looking forSeed Propagation help.. Various types of palm seed

[Mindless2]

Hey All!!

So I broke down and bought some palm seed off Ebay (Yes I know probably duds)

So I bought Brahea Armata/Blue Hesper Palm, Butia Odorata (Capitata) Hardy Jelly Palm Tree, Trachycarpus fortunei Naini Tal - Chusan Palm and Serenoa repens (green leaves) - Saw palmetto palm.

Any tips on how to start these seeds? Are they all started the same way? Should I soak them for a few days?

Thanks!

[Fusca]

Hi Todd, welcome to Palmtalk!

I would recommend buying seeds from sellers here as I have had excellent success with fresh seeds.  But since you have already purchased them it's hard to know if they are fresh or not.  Good news is that Brahea armata seeds are viable for a long time so even if they are not fresh you can still germinate them with success.  I assume the seeds have already had the fruit cleaned off of them, so I would soak them in warm water for at least overnight.  A couple of days won't hurt but it would be best to change the water each day.  The seeds should sink in the water by the next morning or they are likely not viable.  The Trachycarpus won't require bottom heat, but the others will germinate faster with bottom heat.  You can put them in ziplock baggies with moist (not wet) sphagnum moss (orchid moss) or even moist perlite if you don't have any moss.  Wring out the moss until there's no more water.  I use a heat mat set at 95°F (35°C) or you can use a cable TV box or something similar that generates some heat and put the baggies on top.  Or you could use a well-draining soil mix in a covered container (like a small water bottle or yogurt container) and set that on top of the heat mat or TV box.  Again, making sure the soil mix is only moist and not wet.  Having it in a baggie or closed container will keep moisture inside.  Then you wait, and wait, and wait!  Brahea armata and Butia odorata can take several months to germinate so don't give up on them.  There are several palm seed germination threads on here that you can search for and receive good advice.  These seeds do not need light for them to germinate.  Best of luck!

Jon