starting out Starting a palm nursery

[NickyB]

Hi everyone!

I’m just starting out a palm project (nursery) in Jamaica!!

With a small budget ($200 USD) to purchase some seeds and begin, I’m looking for rare trees that all well sought after. Any recommendations would be great…

I have roughly two acres of land to make use of: 400ft above sea level with year-round sunshine and good weather (tropical climate) 

On my list so far (locally avaible):

• Bismarckia
• Lipstick, Red Sealing Wax 
• Triangle 
• Red Latania
• Sago
• Foxtail
• Travelers 
• Roebelenii

These are generally what the nurseries out here stock. Any other suggestions would be great!

Currently I have potted roughly 100 Royal palms and 50 Solitaire palms from suckers, I know they are quite common and inexpensive but I am working with whats available at time moment. 

With many palms growing all over the island as you can imagine, I plan to go collecting seeds but haven't been able to do much collecting yet. I will keep you posted with questions and pictures for sure.

Nuff love from Jamaica,

Nicky

[Moose]

Why not stock what others don't, be a unique. 

[NickyB]

7 minutes ago, Moose said:

Why not stock what others don't, be a unique. 

Hi Moose,

Thats the idea, so I am asking for some beautiful suggestions..

[aztropic]

Any Pseudophoenix species. Slow growers but very tough and unique palm species.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[Jeff Searle]

Like Moose suggested, try some different species that other don't grow. I have a little experience with that train of thought. There's many to consider,

Licuala grandis

Veitchia spp.

Thrinax radiata

Kentiopsis oliviormis

Livistona spp.

Neoveitcia storckii

Dypsis ( many species ).....cabadae, carsmithii, etc.

Copernicia spp.

Cccothrinax spp.

[Pal Meir]

Geonoma schottiana: "Ornamental: It is a small palm tree, very elegant, not branches, ideal for gardens." (Palmpedia)

[NickyB]

Thanks guys! I'll look into these.. 

[Jeff Searle]

1 hour ago, Jeff Searle said:

 

 

 

[PalmatierMeg]

A  couple weeks ago I was on a cruise ship that stopped at Falmouth. We didn't go on any of the very expensive activities the cruise line peddled, instead, checked out the area around the harbor. To my immense disappointment, I found no native Caribbean palms, almost no tropical palms at all. Instead, I found rows of Washingtonia robusta (!!??!), Livistona chinensis and the occasional half dead Adonidia.

So what should you check out? None of the above.  See below.

Coccothrinax: numerous species from Cuba and throughout the Caribbean

Roystonea: not just regia but the rarer ones too

Chamaedorea: any species that can take lowland heat and humidity

Chuniophoenix

Chelycarpus

Pseudophoenix - all species

Serenoa repens: silver form

Thrinax/Leucothrinax/Hemithrinax

Heat tolerant Dypsis

Sabal spss: yapa, mauritiiformis, xbrazoriana etc.

Ptychosperma spss

Arenga spss

Copernicia spss - gigas is faster growing, baileyana, hospita, prunifera, rigida, alba, macroglossa, fallaensis. If you have access to visit Cuba at the right times you may be able to collect wild seed.

[NickyB]

8 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

A  couple weeks ago I was on a cruise ship that stopped at Falmouth. We didn't go on any of the very expensive activities the cruise line peddled, instead, checked out the area around the harbor. To my immense disappointment, I found no native Caribbean palms, almost no tropical palms at all. Instead, I found rows of Washingtonia robusta (!!??!), Livistona chinensis and the occasional half dead Adonidia.

So what should you check out? None of the above.  See below.

Coccothrinax: numerous species from Cuba and throughout the Caribbean

Roystonea: not just regia but the rarer ones too

Chamaedorea: any species that can take lowland heat and humidity

Chuniophoenix

Chelycarpus

Pseudophoenix - all species

Serenoa repens: silver form

Thrinax/Leucothrinax/Hemithrinax

Heat tolerant Dypsis

Sabal spss: yapa, mauritiiformis, xbrazoriana etc.

Ptychosperma spss

Arenga spss

Copernicia spss - gigas is faster growing, baileyana, hospita, prunifera, rigida, alba, macroglossa, fallaensis. If you have access to visit Cuba at the right times you may be able to collect wild seed.

