Butia seeds

[ZPalms]

When’s the best time to harvest butia seeds/fruit for growing? Right now the fruits are green

[Fusca]

Butia fruits will turn from green to either yellow or orange (rarely red).  The flesh will turn soft and you can smell the sweetness of the fruit.  Best time to collect is once they start dropping on the ground.  It will take some weeks.  In the meantime check the old leaf boots on the mother palm - often you'll find a sprouted seed all ready to plant!  Much faster than germinating one yourself.

[ZPalms]

4 hours ago, Fusca said:

Butia fruits will turn from green to either yellow or orange (rarely red).  The flesh will turn soft and you can smell the sweetness of the fruit.  Best time to collect is once they start dropping on the ground.  It will take some weeks.  In the meantime check the old leaf boots on the mother palm - often you'll find a sprouted seed all ready to plant!  Much faster than germinating one yourself.

Sadly it’s not my tree so the sprouts might get mowed or removed before I get a chance or if they even get a chance to sprout but I’ll keep an eye out if they fall so I can nab a few off the ground! Thank you for the response!

[Scott W]

5 hours ago, ZPalms said:

Sadly it’s not my tree so the sprouts might get mowed or removed before I get a chance or if they even get a chance to sprout but I’ll keep an eye out if they fall so I can nab a few off the ground! Thank you for the response!

If it's in someone else's yard I always simply knock on the door and ask.  Most I've found are more than willing to let someone else "clean up the mess"

[ZPalms]

47 minutes ago, Scott W said:

If it's in someone else's yard I always simply knock on the door and ask.  Most I've found are more than willing to let someone else "clean up the mess"

I'm always so nervous to ask because last time I tried to ask some people who had trachys in their yard putting out seeds I think and I asked If I could see if they had any seeds I could have and I got turned away, They weren't the owner of the house but probably family or something but it honestly made me feel crazy just walking up to these people being like can i look to see if the tree has seeds!!  They were close to the road but not close enough for any to roll out in the street but the Butia is kind of the same not close enough to the road but not far from the street. I'll keep my eye out and hopefully when they get closer to ripening I'll try to ask but I will always feel crazy and awkward asking strangers for their seeds 

Edited July 5, 2021 by ZPalms

[Jcalvin]

Thankful the squirrels are demolishing mine this year. Get tired of smelling the fruit once it ripens and then pulling seedlings up every year. 

[Josue Diaz]

I agree with checking in the boots - you will sometimes find old seeds that have germinated in the debris that collects there. Other than that, you'd have to wait until the fruit ripens - or at least until it turns yellow.