Hi everyone, this is my first post so let me introduce myself. My name is Adrian and I've been lurking on this site now for a few months gathering some good information.

I moved to San Francisco from NYC last summer, and was looking for some houseplants for the apartment. Well, one thing led to another and I got bitten by the palm bug! My wife and I now have a collection of 25 species of palms that are in pots, kept indoors as well as outside on the deck.

A few days ago I was able to obtain some ripe fruits from a friend's plants. They are Chamaedorea microspadix, Chamaedorea radicalis, and Archontophoenix cunninghamiana. I would like to germinate these, and my questions are:

1. Do I have to remove the flesh from the fruits in order to germinate them?

2. And if so, how do I go about doing this? I have a couple hundred fruits, so scraping the flesh off by hand seems impractical. Also I understand that Chamaedorea fruits contain calcium oxalate crystals and one should take precautions in handling them.

I am planning to germinate them in plastic "Tupperware"-type containers that I will use as community pots. I will fill the containers with moist potting mix, place the seeds about a half inch deep, put the lids back on, and place them in a warm bright spot.

I have tried searching for information on germinating palm seeds, but I haven't been able to find anything on how to deal with them when they are still in the fruits. Any help is much appreciated. I apologize if this is another dumb newbie question, and if the topic is already covered to death, please point me in the right direction. Thanks very much.  

Adrian

Hi Adrian, welcome!  

Let me first advise you to browse through old topics by using the search feature.  There's tons of germination topics.  As far as germinating your fresh seeds, here's what I've learned:  Your Chamaedorea and Archontophoenix seeds are easy germinators, especially with spring and summer ahead of us, so I don't think you'll need any supplimentary heat.  I think the best way to germinate your seeds is to put them in a community pot of regular potting soil and cover them up with an inch of soil.  Set it out, maybe in a little sun to bake during the day and keep it watered so it dosen't dry out.  Removing the fruit is not necessary.  The moist soil and oxygen and bacteria will safely rot the fruit away first and then the seeds will germinate in a month or two.  I've found that if you wanna do the tupperware method then it's best to remove the fruit, sterilize the seed, use sterile medium, etc....The sealed environment just lends itself to rotting and it's just not necessary for Chamaedorea and Archontophoenix in my opinion.  By the way, I think that you might be getting Chamaedorea and Caryota mixed up.  Caryota has the Calcium Oxylate that will burn your face off! Chamaedora's are sweet little children who would never hurt anyone.  Good luck, I hope you have tons of seedlings soon!

Dear Adriean  

iam from india and use both the baggie plastic bag method

and container method.rest of the info is the same as matty

has ennumerated above.

here are some stills_

here is a another still for you_

one more still_

After germination what or how just see it_

Removing & placing_

Washy sprouts removed from the baggie bag by cutting

the bag open with sissiors_

Bizie Sliver form seeds sprouts_

from here either use pots or mineral water bottles with

good planting soil mix..and the containers should have proper drain holes at the bottom for quick release of excess water..

Thanks for the pictures Kris, they were fun!

Dear Matty  

you are welcome_my friend.

And i did this since when i was a newcomer 8 months back,

and i had put forth the same question as our new friend did..

no response at all only they peeped in,no comments at all !

Since i am a critic,so i wish that history does not repeat it

self.

So gathered all the visual info's that i can get to help our

new friend out !

Love conquers all !

Kris  

Kris You have a kind heart. Wish you lived closer as you'd be a great friend indeed to have.  I am also germinating my first seeds and with the help of you, Jeff and a few others it's making some sort of sense.

Curt  

Adrian,

Welcome to the IPS Forum! And seems like you already had some good and useful advice from Matt and Kris. And whenever you have the time, scroll back thru older posts and you'll find all sorts of interesting and useful germination information!

Aloha,

Bo-Göran

Hi All

There have been a few past topics about seed germination, maybe Dean can list all these different methods in a special section so it is easy to check for all that might need it.

Clayton.

Matt,

Thanks very much for the information. That's good to know that I won't have to remove the flesh from a couple hundred fruits! Also, I'll use the method that you suggested instead of the tupperware method.

Kris,

Thanks for the reply and all the pictures of your germination techniques. I've been quietly enjoying your posts and pictures of your numerous plants. Also your pictures of Madras.

