Kentia palm germination tips

[Chester B]

I've got 20 kentia palm seeds that I would love to have some success with germinating.   For whatever reason Kentias are nearly impossible to find around here.  The cheapest I've seen is $400 for a 3'-4' tree!   I've been looking around and haven't seen specific tips for successful germination.  Temp?  Baggy vs pots, pre-soak?  Strip the husk?  Scarification?, etc?  Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[PalmatierMeg]

I've had 100 H. forsteriana seeds in multiple compots for nearly a year with no results yet. I bought them ripe from a source in CA. Howea seeds have a reputation for being cantankerous and obstinate and these are no exception. My research tells me they take from 30 days to 2+ years to germinate so you must be patient. I keep mine under deep canopy on plastic shelf units in the back yard potted in well draining soil and extra perlite. I have one H. belmoreana and one trunking H. forsteriana in my jungle overlooking the canal. They are very slow growing. Deep canopy helps keep ambient temps down during our sweltering summer, which these species detest. Now we are heading into fall they will soon be much happier, esp. with cooler nights. I don't know whether the long, hot summer affects seed germination but I hope to get a few successes out of the 100 seeds. Then what? I've wanted to grow this species since I saw them in old photos when I was a kid even though I know deep down they are unsuited to my climate. I'm blessed to have the two survivors I've got.

[Fusca]

1 hour ago, Chester B said:

I've got 20 kentia palm seeds that I would love to have some success with germinating.   For whatever reason Kentias are nearly impossible to find around here.  The cheapest I've seen is $400 for a 3'-4' tree!   I've been looking around and haven't seen specific tips for successful germination.  Temp?  Baggy vs pots, pre-soak?  Strip the husk?  Scarification?, etc?  Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Hi Chester,

I managed to germinate a Howea forsteriana in a community pot indoors with no supplemental heat (temps 75-80° F) in about 3 months  I cleaned the seed and pre-soaked for 2 days prior to planting.  Only 1 of 4 germinated however, but I considered it a success.    Others here may have better info but I've read that they don't need additional heat to germinate.

Jon

Edited October 15, 2019 by Fusca

[Chester B]

Thanks for the tips - keep them coming.

I'm growing these palms for my indoor jungle.  My living room has 12' ceilings and a wall of windows so I have lots of room.  I'm only sticking to the easy palms - Kentias, Lady palms and parlor palms.  It gets so dry inside my house in the winter so I'm limited.

[Pal Meir]

After normal baggy method, within 3 months 9/26 germinated:

[HtownPalms]

I got about 20 Kentia seeds last November when I was in San Diego. From November until March I had them in pots in my unheated garage. After joining the forum I found out that the Baggie method is much better so I started that in April. I kept the baggies on my back porch in direct sunlight to keep them warm. Sometime in June a few started sprouting. Right now I have 5 seedlings. The other 15 or so seeds still haven't done anything, but when I put them into a cup of water they sink so I haven't given up on them. I think with these it's best to start with as many seeds as possible and expect a low germination rate and know that its going to take time. Good luck!

[Chester B]

On 10/15/2019 at 11:06 AM, Pal Meir said:

After normal baggy method, within 3 months 9/26 germinated:

At what approximate temperature?

21 hours ago, HtownPalms said:

I got about 20 Kentia seeds last November when I was in San Diego. From November until March I had them in pots in my unheated garage. After joining the forum I found out that the Baggie method is much better so I started that in April. I kept the baggies on my back porch in direct sunlight to keep them warm. Sometime in June a few started sprouting. Right now I have 5 seedlings. The other 15 or so seeds still haven't done anything, but when I put them into a cup of water they sink so I haven't given up on them. I think with these it's best to start with as many seeds as possible and expect a low germination rate and know that its going to take time. Good luck!

I have 20 seeds from 2 different sources.  If I got 5 to sprout I'd be quite happy.

[PalmatierMeg]

Howea are temperate palms and should not need excessive heat to germinate, i.e., room temperature is okay. I sometimes wonder whether keeping my compots outdoors for our 6-7 months' night & day summer may be inhibiting germination. That happens with seeds not adapted to high heat. But I don't keep houseplants or pots of seeds indoors so they will just have to deal with the heat. That's why researching the requirements of palms you want to germinate is paramount.

[HtownPalms]

PalmatierMeg, I thought about that. However I figured that since I live where it gets very hot in the summer I might as well thrust my plants into their new environment from an early age. That way if I only have a few seeds germinate then maybe the few that germinated have a slightly higher heat tolerance over the seeds that didn't. Just a theory. Probably completely wrong! 

[rhallford826]

Baggie method works best, I normally get 75% germination within 18 months at standard house 68-75 degrees) temps. Exposure to 85+ degree temps will reduce germination in my experience.