Washingtonia Filibusta

[mydateplams]

On 5/6/2021 at 9:16 AM, ZPalms said:

I've been thinking of growing a new palm tree from seed and was wondering how well the washingtonia filibusta does in North Carolina zone 8A? and does anyone have any Filibusta seeds because I have looked everywhere!

 

 

They grow like weeds . I would use 1gal pot and place a seed in each or do a larger community tray with a few hundred.

 

[ZPalms]

40 minutes ago, mydateplams said:

 

 

They grow like weeds . I would use 1gal pot and place a seed in each or do a larger community tray with a few hundred.

 

Does climate play a part in them growing wild like weeds, I'm planning on growing indoors for a while but do you usually plant them directly in the pot outside? I'm unsure if they will germinate fast just in the pot because it's cooler indoors than it is outside at least where I am

Edited May 20, 2021 by ZPalms

[DAVEinMB]

On 5/8/2021 at 9:49 PM, Will Simpson said:

My Washy may be bigger and have a fatter trunk  than you think when I put someone in the picture for scale . The picture below was last summer before I cut off the skirt from the previous year . I don't know if that makes the trunk look fatter or not ?

Trunk diameter on yours looks about the same as mine - it was sold to me as Robusta

[climate change virginia]

On 5/12/2021 at 8:36 AM, ZPalms said:

How tolerant are filibustas in hurricanes or storms?

the trucks and growing fronds are tolerant the old leaves might blow off and damage something so make sure to cut those off before a storm

[ZPalms]

Is baggy method a good way to germinate them? Do I put a paper towel in the baggy or just put a little water and let humidity do its thing or put them in a cup of water?

[Sabal_Louisiana]

On 5/20/2021 at 4:52 PM, DAVEinMB said:

Trunk diameter on yours looks about the same as mine - it was sold to me as Robusta

I was paying attention to your questions until the girl in the picture distracted me. What was that again?

[DAVEinMB]

9 hours ago, Sabal_Louisiana said:

I was paying attention to your questions until the girl in the picture distracted me. What was that again?

Oh I was just commenting on Will's trunk diameter post. Unless the picture is deceiving it looks closer to robusta in diameter

[ZPalms]

I put my washingtonia seeds into a cup of water, do I leave them their for 24 hours then move them to a baggy with soil or paper towel?

[Reyes Vargas]

3 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

I put my washingtonia seeds into a cup of water, do I leave them their for 24 hours then move them to a baggy with soil or paper towel?

Washingtonia seeds really don't need to be soaked.  All I do is just put them in a community pot and water them.  Washingtonia seeds germinate very easy without any soaking or pretreatment.  Once they get 2 strap leaves I pot them up in individual pots.

[ZPalms]

9 minutes ago, Reyes Vargas said:

Washingtonia seeds really don't need to be soaked.  All I do is just put them in a community pot and water them.  Washingtonia seeds germinate very easy without any soaking or pretreatment.  Once they get 2 strap leaves I pot them up in individual pots.

Oh thanks, I'll move them into a pot I also got some play sand and potting mix and perlite should I mix 1/2 sand and more perlite?

Edited May 24, 2021 by ZPalms

[Reyes Vargas]

I just us

2 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

Oh thanks, I'll move them into a pot I also got some play sand and potting mix and perlite should I mix equal parts?

I just use cheap regular potting soil that I buy from my local grocery store (store brand)

[ZPalms]

1 minute ago, Reyes Vargas said:

I just us

I just use cheap regular potting soil that I buy from my local grocery store (store brand)

I only have miracle grow cactus and palm soil, ill probably just add more perlite cause it's draining can be iffy thanks!

[Jimhardy]

Miracle grow should always be checked for any fertilizers that they may be

adding that can kill seedlings...not sure about the two you mentioned but easy enough to read the bag.

[ZPalms]

I hope i'm doing this right but I put the seeds into this container and closed the lid and it sits on a heating pad so the soil is warm, It's been in this container for 3 days and haven't seen anything yet but keeping the soil really moist. 

On 5/23/2021 at 9:31 PM, Jimhardy said:

Miracle grow should always be checked for any fertilizers that they may be

adding that can kill seedlings...not sure about the two you mentioned but easy enough to read the bag.

The bag does say enriched with miracle grow plant food but i hope that won't affect anything because it's the only soil I have 

[PalmatierMeg]

How deep is that container? Washies put out very deep roots. You need something 8-10" deep or more.

