Materials Need For Germination..

[Kris]

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[Kris]

Close-Up !

[Kris]

Dear Friends here is a lovely slide show on Tahina spectabilis seeds presented by our member _ WaianaeSteve.

And here is that lovely & self explainatory slide show _ The Link !

love,

Kris  

[Kris]

Dear Friends  

i think you have seen this varity that germinate in the ziploc bags without any cocopeat...as i always point out that fresh seeds are a must,here take a look at these stills,since they are self explainatory i can keep my Big Mouth Shut for a while... :laugh:

[Kris]

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[Kris]

Close-Up of the germinated seeds...

[Kris]

Another germinated seed !

[Kris]

Now as a special case,i put all the 4 seeds(2 germinated & yet to germinated seeds)in the ziploc bag with cocopeat medium in it.while there are lots of seeds remaining still in the original pouch.that will be used later.since here the weather is bit humid due to sudden intermittent rains past few weeks..and don't want to risk any damp-off due to excess moisture levels in atmosphere.

[Kris]

Here is a still of 'Caryota zebrina' seed germination out of 10 seeds one had germinated in around a months time.

here is a link to see how this Zebra Fishtail Palm actually looks when grown...

The Link !

Love,

Kris  

[Kris]

Today i want to demonstrate that for me in the climate i live in the Borassus flabellifer seeds germinate like charm be it baggie or directly in the pots...here are some visuals of it !

the soil medium seen this pot is nothing more than washed river sand course grade... And rest of the information is self explainatory..!

[Kris]

Arieal shot of that big cement pot & the yellow marking is the place where i found the palmera sprout after roughly 6 months of the seed planting !

[Kris]

Now shall we move closer in the macro mode area (Zoom-In)...

[Kris]

One more of the same palm sapling,but different angle !

[Kris]

Dear Friends  

lets see some repotting work & the name of this variety is clearly written on that baggie bag ! And these germinated sprouts courtesy M@x.

shall we move on to the visuals...

[Kris]

._.

[Kris]

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[Kris]

Now i did the selection as to those that seemed too big for the baggie and those that looked very healthy were bottled immedietly while the rest were once again put back in a new ziplock bag.and placed in the indoors.

[Kris]

Now once these babies were gently watered using a shower-head can.they were placed quickly into the cartoon box in which these mineral water bottles are sold to us.And these young palms were all taken indoor and placed on plastic plates so that they do not stain our floor.since we will be treating with fungicides...etc ! which many be very harsh to our flooring.so keep this in mind while placing these pots inside the house floor.i do this only due to squrieal attack.and not due to my tropical hot wet climate(with coastal humidity).the palms all love my climate..so iam not complaining here...

[Kris]

Here is the livistonia Decipiens gift seeds from Joseph for becoming IPS member.lets see the germination stills of it and remember that i never give heat treatment.all the germination seen here are conducted on a natural climatic basis...

And for those who have joined late,i live in south india where the normal temperature through out the year is 82 to 104 degrees farenheat.and indoor temperatures are roughly 84 to 100 degrees farenheat on avarage..

[Kris]

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[Kris]

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[Kris]

this is the coir medium used and rest of the seeds that are yet to germinate were once again put in a new ziploc bag and all the details were marked on it..

here is the still of that coir medium.

[Kris]

here is a med fan palm seeds germination..they were also gift seeds from joseph.

[Kris]

the potting medium & the plastic bottle is seen here and the bottle is marked with the name of the palm using a paint pen.

[Kris]

the lowest portion or layer of these see through plastic bottles are first filled with granite chips,the once used in construction industry to fabricate kitchen slabs or lofts & concretised partitions..

here is the visual !

[Kris]

Long shot of these bottles,filled with these chips.. And i used to use initially coir hairs & even plastic mesh..i do not know the reason..but in those methods the damp-off ratio was preety high.

But now after using the chips,the roots breath easy and they reatain heat too...thus the young babies grows faster..

And even red ants do not attack these bottles anymore !  ???

