Cycad Seeds

[Wai`anae Steve]

what is the best way to sprout cycad seeds? Same as Palms?

[tropicalb]

soak the seeds for 24 hrs, then place them in a deep covered propagation flat sitting on top of a bed of about three inches of pure perlite Steve.....just have to keep them moist and have a lot of patience

Edited September 15, 2008 by tropicalb

[Al in Kona]

Good luck with germination, Steve. Which Cycads are they? We had an HIPS get together at the U of H- Hilo last Friday evening with guest speaker Greg Holtzman from Kauai - he spoke and showed lots of photos from his recent trip to Panama. Wow what beautiful Zamias there! Anyway at the meeting they had a silent auction with lots of cycads plants and cycad seed packets. I got a pkt. of 5 seeds of Cycas debaoensis for $4. I also was high bidder of 3- small plants (in 3-gal. size containers) of Zamia standleyi, all for $30. So I'll also be trying to germinate a few cycad seeds.

[Wai`anae Steve]

soak the seeds for 24 hrs, then place them in a deep covered propagation flat sitting on top of a bed of about three inches of pure perlite Steve.....just have to keep them moist and have a lot of patience

Funny, I had some Zamia seed a year of so ago and had them in a plastic container sitting on moist media . Nothing happed and I dumped them in my rubbish dirt pile. About 3 months ago 3 sprouted. I have no idea which they are. :-) Duh......... Maybe I should through the new one on the pile. :-)

[tropicalb]

that would probably work also steve!

germinating cycad seeds is not rocket science. they either germinate or they don't.....it's really as simple as that.

[virtualpalm]

Steve, I have tried many different ways to germinate cycad seeds, and they have all worked to some extent. The key is to have fresh seed and to begin the germination process when the embryos inside the seeds are ready to come out. In Zamia, the embryos are typically full-sized when the cones break apart. In other genera (e.g., Encephalartos), the seeds often come out of the cone with immature embryos, and such seeds require an after-ripening period before they are ready to germinate.

The best way to germinate cycad seeds, in my opinion, is in a ziploc bag with "just damp" sphagnum moss. To make the moss "just damp," take a small handful of wet sphagnum and wring out all of the water. Next, mix in an equal amount of dry moss and put into a baggie. Add the seeds, store in a warm location, and check the bags weekly. Don't be surprised if some seeds take 6 months or more to germinate.

Good luck!

Jody

[Gbarce]

How do you know when a cycad seed is ready to germinate? I tried some Cycas seeds before (not sure which species) and they split open in about 2 weeks and they just continued to swell up but no roots were coming out. With a couple the roots came out about 2 to 3 months after but the rest just continued to swell and fatten up but still no roots.

Is this a case of the embryos being immature when I tried to germinate them or were these sterile seeds to begin with?

[tropicalb]

The key is to have fresh seed and to begin the germination process when the embryos inside the seeds are ready to come out.

Jody.....

that pretty much says it all right there doesn't it? Truer words were never spoken!

That one sentence sums it all up....nicely done!

[Wai`anae Steve]

Thanks again for the advise

[virtualpalm]

How do you know when a cycad seed is ready to germinate? I tried some Cycas seeds before (not sure which species) and they split open in about 2 weeks and they just continued to swell up but no roots were coming out. With a couple the roots came out about 2 to 3 months after but the rest just continued to swell and fatten up but still no roots.

Is this a case of the embryos being immature when I tried to germinate them or were these sterile seeds to begin with?

Gene, that usually happens when the seed gets pollinated (which induces further development of the seed), but for some reason the egg does not get properly fertilized and so the embryo never develops... in which case, they are essentially sterile. In Encephalartos, the seeds will develop fully without ever being pollinated, so you can literally have a cone full of sterile seeds. The only way to know for sure if cycad seeds are viable is to either remove the protective covering at the micropylar end (where the embryo will come out) and check for an embryo (this works best in Encephalartos) or to cut a couple seeds in half to inspect for the presence of an embryo (which will obviously kill the seed).

Hope this helps.

Jody

[FRITO]

anyone have a easy way to clean Zamia floridana (coontie) cycad seeds?

scraping one by one is a pain.

[virtualpalm]

anyone have a easy way to clean Zamia floridana (coontie) cycad seeds?

scraping one by one is a pain.

Here ya go: http://www.plantapalm.com/vce/horticulture/seedcleaning.htm

Jody

[palmtreesforpleasure]

Hi Steve

I get very good results with propagation sand with my Zamia seeds, lay the seed on its side, 50% of the seed in the sand . It has worked well for me

regards

colin

[The Germinator]

I just put about 5 seeds in a one gallon and left then in the garden next thing I know I had five plants growing in the pot. They were Cycas revoluta.

[Gbarce]

How do you know when a cycad seed is ready to germinate? I tried some Cycas seeds before (not sure which species) and they split open in about 2 weeks and they just continued to swell up but no roots were coming out. With a couple the roots came out about 2 to 3 months after but the rest just continued to swell and fatten up but still no roots.

Is this a case of the embryos being immature when I tried to germinate them or were these sterile seeds to begin with?

Gene, that usually happens when the seed gets pollinated (which induces further development of the seed), but for some reason the egg does not get properly fertilized and so the embryo never develops... in which case, they are essentially sterile. In Encephalartos, the seeds will develop fully without ever being pollinated, so you can literally have a cone full of sterile seeds. The only way to know for sure if cycad seeds are viable is to either remove the protective covering at the micropylar end (where the embryo will come out) and check for an embryo (this works best in Encephalartos) or to cut a couple seeds in half to inspect for the presence of an embryo (which will obviously kill the seed).

Hope this helps.

Jody

Thanks Jody- THere is practically no information on this anywhere and its torture just guessing whats hapenning (or not happening) to the seeds. I had always suspected the seeds being sterile.

Is there any guide as to how long it takes for the embryos to mature for the different species of cycad AND is there is an outside sign that the embryo is ready to be hydrated and germinated?

Is there also a guideline as to how long a seed will stay viable for the different cycad species/genera???

[virtualpalm]

Thanks Jody- THere is practically no information on this anywhere and its torture just guessing whats hapenning (or not happening) to the seeds. I had always suspected the seeds being sterile.

Is there any guide as to how long it takes for the embryos to mature for the different species of cycad AND is there is an outside sign that the embryo is ready to be hydrated and germinated?

Is there also a guideline as to how long a seed will stay viable for the different cycad species/genera???

Gene, the following article by Tom Broome should answer many of your questions. In most cases, there are no external indicators that the embryo is ready. And as far as I know, there has never been any kind of scientific study done on "shelf life" in cycad seeds... but obviously the seeds with the thickest sclerotestas (seed coats) will last the longest. These would include Dioon, Encephalartos, Lepidozamia, Macrozamia, and some Cycas species. On the flip side, the genera with the shortest shelf life would be Microcycas, Zamia, and Bowenia -- which puts Ceratozamia, the Cycas species with a thin sclerotesta, and Stangeria somewhere in the middle. Of particular note in the "short-lived" category would be Microcycas and Zamia pseudoparasitica, the latter of which often begin to germinate before the cone disintegrates.

http://www.plantapalm.com/vce/horticulture/seeds.htm

Hope this helps.

Jody

[Kris]

Dear Jody

Thanks for those lovely links !

lots of love,

Kris

[Gbarce]

I just love this board - access to expert advice and insights from practical experiences!!!