Jump to content
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

Indoor seed germination question


sashaeffer

Recommended Posts

New to seed germination indoors as I've previously just bought potted palms. I've discovered with a couple species that potted purchased palms that don't do well indoors....and die, do much better if grown from seed.

I'm using baggie method and heat mats and trays with pretty good luck.

My question is, when is the best time to plant them up and also to remove  from any bottom heat?  I don't want to "cook" the new seedlings. 

Are heat mats only supposed to be  used to get seed to "pop"?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, sashaeffer said:

New to seed germination indoors as I've previously just bought potted palms. I've discovered with a couple species that potted purchased palms that don't do well indoors....and die, do much better if grown from seed.

I'm using baggie method and heat mats and trays with pretty good luck.

My question is, when is the best time to plant them up and also to remove  from any bottom heat?  I don't want to "cook" the new seedlings. 

Are heat mats only supposed to be  used to get seed to "pop"?

Scott, it really depends on the species and your growing conditions.  If you have a humid greenhouse there's no harm in potting up once germination starts.  For palmate palms that are typically remote germinators I usually pot them up once the first leaf appears, but some with really deep radicles like Hyphaene and Bismarckia will push the radicle to the bottom of the baggie right away so I pot these up once I see roots at the bottom of the baggie.  Roots can burn up against a heat mat so you want to avoid that.  Some pinnate palms that are adjacent germinators like Dypsis prestoniana and Dypsis pembana will sometimes start a new leaf before any roots start so I feel it's best to wait until they get their roots going good before potting up.  I've lost several seedlings like this by potting up too soon because the soil surface dries up so quickly in my conditions and roots weren't deep enough.

  • Like 2

Jon Sunder

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Fusca said:

Scott, it really depends on the species and your growing conditions.  If you have a humid greenhouse there's no harm in potting up once germination starts.  For palmate palms that are typically remote germinators I usually pot them up once the first leaf appears, but some with really deep radicles like Hyphaene and Bismarckia will push the radicle to the bottom of the baggie right away so I pot these up once I see roots at the bottom of the baggie.  Roots can burn up against a heat mat so you want to avoid that.  Some pinnate palms that are adjacent germinators like Dypsis prestoniana and Dypsis pembana will sometimes start a new leaf before any roots start so I feel it's best to wait until they get their roots going good before potting up.  I've lost several seedlings like this by potting up too soon because the soil surface dries up so quickly in my conditions and roots weren't deep enough.

Great advice, thanks!  I have been mindful of the seeds closer to heat mat and every couple of days lightly toss(for lack of better word) to change position of seeds in bag.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mate,  you probably realize, but they won't like to be reorientated once the root or shoot starts to emerge.

Cheers Steve

It is not dead, it is just senescence.

   

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is gonna sound wild, but I googled germination for a specific species and someone mentioned baggies in their truck. I don't have heat mats or anything like that but even when we're having high temps in the 50s and 60s it gets stupid hot in the cab of my truck in the daytime. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

This is gonna sound wild, but I googled germination for a specific species and someone mentioned baggies in their truck. I don't have heat mats or anything like that but even when we're having high temps in the 50s and 60s it gets stupid hot in the cab of my truck in the daytime. 

That would certainly work!  I think seeds need that natural heat/cool cycle but I'm just assuming.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@JohnAndSancho that's not a surprise to me. I have never used a heat mat but a few years ago I put some slow to shoot baggies into my caravan outside our house, because it got hot in there. In a month I had several species sprout that were about a year old.

Cheers Steve

It is not dead, it is just senescence.

   

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

This is gonna sound wild, but I googled germination for a specific species and someone mentioned baggies in their truck. I don't have heat mats or anything like that but even when we're having high temps in the 50s and 60s it gets stupid hot in the cab of my truck in the daytime. 

May have been me who posted about using the baggie method in my truck. Since I live in a 10 B area of S FL there's little reason to buy a heat mat for the plants I grow.  However, sometimes I want to germinate things during winter so I've experimented with different things like the baggie/truck method. Another somewhat unusual place I've also germinated seed is in the attic.

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have put the clean seeds in plastic 2 cup beer mugs. Coconut coir + perlite 50/50 mix. Beer mugs I put in a ziplock bag and seal it. The humidity is high inside. I keep them warm place. When I see something green it's time to open bags. I don’t need to touch sensitive roots. It’s fun to look through a beer mugs at how the roots grow. 

_20170317_112925.jpg

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/7/2021 at 9:40 PM, cisco said:

I have put the clean seeds in plastic 2 cup beer mugs. Coconut coir + perlite 50/50 mix. Beer mugs I put in a ziplock bag and seal it. The humidity is high inside. I keep them warm place. When I see something green it's time to open bags. I don’t need to touch sensitive roots. It’s fun to look through a beer mugs at how the roots grow. 

_20170317_112925.jpg

Great idea!    Anything that helps eliminate the transition from loose germinated seeds in a baggie to a grow cup/pot.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...