Seed or Pot?

[PlanterPalm]

Also out of curiosity( This is opinion based). Should I buy palms from plant stores or should I grow from seed?

[PalmsandLiszt]

Seed-grown palms will tend to better acclimate to domestic indoor conditions, at the cost of a great deal of patience and delayed gratification, however.

Mass-grown nursery palms are raised either in heated, very humid greenhouses or simply in much hotter parts (like Florida, for example) and will have more difficulty transitioning to indoor conditions. This is particularly the case with things like Licuala grandis, which always look perfect in the shop but go downhill rapidly when people take them home a lot of the time. That is not to say it can't be done, and of course you will get a recognisable palm rather than a blade of grass for however many years. It also depends what you want to grow.

All my palms have been bought as tiny seedlings or grown from seed; I don't think I've ever bought a big one.

[JohnAndSancho]

Depends on how long you want to wait. Also keep in mind there's no guarantee seed germinates, and tiny seedlings are incredibly vulnerable to "damping off," and dying before they even get a chance. From someone who's currently doing both? I'd buy existing plants for the ones you really want, and get some seeds to go along with it if you really want to. 

[happypalms]

Good question I buy both seeds and plants. Seeds are a great way to get a lot of palms  and rare ones if you can find them, and cheaper than buying individual rare palms.  It also depends on how common the palms are or how rare they are. Odds on the rarer variety’s you might get seeds, but you can come across rare palms your after but will pay a lot more . It’s a collectors world out there for palms. Be prepared to spend either way if you want that exotic palm collection, seeds are not always available and if they are how well will they germinate. Good luck!

[Hu Palmeras]

I like it by seed. They have a beautiful way of giving life. It's another method and it's an art. You heard it, gentlemen. It's more professional and you learn a lot more. Come on, gentlemen, germinate your seeds.

[Harry’s Palms]

I am guilty of both . I get seeds from palms in my collection as well as from other collections . I have never purchased seeds. Most of my palms came from collectors , purchased as seedlings . The common palms I bought very small from nurseries , occasionally from big box stores. I seem to have (lately) gotten the germinating bug , so I am germinating various seeds now . I already have quite a nice collection of palms , some are getting big . I have been collecting palms for about 35 years. If you are starting out , I would buy from private collectors if at all possible . Usually they sell to the palm folks at a reasonable price and you get an opportunity to acquire palms you aren’t going to easily find anywhere else. In NY , the chances are slim , but here in SoCal there are a few private growers. Harry

[PlanterPalm]

On 10/1/2025 at 2:37 PM, PalmsandLiszt said:

Seed-grown palms will tend to better acclimate to domestic indoor conditions, at the cost of a great deal of patience and delayed gratification, however.

Mass-grown nursery palms are raised either in heated, very humid greenhouses or simply in much hotter parts (like Florida, for example) and will have more difficulty transitioning to indoor conditions. This is particularly the case with things like Licuala grandis, which always look perfect in the shop but go downhill rapidly when people take them home a lot of the time. That is not to say it can't be done, and of course you will get a recognisable palm rather than a blade of grass for however many years. It also depends what you want to grow.

All my palms have been bought as tiny seedlings or grown from seed; I don't think I've ever bought a big one.

Im very impatient but Palms are my adhd plants so either way Id love them either way. Ig for some of the slow growers Id buy from stores but when I say Id buy I mean Id buy them small with a small trunk. Its the waiting that would really kill me. But I think I may germinate a few like maybe a washingtonia robusta for example

[PlanterPalm]

11 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

I am guilty of both . I get seeds from palms in my collection as well as from other collections . I have never purchased seeds. Most of my palms came from collectors , purchased as seedlings . The common palms I bought very small from nurseries , occasionally from big box stores. I seem to have (lately) gotten the germinating bug , so I am germinating various seeds now . I already have quite a nice collection of palms , some are getting big . I have been collecting palms for about 35 years. If you are starting out , I would buy from private collectors if at all possible . Usually they sell to the palm folks at a reasonable price and you get an opportunity to acquire palms you aren’t going to easily find anywhere else. In NY , the chances are slim , but here in SoCal there are a few private growers. Harry

Theres one store near me with mainly spindles, ladys and a few multi trunked pygmy dates. He has from babies to 7+ footers. when I do buy Id start small like a small trunk established with a  few leaves coming out. If I lived in the south and had a forever home id most def germ but I may do a bit of both

[JohnAndSancho]

1 hour ago, PlanterPalm said:

