Hello Steve and welcome
Next year will be my 1st year in this tropical/exotic gardening lark and I so can't wait
Sounds like you know exactly what/where you are going to put things....
I can't make my mind!
I have already started collecting some plants.
Some palms, bamboo, fatsia ,banana plants . I've also got an agave like yours
Julia wrote:Hello Steve and welcome
Next year will be my 1st year in this tropical/exotic gardening lark and I so can't wait
Sounds like you know exactly what/where you are going to put things....
I can't make my mind!
I have already started collecting some plants.
Some palms, bamboo, fatsia ,banana plants . I've also got an agave like yours
Cool Mabe we can lern together lol
I dont have anything really just the Chamerops Humilis palm and the Agave nothing else boo hoo. hopfully I can get some plants to get going for next spring when i can get my head around what will be suitable lol
Welcome stevieboy .....The bug has begun....You'll definitely get brainwashed here when you see other members pics/blogs, which will entice you more & more to buy more & more!
tropicalwon wrote:Welcome stevieboy .....The bug has begun....You'll definitely get brainwashed here when you see other members pics/blogs, which will entice you more & more to buy more & more!
oh the bugs bitten alright.....dont know how im going to aford anything with moving into a new house and just about covering the morgage lol let alone the garen but were there is a will there is a way. Things take time and now with a permanent home I will have a lot of time to play in the garden.
This is me all over I got the garden pictured in my head and a few ideas oh then the house and decorating lol
stevieboy1 wrote:I have seen lots and lots of difrent palm, banana seeds for sale on ebay quite cheap are any of them any good to grow from seed? is it possable and how slow quich do they grow??
You can grow Palms from seed, but it will be 5 years before they are a small bush.
Bananas grow very quickly, but are often difficult to get to germinate - getting 10% to germinate is usually regarded as "good", and thus if you buy 5 seeds you might not get any to go. There are places that seed Banana seed in bulk though, from memory you can buy around 100 seeds for £5 or £10 - but you could get an Ensete in one of the sheds, in the spring, for a few quid (but they aren't hardy)
stevieboy1 wrote:I have seen lots and lots of difrent palm, banana seeds for sale on ebay quite cheap are any of them any good to grow from seed? is it possable and how slow quich do they grow??
You can grow Palms from seed, but it will be 5 years before they are a small bush.
Bananas grow very quickly, but are often difficult to get to germinate - getting 10% to germinate is usually regarded as "good", and thus if you buy 5 seeds you might not get any to go. There are places that seed Banana seed in bulk though, from memory you can buy around 100 seeds for £5 or £10 - but you could get an Ensete in one of the sheds, in the spring, for a few quid (but they aren't hardy)
Mabe growing from seed isnt the way to go then Mabe i should keep my eyes and ears open for anyone selling a hardy plant or two.
Thankyou fo rthe info though. I asked as there are so many sellers on ebay etc with seeds quite cheap and just wonderd if it was worth a go but i dont think the odds are very good I dont think i would like planting a load of seeds and not getting at least 1 from them.
planting a load of seeds and getting nothing used to frustrate me, then sometimes,you would get a load and they would all flippin sprout.
a lot of it depends on seed freshness,this only comes with trial and error from various suppliers.i rarely buy from ebay anymore as the results are never as good as the return you get from people you know.
growing palms from seed is slow granted,but when the first true leaves start appearing,the feeling of achievement is immense knowing that you did that
redsquirrel wrote:planting a load of seeds and getting nothing used to frustrate me, then sometimes,you would get a load and they would all flippin sprout.
a lot of it depends on seed freshness,this only comes with trial and error from various suppliers.i rarely buy from ebay anymore as the results are never as good as the return you get from people you know.
growing palms from seed is slow granted,but when the first true leaves start appearing,the feeling of achievement is immense knowing that you did that
I agree with you about the palms. Ive wanted to grow a washingtonia any sort since I was a kid and have tried several times from seed even when i worked at a plant nursery for over 7 years I tried even then no luck no roots no shoots no nothing so its kind of become a little ambition to get at least 1 to grow to say I have done it lol
I would like to grow a banana from seed but as you say its knowing were to get good seed from etc and apart from ebay i dont know anyone .....yet lol that could have some good seed to get me going?
you need air Steve most people get the water bit right, but air is as important to seed germination. Palms germinate well using the baggy method. You tumble the seed in the bag every few days and that ensures oxygen gets to the seed. Washingtonia are the easiest palm seed to grow, and don't need to be fresh as come from desert parts so they can wait for years for rain However, if you have too stodgy wet compost it excludes air and the seed rots
Dave Brown wrote:you need air Steve most people get the water bit right, but air is as important to seed germination. Palms germinate well using the baggy method. You tumble the seed in the bag every few days and that ensures oxygen gets to the seed. Washingtonia are the easiest palm seed to grow, and don't need to be fresh as come from desert parts so they can wait for years for rain However, if you have too stodgy wet compost it excludes air and the seed rots
Tumble the seed in the bag? ern not sure i follow I have always potted the seeds in pots like the instructions said then put the pot in a bag etc so thats all wrong??
Pray do tell?? But in simple turms for me as im a bit thick at times....or over think things to much hehe I so want to grow one lol
Ive just orderd some washingtonia robusta seeds to try again lol what whould be the best way to get them growing or at least one lol?
Dave Brown wrote:you need air Steve most people get the water bit right, but air is as important to seed germination. Palms germinate well using the baggy method. You tumble the seed in the bag every few days and that ensures oxygen gets to the seed. Washingtonia are the easiest palm seed to grow, and don't need to be fresh as come from desert parts so they can wait for years for rain However, if you have too stodgy wet compost it excludes air and the seed rots
Tumble the seed in the bag? ern not sure i follow I have always potted the seeds in pots like the instructions said then put the pot in a bag etc so thats all wrong??
Pray do tell?? But in simple turms for me as im a bit thick at times....or over think things to much hehe I so want to grow one lol
Ive just orderd some washingtonia robusta seeds to try again lol what whould be the best way to get them growing or at least one lol?
Kind regards
Steve
There are lots of methods, but some people use perlite as ensures air gets to the seed. I use MP compost wetted then clenched in a fist to squeeze as much water out as possible. It should fall apart in an open hand. Half fill a ziplock bag with the compost, add the seed, and tumble the bag lightly, every few days carefully tumble the bag watching for rooted seedlings as you go. No more water need be added. As the seeds sprout, pot up normally into well drained compost.
You can fit many more bags of seeds into a propagator, than pots and trays
I get you Just one question whats MP Compost? Muti purpose compost am I right?
Im hoping I can track down a heated propigator to put on the window ledge in my model display room lol. Will Just be a case of when I can aford to get one as ive only seen expensive ones. Would I need a perticuler temprature ? or will a plain heated one do the job?
Funny Im starting to move house in a weeks time and the house bit seems to be taking a back seat to the most important stuff the gardening lol
.....The bug has begun....You'll definitely get brainwashed here when you see other members pics/blogs, which will entice you more & more to buy more & more! 
Just one question whats MP Compost? Muti purpose compost am I right? 
