The shoot emerges from a pore on the opposite side to the groove on Phoenix palmskata wrote: You DB
But jokes aside. I thought the seedling would come out the groove not side on.
That is not a joke, this is my pic of Little Sid, the Southsea Phoenix canariensis_CIDP, just rotated by 90 degrees. This was taken 8th Feb 2007.
For the whole story see
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk/forum/v ... p=103#p103
and
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk/Palms/P ... uthsea.php
Sanatic,
Phoenix palms are remote germinators meaning that the first leaf and subequently the palm grows away from the seed. Yes you are right the little palm will need some nutrients to grow, but it does not need nutrients to germinate and in some cases the nutirents can inhibit germination. This is why I use an inert medium like moss peat in the baggy method or the sealed contaner with kitchen towl. You then only plant up the germinated seed as a fair few may not germinate. Also it takes a month or so before the palm shows anything above ground. In it's natural environment the air above ground can be very hot and dry, so it gets it's first root down a good way before risking it's head above the parapult