Wow!! thank you so much!!

I have just been looking up the all the other varieties posted by everyone else, I'll start on these now! It's a shame we didn't know about each other sooner, I could have come and shown you around the area!! A colleague and I are in the process of building a small amphitheater for live music pon the river in the hills above falmouth. There are several different varieties of palms up there growing wild, multiple orchids as well. Maybe next time!

I would love to head across the pond to Cuba, another reason to do so..  

Thanks again for taking time out to respond, I really appreciate it everyone!

Respect,

Nicky

[DoomsDave]

Nicky:

Jamaica is home to some cool native palms like Roystonea princeps. That's supposed to be a hardy species, which will take the cold, even if you never get it. Once you get a tree that sets seed, the warm- temperate world will be your oyster.

[NickyB]

54 minutes ago, DoomsDave said:

Nicky:

Jamaica is home to some cool native palms like Roystonea princeps. That's supposed to be a hardy species, which will take the cold, even if you never get it. Once you get a tree that sets seed, the warm- temperate world will be your oyster.

Hey DoomsDave,

I'm pretty sure I have a few of these in my garden, surrounding the trunks are laden with suckers. I will take some photos later this week maybe you can confirm what they are... 

Thanks a lot!  

[redbeard917]

If you're trying to be profitable in the near term, identifying some fast-growing palm species that aren't being provided by the local nurseries might be a good idea. I'm sure there is a collector's market for rare palms there, too, but if you're growing something that can't be sold for a decade or more, you could balance your inventory with some species that you can use to recoup some of your investment sooner.

Also, those Royal Palm "suckers" are probably seedlings that sprouted from seeds falling from your tree, since they don't sucker to my knowledge. You're obviously in a great climate for sprouting and growing palms.

[redbeard917]

I don't know if this is the case where you are, but there is some demand for native plants here. We even have a local nursery that only sells natives. That could be a useful sales pitch for you if you think people are interested in palms native to Jamaica or even surrounding islands as well. Also municipalities often plant natives along roadways and other public places.

If not, look for palms that are unusual. These will stand out to potential customers who want something different but may not be palm savvy. Licualas for their round leaves, Coryphas for their size, Areca vestiaria for their color, Copernicias for their different forms, etc. And if something is a hot seller in a place like south Florida, there is probably demand for it where you are, too.

[NorthFlpalmguy]

If you are approaching it as being profitable then you can make a lot more on selling 25 common palms for a $15 profit each than or two rare, hard to grow palm for an $80 profit. I agree with looking more into the natives as well. If you are like most of the rest of us and do it for fun then I'd just plant a mix of what I wanted and not worry about maximizing profits. In your area you can potentially grow everything.

[GMann]

In the long run, a really nice website for your nursery is a good investment, especially important to list all your species and your location. You want to make sure that when people type into google something like "Buy Red Latania in Jamaica" your site comes up.

[smithgn]

On ‎12‎/‎13‎/‎2015‎ ‎6‎:‎35‎:‎04‎, Pal Meir said:

Geonoma schottiana: "Ornamental: It is a small palm tree, very elegant, not branches, ideal for gardens." (Palmpedia)

THIS. You can't find this particular species anywhere. Fairly cold hardy as well.

[NickyB]

On 12/14/2015, 1:53:36, redbeard917 said:

If you're trying to be profitable in the near term, identifying some fast-growing palm species that aren't being provided by the local nurseries might be a good idea. I'm sure there is a collector's market for rare palms there, too, but if you're growing something that can't be sold for a decade or more, you could balance your inventory with some species that you can use to recoup some of your investment sooner.

Also, those Royal Palm "suckers" are probably seedlings that sprouted from seeds falling from your tree, since they don't sucker to my knowledge. You're obviously in a great climate for sprouting and growing palms.

Thanks for this Redbeard! you are absolutely right they are seedlings.. great tips, I really appreciate them. I was able to collect a few triangle palm seeds today, both orange with skin already removed (older i suppose) I will post a few pictures shortly. Thanks again! 

[NickyB]

a few photos of the royal palm seedlings as Redbeard has pointed out..

