Growing a Date Palm from seed

[tahir_phoenix]

These look healthy Riz - I tried to put mine outside but the wind convinced me to take them back inside :)

Did ur mecca dates sprout anything yet???

[Riz]

^

i have one growing really well ( mecca date)

[edibles]

update on new one

[tahir_phoenix]

This is a good example of the remote germination :GreenThumbs:

How many have you got now??

[edibles]

^^4 that one the one with the leaf and 2 more smaller ones which were very small, but now they started growing again, I shouldn't of planted them outside.

[edibles]

these were all planted in april and early may except the big one. so I wont start any palms till next season so they have far more growing season to develop

[tahir_phoenix]

Came across this article and my eyes were :eek:

http://www.growingontheedge.net/viewtopic.php?t=3377

I need this palm in my garden - in fact this is my idea of a REAL exotic garden, mine is humble in comparison, inshallah one day I will get there :o

If anyone can read spanish please tell me what it says under the pictures!

[edibles]

I have come across this before

the spanish
-1:this is the first known photograph of the imperial palm. was probably made between 1840 and 1845.
The characters that accompany them are, then its owner Chaplain brown and her niece

2:1910. Chaplain Castano poses next to his famous palm

3: The imperial palm in 1915, in the attachment of its beauty and perfect harmony to their feet Chaplain Castano with the Duke and his family be

Google translator

[edibles]

what a difference two months make. this is one of my bigger success stories:)

[edibles]

third leaf is out i will post pix soon

[Tania]

Looking at your pics Edible i realise my date seeds germinated. The plant its only at the second leaf.

[edibles]

finally got off my behind
sorry about the flash it looks unatural

[edibles]

i really should bring this in now shouldnt I?
Anyone reckon the and unheated shed would be warm enough(it has one window)

[Riz]

Hmm try it in the shed but keep an eye on it :)

[Tania]

I left the date palm out in the garden covered with soil. I will remove the soil from the 2 leafs only in may. Lets see if will survive.

[Riz]

sorry about the quality of the pics.. my 3 date palm seedlings are doing quite well indoors :)... :tree-huggin:

[~Obsidian~]

They're quite hardy and low maintenance, aren't they? How did I come to this conclusion?.............Well, mine are still alive! :happy1: :p

[edibles]

the are hardy but prefer drier climes

[Riz]

two of my date palm seedlings, they certainly grow slow LOL

[~Obsidian~]

How tall are they now Riz? I see one has a slightly burnt tip, mine do too. They look pretty much the same as the last time you saw them, albeit they might have a few more leaves (and still skinny). What are the skinny bits at the bottom of the second palm?

[felicity]

I am so tempted to try growing these plants after reading this.
How are your plants doing now? Do you have to bring them indoor in winter? If so can they be left in a shed?

[Riz]

is the shed warm in the evenings and does it have light during the day ?

i keep mine on the windowsills :)


ps.. welcome to muslimgrower felicty :)

[felicity]

is the shed warm in the evenings and does it have light during the day ?

i keep mine on the windowsills :)


ps.. welcome to muslimgrower felicty :)

Thanks for welcome Riz,
Don't think the shed will be warm, I am trying to germinate them and just left them on kitchen windowsill, will also keep them on windowsills in winter.

[memyself_and_i]

i tried to grow them they got roots and i put them in soil and nothing happened :( what went wrong

[Riz]

takes a while for them to pop out, how long has it been ?

[pwr_wrx]

I love growing palms but they take FOREVER...same thing with me..i almost gave up...well i actually did but then a few weeks later it sprouted a leaf!!! I had stopped watering it completely..

The first time i did it was in a pot outside...i put a bunch of seeds and after a long time after i gave up one sprouted...

Second time i put them in vermiculite and a couple of them rooted....so i put them in a small compost container and have been waiting for maybe two months and havent seen anything..i think ive been watering them too much..need to leave them alone...but i have a bunch more in vermiculite right now..

Heres my medjool palm :) How long before it starts growing?? its been like this for months...any ideas??

[rubmanhayat]

In Bahrain I've seen palm trees hardly 10 ft with dates on 'em. I guess they are dwarfs. It's 100 F easy everyday there. So I'd say you'd need high temp with lots of sunlight :)

[~Obsidian~]

I love growing palms but they take FOREVER...same thing with me..i almost gave up...well i actually did but then a few weeks later it sprouted a leaf!!! I had stopped watering it completely..

