Have collected some Foxtail Palm "fruit" --how to plant it to grow it?
by
Jan
The red fruits of the Foxtail Palm are now at my house: how do I prepare them for planting, realizing that it will take many months for germination. Do I soak them in H2O2, not soak them, plant them in peatmoss and vermiculite, or something else? Please tell me the best way to get germination so I can have more palms.
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Gre You can't simply take a seed from the fruit and plant it because the seed coat needs stimulation to encourage growth. In its natural habitat, fruits reside near the fronds and drop to the ground. As a gardener, you need to simulate this natural mechanism by scarifying the seed coat. Use sandpaper to remove a portion of the seed coat to recreate the natural process of dropping onto the ground with some impact. The seed will germinate in response to this.
But do you open the fruit to get to the seed? Where do you use the sandpaper -- I am new to palm trees, know that the fruit is not damaged -- it is sound. That is why I think they soaked it in hydrogen peroxide to cleanse it and to make it more likely to open itself to show the seed. Can you explain in more detail?