Palm Seed Soil

[PetitCote]

Hi All,

I have just joined the forum as I really want to have some nice palms, but it is something I am new to.

I am in west Africa, close to the coast. I brought some palm seeds over here and am trying to grow them. Attached are pictures of my Washingtonia Robusta and St Peter’s Palm seeds after four weeks. During the day I move them outside, it is 22-35C here in the day, a bit cooler at night - 16-20C, therefore I bring them inside until 9am. This ensures they are getting a good day of sun now, which they seem to like, the sun shines here 99% of the time.

 

It’s also dry, low humidity until June, so I’m giving them a little water once or twice a day. I have a moisture meter, it says around 65% for these at present with a soil temperature of 40C.

I was wondering about soil; for these I mixed sand and tiny rocks (iron ore rock, which my garden is full of). For my next batch of seeds would I be better off getting a commercial compost? The choices are fairly limited here, however there are a handful available in some stores here.

Any other advice welcomed.

 

 

 

[Than]

Hi PetitCote and welcome to the forum! 

I am not very knowledgeable yet but I live in a place where Washingtonias are omnipresent. I wouldn't bring them indoors if I were you, 16-20 C is a perfect night time temperature which doesn't pose any risks for your seedlings. Washingtonias can easily tolerate much colder temperatures than that. 

I believe adding sand and grit to the soil was a good idea as they improve drainage. It does mean that the soil will dry faster though, which I don't think will be an issue if you water them. When old, Washingtonias can go through months of drought. 

Good luck with your seedlings. You have chosen easy species. Are they common where you live?

[happypalms]

Welcome to the world of palms. Peat moss or coco coir with perlite is a great medium for germination of seeds. If you read some of the post regarding germination on palm talk you find more than enough information on how to germinate successfully, good luck now your hooked on palms a new world of fun is coming your way. 

[PetitCote]

Thanks for the responses, I haven’t seen many such palms here, there are mainly coconut palms close by, I think though I’m in a perfect place to grow these and other palms.

I am almost certain I can’t get perlite here, they do sell clay balls which I have used for cactus, they are around 5-10mm in diameter and seem to drain the soil very well. 
 

Perhaps I didn’t make my question clear; if I can find a peat moss compost and I mix in a load of tiny rocks to assist drainage, will I see a benefit over the use of sand?

[Fusca]

3 hours ago, PetitCote said:

Perhaps I didn’t make my question clear; if I can find a peat moss compost and I mix in a load of tiny rocks to assist drainage, will I see a benefit over the use of sand?

Peat moss will help but it's a problem if it's used in a pot and it dries out - it's very difficult to get it wet again.  Very course sand can help with drainage but fine sand can be an issue.  I use poultry grit in my container mixes which is basically tiny chunks of decomposed granite.

I wasn't familiar with the common name "St. Peter's Palm" and an online search came up with Yucca filifera which is a great plant for arid climates, though not technically a palm.  Here's mine that was also seed grown.  I'm assuming that they are in the first photo posted and the Washingtonia sprouts are in the second photo.

[PetitCote]

It’s the other way around, the Washingtonia are the first picture and the St Peter’s the second.

Your St Peter’s looks pretty good, I am in a very arid climate, the next rain we will get here will be the end of July. For this reason I am growing palms, yuccas and cactus. I think though I may be using sand which is too fine, I’ll try to find something more coarse.