Bismarckia seed help

[Colin1110082]

Hello, I would like to buy some bismarckia seeds because Bismarck is my favorite palm tree. I like the huge blue fronds and white trunks. What is a trusted source to buy viable bismarckia seeds from to get a decent amount for a decent price? Any special eBay sellers or stores? And once I get the seeds, what should I do to stratify and prep for planting, and what soil, how much water, and sun would the seedlings need? Finally, how long would it take for it to grow a strapleaf from when I plant it? I’ve never grown palm from seed so I have no idea.  Thank you

[aztropic]

Located in Massachusetts, you'd be WAAY,WAAY ahead, just buying an already growing plant, (3 gallon size) shipped IN THE POT. Seeds need HIGH HEAT (95F) to germinate, need a VERY DEEP pot once sprouted, (usually 3 or 5 gallon pot per seed), and remain strap leaved seedlings for about 3 years under ideal growing conditions before the first palmate frond is produced. Keeping it alive longer than 1 year in your area is going to be a chore as these are desert palms that require HIGH HEAT to do well. I've grown hundreds from seed, and my best advice would be to 'forgetaboutit' long term,and just buy a fresh one annually to put out in your yard for the summer.🤷‍♂️ 

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[Colin1110082]

1 hour ago, aztropic said:

Located in Massachusetts, you'd be WAAY,WAAY ahead, just buying an already growing plant, (3 gallon size) shipped IN THE POT. Seeds need HIGH HEAT (95F) to germinate, need a VERY DEEP pot once sprouted, (usually 3 or 5 gallon pot per seed), and remain strap leaved seedlings for about 3 years under ideal growing conditions before the first palmate frond is produced. Keeping it alive longer than 1 year in your area is going to be a chore as these are desert palms that require HIGH HEAT to do well. I've grown hundreds from seed, and my best advice would be to 'forgetaboutit' long term,and just buy a fresh one annually to put out in your yard for the summer.🤷‍♂️ 

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

Very nice! Okay I can do that and pot one. Can it survive indoors when it’s overwintered and also is there a faster palm to germinate then?

[aztropic]

Most palms need certain requirements to be met,just to keep them alive. Bright sunlight year round,warmth,and moisture. If you can't provide the minimum acceptable conditions, it's going to be an uphill battle just to keep most palms alive over a long,cold,dry,winter. Fortunately,there are a few species that adapt well to indoor conditions if you need to have a palm in your location.  Look for parlour palms or Kentia palms to survive long term. They seem to do ok under less than ideal indoor conditions. Planted outdoors,you may have success with a needle palm as they are fairly cold tolerant.

Washingtonia species are going to be your easiest,fastest growing,palms to grow from seed. They do require heat to grow,but would probably be the most rewarding if attempting to grow a palm from seed in your location.

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[Colin1110082]

2 hours ago, aztropic said:

Most palms need certain requirements to be met,just to keep them alive. Bright sunlight year round,warmth,and moisture. If you can't provide the minimum acceptable conditions, it's going to be an uphill battle just to keep most palms alive over a long,cold,dry,winter. Fortunately,there are a few species that adapt well to indoor conditions if you need to have a palm in your location.  Look for parlour palms or Kentia palms to survive long term. They seem to do ok under less than ideal indoor conditions. Planted outdoors,you may have success with a needle palm as they are fairly cold tolerant.

Washingtonia species are going to be your easiest,fastest growing,palms to grow from seed. They do require heat to grow,but would probably be the most rewarding if attempting to grow a palm from seed in your location.

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

Alright, Washingtonia are cheap from palmpeii nursery on etsy decent sized saplings. I’ll look into that. I have two potted trachycarpus I just use miracle grow potting palm mix. So it’s a no go on the bismarckia surviving indoors, then?

