germination comments by our visitors
For general germination instructions click here.
Also see plant cultivation comments below.
Seeds from this species ...
... are very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
Very easy to germinate with baggie technique and also in cactus mix. Germinates within 10 to 30 days. My experience has been 85% germination rate!
Submitted on 21/10/2007 by Cara Woods kwequipment@aol.com
... are easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
I bought some seeds off of eBay and they never germinated. I think the grower sold me all of his old stock which he undoubtedly replaces annually. So I collected some ripe seeds from a local tree. I cleaned off the flesh. Soaked them for two days. Two weeks later they are sprouting. Seeds must be FRESH!!
Submitted on 30/08/2007 by one of our visitors
... are very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
Collected about 100 seeds and soaked them for 5 days changing water daily. 50/50 peat moss and perlite in a plastic container with a lid utilizing bottom heat. Sprayed with daconil fungicide and watered every third day or so. 8th day I have 30 or 40 sprouts already.
Submitted on 04/07/2007 by Thomas tbonethompson@gmail.com
... are easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
seed is easy i planted them in zip lock bag then sprouted. seed must be fresh.
Submitted on 15/12/2006 by one of our visitors
... are very easy to germinate and need up to 3 months to sprout.
I picked the fruit from a tree and cleaned the fruit of. I didn't soak the seeds or anything, I simply put them in a pot. After some time they all came up with their first leaf. Too easy!
Submitted on 06/11/2006 by one of our visitors
... are very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
I bought these in june and put half of the seeds in baggies. I then placed them in my front porch which has temps as high as 110 F or 40 C. Theyve been in there almost a month or 2 and nothing. I then soaked the remaining seeds in water for 5 days or so then placed them into a small plastic container with 50/50 peat perlite mix. barely 2 weeks later the earth is starting to break and the seeds germinated. They were in a south facing window but not in direct sun. i guess it was the heat.
Submitted on 27/07/2006 by one of our visitors
... are average to germinate and need up to 3 months to sprout.
Had 30 seeds and planted them in different mixtures with mixed results. On all attempts the seeds were first soaked in water for 2-3 days. 4 or 5 seeds went into straight vermiculite in a plastic tupperware and didn't do anything after one month. Another 4 went into straight top soil in pot. 1 of the 4 germinated after 3 weeks. Another 5 went into top soil and vermiculite mix with more soil then vermiculite in a baggie and 2 of 3 germinated in 2 weeks. Another 9 went into the same vermiculite and top soil mix and had good results again. When I saw a root on the seed I planted in soil.
Submitted on 06/07/2006 by one of our visitors
... are very easy to germinate and need up to 3 months to sprout.
Bottom line: These palms need no special method to germinate. I just plant my canariensis seeds smooth side up, 1/3 inch deep in moist potting mix and I wait for the sprouts. Just remember to keep soil moist, NOT wet.
Submitted on 25/06/2006 by one of our visitors
... are very easy to germinate and need up to 6 months to sprout.
This species was 100% successful at germinating under my conditions, which are, 1/3 cypress mulch, 1/3 sand, 1/3 soil conditioner in a 3 gallon container and well water. Seeds sowed Dec. 05 and germinated May of 06.
Submitted on 23/05/2006 by Jim Rodgers NearlyNativeNursery@hotmail.com
... are very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
I picked up some fresh seeds off the ground that had fallen off a big phoenix canariensis tree. I cleaned the seeds and let them sit for a day. I did not soak them or do any special treatment because i had thought to myself that these seeds don't get any special treatment in the wild. I put the seeds in a little green house in a normal potting mix, i only watered the seeds when the soil would seem dry. By the 14th day i had noticed germination. Five days later i had about 35 out of 40 seeds germinating. I think phoenix canariensis seeds are the easiest seed to germinate without any special trearment.
Submitted on 27/01/2006 by alex kickfliptrick900@yahoo.com
... are average to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
I had difficulty initially but with more heat I found they took off rapidly.
Submitted on 06/01/2006 by one of our visitors
... need up to 3 months to sprout.
I sowed the seeds outdoors in the winter and did not have much success. I sowed roughly 20 seeds and 9 germinated. I sowed in very adverse outdoor conditions with periodic drying of the soil as well as poor draining native soil. I think without these folleys these seeds would have had a high germination rate and have taken half the time to sprout. Outdoor sowing took 4 months for seeds to sprout.
Submitted on 30/12/2005 by Michael Iufer miufer@ucsd.edu
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
Fresh seed soaked in water for 2-3 days and then planted in six pack plastic containers with Scott's seed starter
mix. 100% germination in 3 weeks.
