Posted by Austin, Little Rock on October 6, 2008, 9:45 pm, in reply to "Seeds from a Sabal Louisiana (stiff leaf, from Alligator Alley, O.K.)"
70.232.61.239
Susan, my article may help.
Cheers,
Austin
Some commonly asked questions (and answers) regarding germinating sabal minor seeds.
Q. Is it recommended to plant the entire berry straight into the ground or should I strip away the flesh from the actual seed first?
A. Try taking a seed and squeezing it between your fingers. If the seed is hard and no pulp comes out, then the seed is cleaned, and you are holding the actual seed. If the shell cracks and pulp comes out, then the seed is not cleaned. To clean the seed, use this method: http://members6.boardhost.com/midsouthpalms/msg/1190859136.html
Q. If I keep the fruit in the refrigerator, how long will the flesh keep? Will it eventually begin decaying and fermenting?
A. The flesh of an uncleaned seed will keep for at least a year and will not decompose. I haven't kept unclean seed in the refrigerator for over one year. It will not decay or ferment. Now, if you follow the method outlined in the post above, then the pulp will begin to ferment and you can separate the seed easily from the fruit.
Q. In Zone 7 (where the ground can freeze solid to a depth of 2 to 3 inches), is it better to sow the seeds in early winter or to wait until spring?
A. In my zone 7b, I can sow the seeds in the fall outside and just leave them until spring. They will all germinate at the same time when conditions are right for the seed. I have found this to be the easiest and most fool-proof way of germinating sabal seeds. The last few winters, our low got down to 13 degrees on a few nights. The ground has been frozen before (a few inches deep) for a few days when I had my sabal seeds planted. It had no effect on them.
Bryan's website tells a nice way to propagate sabal seeds: http://www.alligatoralley.com/germination.html
Just email me or post if anyone has questions or responses to this post. I'm always welcome to your thoughts of my posts. Correct any invalid information or share your experiences.
Thanks guys,
Austin
Message Thread:
« Back to thread