Beginning the germination process! – Page 11 – Germination – PalmsNorth.com

Cameron_z6a_N.S. · 2011-01-28T23:49:38Z

I'm now starting to prepare for (hopefully) germinating quite a variety of seeds. I have somewhere around 100 different species of seed that I'll try to germinate, but I'm going to start with the seeds which I have the most of. Later on, I'll try to germinate the rest. I'll try to document the process as best as I can (ex. numbers of seed, days to first signs of germination, temp/soil, etc) throughout the coming months (or years :lol:), and hopefully this post can serve as a reference for anyone else trying to germinate the same species! I'll take some pics with my BB.I've began converting my computer room into a bit of a "germination room". Many of the seeds require heat in order to grow (sabals, etc). I looked into germination mats, but it would cost hundreds of dollars to cover a 6' x 6' area. I've ordered 24' of Flexwatt heat tape (the 11" width), as well as some dimmer switches to attach to the tape. The dimmer switches control the amount of power that goes into the heat tape, therefore controlling the temps. I'm going to cut the tape to size, lay it on the floor, and use it as a germination area. I'm also going to be trying out a product called Nitrozyme, which has been recommended by many palm websites for increased germination. To try to get a comparison of the product vs. nothing, I'll have a seperate space where I'll apply Nitrozyme to some seeds, and nothing to others. I'll check which ones germinate first, and if there seems to be any increased growth due to the product. I only have a 100 ml bottle, so I'll have to make it last! :lol: In the next post, I'll list which seeds I'll be trying first. Hopefully I'll start sowing them sometime next week!Cameron.

Cameron_z6a_N.S.

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Here's an update on my "mini Araucaria araucana forest":

While the tallest ones are around 4" tall, there are others that are still germinating!

I think right now around 200 have germinated, so it's about an 80% ratio. It's hard to see the smaller ones in these pics.

Posted : 17/02/2011 2:17 am

damir

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great cameron!!! i have some experience with araucarias. in its first year you need to spray it a lot with fungicide,every 2 weeks. fungus like to kill them when young. from about 30 seeds i got, just 6 stay alive. remember, every 2 weeks. now you should replant it. so that each has its own pot. and they dont like overplanting. they are cold hardy to -20C. i have one 2 year old seedling outdoor , planted last summer outside. and listen what happend. around xmass time, neighbour's kids had firework and one firecracker hit my araucaria and it's top went off. but it is still alive. lowest temp this year here was -13C. lot of days around -10. even few weeks with no temps above 0 C, and it looks good.

barb,yes in that pic is needle palm not n.r.. sorry, i didnt see.

regards

http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/14279.html

Posted : 17/02/2011 3:47 am

canadianplant

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Wow cameron, those are picking up FAST

"The definition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results" - einstien

Check out my new Blog! http://canadianplant.wordpress.com/

Posted : 17/02/2011 8:08 am

lucky1

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Great forest, Cameron.

Bet you're planning on getting these potted up and outdoors asap.
You do have a garden??? or an apartment? :happy4:

damir, no problem...the seed ID was the only thing I was sure of.

Barb

If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.

Posted : 17/02/2011 10:20 am

Cameron_z6a_N.S.

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Thanks for the advice, Damir!

Barb, I have a garden/backyard. I'm sure a few of them will find their way there sooner or later 😆

Posted : 17/02/2011 2:39 pm

TimMAz6

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Hi Cameron,

looks like a great cold hardiness test is coming with all those seedlings. The one I have tends to brown out every winter unless I protect.

Posted : 17/02/2011 10:56 pm

Cameron_z6a_N.S.

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Tim, I'm going to have to make sure they're well-sited! Hopefully that can help them out a bit in the winter.

I spent around 3 hours today removing the fruit from some sabal + trachy seeds. They're soaking now:

Going from left to right: T. fortunei "Tesan, South Mountain", T. fortunei "Tesan, Cultivated", Sabal minor "Cape Hatteras", T. fortunei "Tesan, North Mountain", T. princeps, T. nova "Wide Leaf", Sabal minor, T. nova, Sabal "Louisiana", Sabal etonia. Missing from the pic are Sabal minor var. "McCurtain", and around 500 more Sabal "Louisiana" seeds.

I'm not sure whether I'll de-lid the sabal seeds. There are a few thousand of them, and I need to be spending my time getting everything else planted!

Cameron.

Posted : 17/02/2011 11:59 pm

lucky1

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Removing fruit often creates de-lidding 😉

Thanks for the new pics...oh what a job!

I've planted 40 T.princeps in two community pots (ice cream buckets) without waiting for all of them to pop after sanding.
Think they're as fresh as your seeds.

Barb

If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.

Posted : 18/02/2011 11:03 am

Cameron_z6a_N.S.

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Your princeps seeds are from Garry too, right? His seed always seems to be quite fresh!

Posted : 18/02/2011 1:13 pm

lucky1

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Yes, from Garry.
His website stated they were "ready for shipment December 25/10".

If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.

Posted : 18/02/2011 6:45 pm

Cameron_z6a_N.S.

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Quick update: I've finished de-lidding the rest of the seeds, except for B. eriospatha. Once the eriospathas are finished, all of the seeds will be planted!

Posted : 21/02/2011 12:05 am

lucky1

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