[Kris]

Now the above seen bottles are filled with this prepared soil..

[Kris]

This is a still of a germinated Jubea x Butia seed,it was reused in the previous ocassion,since in the previous batch they were simply sleeping...even here you can see the other 2 seeds keeping quite,this time too they are reused in the same medium but a new ziploc bag..And kept in that germination room.  

By the way this kind of slow germination gives me time to arrange for plastic bottles,soil medium,space to place the sprouted babies indoors & also gives the much needed breathing time for the next potting up work.and this is my hobby & pass time..since iam not running any nursery here.

[Kris]

Now Lets see some of our members stills on the Tahina spectabilis_Saplings...!  

Kev Spence @ Posted on: Apr. 14 2008,14:50

Hi guys.

Just snapped these pics at Kew gardens yesterday and thought you would be interested to see how their batch of Tahina spectabilis  are proceeding.

They just look to me like leaves stuck into the pots without the seed leaves you associate with most palm seedlings.

Happy growing guys

Kev

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[Kris]

There are instances where even baggie method does not pay much results...in seeds germination !

Here is a quote by our member on his experience with 'Mauritia flexuosa' Seeds.

scottgt @ Posted on: Apr. 12 2008,22:41

Simona,I normally germinate all my palm seeds using the baggie method with slightly moist peat and sand mixture.My Mauritia seeds began to rot so I removed them and placed them in a 2gal.black plastic pot planted them just deep enough to cover the seeds.The pot received strong filtered sun,these seeds need warmth to germinate 30c or so.

Here are few stills of that beautiful fan palm seen growing in its habitate at Manaus _stills courtesy 'amazondk' (Don.K)

Lots of love,

Kris  

[Kris]

Dear Friends

here is a lovely on the methods used by our member_William.

I really just wanted to practice using the new palmtalk format, but there is some content here...

I have tried numerous methods to germinate palm seeds and this one is my favorite. It is simple, uses readily available materials and can be used year round in SoFla. I like adding heat, but heat mats have proven hazardous (fires ) and costly (Florida Power and Light now has my home as a monthly line item in their budget I think ). I've also had numerous fungal problems using heat mats, but I account that to more H2O than needed. I've decided that I prefer community pots vs. individual cones. Compots retain heat longer than liners do. Warmer temps longer into the night = more growth. Blah Blah, I digress.

The Baggie Compot Method.

First Item of business is to obtain high quality seeds from a reputable dealer. In this case it was Ortanique. I had had great luck purchasing from Joseph. Only fresher would be to pick them in habitat.

Second - Mix a very loose draining medium. Everyone has their own "magic" mix, I prefer (by volume) 2 parts peat : 2 parts coarse perlite : 1 part coarse sand. Using the proper amount of water seems to me to be the most crucial part of germinating palm seeds. Too little the seeds dry up and get cooked. To much and you get serious fungal growth and not much palm growth. I mix in water very slowly and use small amounts, mixing very thouroughly inbetween adding water. My goal is to have the soil be moistened but not be able to squeeze any water out of it.

Third - put the soil in the pot and the seeds on the soil... I try to arrange the seeds equidistance from each other. Notice the labeling. Don't forget to label what seeds you plant. You might be tempted to skip the labeling, but learn from my mistake. YOU WILL FORGET WHAT YOU PLANTED.

Lastly, I like to just barely cover the seeds with a final layer of soil. This helps to keep the seeds moist at high temperatures. The baggie compot method is capable of generating extremely high temperatures... I've seen air temps of 120 and soil temps of almost 100 degrees F.

Part_1

[Kris]

Continued...

Step 5 - I place the community pot into a large plastic bag. I like to use black contractor bags. They get hot! The bags I use are 2ft 9 in x 4ft and the plastic is 3mil. The thicker the better, Reusing the bags helps keep cost down and trash out of the landfills. Once a bag has a hole in it, I discard it. The purpose of the bag is to seal out insects, disease and other nasties that eat palm seed guts.

