and put them on the heat mat in the garage. 

Two days later I was potting them.  They were even faster than Washingtonia robusta.  I couldn't effectively time the seeds you sent because they were sowed before I went on vacation for a week.  That said, all of them sprouted and are potted up and labeled at this point.  I expect to see some above ground progress sometime around Labor Day.

WOW! That's fast! Guess I'll have to experiment with mechanical stripping a couple for fun.

[Rickybobby]

Thanks again John. So far I have so many germinated. I don’t know what to do with them all. It’s awesome though Adonidia are very welcome in my collection. These seeds are all viable it’s crazy 

[NOT A TA]

Experiment update: It took 2 weeks to germinate seed using the orchid moss in a baggie on the wireless cable router box method. House is kept 76 F daytime and 73 F nights by AC and the router box sits on the floor so it's the coldest air in the room surrounding it.  100% germination. Should be a little quicker for those North of here who don't have AC blasting 24/7.

[NOT A TA]

Another experiment update.

Haven't tried stripping with pliers yet.

The quickest way to seedlings popping up (so far) is a community pot in a very warm place. I have a small laundry room on the southwest corner of my house with a window facing west. No AC in that room and it's insulated from the AC part of the house. It gets well over a hundred easily in there every day and stays warm at night due to it also having the 40 gal. water heater plus a bunch of steel pipe being stored and a 60 gallon steel air tank for my compressor as well as the washer & dryer. Doubt the temp goes under 85-90 in there overnight  because of all the steel holding heat from the day in such a small room and it's even warmer at night when I do laundry!

With a two day soaking and planted directly in the community pot they sprouted faster than seeds germinated in baggies with various heat sources and then planted in community pots outside where our daily highs are still 90-92. High heat seems to be the key. Keep them 90-100 F + and they sprout pretty quick.

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

@NOT A TA I think i will end up with 95-100% germination on your seeds. I only used the community pot method. 3 pots outside in shade, 1 pot in garage. Fastest seed to pop its eophyll so far in my limited experience. 

[HtownPalms]

I did the "baggie" method and had the bag of seeds on the pool patio. Four weeks later and so far I have had over 40 of my 50 seeds germinate. I'm confident that the remaining seeds will germinate as well. Very impressed with these seeds. 

[NOT A TA]

I set up a quick way to buy these seeds. Just click the links and it'll bring you to my online store with secure payment using any of the normal credit cards paypal etc.

10 seeds for $8.00 shipped here  https://lab-14.myshopify.com/products/wxyz-10-adonidia-merrillii-christmas-palm-seeds

20 seeds for $12.00 shipped here  https://lab-14.myshopify.com/products/20-anonidia-merrillii-seeds

50 seeds for $20.00 shipped here  https://lab-14.myshopify.com/products/50-adonidia-merrillii-seeds

100 seeds for $33.00 shipped here  https://lab-14.myshopify.com/products/wxyz-100-adonidia-merrillii-seds

[sashaeffer]

On 9/17/2019 at 6:38 AM, HtownPalms said:

I did the "baggie" method and had the bag of seeds on the pool patio. Four weeks later and so far I have had over 40 of my 50 seeds germinate. I'm confident that the remaining seeds will germinate as well. Very impressed with these seeds. 

You've had a lot better luck than I am having 1/2/21 is when mine went into baggie after soaking and not one seed has germinated. Not sure when the cut off time is that would indicate bad seed.

[HtownPalms]

4 hours ago, sashaeffer said:

You've had a lot better luck than I am having 1/2/21 is when mine went into baggie after soaking and not one seed has germinated. Not sure when the cut off time is that would indicate bad seed.

The only thing I can think of is I got mine in the summer and placed them in the Texas heat by the pool. Not sure if the extra heat helped. I want to think all of the seeds that germinated did so in about 6 weeks. If you haven't had any start growing in 2 months I would be a bit concerned. These sprouted very fast for me but I wouldn't give up on yours yet. I have had seeds that I thought were for sure duds then finally sprouted many months after I got them.