Question about Old man palm from fruit to seed to planting in pot.

[Captainzugzug]

When is the right time to pick these fruits off the flower, crack them open and them plant the seeds in a pot? Do I have to wait for the fruit to change to a different color, do I need to wait for them to fall off the flower? Should I dry the seeds for a while or can I plant them right away?

[Fusca]

34 minutes ago, Captainzugzug said:

When is the right time to pick these fruits off the flower, crack them open and them plant the seeds in a pot? Do I have to wait for the fruit to change to a different color, do I need to wait for them to fall off the flower? Should I dry the seeds for a while or can I plant them right away?

The fruits aren't ripe yet - best to wait until they turn purplish black in color.  I'm not sure how long a wait it is for this species but some palm fruits take many months to a year to ripen.  My guess is another month or two.  When the fruits begin to fall off on their own you know for sure that the fruits are ripe but it's not necessary to wait that long if the fruits are the right color and come off easily.

[PalmsInBaltimore]

Once the fruit is ripe, don't dry them but soak them in water for at least two days, swapping out for fresh water at least once a day. If the fruit is not soft this may take longer.

Then, once the fruit is soft enough, put it in a coffee can with a bunch of rocks and a little water and shake it hard to remove the fruit off the seeds. This part takes like a half hour or longer depending on how soaked and how soft the fruit is. You may need to put the seeds and rocks in a bag and roll it around on the sidewalk with some pressure to grind the fruit off. 

You may even need to peel off whatever is left by hand, but be aware that some palm fruits are irritating to the skin so you may have to wear gloves. I used a strainer and my bare hands to get all the little stubborn pieces of fruit off.

This is important because you want them to be clean of any bugs or bug eggs and of as much bacteria as possible. Wash the seeds in some mildly soapy water. Then soak them in fresh water for another day or two. Some people soak a whole week. 

Then you can plant them

[Captainzugzug]

@PalmsInBaltimorethanks for the detailed reply. Can't I just skip the rolling inside a can with rocks part and remove the fruit with my own hands? I don't seem to be allergic, as I already tried to remove some of the ones that fell to the ground. It was pretty easy to remove the outer shell. 

[PalmsInBaltimore]

That should be fine. The rocks are helpful when the fruit doesn't come off easily or if you are cleaning dozens of them

[PalmatierMeg]

Coccothrinax fruit are black/purple when ripe - green fruit are not ripe. I soak the seeds for a couple days then use a strainer and wooden spoon to remove the fruit, put seeds in a colander and flush with water to wash away fruit. Seeds look like tiny basketballs and you do not need to crack them before potting. They germinate readily when ripe.

[Captainzugzug]

Do these look ripe enough? They don't seem to get much darker purple than that however they are super soft and easy to peel. Will they ripen more if I leave them a few more days before peeling them? Every single one of those fell to the ground on its own.

[PalmatierMeg]

They look ripe. Soak them for a couple days, then clean the fruit off. Bag them or pot them as you prefer. Give them lots of time - they aren't marigolds. Germination may take weeks or months.

[Captainzugzug]

Is there a procedure for bagging them? Should they be put in the bag with some cotton or something else or just dry and make sure I take the air out? 

[PalmatierMeg]

I soak dry orchid moss for an hour, squeeze it out well then put some in a quart freezer bag and add seeds. Keep them outside in the shade. Alternatively, you can pot them up in a compot with free draining potting mix just below the surface and sprinkle a thin layer of soil over the seeds. Keep pot outside in the heat and be patient.

[happypalms]

If you want to clean a lot of seeds fast a small car cleaning karcher jet wash place the seeds in a wire cage I use a wire rat trap with small square holes but small gauge  bird wire would do the same trick you can clean hundreds of seeds in about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the varieties so easy.