Germinating Sabal palmetto seeds...

[jfrye01@live.com]

I received a large amount of Sabal palmetto seeds in the mail today, and I'm not real sure how to germinate them successfully. I have over 100 baby washy seedlings growing in the window, so I'm no stranger to growing from seed, but I understand that sabals are considerably more difficult to grow. These seeds still have fruit on them, which I am removing by rubbing with a paper towel... Anyone wish to share some advice? Thanks!

Edit: I'm thinking about germinating half and storing the other half til spring (I have well over a thousand seeds), to plant in random places around the area...*evil laugh* just call me Johnny Palmseed

Edited December 19, 2014 by jfrye01@live.com

[Sabal Steve]

I'm not sure how they store -

They're real easy, almost as much as a washy. Warm and damp. I use peat/perlite and they should germ fine.

[howfam]

jfrye01@live.com:

Sabal palmetto seeds germinate readily in a few months here in Florida, where it's a weed of sorts, often mowed over or weed-wacked by avid lawn enthusiasts. But it is nonetheless a beautiful, super hardy, durable palm, worthy of all the serious landscape consideration it receives. For germination , I would plant in a potting soil-top soil mix, place in a very hot (since you're in Kansas, might use green house), sunny location, and keep very moist. Once sprouted , I would separate seedlings into their own 3 gal. pots as soon as possible since plants don't like being disturbed as they get bigger. The bigger the pot the better, since root development usually outpaces stem and leaf development in the early stages, so room to run is critical for roots. Once they get started remember, SABALS LOVE WATER, don't neglect it. Good luck and keep us posted on progress. / Howfam

[jfrye01@live.com]

Good to know...and I was told they'd store for months if kept in the fridge but who knows...I'll get these things in some soil and we'll see how they grow. Thanks! I'm excited, because I've read that in some cases, S. palmetto is just as hardy, if not even a little hardier, than Trachycarpus if started young and allowed to acclimate to a certain cold climate...I'd like to test that hypothesis myself...seeing as how my S. mexicana has been so tough through the cold so far, I'm fairly certain S. palmetto could survive here with pretty minimal protection once it is mature.

[Jimbean]

Make sure the soil is not too heavy (i.e. red clay). Give them plenty of room to grow, they don't like being root-bound.

[jfrye01@live.com]

I'm pretty lucky, my house sits in the river bottom, in the corner of a crop field...fertile soil is plentiful in my yard, but there is just enough clay to make everyone happy...Texas Sabal loves it! S. minors both loved it before they were dug out of the ground by the mastiff...

[smithgn]

From my experience, washingtonia seeds germinated quicker than my sabal seeds. You can put them in the sunlight/light for warmth, but make sure the soil doesn't get dried out during germination.

[howfam]

jfrye01@live.com:

How big is your Texas Sabal , and what low temps has it endured? Can you post a picture? / howfam

[Ed in Houston]

I was in Austin Texas a couple of years ago walking down the sidewalk to a resturant when I came across a fruiting Texas Sabal whose seeds were hanging near the sidewalk. I casually grabed a handful while walkng by. I gave half away and planted the rest (14) in small pots the following spring. I did nothng special and almost all germinated.

One thing I noticed in Austin is that there are quite a few Texas Sabals that are growing in "wild" areas around town. There are historical accounts of trunked palms occuring naturally in central Texas from early explorers. I also had the idea that that the seedings could be planted around town "covertly" in a few places around Austin and Houston, perhaps in park areas. I guessed that the best time to plant would be fall where there would be a chance for them to root before the dry season set in during the summer months. Austin only gets about 30 inches of rain per year but I see that some have made it there on their own w/o additional irrigation.

Ed in Houston

[awkonradi]

Last April, I collected about 5K somewhat dry S. palmetto seeds under fruiting palms in Seabrook, TX. Then I scattered the seeds in my beds here in northern CA. Haven't seen any "Sabal Burlingame" popping up yet.

[Bigfish]

Sabal seeds are really easy to germinate. They do well with some bottom heat. You can also store them with no problem, as long as they are dry. I've stored them in the refrigerator and even in the freezer for several months and that doesn't seem to bother them either.

You can probably get Sabal palmetto to grow in your location for many years with at least some protection in the winters. Just know that they are not long term hardy there and will eventually die in a normal/cold winter with no protection. I'm in a slightly warmer zone than you with shorter winters and long, hot summers and I don't even bother with them anymore. I have had some success with Sabal sp. 'Birmingham' though, as well as S. minor and Rhapidophyllum hystrix. There was/is a guy in Tulsa, OK that had a S. sp. 'Birmingham' there for many years, but the cold eventually killed it, and I think that's a slightly warmer location than yours (or pretty close to the same?).

[Bigfish]

Good to know...and I was told they'd store for months if kept in the fridge but who knows...I'll get these things in some soil and we'll see how they grow. Thanks! I'm excited, because I've read that in some cases, S. palmetto is just as hardy, if not even a little hardier, than Trachycarpus if started young and allowed to acclimate to a certain cold climate...I'd like to test that hypothesis myself...seeing as how my S. mexicana has been so tough through the cold so far, I'm fairly certain S. palmetto could survive here with pretty minimal protection once it is mature.

Also, palms do not acclimate to cold, despite what you are told or read on the internet. I think the reason that people say this is because when a S. palmetto is young and doesn't have a trunk yet, the bud is still underground and shielded from the cold. Once it gets a trunk and the growing point gets that cold exposure, it becomes more vulnerable. If you are willing to protect the palm, though, I'm sure you could grow one up to quite a large size there. It just depends on your willingness and dedication to protect it every winter. I used to have that willingness, but not so much anymore. I can't hardly even be bothered to throw a sheet over anything now, LOL!.

[jfrye01@live.com]

I've found a pretty reliable method for protecting my other sabal: wrapping with a thick wool blanket and c9 bulbs. Takes about 5 minutes too. I started protecting my S. mexicana when it gets below 20F, and the temperature under the blanket has not yet dropped below 60F (measured with a remote digital thermometer). It's nice because during the day, I can pull the protection and let the palm breathe and photosynthesize, then at night, wrap it up and it's good to go....Wool is nice because it soaks up the water instead of transferring it to the plant. I figure this will be a simple season-long protection method when (if) the Sabal mexicana trunks someday, when it will be far too large to remove the blanket during the day...