Germinating palm nut is stuck

[Germinater]

I am germinating palm nuts I gathered at a cousin's wedding. I gathered a ton of them back in September and kept them in a moist bag. These three germinated, and on very different timescales. I think it was one in January and the other two in May. I am concerned about the one that is sticking straight up appears to be stuck in its shell. The seed is not lying on it's side like the other one. When I bend it over it bounces right back. It's been stagnated that way for about a month now. What should I do? I've seen YouTube videos of germinating tomato seeds with the shell being pulled off the cotyledon, but this is much larger and harder. Thank you! Glad I found this forum.

[PalmatierMeg]

Don’t do anything. The seedling will take care of itself. What species of palm is it? Where did you collect it? It looks like a remote germinator. Remote germinators send down a first radicle from the seed. After a period of growing underground an eophyll/ first leaf grows upward from the radicle to form a strap leaf. That can take several weeks or more. As you are in Idaho I assume your summers are short and fairly cool. A palm that wants lots of heat will be hindered in your climate and grow much slower than usual.

[PalmsInBaltimore]

what is the air/soil temperature? You'll want it to match whatever heat requirements there are for those palms. Something like a heating mat might be helpful if your outdoor temps are too low. Depending on what type of palm it is, it can wildly different needs that you'll have to provide if you want optimal growth.

[PalmsInBaltimore]

I see temps are no problem in Idaho right now so forget what I said about the heat mat. Sometimes cracking off the outer shells does lead to better germination, but it's not always necessary, and in this case those three have all germinated. They likely just need more time 

[Germinater]

This is the mother tree in California. I am not sure the variety, but it appears to be some kind of palm nut. I am concerned about leaving the seedling alone because it's been stagnated there for over a month. The little-leafed one germinated at the same time. If I were to "crack off the outer shell", how would do that? I've done it with small seeds (like tomatoes), but this is like a mini coconut!

[PalmsInBaltimore]

those appear to be seeds from a queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana). I may be wrong, but that's what the seeds and the mother palm look like to me.

I have never grown one of these, but according to other threads in this forum they are invasive weeds in Florida and California so they can't be the fussiest about germination. I don't think they need to be cracked. Some say the fruit must be cleaned off first because it inhibits germination, but it appears to have already rotted away by the time you collected them.

All three of yours have sprouted so there's no need at this point to crack or score any of the nuts at this point. You could experiment and try to work out what improves germination because you have so many seeds there.

Soaking seeds before planting can improve germination as well. For Queens, if the fruit is removed, then soaking may be better than cracking. They don't seem like a palm where you have to crack the outer shell. Just let the moisture soften it and the shoots should be able to break out on their own. 

Since you have so many seeds there you can try a few different ways and figure out what seems to work best. You can't expect germination within 7-14 days unfortunately with palms. Sometimes they take a lot longer.

Here's some more info that may be helpful:

University of Florida -- Queen Palm germination: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ST609

UF -- Types of germination with palms: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP238

 

 

 

Edited July 24, 2024 by PalmsInBaltimore
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[PalmsInBaltimore]

2 hours ago, PalmsInBaltimore said:

UF -- Types of germination with palms: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP238

going back to what I said about soil temps and the heating mat, according to this source:

"Virtually all palms require high temperatures for the most rapid and uniform germination of their seed. Seventy to 100°F is the accepted range, and 85–95°F probably yields the best results." I think you should be fine this time of year given that the daytime highs are hot enough in Idaho, but once nightime temps dip far below 70 (and once daytime highs fall below 85ish) you might want to consider a heat source if you plan on planting more of the seeds