[NCFM]

I recently started using these, they're sufficiently deep but not too wide for seedlings:

Amazon.com : Frjjthchy 100 PCS Thicken Plastic Nursery Bags for Plants Fruit Flower Grow Bags Seedling Pots (6.69x11.81 in) : Garden & Outdoor

[ZPalms]

1 hour ago, PalmatierMeg said:

How deep is that container? Washies put out very deep roots. You need something 8-10" deep or more.

the container is 2 inches deep but its temporary just for germination

55 minutes ago, NC_Palm_Enthusiast said:

I recently started using these, they're sufficiently deep but not too wide for seedlings:

Amazon.com : Frjjthchy 100 PCS Thicken Plastic Nursery Bags for Plants Fruit Flower Grow Bags Seedling Pots (6.69x11.81 in) : Garden & Outdoor

I thought I could just get them started to germinate then move them to terracotta pots before the roots get too long 

Edited May 26, 2021 by ZPalms

[PalmatierMeg]

@ZPalms, what you don't realize is that Washies are remote germinators. That means they send down a long radicle first but you can't see it from the surface. And that radicle can go down 8 or 10 inches, which is why you need a deep container. Then, partway along the radicle the seedling-to-be starts forming its first leaf, i.e., an eophyll. You can't see that either because it is underground. Finally, that little "spike" grows upward until it breaks the surface of the soil. So, a lot of stuff is going on underground you can't see but you must give the seeds lots of room to do their thing.

[ZPalms]

11 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

@ZPalms, what you don't realize is that Washies are remote germinators. That means they send down a long radicle first but you can't see it from the surface. And that radicle can go down 8 or 10 inches, which is why you need a deep container. Then, partway along the radicle the seedling-to-be starts forming its first leaf, i.e., an eophyll. You can't see that either because it is underground. Finally, that little "spike" grows upward until it breaks the surface of the soil. So, a lot of stuff is going on underground you can't see but you must give the seeds lots of room to do their thing.

Oh I had no idea, I'll begin moving them to the deeper pots thanks! I've always seen james palms on youtube put them in red solo cups to germinate but I got 20 of these 5 inch deep pots so I hope the roots don't mind that? I have 19 seeds germinating and don't have money to spend to buy anything different atm

Edited May 26, 2021 by ZPalms

[NCFM]

1 hour ago, ZPalms said:

Oh I had no idea, I'll begin moving them to the deeper pots thanks! I've always seen james palms on youtube put them in red solo cups to germinate but I got 20 of these 5 inch deep pots so I hope the roots don't mind that? I have 19 seeds germinating and don't have money to spend to buy anything different atm

Those bags I linked are about a foot deep and they're pretty cheap, 20 bucks for a pack of 100

[ZPalms]

3 minutes ago, NC_Palm_Enthusiast said:

Those bags I linked are about a foot deep and they're pretty cheap, 20 bucks for a pack of 100

How many bags of soil would I need for 19 of those? should I take the seeds out and dry them to stop them from germinating so I can try and get these things or is it too late?

Edited May 27, 2021 by ZPalms

[NCFM]

13 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

How many bags of soil would I need for 19 of those? should I take the seeds out and dry them to stop them from germinating so I can try and get these things or is it too late?

I use miracle grow palm and cactus mixed with plenty of perlite and pine bark soil conditioner.  You can get all of that at Lowes or Home Depot and for 19 you'd probably need about three bags of soil.  You'd only need one bag of perlite and soil conditioner.  I've been planting a lot of seedlings in these bags lately and I'll give this tip: when you're shoveling soil into the bags water it when it's about 3/4 of the way full so the soil settles, and then fill it the rest of the way up to the lip with soil. Then sow the seed or plant the seedling, and then water once again.  Add more soil if needed after that (sometimes the soil settles below the correct planting depth).  That way the plant doesn't end up being way down below the lip of the bag once the soil has settled. 

Edited May 27, 2021 by NC_Palm_Enthusiast

[ZPalms]

2 minutes ago, NC_Palm_Enthusiast said:

I use miracle grow palm and cactus mixed with plenty of perlite and pine bark soil conditioner.  You can get all of that at Lowes or Home Depot and for 19 you'd probably need about three bags of soil.  You'd only need one bag of perlite and soil conditioner.  I've been planting a lot of seedlings in these bags lately and I'll give this tip: when you're shoveling soil into the bags water it when it's about 3/4 of the way full so the soil settles, and then fill the last 1/4. Then sow the seed or plant the seedling, and then water once again.  Add more soil if needed after last 1/4 has settled from watering.  That way the plant doesn't end up being way down below the lip of the bag once the soil has settled. 

