Beginners Corner

Great, you are interested in growing palms. I am sure your new hobby will bring you lots of fun and will turn out some rewarding results.

How do we start?
Palms are generally grown from seed, although certain multistemmed palms can be propagated by division of the stems.
Division of multistem palms is relatively easy. The cutting points should be treated with a fungicide and or a tree sealer to avoid infection of the roots which usually spells the end of the palm.

How to grow palms from seeds?
We must remember that the viability of palm seeds is just a few weeks. Certain species such as Areca vestiaria and Cyrtostachys lakka is maybe 2 weeks at the most. So the fresher the seeds the better the results. To start off is to collect some palm seeds from fruiting palms up or down the road if you are lucky enough to live in a place with lots of palms in the neighbourhood. If you don`t have access to seeds contact our secretary for more information.

Before you plant the seeds they must be cleaned to get better results because the outer fleshy part may have some germination inhibitor in it. A word of warning : all Caryota (fishtail) , Carpentaria, Arenga and some Chamedoreas seeds contain caustic substances that may cause skin irritation. It is therefore important to wear rubber gloves to clean seeds.
Once the seeds are clean they should be sown into a well drained medium such as coarse riversand, vermiculite, perlite , peat moss, composted bark or a combination of these mediums.
If you use river sand it is advisable to sterilize it first. You do this by pouring boiling water over the sand. Once the sand has cooled off you can plant the seeds in it. As a general rule cover the seeds about the depth of the seeds. One thing to remember which is very important that the medium is clean and sterile to avoid insect and fungus damage to the seeds. This is very important - rare seeds can be very expensive and you dont want them damaged by negligence.

The seeds are planted in a flower pot or in a clean ice cream tub - what now?
Seeds germinate better if they are kept warm, so put them in a warm place, on a window sill where they get some sun or at the back of a fridge, right above the radiator. A hot bed is of course the solution for the best results.

How do we build a hotbed?

The easiest way is to buy a 300 watt x 3 meter long heating cable from a refrigeration company.
Make a wooden box with a length of approximately 80 cm and a wdith of 55cm. The box should be about 20 cm deep. Line the box on the inside with Polystyrene foam which you can get from a hardware store. The thickness should be about 20 mm. The reason for this is to make sure the heat provided is getting to the seeds and does not radiate through the bottom or the sides of the box.
You also need a thermostat. A fishtank thermostat is great. Just make sure it has the same or a higher wattage rating than the heating cable otherwise it may burn out. Connect the thermostat and the heating cable. If you are not quite sure how to wire everything, ask your local electrician.
Fill the box about halfway with damp riversand space the heating element evenly into the box and cover the cable with about 5 cm of damp riversand. Place the fishtank thermostat in the middle of the box, but not exactly on top of the cable.

Now you are in business. Place all your seed trays on top of your hotbed which should have about 30 to 35 degrees C on the surface.
To make a hot bed more efficient make a frame with a lid over the box and cover the frame and the lid with clear plastic sheeting
During the day you should open the lid to allow fresh air to get into the box otherwise the chances to get fungul diseases are there.
Now you have to wait. Make sure you do not overwater the seeds.

The ideal situation is that the medium in which you plant the seeds should be damp but not soaking wet.
This is very important and can not be overstressed.
To grow palms from seeds requires a lot of patience. Certain seeds take their time, sometimes over a year in extreme cases. As an example Copernicia spp. germinate fast, maybe within 3 weeks, - Licualas can take up to a year.

Once the seeds have germinated they need to be planted into separate containers.
You can plant them into flowerpots or plastic bags. Don`t overpot them. There is no need to grow a tiny seedling in a 25 cm flower pot, rather take a small pot or bag and plant the seedling in there.
One should not transplant seedlings in the middle of winter. Wait until late spring or early summer as the transplanting shock might kill them if you transplant them when it is too cold.

We wish you Happy Palm Growing.