Germinating palm tree seeds,Growing palm trees from seeds

Growing up I have always loved the beach,sand,fishing at the beach,girls at the beach(wink), the tropical atmosphere, but there is 1 main thing about the beach that has captivated me the most...PALM TREES! I have always wanted to buy a palm tree but the bigger they are the pricier they get. I was in my office one day (my Garden) thinking about how I would just love to be at the beach then it hit me, since I can't go why now bring my favorite part of the beach to me! I got online and started researching cold hardy palms to see which Varieties could thrive in my area, and to my delight I found that many different varieties could grow and thrive here in NC. I have always wanted to go to Southern California so I could be amongst the very large California Fan Palms (Washingtonia filifera) so I ordered 50 seeds for $6. Surely if I could grow tomatoes I could grow a palm tree right? RIGHT! I not only grew 1, I now have 48 1 foot California Fan Palm seedlings. It was quite easy too! If you have a love for palms like me then im going to tell you how to germinate the palm seeds.

Step 1

Research palms that will thrive in your growing zone. There are over 18,000 different varieties of palms. There are many to choose from

Step 2

Order your seeds from a reputable seed broker, I used Ebay and Seedrack.com and was very pleased with my seeds and their service.

Step 3

When you receive your seeds in the mail, remove the seeds from the packet. Get a small bowl fill it with water, pour the seeds inside the bowl of water and give them the "float test". If any of the seeds float to the top then the seeds are not any good and they will not germinate. remove the seeds that float from the bowl, leaving the rest of the seeds at the bottom of the bowl. Let the seeds soak for 24-48 hrs,soaking them first will help jump start germination.

Step 4

After you soak your seeds for 24-48 hours take the seeds from the bowl. Get a gallon sized ziploc bag and fill it with a citrus,palm and cactus potting soil (regular potting soil will not work). make sure the soil is moist, grab a handful and if you can squeeze 2 drops out it is perfect,if you squeeze a lot of water out then its to much. Lay the bag on the table open it and place the seeds in the soil with your finger. Give the seeds a good amount of space so when the roots start growing they don't get tangled and make root spaghetti.

Step 5

It usually takes 4-6 weeks for the seeds to germinate and sprout, although it could take two years. When your new little palm seedlings sprout and grow their second to third set of leaves it it time to transplant it to a pot with the same type medium you used in the ziploc bag.

Step 6

Palms are slow growing so just care for the plant and it could grow around a for a year, it varies by the variety.

You're done! This is a very fun and rewarding plant to grow from seed, Im sure you will enjoy it as much as I have.