Trachycarpus seeds all floating

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Tom2006
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Trachycarpus seeds all floating

Post by Tom2006 »

I got a bag of Trachycarpus seed kindly sent to me a while back. They look great but I put a load into some water and they all floated. Does this mean they are not fertile?
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Conifers
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Re: Trachycarpus seeds all floating

Post by Conifers »

How long have they been in the water? If they're dry, it may take them a day or so for viable ones to sink.
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Dave Brown
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Re: Trachycarpus seeds all floating

Post by Dave Brown »

Trachycarpus seed do not lose viabilty quickly, and unless cleaned they will have the fruit coat still on. If this has dried out they may float. I'd soak for a week or two in water with a splash of maxicrop :wink:
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redsquirrel
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Re: Trachycarpus seeds all floating

Post by redsquirrel »

they certainly dont Dave. i have some still in tubs going into the third year now and still get the odd two or 3 sprout everynow and then.i have given up on them in the past and chucked the compost,seeds and all into pots of plants when potting up,they then decide its time to wake up and pop up where you least expect them :lol:
its good fun though seeing them like this :wink:
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Tom2006
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Re: Trachycarpus seeds all floating

Post by Tom2006 »

Nice one guys thank you! Have planted a few up already, will leave these to soak for a few days and then plant them up. Some indoors and some outdoors. Once I've got my garden sorted again I will be scattering a load around and let them take their chances.

Can't wait to get out there good and proper again icon_cheers
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Conifers
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Re: Trachycarpus seeds all floating

Post by Conifers »

Dave Brown wrote:Trachycarpus seed do not lose viabilty quickly,
What about Jubaea seeds? Do they stay viable for long or not?
kata

Re: Trachycarpus seeds all floating

Post by kata »

Someone said you scrape seeds ,

:lol: :lol: :lol: Are people sure its possible to actually scrape into these seeds?

This is why mine never germinated. Anyway I was wanting to see inside of one seeing as they caused me aggro for so long. I hammered it and it took some breaking up I can tell you :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

What kind of knife, it kept flirting out my fingers (seed)

I think I would rather buy a palm and stick to my seeds for flowers..

Forget the above.

Two weeks ago I planted a Butia seed. Over the weekend I think the peatpot got some fungus cus four little what I think were spore seedlings were sprouting out the side. I left it, put it on the windowsill.

Checking my other seedlings this morning I saw the spore seedlings were dying. No harm in looking at the inside of the pot when............ glory be my first palm is shooting up...whoooooo

Its not a great Image but its something I never got lucky with. I returned it to the prop for a day or two see what happens.
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Last edited by kata on Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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JoelR
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Re: Trachycarpus seeds all floating

Post by JoelR »

I've never tried this before but I came back from Chester Zoo at the weekend with pockets full of Trachycarpus seed. With the exception of a dozen or so, most were still floating after a 24 hour soak. I removed the outer skin from approx. a 100 last night before I got bored. The 100 are now in pure damp perlite in a plastic box at 15C, the others are in 50/50 compost/perlite also at 15C. Quite a few of the seeds had a white spot which looked like the beginnings of germination or at least I'd like to think so. These seeds have been on their parents out in the elements all winter. Is this likely to affect viability? There were very few seedlings taking root on the ground around the parents plants. This might be due to weeding or 2 harsh winters or both. The palms themselves looked healthy but they must have been exposed similar temperatures to the rest of northern england.
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Yorkshire Kris
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Re: Trachycarpus seeds all floating

Post by Yorkshire Kris »

Joel,

How was the planting at Chester Zoo? I go every year and enjoy the planting as much as the animals! Have the bananas survived? How about the Cordylines?
kata

Re: Trachycarpus seeds all floating

Post by kata »

I buy prunes,

They come in a plastic container so I washed it out and put damp perlite in the other day. Not sure how a butia will do in there.

Good luck with yours Joel.

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Dave Brown
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Re: Trachycarpus seeds all floating

Post by Dave Brown »

I have experimented with seed soaked for a couple of weeks at 18 to 23C. After the fruit coat was removed form 100 or so seed until I got fed up, these were placed in a different glass. That was about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Both lots are just left in the glass, damp with climg film over the top. Every few days.... when I remember, they are rinsed with tepid water, drained and cling film put back on. The 100 ish with the fruit coat removed have about 10% germination rate in the glass - no compost. The 350 or so with the fruit coat on have 0% germination. I think proves that the fruit coat inhibits germination.

Seed germinating in a glass, well a plastic cup actually
2011-02-20 07-53-58.Trachy f Tesan-ish seed.jpg
Kata, with Trachycarpus seed, if soaked for a couple of weeks the fruit coat can be removed with a thumbnail. using a knife will likely damage the seed. When I supplied Tobias Spanner (RPS) with 30,000 Trachycarpus seed back in 1999/2000 he said. "Do not clean them, as mechanical methods would damage the seed". :wink:
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JoelR
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Re: Trachycarpus seeds all floating

Post by JoelR »

Yorkshire Kris wrote:Joel,

How was the planting at Chester Zoo? I go every year and enjoy the planting as much as the animals! Have the bananas survived? How about the Cordylines?
The plants were every bit as interesting as the animals for me even at this time of year. There were some quite distinct trachys. In particular one very chunky one standing about 8 feet tall absolutely dripping with seeds. Most of the Chamaerops had about 50% damaged leaves but most will survive I think. Also a big Trithranax (I think) looking quite tatty but alive. A few musas were protected in situ obviously still wrapped. Cordylines were a mess though will probably regrow.
kata

Re: Trachycarpus seeds all floating

Post by kata »

This is the thing Dave,

You don't need to explain again, you did enough under normal circumstances.

I have only bought ones. There is no fruit on them at all and I think this was my problem all along. The ones from Tenerife *did need cleaning up but then that still left me with dry pellets/seed.

At this stage I not heard about a knife and chipping away at the seed.

What to do with defruited stone dry seeds from Ebay, They are always cleaned up first. I kept reading what you wrote but never did the chipping thing with a knife, we were at crossed lines about what I had, and what you did.

I tried a spud knife yesterday but the seed kept bouncing to the floor.....so I got a cloth and hammered it to smithereens. I was determined to see inside. It was white.

I think the Butia is a success as it goes.
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Yorkshire Kris
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Re: Trachycarpus seeds all floating

Post by Yorkshire Kris »

JoelR wrote:Also a big Trithranax (I think) looking quite tatty but alive.

I don't think I've seen this, where about is it?
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JoelR
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Re: Trachycarpus seeds all floating

Post by JoelR »

[
Yorkshire Kris wrote:I don't think I've seen this, where about is it?
Sorry I didn't get a pic Kris. I think it was at the entrance to the tropical house.
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