With most
palms, propagation from
seed is not difficult as long as a few basic
requirements are met. Among the most important are fresh seed, good
sanitation, proper
medium, proper
hydration, and adequate
heat.
Fresh Seed
The fresher the seeds are, the better the results will be. To check the freshness of your seeds, cut open a sample seed and inspect the
endosperm and embryo. The embryo should be fresh, firm, and not discolored. If the
interior of the seed is rotten or has an unpleasant odor, it is unlikely to germinate. The
endosperm is of two types, homogeneous or ruminate, and may be hard, oily, or even hollow.
If the inside of a homogeneous seed is off-color, such as brown or gray, or if it smells
bad, the seed is old or was harvested before maturity. Such seeds are also unlikely to
germinate. In a ruminate seed, the seed coat is infolded, creating dark, tangled streaks
in the endosperm. Ruminate seed is more difficult to assess because of its more complex
appearance.
Removing the Fruit Pulp
The fleshy or fibrous fruit pulp frequently contains growth inhibitors. Removing it
before planting will improve results. Methods for doing this vary with the quantity and
type of seeds, but most begin with a preliminary 48-72-hour soak in water. Soaking causes
the pulp to ferment, which weakens it for easier removal. Change the water daily during
the soak. Fruit that is slightly immature should be placed in a tightly closed plastic bag
and kept in a warm spot for a week or so. This promotes ripening and softens the outer
flesh for cleaning. Sometimes the seeds need to be soaked further to soften the pulp,
sometimes not.
There are several ways to remove the seed coat. With small quantities of seeds, simply
rub them by hand against a fine-meshed screen and wash away the pulp with water. Another
way that works well with small amounts of seed is to shake them by hand in a closed
container with water and small, rough-edged rocks. Pour off the water and pulp
occasionally, add more water and shake again, until the seeds are completely clean. Seeds
can also be cleaned with a knife or other sharp tool, but this is slow and a little
dangerous.
Motorized cleaning devices make the job easier and are a necessity for commercial
operations. For smaller quantities, use a rock tumbler. Put rocks and water inside with
the seeds. Larger seed-cleaning machines can be purchased or fabricated. Some large-scale
growers and seed dealers use cement mixers to do the job. The seeds are rotated in the
drum for 10-45 minutes with water and rough-edged rocks of 7-10 cm. The time will vary
with the machine and the type of seed and rocks. Some seeds are brittle, and without
proper care may be damaged by power cleaning. Among large-seeded palms, Actinorhytis is
particularly brittle and prone to damage, and many smaller seeds, such as Pinanga, must
also be handled with care. When cleaning seeds, remember that the flesh of some types
contain crystals of calcium oxalate, a skin irritant that can cause severe pain on
contact, depending on the individual's sensitivity. For this reason, Ptychosperma, Arenga,
Caryota, and Wallichia should be handled with care.
Sanitation
Damaging insects such as seed-boring beetles may arrive with seeds. They may reduce
germination and spread to other seed batches. To minimize these risks, seeds collected
from the ground, whether in the wild or from cultivated plants, and seeds collected under
unknown conditions should be soaked in a contact insecticide solution once the fruit pulp
has been removed. The insecticide solution should be prepared at the same concentration
you would use to spray for pests. Soak small, thinner-shelled seed, such as Pinanga, for
15 minutes. Soak larger, harder and less permeable seeds longer, from 20 to 45 minutes.
Examples of these latter seeds are Mauritia flexuosa, Bismarckia nobilis, Parajubaea
cocoides, and Jubaea child. After the insecticide soak, rinse the seeds in clean water for
20 minutes. |
After cleaning the seeds, hydrate them by soaking them in water for 24 hours,
especially if you did not soak them to help remove the pulp. Within 24 hours most fresh,
viable seeds will sink. There are exceptions such as Manicaria saccifera and Metroxylon
vitiense, whose viable seed will float even after cleaning and soaking.
Whether or not to discard a batch of heavily infested, damaged seeds depends on their
rarity and your ability to get more. For very rare seeds, when even a single germination
could be valuable, plant it. Remember, however, with heavily infested seeds, especially in
large quantities, there is the danger of introducing pests into your nursery. Balance this
risk against the desirability of propagating the seeds and follow the treatment procedures
described above.
