Nicking Cycad Seed

Does anyone engage in this practice to speed up hydration and accelerate germination?

best,
don

In my experience, when cycad seed is good, there is no need for acceleration. Some palm seeds take forever to germinate, but I haven't had that experience with cycad seeds.

hiya palmbob,

I just must be getting some really stale seed. I do have one Dioon spinulosum up now but the other two seeds are just languishing and the Dioon edule turns one year without anything tomorrow....lol. I'm tossing them into a compost pile for their birthday...lol.

I did get a few Licuala grandis up, but it took 11 months, and my first Cyrtostachys lakka is finally up (I planted 15 seeds in a community pot in December of 04. I do think its high time to start using better or more reliable seed suppliers as I'm hoping to be able to build a palm and cycad and fern conservatory here later this year. It will only have 20ft of height so I won't be able to grow much big stuff, but it will be 2500sqft of temperature regulated space to satisfy my curiosities about these plants.

Thanks for the tip,
don

You will certainly need such a conservatory to keep your Cyrtostachys growing.. that is a really sensitive species, and can't tolerate any cold whatsoever (at least not California cold).

hiya palmbob,

I grow the 'demanding' stuff and then get on my knees and beg, grovel, and plead for more greenhouse space...lol. I really like the Crytostachys as it has such wonderful color when grown correctly. I also marvel at the growth rate of some of the tropical species once they catch hold.

My real challenge with a larger controlled environment will be keeping it humid without using our tap water (insane amounts of chlorine and suspended solids) so I've been hunting down bigger reverse osmosis systems that can be hooked up to a mist system.

I hope to start this thing sometime this summer and once completed, then the exciting part will begin.

best,
don

I know someone in Westminster- one of the best palm collections in southern California- he has a reverse osmosis misting and watering system for his large greenhouse and he has be very happy with the results. No more white build up on the palms, and the rate of crown rot went way down.

hiya palmbob,

That's helpful information, thank you. It's encouraging to know that it worked/is working for someone else. Our terrible water makes some kind of water filtration system an absolute necessity. I use a small system 13gpm in the orchid/propagation/catch-all greenhouse now, and it has been the difference in success with several species of Dracula, Masdevallia, and Scaphosepalums as well as the growing Sophronitis miniatures in my species orchid collection.

As a complete novice palm and cycad enthusiast, I'll be taking my time, trying to grow as many as possible from seed, and then selectively hunting down specimen size material that I can afford, the same way I'm doing it with my C&S collection. Sooner or later we're going to have to sell some more horses to make room for plants...lol.

thanks for the information,
don

You should check out the Green Scene at Fullerton Arboretum this weekend (OK, tomorrow, since today is mostly over). I am sure there will be some great palms for sale, and will give you a jump on seedlings by many years. Problem with growing palms from seed is many species are simply too slow to then also appreciate as an adult.

hiya palmbob,

especially an old...old...old adult...lol, like me. Thanks for the tip!

best,
don

Drdon, Stressbaby who is a member here uses RO water and has a 50 gal bladder tank and has a misting system going with it in a greenhouse. You could contact him-he is very knowledgeable and very open to sharing his knowledge.

hiya tigerlily123,

Thanks, I know Stressbaby, and yes he's very knowledgeable. I use RO in my smaller orchid/propagation greenhouse for the mist system there and it works fine during summer months for humidity control and evaporative cooling of the greenhouse. In my planned palm/cycad/specimen house I'll be needing an RO system that can run a mist system and a rain system (coarse mist). I've contacted a friend with a commercial species orchid nursery and he's sending information on his system. Pam and I also have a private greenhouse tour at Sherman Gardens (Newport Beach/ Corona Del Mar, CA) this week and I'll be asking lots of questions of the curator(s) as well.

As far as the water filtration/purification system, I think I will see what Stressbaby is using for his and am grateful for your input. I think that instead of using a bladder for reserve water I'll be installing a tropical waterlily pond in the middle of the specimen house as a water reservior and pump it from there into the mist system and the irrigation sprinklers (that will be controlled by soil moisture sensors.

This conservatory is planned to be a "planted" display where the plants are actually in the ground (amended soils) and will double as an aviary, vivarium for tropical lizards, and will house my specimen size epiphytes in trees. I've got a little bit of space so I'm planning it carefully so as to maximize the use of only 2500 sqft of ground space minus a 350sqft lily pond/tropical fish pond and two 150sqft 'office' cubicles for Pam and me. The pond will have bottom heat that will help to cut down on winter heating costs of the conservatory air and also help with humidity control. I'm touring a bunch of botanical gardens this year as I plan this project so that I can learn from the mistakes and successes of those far smarter than me.

Thanks again,
don