Some triangle palm seeds (I think) I collected earlier..

[John Case]

On ‎12‎/‎13‎/‎2015‎ ‎3‎:‎26‎:‎03‎, Jeff Searle said:

Like Moose suggested, try some different species that other don't grow. I have a little experience with that train of thought. There's many to consider,

Licuala grandis

Veitchia spp.

Thrinax radiata

Kentiopsis oliviormis

Livistona spp.

Neoveitcia storckii

Dypsis ( many species ).....cabadae, carsmithii, etc.

Copernicia spp.

Cccothrinax spp.

I am not certain that only palms will work. Every palm seller I know of also sells other tropical......Jeff even you sell a couple of oddballs, don't you? :)

[Moose]

3 hours ago, John Case said:

I am not certain that only palms will work. Every palm seller I know of also sells other tropical......Jeff even you sell a couple of oddballs, don't you? :)

.Of course he does. Lots of landscape type material for who else, the landscapers. If crotons are oddballs, he sells a few of them too.

[redbeard917]

I don't know much about tropical palms, but they seem to refer to this one as fast-growing, and you didn't mention it on your list of commonly available palms.

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/47981-1-year-of-growth-of-pritchardia-pacifica/

[cycadjungle]

     You have been given some good species already. I didn't see Chamberonias though. Beautiful red new leaves, that grow fast, and get good sized fast. I think I saw Areca vestiera. They have an orange form and what I like, the red form.

     So are you really trying to start a nursery with $200, or is that what you are starting out with? It can cost 1000s of $s just to put out an acre of containerized plants between the containers, soil, and fertilizer alone. I have had a palm and cycad nursery for 30 years, and have a finance degree. I have a few suggestions where you can truly start with $200, but if all you are wanting to know about are some unusual palms, then I won't bother you with suggestions. Tom

[NickyB]

On 12/26/2015, 8:09:07, cycadjungle said:

     You have been given some good species already. I didn't see Chamberonias though. Beautiful red new leaves, that grow fast, and get good sized fast. I think I saw Areca vestiera. They have an orange form and what I like, the red form.

     So are you really trying to start a nursery with $200, or is that what you are starting out with? It can cost 1000s of $s just to put out an acre of containerized plants between the containers, soil, and fertilizer alone. I have had a palm and cycad nursery for 30 years, and have a finance degree. I have a few suggestions where you can truly start with $200, but if all you are wanting to know about are some unusual palms, then I won't bother you with suggestions. Tom

Hey Tom,

Thanks for the types of palms..I'd love some suggestions on how to keep costs down... I have only spent $7 USD so far.. I'll post some pictures tomorrow evening.. Looking forward to any tips.

Many thanks,

Nick

[NickyB]

A few photos and a quick update..

I have now spent $60 USD..

I am applying for a seed import permit as the last set of seeds was confiscated by Jamaican customs. In the mean time I have a friend in the US who will accept any packages. 

I wanted to use this post to also pose a few questions.

I have seen bunches of palms growing closely together and have been told by the local nursery that bunches of trees fetch much more than individuals. What I want to know is, is it wise to grow them from a very juvenile stage together? 

Is there any issue germinating seed of different variety in the same containers?

Would any one like any seeds? I have got 3 different types almost dried and stripped of fruit. Cabbage Palms, Solitaire Palms and Phoenix Roebeleniis.. 

Edited February 18, 2016 by NickyB
typo

[Neil C]

Looks like you are off to a flying start. Best of luck.

 

Regards Neil

[PalmatierMeg]

I would never mix different species in one container. If you plan to sell them later, you need to be sure what you have - no guesses. You don't want customers deciding you are 1) ignorant or, worse, 2) dishonest if you sell them something that isn't what you say it is. So far you don't sound like a palm ID expert (neither am I & I've been at this since 2008).

I see a lot of very shallow germination containers. Palms, esp. palmate palms, need deeper pots, at least 6" because they put down long radicles. Do you plan to move each seed as it germinates or leave all in place for the long term? I recommend against the latter. Do those shallow tubs drain off excess water well? If not, your seedlings may rot. So figure on obtaining deeper containers. One- to two-liter plastic water/soda containers work if you are on tight budget. Slice off the narrow tops and cut holes in the bottoms for drainage.