I'll screenshot this for later for when I go to lowes and ill try to acquire some of these bags, what should I do with the seeds at the moment though? Should I take them out and dry them?

[NCFM]

10 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

I'll screenshot this for later for when I go to lowes and ill try to acquire some of these bags, what should I do with the seeds at the moment though? Should I take them out and dry them?

I'd just leave them in the growing medium until you're ready to transplant

[ZPalms]

Just now, NC_Palm_Enthusiast said:

I'd just leave them in the growing medium until you're ready to transplant

Awesome thanks!

[Reyes Vargas]

13 hours ago, NC_Palm_Enthusiast said:

I recently started using these, they're sufficiently deep but not too wide for seedlings:

Amazon.com : Frjjthchy 100 PCS Thicken Plastic Nursery Bags for Plants Fruit Flower Grow Bags Seedling Pots (6.69x11.81 in) : Garden & Outdoor

Those grow bags are just what I was looking for.  How many gallon would you say they are?  1?  2?  Thanks.

[NCFM]

2 hours ago, Reyes Vargas said:

Those grow bags are just what I was looking for.  How many gallon would you say they are?  1?  2?  Thanks.

They're probably a little under a gallon

[ZPalms]

I purchased those bags 

[ZPalms]

Planted 6 washies that I saw had roots starting on them in the bags, 13 others still don't have anything showing so they will continue to germinate as I need to get soil for the rest 

[Reyes Vargas]

11 hours ago, ZPalms said:

Planted 6 washies that I saw had roots starting on them in the bags, 13 others still don't have anything showing so they will continue to germinate as I need to get soil for the rest 

 

[LeonardHolmes]

Here is a source for seeds:

Washingtonia filibusta | Etsy

I bought a small filibusta plant from the Oregon High Desert on Etsy people and it almost died in shipment.  USPS took over a month to deliver it.  They refunded my money and the palm is trying to come back.  Filibusta in front, small filifera in back.

[ZPalms]

7 hours ago, Reyes Vargas said:

 

It looks awesome with the new trim! thanks for the photos! I forgot to ask how did it do in the Texas winter?

Edited May 31, 2021 by ZPalms

[Reyes Vargas]

12 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

It looks awesome with the new trim! thanks for the photos! I forgot to ask how did it do in the Texas winter?

The way it looks like in those pictures is the way it looks like now after the freeze.  It was not affected at all except for a couple fronds being broken by the weight of the ice.  No burned fronds.

[ZPalms]

1 minute ago, Reyes Vargas said:

The way it looks like in those pictures is the way it looks like now after the freeze.  It was not affected at all except for a couple fronds being broken by the weight of the ice.  No burned fronds.

Does that mean it's genetic hardiness carry to the seeds? I'm assuming you left it unprotected?

[Reyes Vargas]

2 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

Does that mean it's genetic hardiness carry to the seeds? I'm assuming you left it unprotected?

This Palm is too tall (15-20ft) to protect.

I wouldn't know if the hardiness of the parent palm would be passed on to the seed.  I guess it would depend if the seed carried filifera dominate genes over robusta.

 

[ZPalms]

I ask way to many questions but how long does it take before I see the plant pop up and how often should I be watering?

[NCFM]

17 hours ago, ZPalms said:

I ask way to many questions but how long does it take before I see the plant pop up and how often should I be watering?

If the seeds were already germinated, shouldn't take long at all.  Water when first inch of soil is dry. - you don't want the seeds to dry out.

[joetx]

I have 100+ Washingtonia seeds in pots outside. The temp dropped to 66 degrees overnight (weird low for this time of year) - will that impact germination? Looks like we will be in the mid-upper 60s overnight for the next few days. Should I bring the pots in?

[Reyes Vargas]

1 hour ago, joetx said:

I have 100+ Washingtonia seeds in pots outside. The temp dropped to 66 degrees overnight (weird low for this time of year) - will that impact germination? Looks like we will be in the mid-upper 60s overnight for the next few days. Should I bring the pots in?

As long as it gets in the 70s-80s during the day they should be fine.  I have some pop up in random pots even during winter when we are in the 50s. 

[ZPalms]

The most annoying and devastating thing happened to my washies, the table that they are sitting on I put outside on the lip of the steps of the screen in porch so they could get some sun for a couple hours and later in the day it started to pour rain and I didn't think to realize the rain that was going to come off the roof was going to completely pound the top of these 4 bags that were sitting directly under it and one fell over. I managed to save them all and get them all back into shape so hopefully they all survive from that beating they just received from the roof.

 

 

 

Edited June 11, 2021 by ZPalms