The first time i did it was in a pot outside...i put a bunch of seeds and after a long time after i gave up one sprouted...

Second time i put them in vermiculite and a couple of them rooted....so i put them in a small compost container and have been waiting for maybe two months and havent seen anything..i think ive been watering them too much..need to leave them alone...but i have a bunch more in vermiculite right now..

Heres my medjool palm :) How long before it starts growing?? its been like this for months...any ideas??

Masha'Allah, looks nice and healthy. When I grew them I had two sets, one set in a pot and one in a bottle. I think that because the taproots of the ones in the bottle got to grow really long, the leaves themselves grew quite tall, whilst the ones in the pot were opposite (even though the roots curled around and around the bottom).

So perhaps you need a really large pot.

[pwr_wrx]

Masha'Allah, looks nice and healthy. When I grew them I had two sets, one set in a pot and one in a bottle. I think that because the taproots of the ones in the bottle got to grow really long, the leaves themselves grew quite tall, whilst the ones in the pot were opposite (even though the roots curled around and around the bottom).

So perhaps you need a really large pot.

I have it in a pretty big pot..but i guess the root might be all the way to the bottom...but i have seen much bigger palms in much smaller pots...

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/palms/msg0111012223814.html

my pot is much bigger than the ones in the link and theirs are much much bigger :0002:

[Riz]

^ its about the quality of light and heat... get yourself an indoor grow light, this way you can grow what you want whenever you want, you can control the environment, water, air, light, heat... please take a look in the indoor section of the forum and you will see :)

[pwr_wrx]

My date palm is starting to grow another leaf...finally!!!!!

[samcanbe]

Hey Fellow MG-ers :)

So, I managed to sprout ~10-15 Madina dates in December last year :eek: . Now, they all have this 'thing' emerging from the soil and to me, it looks neither like a true root nor a leaf... what the heck is it? :confused:

I am guessing it is part of the root? eventhough it continues to get longer and stick out of the soil.....because when I put it under the lights, it sort of dehydrated and shriveled.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5250/5330963218_d5282c01cb.jpg

[Riz]

isnt it the actual date kernel?

[samcanbe]

well, the black/brown bit, yes, it is the actual kernel :rolleyes:

The white-Green-ish stem like protrusion is what I am confused about :p

[Riz]

i think that maybe the stem which will evolve into a leaf.... :cigar2:

[samcanbe]

hmmm.... real interesting.

All the pictures I see on this thread and elsewhere, the leaf/blade is already well defined when it starts to emerge rather than, say 'evolve' into one from something else.

Will keep you guys posted :)

Thanks Riz

[pwr_wrx]

how did you get soooo many to sprout??? Out of 20-30 i got about 3 to germinate and only one grew leaves :scene1::down:

i think those will turn into the leaf..maybe..im sure its not the root cuz the root is white and wavy and wouldnt stick straight up like that..thats yellow green and is growing out how the leaf usually does

[pwr_wrx]

This is how the roots look like

http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk/pictures/Small%20Screen%20Res/Date%20Palm%20seed%20germination.jpg

[pwr_wrx]

Heres what yours looks like..its a diff palm seed but still a palm :)

http://bcpalms.com/_Photos/Palm/butia%20x%20jubaea%20-%202%20months%20since%20germination.jpg

http://bcpalms.com/_Photos/Palm/Jub%20x%20Butia%203%20Feb%2027%2007.jpg


http://bcpalms.com/_Photos/Palm/Butia%20X%20Jub%202%20Feb%2027%2007.jpg

http://bcpalms.com/palms.htm

[samcanbe]

how did you get soooo many to sprout??? Out of 20-30 i got about 3 to germinate and only one grew leaves :scene1::down:

i think those will turn into the leaf..maybe..im sure its not the root cuz the root is white and wavy and wouldnt stick straight up like that..thats yellow green and is growing out how the leaf usually does

Hi pwr_wrx,

I am not quite sure... I just ate the fruit (mind you, it was sitting in the freezer for a good several years before being thawed this past Ramadan), soaked the seeds in warm water for a few days and just half buried them in wet vermiculite in a box. Placed the box over the central heating vent... it took around 3 weeks for them to germinate.

I guess you are right, re the photo I posted, i see something green now extending from that shoot-like structure. Hopefully its a leaf :cheerleader:

Samie

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5209/5360591951_754304a88c.jpg

[pwr_wrx]

any updated pics?

[Riz]

yeah.. update please ???

