Leaderboard

And finally, August 2013.

]Hi guys just thought I might post some pics of my garden, I started this 4 years ago after buying our 1st house, hope you like ......... a couple of costas Orange vestiari Red vestiari Physokentia dennisii and in the back ground is a Howea forsteriana

Bismarckia palms are one of my favorites! Completely hardy and undamaged by the freezes (26-28F) we have every 5-7 years. This is a series of pictures showing 11 years worth of growth on a Bismarckia. This picture is after the freeze of 2003 (Royal palms still showing burned leaves from the freeze in the background). This Bismarckia was planted in March of 2003 from a 7 gallon pot. This picture was taken in August 2003

August 2011

August 2010 - After the freeze and long cold winter of 2010. The Bismarckia was totally unscathed by our low of 27 that winter, unlike the two Royal Palms next to it that are just starting to recover from being 75% defoliated.

August 2009

August 2008

August 2007

August 2006 - After Hurricane's Frances and Jean I had to tie up the Bismarckia after it blew over.

August 2005

Areca catechu v alba archontophoenix purpurea Prestoea acuminate Pinanga Javana

Roystonea regia chambeyronia hookeri Chambeyronia macrocarpa

Dypsis Florencei Dypsis Paludosa I think Bentinckia condapanna Areca catechu in the background and a couple of triandra

Loxococcus rupicola Pinanga coronata

My pride and joy Pinanga Caeasia Chambeyronia hookeri Veitchia merrillii Dwarf areca catechu

I am growing the most impressive palm in my world

Well, I repotted my big (9+ years old) D. ambositrae about six weeks ago, it had started to through a new spear out, so I waited until the spear started to open, so I wouldn't damage it, that leaf is the wispy one in the photo, that's still half way out, you can't really see the rachis from this angle, then a couple of weeks later I said, oh, here comes the tip of it, well, it stopped and another spear came out on the other side of the crown, then when it caught up to the other one, they pretty much started keeping pace, seeing as how they're on opposite sides of the crown, and not in the center next to each other, it must be branching, Ed

Here is the Dypsis slick willy. Right next to it is a Dypsis tsartanensis. Honestly I cannot tell the two apart. The 2 slick willys is on the left.

This is from 11/2008 And today, Brandon is 10 years old. 7 years of growth from a 5 gallon pot.

Kris- I have read little "snippets" of this thread, but didn't stay tuned as I only had "two" sets of seeds. Jubeas that I picked off the ground 30 miles from here and Pogobobs "Abre Ojos". I only cleaned and put in tupperware tubs with peat and pearlite about 6-8 months ago. No cracking or nothin. I stopped looking a while back, but just looked yesterday, it looks like I have 8-9 Jubea seeds germinated. My first!!! I'll try for pics soon.

(Ortanique @ Jul. 18 2007,01:48) QUOTEKris, I salute the effort you take to post these great pictures of seeds that are germinating. Your enthusiasm is contagious and your spirit to experiment amazing. Your willingness to share information - of successes and failures alike - is commendable. I wish more of us could learn and/or inherit some of your qualities. I am guilty as charged - when it comes to this. I probably have over 100,000 seeds germinating - of over 50 species - but i never take the time to post pictures or info. Of course, my most convenient excuse is time - which is true. But i am hoping that one of these days - i can just go around my place shooting pictures non-stop. I might just do that one of these days. My guilt apart - thanks to your post - more people learn the good, bad and the ugly about seeds and the various germination techniques that you employ. You rock dude!!! You really do!!!! Folks - before you have any funny thoughts - I do not remember having sold any seeds to Kris - and hence have no reason to praise/patronize him at all. Any praises are due - purely for his efforts and enthusiasm. Hi ALL I second that last statement from Joseph! its very well said and totally true well done Kris!!!! There should more of you out there! One only has to look at the amount of posts and see that Kris will be over taking people like Bo and Jeff very soon in the amount of posts!! Ps I’ve been meaning to list a photo for you Kris of Phoenix roebelenii var Robertii a clumping form of Phoenix roebelenii from Thailand, I will take some photos in the next day or so for you, all the best Kris also as soon as I get those photos of the Corypha macropoda I will list them as well. Clayton.

Hi Kris Another way to do it is with a electric drill. Cheers Sol

Kris, Excellent tutorial... I have had absolutely NO luck trying to germinate seeds at all... but then again all I did was put them in a small pot like I would tomatoes and expect them to sprout on the windowsill. I have a ton of Roebelleni seeds that I tried to sprout several times - but nothing..

Well done Kris, Your step by step guide is spot on. The only things I do different is to use boiling hot water with the Coir just to make sure its sterile and I handle it using disposable gloves (once its cooled), making sure theres absolutely no chance of a bacteria transfer. I don't use fungicides at all. I do clean every thing with bleach including germination boxes but never the seeds. A note on pre-soaking seeds- If the seeds came from a rain forest type environment they will generally have a very thin outer covering and pre-soaking these will generally lead to rot. If the seeds come from a more arid type environment with a harder - woody outer covering ( like Syagrus for example) pre-soaking these types would defiantly be beneficial . Cracking the outer shell also speeds things up . I received some Bactris seeds from a very good friend in August of 2005. These seeds had a hard woody outer covering and had been on heat from the day they arrived. Up until a couple of weeks ago they hadn't moved at all so I decided to investigate a bit further. I first thought the seeds had gone off as they hadn't germinated in all that time. I cracked the outer shell open to find a healthy seed in side. Thinking I had nothing to loose, I cracked the rest of the seeds and re-planted in fresh Coir. A week later 75% had germinated. Coincidence or not ...........

Kris, Awesome!!! A perfect lesson in germination. Jeff is right - you should be teaching at MCC or Loyola. Thanks for doing this.

Kris, You should be teaching at one of the finer universities in India!! Thanks. Jeff