Bo-Goran, (sorry, don't mean to butcher your name but I don't know how to type the umlaut in your name on my computer)

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Adrian

here's useful a link I found - most of which has been covered already

A Practical Guide to Germinating Palm Seeds

Adrian,

Not a problem. I've gotten used to many people (including my wife...) just calling me "Bo", but if someone wants to use my full first name, that's OK with me!  Incidentally, the way to type the letter ö is to keep the Alt key depressed while typing '148' on the numeric keyboard on the righthand side. On some computers it's necessary to have the NumLock key depressed at the same time. This works on PCs. Have no clue about Macs... Incidentally, there are a whole bunch of useful characters and non-U.S. letters if you begin around 128 and work your way up (129, 130, etc). In other words, keep the Alt key depressed while typing the 3 digits, then let go.

Bo-Göran

Adrian,

Found this photo that I posted quite some time ago. I germinate a lot of my palm seeds in tupperware containers like this one (deeper ones for the ones that have deep roots). These are Licuala ramsayi.

What I like about the plastic containers is that you can spread out the seeds evenly, then cover with a thin layer and put the cover on (and put away in a dark and warm spot for a couple of months!), and with most species you're going to get fairly even germination.

Bo-Göran

kris--nice pics.i almost snorted the ones in post # 8.

(Utopia Palms @ Mar. 10 2007,13:56)

QUOTE

Hi All

There have been a few past topics about seed germination, maybe Dean can list all these different methods in a special section so it is easy to check for all that might need it.

Clayton.

Clayton,

Hold that thought for a month or two. I am hoping for an upgrade that would enable me to move just selected posts to an area of my choice. Now I can only move whole topics intact without leaving a copy in the original location.

(Utopia Palms @ Mar. 10 2007,18:56)

QUOTE

Hi All

There have been a few past topics about seed germination, maybe Dean can list all these different methods in a special section so it is easy to check for all that might need it.

Clayton.

I fully agree with what our friend clayton york has

suggested  

Since this forum should also be of emmense help to freelance

gardeners,palm enthuiests,house wives,plant hobbiest &

last but not the least 'NUTS' like me  

Thanks & Love,

Kris

(IPSPTModerator @ Mar. 11 2007,01:00)

QUOTE

Hold that thought for a month or two. I am hoping for an upgrade that would enable me to move just selected posts to an area of my choice. Now I can only move whole topics intact without leaving a copy in the original location.

I suppose we both were writting the post at the sametime,

so i think you have seen our suggestion.

i personally request the board to do what is nesseary for

the benefit of new commers.

Thanks in advance.

Love,

Kris  

Bo,

Thanks for the tips. What I've done is since I have so many Archontophoenix cunninghamiana and Chamaedorea microspadix fruits, is that I divided them into separate batches, germinating some of them in community pots and some of them in tupperware containers. That way I can see the differences in how they turn out. The only thing is, if I'm successful, I don't know what I'll do with all those seedlings! I don't have space for that many plants!  :laugh:

Adrian

Adrian,

The ultimate "good news-bad news" scenario - not being quite sure that you REALLY want to be but so successful...

Bo-Göran

Adrian, that's what friends and relatives are for and then there's always eBay.  At least, where you are there is some demand for the species you are germinating

(Adrian_L @ Mar. 10 2007,22:32)

QUOTE

Kris,

Thanks for the reply and all the pictures of your germination techniques. I've been quietly enjoying your posts and pictures of your numerous plants. Also your pictures of Madras.

Adrian

Dear Friend  

first of all welcome to our forum and wish you to actively

participate in our discussions...

And thanks for your comments,since it gives me energy to do

things better_refering to coverage of palms around madras.

And have you seen the movie_Gladiator ?

in that Maximus(Russel Crowe) after butchering weak warriors asks one thing to the crowd_folks any guess ?

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED.

So you guys enjoy my participation in discussions_i must

say this is my best way to relax with my global friends  

Love,

Kris(India)

(RadPalms @ Mar. 10 2007,14:30)

QUOTE

Kris

You have a kind heart. Wish you lived closer as you'd be a great friend indeed to have.  I am also germinating my first seeds and with the help of you, Jeff and a few others it's making some sort of sense.

Curt  

Hey that's too much of praise for a novice in this field,

i hope soon you will also have the oppurtunity to discuss

your doubts with many heavy weights here,who are at

the movement have left small doubt related issues to be

handled by guys like me  

Just because those guys are quite now,dont underestimate

their caliber.

there is a proverb_empty vessels make more noise ! and yes

you have guessed it right_iam refering it to me  

when you and other new commers start interacting regularly you will see how many palm experts & nursery

guys are here to assist you in all your queries.

And i must say iam just a hobbiest & gardening relaxes

me from all my stress.

this is my first time talking to you,so i welcome you to our

forum on behalf of our members.

Love & be loved,

Kris(India)