Germinated medjool date palm

[Rickybobby]

So I’ve become hooked. Really enjoying this hobby. Exactly 9 days ago I went to the supermarket bought a bunch of medjool dates from Israel that were refrigerated ate them cleaned the seeds. Soaked them in warm water for a day then in a ziploc baggie with a moist paper towel and stuffed them in with my coconut which is germinating at 90 degrees f. Well exactly 9 days later I have my first sprout!!

i also have some at work in near like conditions that I’m hoping to give to the guys and take home and even have a shop tree !

[kinzyjr]

Very nice!  They are wonderful houseplants if you mind the spines.  I grew the ones in my yard from Medjool seeds:

[cm05]

Good luck!

I actually just started this process yesterday, you just reminded me as I completely forgot about it, the seeds are still sitting in a cup of water.

[Rickybobby]

I find there climate awesome for where I live done the research should work well. Ordered a new heat Mat pots soil etc I’m ready should be a great spring ! Thanks to everyone for their support

[PalmTreeDude]

1 hour ago, Rickybobby said:

I find there climate awesome for where I live done the research should work well. Ordered a new heat Mat pots soil etc I’m ready should be a great spring ! Thanks to everyone for their support

Good job! I have some advise with the heat mats, make sure you don't roast the palm seeds. It is something I have done many times on accident. 

[Rickybobby]

Good advise thanks I actually had them in a bag inside the coconut bag which has a temp probe for the thermostat so I knew exactly what the temp is

[Rickybobby]

4 days later all my dates except one have germinated. Like I said earlier they are in ziplocks inside a ziploc with my coconut which is set at 90 degrees

[chad2468emr]

You are having great luck with these germinations! Its encouraging for me to see, since I have never had good luck germinating palm seeds. 

I've currently got some washingtonia robusta seeds as well as some kentiopsis oliviformis sitting in moist paper towels inside zip lock bags on the cement of my patio where they get to sit in the hot south Florida sun all day. Soaked them for 24 hours first and then placed them in the bags. Hoping to see similar results to yours! The k. oliviformis have been there for about a week and the w. robusta for a few days. Fingers crossed!

[Rickybobby]

I won’t let the seeds sit on the floors or concrete. Creates too much cold temps. Kinda counteracts the heat. My seeds are in a bucket off the ground and I have a heat mat rolled up in a circle with the seeds in the middle and temp probe inside the bags so consistantlt he seeds are always warm and humid

[Rickybobby]

Also they are in a dark room inside 

[Rickybobby]

All my seeds except 1 so far have germinated first two in 9 days and by day 11 all the rest

[Rickybobby]

All but 2 of my dates germinated. Just like the stats said 80 percent rate. They are doing well and due to a lot more responsibility I have put them all in their own pots in the dome. Soil temp is 84 as the thermostat shows and ambient air in the dome is 90 degrees 

[palmfriend]

Wow, what a nice thread!

Never looked for dates in our supermarkets since we have plenty of them in the wild.

But getting some (original) from the Middle East is a total different story - now I got hooked, too,

I am going to start checking our supermarkets  

best regards from Okinawa -

Lars

PS: All the best with your coconut!

 

[Rickybobby]

Thank you. So these dates supposedly are from Israel and they were in the fridge at the store. 80 percent germination rate. 

My friend at work bought a bunch of organic ones from California. So far zero have germinated 

[Rickybobby]

This is a spot by my work bench at work. That blue cupboard is an welding rod oven which use to heat up our food. On top is a white baggy inside a thermometer and the the other bunch of California organic dates. Today’s paper towel change found 2 dates finally germinated. The conditions are insane compared to my home setup cause the air around the oven is very cool. But with some time and patience these California dates are starting to grow now! 

[Rickybobby]

These took 2.5 weeks to start where as my home Israel ones were 9 days 

[Rickybobby]

My co worker posing with the California dates we germinated here in Canada in a steel mill! 

[Rickybobby]

Update 1 month after planting the germinated seeds they are starting to push up througn

[Rickybobby]

I’m wondering if I should put more soil over them?

[PalmatierMeg]

How deep are your pots? Palms need deeper pots than standard 4-inchers. I recommend at least 6", more if you are germinating palms that put out long radicles, i.e., Bizzies and most fan palms.

[Rickybobby]

Could be a lesson learned currently there in 4” pots maybe soon when they are al rocking and rolling I’ll pot them up I just need to get the space for them all

[kinzyjr]

Date palms tend to love deep pots with an inch or two of water down at the bottom.  At least that is how I grew mine.  When you repot/transplant, be prepared to see a lot of roots on a relatively small seedling.

[Rickybobby]

On 2018-04-01, 1:47:17, PalmatierMeg said:

How deep are your pots? Palms need deeper pots than standard 4-inchers. I recommend at least 6", more if you are germinating palms that put out long radicles, i.e., Bizzies and most fan palms.

You seem to be right my biggest sprout had it’s root go through a drain hole on the bottom and get burned up from touching the warm tray. I potted it up and will follow suit with the others soon

[Rickybobby]

I’ve also turned the heat mat off and took the dome off as well the soil way to wet. Thanks 

[Rickybobby]

Update my California medjools have started to sprout and green nicely 

[Rickybobby]

[Palmsbro]

Nice growth!

[Rickybobby]

Update. Was away a week. No heat for a few days and all the mats were off. The room was 62 degrees. But all my date palms are looking great 

[PalmatierMeg]

Looking good. Dates are tough palms.

[Rickybobby]

So tonight I found this. What the heck two trees in a pot. I must have double planted and didn’t realize it. What a cool surprise 

here is what it looks like. I had to get it out and get it’s own pot so it’s not a tangled mess

[Rickybobby]

The dates are doing very well. Some on their second spear. Along side then are a sabal palmetto. Washingtonia filifera. Bottle palm and golden cane palm oh and 3 foxtails in the black pot

Edited May 24, 2018 by Rickybobby

[Rickybobby]

Another update look how big these fronds are!

[Rickybobby]

Man these dates are loving there led plant light but jeesh this is my first one to germinate. It’s Huge! Hasn’t even started a second spear yet

[Rickybobby]

and A few of the dates got that tall of course because my new led light was too high. Lesson learned I lowered it and now new fronds have started 

[Rickybobby]

4 months later this California date palm seedling is going to my friend at work whom bought dates to try and grow but couldn’t put it together. Thought it would be a nice wedding gift for him. I know the pot is large for the plant. I just wanted it too look nice if he follows my instructions than this date palm should thrive just fine 

[Rickybobby]

I know it’s early to re pot. But it’s a gift. Anyway it looks great been growing in a solo cup

[Rickybobby]

Here’s an update I had my first seedling in a nice decorative pot. Well In 1.5 months the roots came through the bottom so it’s already in a 1 gallon pot. They grow up so fast!

[Rickybobby]

[PalmatierMeg]

Date palm are tough and grow like rockets when conditions are right. Good beginner palms.

[Rickybobby]

41 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Date palm are tough and grow like rockets when conditions are right. Good beginner palms.

I agree these little gems is what motivated me to to buy other species seeds and try different things but the dates wow easy to germinate easy to eat and doesn’t matter what soil or moisture it looks super healthy