Pigafetta filaris growth rate from germination

[Jonathan Haycock]

Pigafetta filaris don’t hang about do they!!!

Sown last Sunday (some just popping).

This species is zone pushing in SE Queensland. Hoping I can get one to thrive in the right microclimate.

[sofiamyrriam]

Hello. Any previous treatment (humidification)? What temperature were they exposed to (thermal mat)? Thank you.

[Nico971]

Yes ! Extremely fast ! About 2 weeks between germination and first leaf ! 

[Jonathan Haycock]

8 hours ago, sofiamyrriam said:

Hello. Any previous treatment (humidification)? What temperature were they exposed to (thermal mat)? Thank you.

Normally I would soak seeds for a week in water, which is replaced every day. Then I’d dose them in hydrogen peroxide for 24 hours before sowing. As the seeds were already popping, I simply soaked them for 3 days and sowed.

Medium is sphagnum moss (damp) in a sealed baggy, placed in a plastic tray (with lid) that sits on a heat mat set to 35C during the day and turned off at night (sits around 25C).

[Jonathan Haycock]

6 hours ago, Nico971 said:

Yes ! Extremely fast ! About 2 weeks between germination and first leaf ! 

I’ve never grown any palm this fast from seed. Also read the trick is to get them in full sun asap to continue the strong growth. Too much shade stalls and eventually kills them apparently. 

[Nico971]

2 hours ago, Jonathan Haycock said:

I’ve never grown any palm this fast from seed. Also read the trick is to get them in full sun asap to continue the strong growth. Too much shade stalls and eventually kills them apparently. 

That’s what I read too, but dry season just started here. So I don’t dare to try full sun. That how they look today : exactly 4 weeks after first germination 

[Rick Kelley]

Here is a preview of what to expect.

Seedlings in August 2021 about a month after planting seeds directly in 4" pots.

Same plants in January 2025. They are almost through the slow phase of growth. Once they start to trunk, you can get 2 m of new trunk each year. Full sun and a tremendous amount of rain. They drop fronds like crazy if they go 3 weeks without rain. Must be one of the most spectacular palms in the world. Just keep them far away from structures and utility lines. In my hands at least, they are sensitive to root disturbance. Be careful with the root ball when potting up or going in the ground. And of course, plant a group if you want viable seed down the road. Separate male and female trees.

[happypalms]

50 minutes ago, Rick Kelley said:

Here is a preview of what to expect.

Seedlings in August 2021 about a month after planting seeds directly in 4" pots.

Same plants in January 2025. They are almost through the slow phase of growth. Once they start to trunk, you can get 2 m of new trunk each year. Full sun and a tremendous amount of rain. They drop fronds like crazy if they go 3 weeks without rain. Must be one of the most spectacular palms in the world. Just keep them far away from structures and utility lines. In my hands at least, they are sensitive to root disturbance. Be careful with the root ball when potting up or going in the ground. And of course, plant a group if you want viable seed down the road. Separate male and female trees.

Thanks Rick I finally get to see some grays of palm seedlings and some good ones at tha.🌱👍

[happypalms]

12 hours ago, Nico971 said:

That’s what I read too, but dry season just started here. So I don’t dare to try full sun. That how they look today : exactly 4 weeks after first germination 

Great to se3 some seedlings. It all begins with them little babies.🌱

[Jonathan Haycock]

71 popped out of 100 seed so far, with more to come I suspect. These Pigafetta filaris give Washingtonia a run for their money in the proliferation stakes!!!

Raining all this weekend so took the opportunity to pot them up. They’ll receive morning sun until midday to start with.

Hoping there is safety in numbers and some survive the winter.

[KrisKupsch]

On 3/24/2025 at 7:41 PM, Rick Kelley said:

Here is a preview of what to expect.

Seedlings in August 2021 about a month after planting seeds directly in 4" pots.

Same plants in January 2025. They are almost through the slow phase of growth. Once they start to trunk, you can get 2 m of new trunk each year. Full sun and a tremendous amount of rain. They drop fronds like crazy if they go 3 weeks without rain. Must be one of the most spectacular palms in the world. Just keep them far away from structures and utility lines. In my hands at least, they are sensitive to root disturbance. Be careful with the root ball when potting up or going in the ground. And of course, plant a group if you want viable seed down the road. Separate male and female trees.

the garden ones aren’t filaris but elata ? Correct ?

[KrisKupsch]

Look like filaris ? In brisbane 

[happypalms]

On 3/29/2025 at 11:18 AM, Jonathan Haycock said:

71 popped out of 100 seed so far, with more to come I suspect. These Pigafetta filaris give Washingtonia a run for their money in the proliferation stakes!!!

Raining all this weekend so took the opportunity to pot them up. They’ll receive morning sun until midday to start with.

Hoping there is safety in numbers and some survive the winter.

I wouldn’t even entertain the idea of growing one in my climate out of limits for me, there are some palms I just wouldn’t buy simply because i would kill them without even trying. But nice germination rate on the money if they can grow.

[sofiamyrriam]

On 3/29/2025 at 12:18 AM, Jonathan Haycock said:

71 saíram de 100 sementes até agora, com mais por vir, eu suspeito. Essas Pigafetta filaris dão trabalho para Washingtonia nas apostas de proliferação!!!

Choveu o fim de semana todo, então aproveitei a oportunidade para colocá-los em vasos. Eles receberão sol da manhã até o meio-dia para começar.

Esperando que haja segurança nos números e que alguns sobrevivam ao inverno.

 

[sofiamyrriam]

Hello Jonathan,

So many. Congratulations. Have you ever thought about selling some and sending them by mail?

[Jonathan Haycock]

4 hours ago, sofiamyrriam said:

Hello Jonathan,

So many. Congratulations. Have you ever thought about selling some and sending them by mail?

Hi Sofia,

Eventually I’ll offer some for sale within Australia (too much red tape for International), but for now I’ll keep hold of them just in case I lose some this winter. 

[KrisKupsch]

8 hours ago, happypalms said:

I wouldn’t even entertain the idea of growing one in my climate out of limits for me, there are some palms I just wouldn’t buy simply because i would kill them without even trying. But nice germination rate on the money if they can grow.

Hasn’t stopped you on other fronts. The Physokentia are in same league as this. The seed came from west Papua in Nov. I guess Sorong ain’t like Halfway creek lol

[Rick Kelley]

On 3/28/2025 at 2:28 PM, KrisKupsch said:

the garden ones aren’t filaris but elata ? Correct ?

I have many P. elata growing like rockets on my property, so I was looking forward to getting some P. filaris. The garden friend who provided the seeds identified the palm as P. filaris. The parent was way too tall to visually ID with any confidence. As far as I can tell, the seeds of the two species look exactly the same. The primary difference I've noticed is elata has black bristles on the petioles whereas filaris has a lighter silver-gray petiole. I'm assuming there are more important differences with the flowers, but those are never within reach. After several years, the newer alleged filaris look indistinguishable from my older elata. Everyone has black bristles. Either the seeds were misidentified and everyone is elata, or the bristles on the young filaris petioles may be coated in black sooty mold, which covers just about everywhere here in our wet environment.