Germination of palms 2

[petquack77]

Hey guys,

 I just started my second germination of palms which is a retry from the failure of my first. I think my main issue was watering too much. I don't want to mess this up and had a few questions before retrying again. Here are my questions.

1) How many times do I water the seeds? once a day? once a week? And how much water do they require? 

2)how much light do the seeds require a day?

3) what is a good temperature setting to having on my heat pad? 

4) I bought plant growing soil discs that are used for plants and flowering. Do these work with palm seeds?  

I'm growing a few Washingtonia Robustas and Windmill palms .

 

Thank you 

 

 

[Grasswing]

Hello,

palm seeds don't need light until the first leaf appears.

I have the best results with germination in coco peat, I use sealable plastic bags or small ice cream boxes. You can get a compressed coco peat brick which I then soak in hot water, let it cool a bit and then squeeze it until most of the water is gone from the peat. This way the moisture is perfect and doesn't need adjustments for the next few months (considering it is in a closed bag or box).

Washingtonia is an easy germinator, so it doesn't need much extra heat (but you can use some bottom heat up to 30°C). Trachycarpus needs even lower temperatures around 20-25°C to germinate successfully and from my experience it can be a bit tricky too.

I don't know about the soil discs.

If you have any more questions let me know!  

Regards

Ondra

[Rickybobby]

Robusta is so easy. For I’ve always done baggy with coco coir lightly moist and around 90-95 degrees and in 2 weeks 90 perfect germination. This years trachys im doing baggie again but just leaving out in my palm room that is 77-80f and see how that works. 

[PalmatierMeg]

Neither species is tropical so shouldn't need supplemental heat in summer. If you decide to germinate them pots, make sure pot is at least 6" or more tall. Use a very well draining potting mix - add extra perlite or pumice if necessary. Never use cheap dollar store potting soil or top soil that turn to muck when watered. Fill pot with soil mix, spread seeds then cover with 1/4" layer of potting mix, then water. Soil should be moist but not soggy. Never let pot sit in a tray of water. Apply lots of patience and wait for results. 

[zoli]

Both of these will germinate without any added heat.

• 70 degrees in a room, in a pot, with seeds just barely exposed over the soil. 
• Cover pot with plastic bag to keep you from having to water it.
• Soil should be moist, not saturated.
• Germination should occur in about 30 days.

That's pretty much it.