Complete noob germinated my first ever palm seed - Dypsis minuta

[anotherworldterraria]

Hi, I'm new to the forum.  My name is Matthew, and I have a plant collection across many plant families and genera. I especially like rare plants and miniature species. Despite my plant experience, I have never grown a palm tree before, and I've never tried germinating a palm seed, until the story below...

A friend of mine sent me one Dypsis minuta berry. I had no clue what to do with it, so I did some research for a few hours and then decided to go for it. I cleaned and prepared the seed per my research, then planted it.

I knew palm seeds generally take quite a long time to germinate, but wasn't ready for it in reality. I waited and waited until I nearly went insane and wanted to dig it up to see if the seed was still alive, but I resisted. Finally, I decided the seed had died and I had failed with my one, sole chance. That said, I left the container and just forgot about it.

A few days ago, I was totally shocked to unexpectedly see the seedling popping up. It had been so long that I had to check the date it was sown, and discovered it took 13 months to germinate. I danced around like a fool and could barely contain myself, then sent messages to my plant friends about the news. In my years of growing plants, this may have been one of the most exciting successes.

I opened the container and put in some fertilizer and supplements.

I am considering moving the seedling into one of my rare plant grow tents.

At this point I'm going to learn more about palms. I'm especially interested in the smallest species which may be suitable for indoor culture.

 

[Kim]

Congratulations on the baby palm! Dypsis minuta is an understory palm, as you no doubt already know. I've never grown it myself and can't offer any advice except to think it must need high humidity and probably has a low tolerance to non-tropical temperatures. I'd expect it will need a warm greenhouse? Good luck and keep us informed as to your progress.  

[Harry’s Palms]

Welcome , there is something about seeing a sprout after a long wait. Harry

[anotherworldterraria]

16 minutes ago, Kim said:

Congratulations on the baby palm! Dypsis minuta is an understory palm, as you no doubt already know. I've never grown it myself and can't offer any advice except to think it must need high humidity and probably has a low tolerance to non-tropical temperatures. I'd expect it will need a warm greenhouse? Good luck and keep us informed as to your progress.  

Thank you! I grow all of my plants indoors, and 90% of them are in grow tents or plastic bins at tropical or subtropical temperatures and high humidity. I think one of my rare plant grow tents would be perfect for this species.  I'll share updates, which may be a while considering how slow these supposedly grow.

[happypalms]

You have a great green thumb starting into palms with one the best rare palms around I predict a great growing in the making you sir have a great amount of joy coming your way growing palms as a hobby 🌱

[happypalms]

7 hours ago, anotherworldterraria said:

Thank you! I grow all of my plants indoors, and 90% of them are in grow tents or plastic bins at tropical or subtropical temperatures and high humidity. I think one of my rare plant grow tents would be perfect for this species.  I'll share updates, which may be a while considering how slow these supposedly grow.

They are quite cold tolerant I have one growing great in my greenhouse in temperatures around 2 degrees Celsius 

[anotherworldterraria]

Everyone, thanks for the warm welcome and helpful info.

I was about to move the palm seedling from the current location, to one of my grow tents, but then I chickened out.

I think I'll wait till the plant is larger before moving it.

At this small and young age, I don't want to risk changing the conditions and light too much.

If I had more than one seedling, I'd be more comfortable moving one and then comparing the growth from one location to the other, but since I have only one, I don't want to take any chances.

[flplantguy]

You sound smart in your approach too.  Changing the location too fast is risky for sure, i have a rare critcally endangered seedling im slowly trying to acclimate to outdoors and its a bit stressful worrying about them so if its fine where it is then caution wont hurt. I hope you enjoy them, i went from orchids to palms and still grow orchids but now have even more species i just have to have (within reason of course!)

[PalmatierMeg]

Good luck with it. Don't rush to transplant/repot. I've tried this species a number of times because I really wanted to succeed with it. But I've never been able to keep larger ones alive more than a few weeks and have never obtained seeds. The palms all went into decline then died. It's a tricky little demon. Maybe my sweltering 7-month summers are just too hard for it to deal with. I don't keep plants indoors - all my palms stay outdoors unless temps fall below 40F.

[AaronWhitehouse]

On 5/3/2024 at 3:53 AM, anotherworldterraria said:

Hi, I'm new to the forum.  My name is Matthew, and I have a plant collection across many plant families and genera. I especially like rare plants and miniature species. Despite my plant experience, I have never grown a palm tree before, and I've never tried germinating a palm seed, until the story below...

A friend of mine sent me one Dypsis minuta berry. I had no clue what to do with it, so I did some research for a few hours and then decided to go for it. I cleaned and prepared the seed per my research, then planted it.

I knew palm seeds generally take quite a long time to germinate, but wasn't ready for it in reality. I waited and waited until I nearly went insane and wanted to dig it up to see if the seed was still alive, but I resisted. Finally, I decided the seed had died and I had failed with my one, sole chance. That said, I left the container and just forgot about it.

A few days ago, I was totally shocked to unexpectedly see the seedling popping up. It had been so long that I had to check the date it was sown, and discovered it took 13 months to germinate. I danced around like a fool and could barely contain myself, then sent messages to my plant friends about the news. In my years of growing plants, this may have been one of the most exciting successes.

I opened the container and put in some fertilizer and supplements.

Balancing hobbies and studies isn’t easy, especially when diving deep into something as rewarding (and time-consuming) as rare plant care. That’s why I use helpful resources like pay to write research paper to stay ahead academically. It allows me to focus more on germinating palms and exploring exotic species without the constant pressure of looming deadlines.