[samcanbe]

And after ~ month's time... here are how my babies look like :)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5174/5445451531_82ece80bf2.jpg

[Riz]

very nice....

you gonna separate them at some point!!!?

[samcanbe]

Yup, definitely... once they are in active growing phase i.e. mid spring to early summer, will move each to its own pot.

How are your date plants/"tree-lets" doing? :)

[pwr_wrx]

they are growing so quick!! my inlaws went for hajj and brought back many dates and want me to germinate them...any tips? i havent been able to germinate the last couple batches i did :(

[Riz]

well what i did was soak them overnight and then wrap them in damp tissue paper and then put them inside a plastic tupperware container and left it on the windowsill and got most of them to germinate. :)

[Riz]

Yup, definitely... once they are in active growing phase i.e. mid spring to early summer, will move each to its own pot.

How are your date plants/"tree-lets" doing? :)

Not bad at all, nearly a foot long and skinny as anything, indoors at the moment and lack of light has made them a bit wrinkly but still alive..

my camera busted in December thats why i have not posted any recent pics, but i am looking for a new one maybe get one real soon so ill show ya the pics :)

[samcanbe]

well what i did was soak them overnight and then wrap them in damp tissue paper and then put them inside a plastic tupperware container and left it on the windowsill and got most of them to germinate. :)

What Riz said, plus:
1) I left it soaking for a few days actually... water change daily
2) I used perlite instead of papertowel
3) Just buried the seeds in moist perlite, in a plastic bag, right next to the heating vent
4) And Walla! in 2 weeks, they are sprouted, almost all of them.

[pwr_wrx]

Going to try again :)

got two different types of dates..medjool and another..dont remember the name though...soaked them for 2-3 days and cleaned the flesh off...using the paper towel method this time...didnt have too much luck with vermiculite last time..so lets see what happens

[Riz]

keep misting the tissue paper incase they dry out if youre not using tupperware container...

[pwr_wrx]

Its in tupperwear so it should be good, but wouldn't this be more prone to mold since it's constantly wet? I cleaned the last batch really well and still got mold. I hope this one doesn't get mold. Also, other sites say you dont need much water when germinating dates, but this method will keep them constantly moist. Well I hope they all germinate. I'm going to take a look today after I get home ;)

also once they germinate: What should I plant them in and how. Some people bury them fully and some leave them half way out. Last time I got 2-3 to germinate in vermiculite, but then when I put them in compost they never grew ;( So I'm thinking to use soil this time??

[~Obsidian~]

I used compost, although I think I mixed it with the compost from an old aloe plant which may have had a special potting mix...but that was only one of them, the other was standard compost. Perhaps you should germinate them in compost?

[Riz]

Its in tupperwear so it should be good, but wouldn't this be more prone to mold since it's constantly wet? I cleaned the last batch really well and still got mold. I hope this one doesn't get mold. Also, other sites say you dont need much water when germinating dates, but this method will keep them constantly moist. Well I hope they all germinate. I'm going to take a look today after I get home ;)

also once they germinate: What should I plant them in and how. Some people bury them fully and some leave them half way out. Last time I got 2-3 to germinate in vermiculite, but then when I put them in compost they never grew ;( So I'm thinking to use soil this time??

you need to air them, out too, by taking the lid of the container for a few hours daily so the air can chase away the mould...

[samcanbe]

Its in tupperwear so it should be good, but wouldn't this be more prone to mold since it's constantly wet? I cleaned the last batch really well and still got mold. I hope this one doesn't get mold. Also, other sites say you dont need much water when germinating dates, but this method will keep them constantly moist. Well I hope they all germinate. I'm going to take a look today after I get home ;)

also once they germinate: What should I plant them in and how. Some people bury them fully and some leave them half way out. Last time I got 2-3 to germinate in vermiculite, but then when I put them in compost they never grew ;( So I'm thinking to use soil this time??


This is how look at it, it is desert plant/tree, in most classes and therefore, related to cacti.

So, I looked for horticulture sand (to mix with vermiculite) but could find a small bag with an affordable price tag. Thence, I plant them in cacti soil mix!
and they seem be doing good now :)

Sincerely,

Samie

PS: talking of palm, last weekend I picked up a glory palm in 5 gallon bucket for only $5! (reduced for clearance from $45!)

[pwr_wrx]

I went through them and whichever ones had mold i wiped off...one of em has a little root growing out :) heres a pic

[Riz]

air them out everyday for a few hours, just take lid off of the container...

