Arrival from RPS

[K_Palm]

Allagoptera arenaria

Asterogyne martiana

Gaussia maya

Ptycosperma macarthurii

Roystonea regia

Musa sp. 'Royal Purple"

My wife got me seeds for Christmas.  I read through every archive post I could find to figure out how to germinate as I only have human experience (3 kids!).  

I used the "simple" method as described by Bo-G.  The medium was a mix of vermiculite, perlite, and cactus mix.

Here is a pic of the A. arenaria seed...should they be more "pushed down" into the mix?

[bgl]

Karel,

To be perfectly honest, I don't know if it makes any difference, but I'd cover them with a very, very thin layer. I germinated some A. arenaria seeds earlier this year, and they seemed to be fairly easy. Got a good percentage (forgot the number!).

Bo-Göran

[iwan]

Is it an illusion, or is there standing water at the bottom of that container?  If so, that media is WAY too wet.

[MattyB]

Iwan makes a good point.  You don't want your medium very wet at all.  In fact I'm learning that the seeds don't really need "wet", they only need a moderately "moist" medium.  Wet = rot = no germinate =    or  

[K_Palm]

It is an optical illusion.  The bottom of the container is a bit beveled.

Now here is my question...how can I best provide heat.  I am in Burbank (So Cal) and currently my room is at 72 deg.  Will these seeds germinate in that temperature?  Will they last a few months at the temp until it gets hot around here again?

[bgl]

Karel,

They will germinate at that temperature, and by the time they germinate, the weather will have warmed up anyway!

Bo-Göran

[MattyB]

Karel, didn't you get some seeds destroyed from RPS?  How'd you get these?

[K_Palm]

Matt this was a surprise indeed.  

The DOA did seize and destroy the first batch due to lack of certificates from RPS.  Mindy (mi esposa) emailed them several times for over a week to no avail.  Then the replacement seeds came 12/26

Unfortunately this was my wife's first time taking the initiative in anything palm and it left a bad impression for her (due to the lack of communication from RPS side).  Hopefully when she sees them germinate she will forget the experience

From what I understand, RPS has a large demand but only a few employees and that is what probably caused the delay in communication.

[The Germinator]

Karel, I Germinated The Alogaptara recently and I put them in a cup of water for a few days then used the 50/50 baggy method and placed them on top of the water heater. I call this the "Soak and Choke" Method. I have a heating mat but I have better luck with the water heater. I think the mat gets too hot.

[Trópico]

The best present for Christmas for sure!

I only have experience germinating the last three on your list.

Ptychosperma - Easy, but takes some time.

Roystonea - I had ordered twice from RPS R. borinquena and lost both batches to rot. Then I harvested more from my last trip to PR. I found that after taking off the embryo "lid" with your fingernail you can literally watch them germinate before your eyes.

Musa sp (Royal purple) - Lay the seeds sideways and watch out for damping off if soil's too wet.