I also pour about a half gallon of water into the bottom of the bag. This water will serve a couple purposes, to humidify and to cool.

I then take an empty identical pot and turn it upside down, fitting it around the mouth of the community pot. This provides grow room for seedlings above the soil line and also prevents rain and irrigation from collecting on the top of the pot. Water collected on a sagging plastic bag over a community pot, lowers the interior temperature alsmot to ambient atmospheric temps, defeating the heating aspect of this arrangement.

Then using a light duty shop vac I create a very light vaccum in the bag and seal and label it.

The project is complete... I then set it in the shadehouse (60% shadecloth) I do my best not to open it. The black bags abosrbes the heat and the water inside the system acts as a radioator keeping soil temps at a great level for germinating. IMO, Root growth is far more vigerous using this method than using bottom heat. In couple months when i have seedlings I simply remove the bag and let the compot acclimate to outside conditions. A little further down the road I pot out my seedlings!

There you have it, The Compot Baggie Method.

Part_2.

[nomolos]

Well done Chris very informative

[Kris]

Well done Chris very informative

thanks dear Sol Cooper

[Rusty on Pine Is.]

Very nice Kris....sad to say, i have not been able to see your threads before now...i had a snail modem (aka a dial up internet connection) and it took five forevers to see the post...but now with the DSL and the new look of PT, i am able to see them...great work!

[Kris]

Germinating rhopalosytlis sapida, best conditions for better germination :-

this topic has been inisiated by our member Pivi.lets see the replies he has got..

Reply_No.1

Pivi,

I'm germinating some now; I used a baggie method of moist pat moss and tryed to keep them as warm as possible, which meant placing them by the water heater. But they took about 3 months for me, and they are continuing to pop seven months later. No fungicide was used, nor do I believe any light is necessary. Mine were always in the dark. Hope this is useful!

Bret

Reply_No.2

The seed needs to be fresh. In moist spaghnum moss at room temp they will germinate in about 6-12 weeks. High temps may hurt germination. 20C will be sufficient for this species. Soak seed for 24hrs if it appears dry. Soaking doesn't hurt at all.

regards

Tyrone

By the way Rusty thanks and iam very happy now that you are visiting our forum in broadband,hope your Antivirus program is

upto date,since even virus comes inside the system at break neck speed...

[Utopia Palms]

Hi Kris

Wow you must have a big nursery there now with so many seeds germinating! Maybe you can take some of your extra seedling/plants over to Mr Mukundan and trade him for some plants or palms that you do not have?

All the best

Clayton

[Kris]

Dear Clayton

How are you,and you suggestion fully taken ! But most of my desired plants are collected..

Here is my Wish list of which most,if not all have been collected.

Grade A _ Heavy Palms:-

1.Talipot Palm.

2.Buri Palm.

3.Corypha lecomtei.j

4.Tahina Spectabilis(yet to collect).

5.Jubea.

Grade B_Medium Heavy Palms :-

1.CIDP_Std Fruticas & Red Fruticas.

2.Bismarkia_Silver Form.

3.Washingtonia_Filifera.

4.Sabal_Riverside.

5.Butia x Jubea.

6.Phoenix_lots of species...(Smiling)!

7.Caryota_india type.

Grade C_Medium Sized palms :-

1.Lipstick palm.

2.Med Fan Palm_Std.

3.Blue Med Fan Palm.

4.Queen Palm.

5.Foxtail palm.

6.Triangle palm.

7.bottle palm.

8.travellors palm.

9.sabal palmetto.

10.latania_Red & Yellow.

11.Breha Armeda.

12.oil palm.

13.livistonia roundifoila.

List is big & ever growing due to the emmense help shown my some special friends of this forum_my special thanks ! and i have run out of space...

thanks & love,

Kris

[Kris]

Now we shall move on to some visuals...

this a Butia x Jubea seeds germination,it took around 7 to 8 months for one to seed to germinate.hybrids do take their own time to germinate.

[Kris]

cont...