Washingtonias germinate very quickly. I genuinely have had them sprout overnight!

One of the fastest growing palms, and quite hardy too.

Yes that's a nice specimen Clive. Clearly getting more TLC than mine.

Mine receives minimal light and minimal food and water. It has been in that tiny pot for over 20 years. They can look really lush when pampered a little.

The mountain papaya, Carica pubescens might be the best one to try as it's a bit hardier. A nice plant for a tropical look.

Always going to be a bit iffy over winter though.

Rob, chitting means pre-sprouting. Are you getting mixed up with 'nicking' or 'scarifying'? This is done with hard coated seeds to aid germination, but this is not chitting.

Unusual question! Chitting (or sprouting) is commonly used when growing potatoes. The tubers are forced into growing prior to planting to give them a head start. Chitted or sprouted seeds are a popular salad vegetable. So enquiring if palm seeds need chitting or sprouting seems rather a strange ques...

There are no Livistonas capable of surviving a normal UK winter unprotected. Even with protection, the best chance of success is possibly L. boninensis, due to the fact that it will happily continue growing, even in cool conditions. Even then, for anything lower than -5c, I would provide it with ser...

Quite possibly Lagerstroemia indica.

Because over time the stems have grown quite tall, I just fancied starting again with stemless plants. I've had the plant for around 30 years and have become a bit tired of it as it stands. Should anybody fancy buying it from me though, I would consider that option too!

If possible, attach some guy ropes. These are what save a tent from being blown away, and these polytunnels are basically a form of tent really.

kata wrote:£20.00 Nigel...

Seems a bit steep If its correct.

Extremely good value for such a rare palm! Remember also that they are very fresh, so germination should be very good. You even get a choice of two forms!

fern Rob wrote:What are you doing it for?
Will the. Win stem re sprout when it is separated.

I suppose it's experimental as much as anything. But also, I just fancy a change.

C. metallica isn't a suckering palm, so once the stems are cut, the lower section will die.

Thanks for your time everyone,I know there's many years of knowledge and experience between you.So it's nice to have a reliable opinion. Just one more to id. This is supposed to be T.takil,yea or nay? Can't say at this stage. It needs to grow some more. It is said that the very first leaf should ha...

To me also, they look like

ukhrulensis (for certain)
wagnerianus (for certain)
latisectus (for certain)
princeps (for certain)
nainital (almost certain)

More shots would be nice to see, especially as it grows bigger. Thanks for your input David. Whatever it is, it's been totally neglected in a part of the garden I don't bother much about. Never been fed, protected and abused. It survived the 2010 Winter so it deserves it's place. Looking at the bac...

GoggleboxUK wrote:

David York wrote:That certainly looks like T. ukhrulensis for sure. Nice Manihot too!

Thanks David but that's a Schefflera Rhododendrifolia not a Manihot

My mistake! Nice plant all the same.