When you buy palm seeds...

[Phoenikakias]

do you usually dissect a small sample to check their condition?

[Harry’s Palms]

I just stick them in soil or plant them in the garden . I haven’t purchased any , I just gather from generous collectors. Harry

[mnorell]

I'm kind of in Harry's camp, and I know some people do dissect seeds but it's a bit of trouble for many of us to do that (and to correctly interpret the condition of the endosperm)...I have found that the best results come from known sources, such as palm-knowledgeable collectors. Most of the seeds available from general seed-vendors online are dead-and-gone to begin with. Some of the orthodox types like Phoenix may still be okay, but you might want to research what's orthodox or recalcitrant before plunking down your hard-earned money. Try to find reliable people, IPS members or otherwise, who will share or sell to you and you can probably forego the dissection issues. I expect that RPS will stand behind their seed and you are in the EU so don't have the nightmare issues we do importing seed into the USA. I have seen it stated in various threads over the years here to buy only seed listed as "NEW" on their site for near-guaranteed results...not sure if that's a valid standard to use or not, as I've never purchased from them. Are there any other knowledgeable and reliable commercial palm-seed vendors in Europe in addition to RPS? I never see anyone discussing anybody else.

[Las Palmas Norte]

Float or sink test.

[happypalms]

No I don’t, luck of the draw as it goes. Spend close to $3000 grand on sabinara seeds and one is not going to play coroner on those rare beauties. If they are quality seeds you can tell pretty well much straight away. Sometimes you get beautiful looking seeds and nothing germinates. 
One example 300 triphylla seeds one lot in a styrofoam box and the other lot in a community pot, nothing germinating in the styrofoam box but the community pot all germinated. So you could say technique or even grower mistake with to wet a mix or something just right  in the community pot. You just can’t tell until they pop up, and knowing my luck a pack of ten seeds and I go and cut up the only living seed in that pack 🌱

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

2 hours ago, happypalms said:

No I don’t, luck of the draw as it goes. Spend close to $3000 grand on sabinara seeds and one is not going to play coroner on those rare beauties. If they are quality seeds you can tell pretty well much straight away. Sometimes you get beautiful looking seeds and nothing germinates. 
One example 300 triphylla seeds one lot in a styrofoam box and the other lot in a community pot, nothing germinating in the styrofoam box but the community pot all germinated. So you could say technique or even grower mistake with to wet a mix or something just right  in the community pot. You just can’t tell until they pop up, and knowing my luck a pack of ten seeds and I go and cut up the only living seed in that pack 🌱

Is it possible the outgassing of the Styrofoam gases into the soil killed or prevented the germination? 

[happypalms]

9 hours ago, Jeff zone 8 N.C. said:

Is it possible the outgassing of the Styrofoam gases into the soil killed or prevented the germination? 

Not that iam aware off, I know what you’re talking about it’s never happened before!