[NorthFlpalmguy]

5 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

I would never mix different species in one container. If you plan to sell them later, you need to be sure what you have - no guesses. You don't want customers deciding you are 1) ignorant or, worse, 2) dishonest if you sell them something that isn't what you say it is. So far you don't sound like a palm ID expert (neither am I & I've been at this since 2008).

I see a lot of very shallow germination containers. Palms, esp. palmate palms, need deeper pots, at least 6" because they put down long radicles. Do you plan to move each seed as it germinates or leave all in place for the long term? I recommend against the latter. Do those shallow tubs drain off excess water well? If not, your seedlings may rot. So figure on obtaining deeper containers. One- to two-liter plastic water/soda containers work if you are on tight budget. Slice off the narrow tops and cut holes in the bottoms for drainage.

x2 on mixing.

 

What you can do to remedy the shallow containers is fill the bottom of your community pots with natural soil and use the good mix around your seeds up closer at the top. I do this for two reasons, 1)save money when germinating many species  2) if you use a heavier soil on the bottom (straight sand than perlite/peat moss), it'll slow down the "bottoming out" type radicles and assist in easier transplanting.

[NickyB]

Thanks guys, I plan to move all seedlings into individual pots once they are of a decent size.

Here's a couple pictures taken yesterday. 

[RedRabbit]

On 12/13/2015, 6:35:04, Pal Meir said:

Geonoma schottiana: "Ornamental: It is a small palm tree, very elegant, not branches, ideal for gardens." (Palmpedia)

Interesting suggestion. I've never heard of this one, but it looks nice from what I've seen. I'd get one if they were sold here. 

[NickyB]

Quick update and pictures..

[PalmatierMeg]

Wow, 1,000s of palm seedlings. Lot of work ahead for you.

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Looking good.  Keep it up!  Here are 8000 Washingtonia filifera.

[NickyB]

Yeah plenty of work for the next two days. @PalmatierMeg

Nice set up! @TexasColdHardyPalms

 

Any one have any comments on the following list of palms?

Pseudophoenix ekmanii
Cyrtostachys renda
Chambeyronia macrocarpa
Pelagodoxa henryana
Johannesteismania altifrons
Latania Lontaroides
Latania Verschaffeltii
Latania Loddigesii 
Licuala ramsayi
Licuala grandis

I'm planning to import the seeds above in the next few weeks. Any good sources out there? I am buying them from rarepalmseeds.com, does have any history with this supplier?

Thanks everyone!

 

Edited September 6, 2016 by NickyB
adding more text

[PalmatierMeg]

RE RPS, you have a better chance at germination if you buy seeds that are listed as "New" on the price list. That means you have to check each new list when it comes out.

I've not had much success germinating Cyrtostachys seeds: just one out of 100s. It died off as a tiny seedling. Be aware that P. ekmanii is one of the slowest growing palms on this planet. I tried 10 seeds in 2008, had zero success. You will wait years to get one to 1g size. Chambeyronia germinated easily for me. The others I have no experience with

[Peter Pacific]

Hello Nicky...well this is where it all starts and dreams are made.  Good Luck.

You are far enough from the ocean that the salt air shouldn´t bother you, you´re lucky.  You need to sell the common stuff because that will bring in the money for a public that are not that aware of palms in the first place, little by little you will educate your area and fill Jamaica with rare palms!  One palm that works incredibly well for me is Carpentaria acuminata, they´re fast, pretty, love full sun and inexpensive.

Peter

 

[NickyB]

thanks for the help everyone! @PalmatierMeg @Peter Pacific

[JT in Japan]

On September 6, 2016 at 2:34:15 AM, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

Looking good.  Keep it up!  Here are 8000 Washingtonia filifera.

Joseph, how do you water this setup? I see mister poles. At which stage does overhead water getting into the crown become a problem? What type of water are you using?

thanks, 

jt

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

The only time i have filifera dampen off is in the 1g-3g size when overhead watered in the winter.  Very few die in the summer.  I have to keep that size of filifera on the dry side in the winter.  

[NickyB]

Quick update.. looking to seed swap or buy anything fresh, shipping to Jamaica however.