Theres one store near me with mainly spindles, ladys and a few multi trunked pygmy dates. He has from babies to 7+ footers. when I do buy Id start small like a small trunk established with a  few leaves coming out. If I lived in the south and had a forever home id most def germ but I may do a bit of both

Do both. Seed growing anything, even a Washie, you're gonna be looking at blades of grass for a while - and that's assuming they sprout, then I'm gonna be honest with you - some of your sprouts are going to die. But the biggest palms you can afford and have room for, Barrina and Sansi LEDs are really nice. I bought GE a while ago but the Sansi are nice and have a 5 year warranty. The clip on LEDs with the swivel heads are worthless. Check my threads and check out my Palm Condo™. If you've got an extra room, check out my YouTube and see what I'm doing back there. Link in my profile. 

[PlanterPalm]

17 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Do both. Seed growing anything, even a Washie, you're gonna be looking at blades of grass for a while - and that's assuming they sprout, then I'm gonna be honest with you - some of your sprouts are going to die. But the biggest palms you can afford and have room for, Barrina and Sansi LEDs are really nice. I bought GE a while ago but the Sansi are nice and have a 5 year warranty. The clip on LEDs with the swivel heads are worthless. Check my threads and check out my Palm Condo™. If you've got an extra room, check out my YouTube and see what I'm doing back there. Link in my profile. 

I know, emotionally preparing for when maybe 1 out of like 40 sprouts but im just watching videos, giving myself a bit of hope. Realistically id probably buy a medium palm then try growing my own. I mean if people can do it farther north in 5 zones then I can do it here

[JohnAndSancho]

54 minutes ago, PlanterPalm said:

I know, emotionally preparing for when maybe 1 out of like 40 sprouts but im just watching videos, giving myself a bit of hope. Realistically id probably buy a medium palm then try growing my own. I mean if people can do it farther north in 5 zones then I can do it here

Prairie Palms on YouTube is @Philly J on here and I think he's in zone 2! Homey lives about 3 miles from Santa Claus and he's got quite a collection, and his plants look amazing. 

[PlanterPalm]

23 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Prairie Palms on YouTube is @Philly J on here and I think he's in zone 2! Homey lives about 3 miles from Santa Claus and he's got quite a collection, and his plants look amazing. 

IK He's my inspo to having such a large healthy variety in such a cold moderate climate

[Palmensammler]

As the number of available plants is limited in Europe, seed growing is the only way for me to get not so common palms. But even seeds are sometimes hard to find.

But its always like growing a child, the better it goes the better you feel.

Greetings Eckhard

[PalmsandLiszt]

10 hours ago, PlanterPalm said:

Im very impatient but Palms are my adhd plants so either way Id love them either way. Ig for some of the slow growers Id buy from stores but when I say Id buy I mean Id buy them small with a small trunk. Its the waiting that would really kill me. But I think I may germinate a few like maybe a washingtonia robusta for example

10 hours ago, PlanterPalm said:

Theres one store near me with mainly spindles, ladys and a few multi trunked pygmy dates. He has from babies to 7+ footers.

Washingtonia seedlings grow extremely quickly, so that's a good choice in that respect, although they need an awful lot of light, so don't tend to make good houseplants unless you have a conservatory or similar.
Hyophorbe and Rhapis do make good indoor palms but are both rather slow (particularly the latter). Pygmy dates are very easy growers but again have high light requirements. If you have somewhere with very good light from multiple directions then your choices are greatly expanded; otherwise it is generally understorey palms that will fare the best.

[PlanterPalm]

Thinking about getting a greenhouse or a makeshift and Id have the palms in therr with the growlights and my humidifier. Because winters here I mean it gets brutal

[JohnAndSancho]

5 hours ago, PlanterPalm said:

Thinking about getting a greenhouse or a makeshift and Id have the palms in therr with the growlights and my humidifier. Because winters here I mean it gets brutal

I've seen all kinds of news stories about Buffalo before football games and the citizens clearing snow in the stadium and the street and even getting players to the stadium for games. Some very dedicated fans, and no folding table is safe in Orchard Park. I know nothing about trying to grow palms there though! 

[PalmatierMeg]

Have you considered using plastic soda/water bottles, cut off tops, punch drain holes in the bottom? Most palm seeds/seedlings need deep pots, esp. if they are tillering. People seem to go cheap on 4" wide x 5" deep nursery pots then only fill them half full of soil. What's that about? Give them room to germinate & grow.