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Palm growing guide
Mexican fan palm is one of the fastest and easiest palms to raise from seed, often sprouting in about two weeks in warm conditions. This guide covers sowing, the remote germination habit, potting on and the mature height to plan for.
Remove the thin dark pulp: the USDA Woody Plant Seed Manual reports germination-inhibiting substances in the dry fruit coat of Washingtonia. Rub the fruits in water, rinse and sow the clean seed promptly; do not let it dry out completely.
Not needed. The seed coat is thin and takes up water easily.
Not needed. Fresh seed of the related California fan palm germinated 80-100% without any pretreatment. Chilling at 5 °C (41 °F) for 12 weeks only shortened the time to full germination of stored seed.
Optional. A short soak in water, changed daily (UF/IFAS gives 1-7 days for palm seed in general), softens remaining pulp and evens out germination. Sow directly afterwards.
UF/IFAS reports that Mexican fan palm seed germinates within about two weeks at 29-35 °C (85-95 °F). Use bottom heat in cooler seasons or where nights turn cold. In most of India, seed sown from spring to the monsoon germinates without extra heat.
Cover with 6-13 mm (1/4-1/2 in) of mix, or a depth equal to the thickness of the seed, as given in the USDA manual.
Peat moss and sand, or clean sand alone, are the usual mixes in the USDA account. A free-draining coir and perlite mix also works. Use deep pots rather than shallow trays, because the root goes straight down.
Keep evenly moist. UF/IFAS stresses uniform moisture; never let the pot dry out or stand in water.
No light needed for germination. Move the pots into bright, filtered light as soon as shoots show.
About 2 weeks at 29-35 °C (85-95 °F). For the related California fan palm, the USDA manual gives 4-15 weeks for fresh seed under nursery conditions, so cooler sowings take longer.
Mexican fan palm germinates remotely: a stalk grows down from the seed and the first leaf and root come from its tip below the surface. Leave the seed attached.
Pot seedlings individually when the elongated second leaf appears, as the USDA manual recommends, using soil enriched with leaf mould or compost. Keep the root-stem junction at soil level.
Grow young plants in partial shade and then remove the shade gradually to harden them to sun and heat. Feed lightly from about two months after germination with a palm fertilizer containing potassium.
UF/IFAS gives a mature height of 21-30 m (70-100 ft) and calls it fast-growing. Do not plant it under power lines or close to a house.
Although seen as a desert palm, it grows naturally near permanent water and has limited drought tolerance. Water regularly in dry seasons but plant in well-drained soil.
It is hardy to about -7 °C (20 °F). Young pot-grown plants are more tender and should be sheltered in hard frost.
Lethal trunk rots enter through wounds, so avoid climbing spikes and pulling off green lower leaves.
Sow Washingtonia seed in warm weather for a fast-growing fan palm that sprouts within weeks.
Fresh seed of Mexican fan palm usually sprouts in about two weeks at 29-35 °C (85-95 °F). Cooler sowings can take a few months.
Mexican fan palm (robusta) is taller and slimmer, with a narrow trunk; California fan palm (filifera) is shorter and stouter. They hybridize readily, and some botanists treat robusta as a variety of filifera.
Yes, for several years. It grows fast, so move it to the ground or a large container once roots fill the pot.
Yes. It tolerates heat and grows quickly in warm climates. Give it sun, regular water in the dry season and space for its eventual height.