I am considering moving the seedling into one of my rare plant grow tents.

At this point I'm going to learn more about palms. I'm especially interested in the smallest species which may be suitable for indoor culture.

 

That must’ve been such an incredible surprise after waiting over a year - definitely worth the patience. Dypsis minuta sounds like a fascinating choice for a first palm, too. Keep us posted on how it grows, especially if you move it into your rare plant grow tent. Excited to see what’s next in your palm journey!

[DoomsDave]

@anotherworldterraria welcome! You GO bro!

I’ve never tried Dypsis minuta from seed but have killed babies already sprouted. 

Maybe show us some of your other palms and/or other plants. I, for one, am on the edge of my seat in anticipation.

[anotherworldterraria]

12 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

@anotherworldterraria welcome! You GO bro!

I’ve never tried Dypsis minuta from seed but have killed babies already sprouted. 

Maybe show us some of your other palms and/or other plants. I, for one, am on the edge of my seat in anticipation.

Thanks for the warm welcome and encouragement

This Dypsis minuta is still the only palm I grow so far.

I would like to add some more miniature species to my collection some day.

If there is a general area of the forum where we can post off-topic stuff, I could show some of my other types of plants / plant room / tents.

I'm going to make a new comment in this thread with updated photos of the Dypsis

 

14 hours ago, AaronWhitehouse said:

That must’ve been such an incredible surprise after waiting over a year - definitely worth the patience. Dypsis minuta sounds like a fascinating choice for a first palm, too. Keep us posted on how it grows, especially if you move it into your rare plant grow tent. Excited to see what’s next in your palm journey!

Thanks. I'm going to make a new comment in this thread with updated photos of the Dypsis

[anotherworldterraria]

Updates. Plant is 26 months old. I just repotted it for the 2nd time. Currently it appears to be showing signs of what is probably nutrient deficiency or imbalance, I would assume. I changed up the fertilizer regimen recently so the plant should start to look healthier as time goes on. Humidity is probably a bit too low for its preference, as well (it swings in the range of 40-55%). It would likely do better in a grow tent, but I can't bring myself to hide it that way - I like the plant out in the open as a houseplant so I can enjoy it more (and keep a close eye on progress)

 

[Jonathan]

Super cute...well done!

[PalmatierMeg]

Gorgeous little palm! You have the touch with them. I'd even violate my "no houseplant" rule if I could achieve the result you have.

I'm thinking my 6-7 month summers are too hot and sweltering for this little guy. I see you live in PNW, which tells me something. Guess I'll have to ponder all this.

I also wish to tread carefully with what I say next as more people have lost their sense of fun and seek to be offended (I do not mean you because you contribute great info). I intend no insults but I'm tired of crawling around waving a white flag because someone has "their" knickers in a twist.

What I am saying is this: People new to palms usually have tunnel vision that focuses solely on pinnate/feather/crown shafted palms. They often don't consider palmate/fan to be palms at all and refuse to contemplate putting any of them in their yards. They should know that, in general, palmate palms are tougher, more resilient and forgiving than almost all pinnate palms. And they have their own beauty. Crown shafted palms are almost all tropical and unsuitable for climates outside of SFL, STX and HI. 

I suggest you seek out what I years ago dubbed "uber dwarf" Sabal minors, some or which can reach 12-24" tall by 30" wide and come true from seeds. Some suggestions:

Sabal minor 'Blountstown Dwarf'

Sabal minor 'Wakulla Dwarf'

Sabal minor 'Chipola Dwarf'

Sabal minor 'Spring Hill Dwarf'

Sabal minor 'Welfare'              And more; these are cultivars I have

Welcome to PalmTalk and thanks again for all you wrote.

regards

[flplantguy]

If you can supply heat and bright light i would also suggest Cocothrinax borhidiana, its small and slow and seedlings are not much wider than this little guy is at the same height. Full width of maybe 12" as it grows slowly up.  I agree with Meg on fan palms, while i love my crownshafted types most of my seedlings are sabal palmettos, since they are native and carefree ourside debris drop. My front yard will be the fan palm spot since they are generally tougher, but many are much larger than your hobby would allow as well.  That little plant is so cute i would fuss every day over it too! Nice growing!

[happypalms]

On 5/3/2024 at 12:00 PM, Kim said:

Congratulations on the baby palm! Dypsis minuta is an understory palm, as you no doubt already know. I've never grown it myself and can't offer any advice except to think it must need high humidity and probably has a low tolerance to non-tropical temperatures. I'd expect it will need a warm greenhouse? Good luck and keep us informed as to your progress.  

They take temperatures as low as 2 degrees Celsius in my climate.

[JD in the OC]

That's neat yours is flowering in that tiny pot. 
I bought two Dypsis minuta Floribunda and planted them in tall square band containers and one of them dried out and died in our FL heat. I repotted the other one into a 1gal pot which holds more moisture and it is happier.  
 

Also germinated Dypsis confusa from seed and those are super slow. Similar palm. 
JD

[happypalms]

6 hours ago, JD in the OC said:

That's neat yours is flowering in that tiny pot. 
I bought two Dypsis minuta Floribunda and planted them in tall square band containers and one of them dried out and died in our FL heat. I repotted the other one into a 1gal pot which holds more moisture and it is happier.  
 

Also germinated Dypsis confusa from seed and those are super slow. Similar palm. 
JD

I love the small real dypsis genus. There amazing understory palms I did get dypsis brevicaulis to germinate as well, you just need seeds  that are viable, and with snail mail and customs it’s difficult to get good viable seeds. But if you can get your hands on them it’s a different story if there viable.