[Harry’s Palms]

I am in Southern California where we can grow a lot of different palms , including Bismarkia . I would much rather watch a small palm grow than wait for a seed to germinate and then the very slow subsequent growth. A one or three gallon palm gets you to a point where the palm (depending on species) is just starting to take off. Palms , in the ground , will probably not make it where you are without a whole bunch of work. If you have a south facing garden room or mud room with adequate light you can probably have some success with Washingtonia . They can last years in pots with proper care. Harry

[Colin1110082]

32 minutes ago, Harry’s Palms said:

I am in Southern California where we can grow a lot of different palms , including Bismarkia . I would much rather watch a small palm grow than wait for a seed to germinate and then the very slow subsequent growth. A one or three gallon palm gets you to a point where the palm (depending on species) is just starting to take off. Palms , in the ground , will probably not make it where you are without a whole bunch of work. If you have a south facing garden room or mud room with adequate light you can probably have some success with Washingtonia . They can last years in pots with proper care. Harry

I will put them with my Trachycarpus in the basement. It doesn’t get a lot of light but it gets a decent amount. 

[Bkue]

I just started 2doz to germinate. I can send some to you. They are everywhere around me. 

[harleyb]

I've been buying Bismarckia seeds from RPS for the last couple of years. No problems at all until the most recent batch, which contains a large proportion of floaters/dead seeds (30-40 percent!), and has a very low overall germination rate compared to previous batches. Of those that do germinate, several have produced deformed sinker roots and I've had to throw those out as well.

It seems that this batch of seeds is nowhere near fresh which is very disappointing. I'm hoping that this is just a one-off, but in case it isn't, can anyone suggest an alternative, reliable supplier of good Bismarckia seeds who send internationally? I'm in NZ, which is pretty strict when it comes to importing seeds.

Thanks 🙂

[RichardHemsley]

16 hours ago, harleyb said:

I've been buying Bismarckia seeds from RPS for the last couple of years. No problems at all until the most recent batch, which contains a large proportion of floaters/dead seeds (30-40 percent!), and has a very low overall germination rate compared to previous batches. Of those that do germinate, several have produced deformed sinker roots and I've had to throw those out as well.

It seems that this batch of seeds is nowhere near fresh which is very disappointing. I'm hoping that this is just a one-off, but in case it isn't, can anyone suggest an alternative, reliable supplier of good Bismarckia seeds who send internationally? I'm in NZ, which is pretty strict when it comes to importing seeds.

Thanks 🙂

@Kestas has some available,  he is in Spain so not sure if he can ship to NZ but worth asking 

[TropicsEnjoyer]

@Colin1110082what about silver/ blue saw palmetto indoors? i’m not sure if these make good indoor plants but you’ll get the blue foliage and they grow so slow that you’ll probably never have to get rid of it for being too big. 

[harleyb]

On 1/1/2025 at 2:16 AM, RichardHemsley said:

@Kestas has some available,  he is in Spain so not sure if he can ship to NZ but worth asking 

Thanks, will ask. I've also let RPS know and suggested to them that they change their supplier for Bizzie seeds. This batch is clearly inferior and very different to previous batches I've received which have been >90 percent successful. These ones are probably less than 10 percent successful.

[harleyb]

On 1/3/2025 at 9:35 AM, harleyb said:

Thanks, will ask. I've also let RPS know and suggested to them that they change their supplier for Bizzie seeds. This batch is clearly inferior and very different to previous batches I've received which have been >90 percent successful. These ones are probably less than 10 percent successful.

To their credit, RPS have offered to replace these dud Bizzie seeds for me when they get new stock in. That's the kind of customer service we like. 👍

[gyuseppe]

On 12/30/2024 at 9:40 PM, harleyb said:

I've been buying Bismarckia seeds from RPS for the last couple of years. No problems at all until the most recent batch, which contains a large proportion of floaters/dead seeds (30-40 percent!), and has a very low overall germination rate compared to previous batches. Of those that do germinate, several have produced deformed sinker roots and I've had to throw those out as well.

It seems that this batch of seeds is nowhere near fresh which is very disappointing. I'm hoping that this is just a one-off, but in case it isn't, can anyone suggest an alternative, reliable supplier of good Bismarckia seeds who send internationally? I'm in NZ, which is pretty strict when it comes to importing seeds.

Thanks 🙂

I have bought a lot of seeds from RPS, for more than 20 years, and my seeds have always germinated, while the seeds I bought from ebay never germinated.