[~Obsidian~]

I went through them and whichever ones had mold i wiped off...one of em has a little root growing out :) heres a pic

Happy days! :D

[pwr_wrx]

I left em open for a few hrs n sprayed em with water a little bit cuz the paper towel was dryed out. I'll upload a more updated pic today

[pwr_wrx]

Heres a update. All the germinated ones have been planted :)

Heres a few that germinated

[pwr_wrx]

Heres a update on my palm...almost a year old

[pwr_wrx]

Heres some more dates ive germinated...before i could barely get any to germinate and now i have too many too keep track of :)

heres a few ajwa and medool dates ive germinated

[pwr_wrx]

Riz...any updates on your date palms?

[pwr_wrx]

heres some more updates..my palm is starting to grow faster and faster now :) yay

[joshallan86]

Hello Everyone,

I live in Sunny Tampa Fl where we aren't strangers to palms! I have just started germinating Medjool Date Palm seeds that I actually collected at work. The landscaping people had just come that afternoon and the fruit was on the ground. I cut them out of the fruit and soaked them in water until i got home and then I planted them in pot. 4 days later I dug them up to see if there was any progress and to my surprise, all 4 of them had already started rooting!! I have since then been reading this thread and I think I should replant them into a mixture of sand and dirt. Currently, they are planted in a medium sized pot with dirt from the store. What are your guys' thoughts on replanting them in a mixture.

Also, I have a palm that I have been growing from seed for about 1 year now and I have no idea what kind of palm it is. I'm going to post a picture tonight and I'm hoping that someone will be able to help identify it.

I noticed that there really hasn't been much activity in this thread in a while. I would love to see some updates and see the progress and success people have been having.

thanks!

[Riz]

welcome to MG forums joshallan,

yes sandy mixture is good...

[joshallan86]

I started growing this Palm about a year ago from seed and I have no clue what type of palm this is. Is there anyone that could possibly shed some light on what kind of palm this is? :ty:
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu57/joshallan1986/IMG_1308.jpghttp://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu57/joshallan1986/IMG_1307.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu57/joshallan1986/IMG_1303.jpg

[joshallan86]

I started growing these seeds about 3 weeks ago, here is the progress so far! I'm really excited about what I see so far, but I was curious as to what I can expect in the weeks/months to come!

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu57/joshallan1986/IMG_1305.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu57/joshallan1986/IMG_1306.jpg

[pwr_wrx]

Heres a update on my medjool palm..almost 2 years old now :) once the temps got up to 110F then it really started growing fast...i think they grow faster as they get older too...so I'm liking the progress

[Riz]

its branching out slowly :)

[pwr_wrx]

yep...cant wait till it gets bigger :)

anyone else have any progress pics

[Foreveryoung]

yep...cant wait till it gets bigger :)

anyone else have any progress pics


AOA

I sowed 7 Date seeds in the month of Ramadan and spotted this beautiful looking thing this evening :)

so 1 out of 7 .............. i am happy for tht even.


http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss217/AyeshaUK2009/Dates/DSCN1216.jpg

[Foreveryoung]

this is what I sowed in August.....

[Riz]

thats a cool pic of the seedling growing ash :) maybe the rest of the kernels you sowed might show soon enough to !!!

[Foreveryoung]

thats a cool pic of the seedling growing ash :) maybe the rest of the kernels you sowed might show soon enough to !!!

iA
I hope the same. Sowed my herbs in the same patch near it. Let's see.

[pwr_wrx]

when i planted several in a pot i only got 1 to germinate..but i tried the paper baggie method and i always get at least 95% germination

[Foreveryoung]

^ what's paper baggie method ? :unsure

[pwr_wrx]

Get some tupperwear or a ziplock bag and put the date seeds in a a moist paper towel and keep it in the ziplock or tupperwear...and it will provide moisture for the seeds to germinate..eventually they will start to getminate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChuF0vSeIWQ

[pwr_wrx]

Start reading from page 30..i have pics and info on the ones i germinated via paper baggie method

[pwr_wrx]

I got some seeds from a texas sabal palm when i went to florida and i germinated them :) heres a pic

[Riz]

^nice..

[stylemichelle21]

Get some tupperwear or a ziplock bag and put the date seeds in a a moist paper towel and keep it in the ziplock or tupperwear...and it will provide moisture for the seeds to germinate..eventually they will start to getminate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChuF0vSeIWQ


That's an extremely well done video...thanks for posting. I was thinking of trying my hand at growing these, and this is an extremely timely thread!