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Palm growing guide
Most palms are easy to start from fresh, cleaned seed if you give them steady heat, even moisture and patience, because some species sprout in two weeks and others take a year or more. This guide covers the steps that apply across the palm family, with examples from date, fan, areca and parlour palms.
Sow fresh. UF/IFAS notes that seed of some palms stays viable for only 2-3 weeks, while others keep for over a year; the RHS says viability drops after 8-16 weeks depending on species. If seed arrives in fruit, soak it until the pulp gives easily to finger pressure, then rub the pulp off; leftover pulp invites mould. Wear gloves for fishtail (Caryota) and royal palm (Roystonea) fruit, whose pulp irritates skin.
Usually not needed. For very hard seeds UF/IFAS describes abrading the seed until the endosperm just shows, and cracking the hard stone of Butia gave many more seedlings. Do not cut into the embryo.
Not needed. Palms have no cold requirement, and many tropical palm seeds lose viability when stored below about 16 °C (60 °F).
Recommended. Soak cleaned seed in water for 1-7 days, changing the water daily, and sow straight afterwards. Skip gibberellic acid: UF/IFAS advises against it because it can cause distorted, overstretched seedlings.
UF/IFAS gives 21-38 °C (70-100 °F) as the working range and 29-35 °C (85-95 °F) as probably best; the RHS recommends bottom heat of 25-30 °C (78-86 °F) for tropical species. In most of India this is simply the pre-monsoon and monsoon season outdoors; in cooler countries use a heat mat or a sealed bag in a warm place.
Cover the seed to its own depth with seed compost. Large seeds can go into a good potting mix. Never bury seedlings deeper later: UF/IFAS warns that planting even about 1.3 cm (1/2 in) too deep can set a palm back badly or kill it.
A free-draining mix such as peat (or coir) and perlite 1:1 by volume. Pots are better than shallow trays because of the deeper soil column; date, Chinese fan and Mexican fan palms push their first root and shoot deep down before a leaf appears, so give them deep pots or tubes.
Keep evenly moist from the start. Water should never stand on the surface of the mix, which leads to rot.
No light is needed to germinate. Under full sun the seed must be covered; in shade it can be sown shallowly.
Highly variable. Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta) may begin in under 2 weeks, areca palm (Dypsis lutescens) in 3-4 weeks, and parlour palm (Chamaedorea elegans) may start after several months and continue for over a year. The RHS says most species germinate in 2-3 months, some take up to two years and coconuts usually 4-8 months.
Pot up immediately after germination or after 1-2 leaves have formed, preferably in warm months. The RHS moves seedlings into 9 cm pots as soon as the first leaf appears. Handle the fleshy root carefully and set the seedling at exactly the depth it grew before.
Keep new transplants under light shade (30-50%) for several weeks until new growth shows. Do not feed for the first two months after germination, then start light feeding with a palm fertilizer. Keep the mix evenly moist; small transplanted seedlings are the stage most often lost to root rot.
Tropical palms such as areca and coconut need warmth all year; indoors the RHS asks for a winter night minimum of 10-13 °C, or 16 °C for Chamaedorea, Howea and coconut. Date and Canary palms tolerate drier air and some cold.
The RHS suggests moist compost in a sealed polythene bag in a very warm place; check weekly and pot each seed as it sprouts.
A palm grows from a single growing point. Remove only completely dead leaves, and never damage the trunk with tools or climbing spikes.
In summer keep the compost from drying out, without letting the pot stand in water; in winter let the surface dry slightly between waterings.
Sow palm seed fresh and warm, and give each species the time it needs to sprout.
Betel nuts, Areca palm SeedsAreca catechufrom 
Caryota urens Fishtail Palm SeedsCaryota urensfrom 
Chinese Fan Palm Seeds (Livistona chinensis)Livistona chinensisfrom 
Cliff date palm SeedsPhoenix rupicolafrom 
Royal palm SeedsRoystonea regiafrom It depends on the species. Mexican fan palm can start in under two weeks and areca palm in 3-4 weeks, while parlour palm may take several months and keep sprouting for over a year. Most species sprout within 2-3 months.
Yes. Remove any fruit pulp, then soak the seed in water for 1-7 days, changing the water daily, and sow straight afterwards.
Yes. Germinate the seed at 25-30 °C (78-86 °F) with bottom heat or in a sealed bag in a warm cupboard, then grow the seedling in bright, indirect light with a winter minimum of 10-13 °C.
Yes; see our separate date palm guide. A further guide covers Canary Island date palm and silver date palm (Phoenix canariensis and P. sylvestris).