Fungi flourish in the heat and humidity necessary for good germination, so equipment,
fixtures, seeds and growing medium must be kept clean to prevent damping-off and other
disease problems. You may want to soak seed in a fungicide before planting.
Planting Medium
Germinate the easy varieties in a commercial mix of peat moss or sterile sphagnum moss
mixed with an equal amount of perlite or vermiculite. You may also use commercially
prepared, finely cut coconut coir to which the same fast-draining material has been added.
Sand, wood chips, screened rock or volcanic cinder screened to a maximum size of 9 mm can
substitute for vermiculite or perlite. Whatever you use, the medium should be very porous
and drain extremely well. All containers should have plenty of holes in the bottom to
ensure quick and thorough drainage.
When containers and planting medium are ready, lay out the seeds on the surface, and
before covering them, dust with a commercial insecticide. Bury the seeds in the medium to
a depth of half the seed diameter and then cover everything with finely screened cinder
(3-6 mm particle size), thick enough so it will not wash away during watering. This
top-dressing dries out quickly and discourages the moss that grows on peat. Sand or finely
crushed rock would work just as well. When planting is complete, place the containers on
clean benches, 60-90 cm above the ground. Be sure to label your containers with a
waterproof and fade-proof marker.
Palm seeds known as remote germinators may require special treatment and a little extra
patience. Remote germinators push a shoot downwards as much as 20-25 cm before sending up
the first leaf. The larger ones such as Voanioala and Borassodendron, should be
planted in deep containers such as citrus bags or large tubs, or be transferred to such
containers soon after germination. If seeds and seedlings can be protected, the collector
may want to plant large remote-germinators directly in the ground. |
Easy Germinators
- Dypsis decaryi
- Pinanga kuhlii
- Pinanga crassipes
- Archontophoenix alexandrae
- Chamaedorea elegans
- Chambeyronia macrocarpa
- Licuala grandis
- Veitchia joannis
- Washingtonia filifera
|
Difficult Germinators
- Basselinia species
- Parajubaea cocoides
- Neoveitchia storckii
- Jubaeopsis caffra
- Jubaea chilensis
- Lavoixia macrocarpa
- Physokentia insolita
- Pseudophoenix species
- Rhopalostylis baueri
- Howea fosteriana
- Voanioala gerardii
|
Hydration and Heat
At this point, the most important factor in seed germination is proper hydration,
followed by constant high heat. Maintaining proper hydration is the trickiest of the two.
Water your containers thoroughly, but just as important, let them dry out thoroughly
before watering again. Over-hydration can drastically reduce the germination percentage.
Once seeds begin to germinate, the containers will require more frequent watering. Seeds
should be kept at 26-35'C. Some growers provide constant bottom heat by means of electric
pads on their benches.
Difficult-to-Germinate Seeds
For difficult seeds and rare seeds, the most reliable method of germination is the
Plastic Bag Method. For this method, seeds are blanketed in damp sphagnum moss and
germinated in zipper-type, re-sealable plastic bags. Thoroughly saturate the sphagnum moss
with water and wring it until no more can be expressed. Place the seeds and the sphagnum
moss inside the plastic bags (along with a label) and keep the bags at 26-35'C. Check inside the bags periodically to ensure that the sphagnum has not dried out.
Once seeds have germinated, place them in community or individual pots
containing the potting mix described above and the quick-drying top-dressing. When
transferring germinating seeds from the relatively sanitary conditions inside the bags to
pots containing ordinary medium, treat them to a precautionary fungicide drench.
Germination setups can also be improvised from plastic foam boxes with tight fitting lids,
such as are used to pack fish or fruit. Fill the boxes '/3 full of fine perlite pieces and
lay the seeds on top. Use a hand mister to dampen thoroughly the seeds and perlite,
replace the lid and place the box in a warm location. These germination boxes are
space-savers, because they can be stacked. The tight-fitting lids help keep out fungus and
insects, but the boxes should be checked periodically for hydration and germination.
A final method (if it can be called a method) is simply to germinate the seed on the
ground in an out-of-the-way part of the greenhouse or garden. Growers have had good
results this way with Pelagodoxa henryana, Jubaea chilensis, and some Acrocomia species.
Discarded seed has also been found germinating in many a surprised grower's compost pile. |
sources: myself, Ed Green, Jeff Marcus, Floribunda Plants and Exotics, Ken Banks, Copyright © 1999 The International Palm Society, Reprinted with permission from the April 1999 issue of Palms.