Submitted on 26/10/2005 by Adam McKenna adam-palm@flounder.net
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
I soaked seeds for 3 days in water at 30c. Placed seeds in germination chamber in a mixture of Perlite and Spagnum
50/50. Kept them very moist(with water for 17 days, and one day of watering with fungaside and one day watering
with Dynamic Lifter) over bottom heat (double heat tray with thermostat) and varied temp between 30c and 37c
for one week. I then left temp at a constant 37c for a further 2 weeks, all the time at 100% Humidity. Sprouted
first little white tapper root down at about day number 19 from first going in to trays /over heat. This is
my first germination, along with some other seeds of which have not yet sprouted. Greg Horne, The Land Down
Under
Submitted on 21/07/2005 by one of our visitors
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
I put 30 seeds I have collected in a good mixture in differents pots in my greenhouse at 20-30°C. 6 weeks
laters I have 27 phoenix canariensis. Good freshness!
Submitted on 04/08/2005 by Guillaume Chomicki-Bayada willy89@wanadoo.fr
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
As do all of my palm seeds, I just put them in the temperature they desire. I soaked the seeds for 2 days in
warm water, then I put them in a pot of moist, warm Miracle Gro soil. After that I let nature do its thing,
and after 1 month I had a growing phoenix canariensis.
Submitted on 08/03/2005 by one of our visitors
...very easy to germinate and need up to 3 months to
sprout.
I just planted them 1/2 inch (1cm) deep in a bowl full of straight perlite with the water level at the surface
of the perlite, and I covered the bowl with plastic (wasn't air tight, that way the water slowly evaporated
away) and set them on a heat source (seedling heat mat). Right around the time the perlite began to dry out
(like 2 months) the palms sent out roots and the first leaves shortly after. After mixed results with other
methods, I think that I will stick to this reliable method from now on.
Submitted on 18/01/2005 by one of our visitors
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
I offered to clean one friend´s canary date palm from his garden in Los Cabos Baja Mexico with the intention
to have a lot of seeds to make some research about germination, I am a palm lover, I got close to 8 buckets
(19 lts) of seeds, after cleaning the pulp from the seeds I planted directly (about 400) without any soak in
germination trays filled with a pro-germination mixture from Canada and added some water three times a week.It
was July 2004 and after 15 days! I have sprouts comming all over the germination trays, I got 98% germination
rate.Temperature was just perfect for this purpose (32-45 celsius degrees) now I have transplanted them all
to 1 gal pots and after 3 months they are 10-12 cms tall with one or two leafs each one and they look just great!.
Submitted on 29/11/2004 by one of our visitors
...easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
Soaked the seeds in water above my refrigerator, changed the water daily....Then I put them into a closed plastic
bag; moist peat, check for dampness regularly!After a few days, germination! A white root, 1/2 inch longNow
I transplanted them...What do I do now, much water? Very wet, normal, or as I germinated them in the bag?Do
they still need heat?
Submitted on 12/10/2004 by Francis Arteel francis.arteel@pandora.be
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
Seeds purchased from rarepalmseeds.com. After seeds arrived I soaked them overnight in RO water. The next evening
I placed them in 13x9" aluminum baking pans with plastic see-thru lids. Medium used was 40% Canadian spagnum
peat moss, 30% Miracle-gro potting soil, 15% Sand, and 15% Vermiculite, and also a small amount of watering
crystals were added to retain moisture in the mix. Germination started after 3 weeks, and 100% germination after
5 weeks. Temperature varied while in my central florida garage during the month of September 2004. Approximately
90-100 degrees F in garage. When seeds sprouted they were transplanted to 1 gallon containers with same medium
used with approx 1/2 tsp watering crystals added per 1 gallon to retain moisture. Kept in garage with garage
door opened only 3-6 hrs daily for sunlight & fresh air. Will buy grow light next week to keep on them 14
hrs daily since garage door stays shut most of the day. When soil appears dry I water with plain water only
since Miracle-gro potting soil provides slow release fertilizer already. Seedlings are doing well. Most have
2 leaves so far after 2-3 weeks after sprouting.
Submitted on 11/10/2004 by Robin Reed robinreed@earthlink.net
...easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
I have found some seeds under a palm in france. first i cleand the seeds verry good, after the cleaning i put
the seeds for 48 ours in clear water.Afther that i put the seeds on moist ground for insite plants. after 1
week the first seed began to grow (sprouded).I put the sprouded seed in a single narrow pot and wait now a copple
of weeks bu til now, now result.
Submitted on 19/09/2004 by bernard fransen b.fransen2@chello.nl
...very easy to germinate and need up to 3 months to
sprout.
20 out of 20 seeds germinated! Soaked in warm water for 3 days. Sowed in heated greenhouse tray in moist cocopeat,
spraying with organic fungicide when needed. Sprouted in February and are now puting out their 3rd & 4th
juvenile leaves.
Submitted on 16/06/2004 by Cheri Wilson reininrabt@aol.com
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
Very easy to germinate: I collected seed off the ground under a nice park specimen. I presoaked for a day and
rinsed in fungicide or bleach. then put in ziplock with a 40 60 mix of pearlite and spagnum. they began spouting
after 3 weeks with lot of straglers. After a couple of months I dumped what was left in my compost bin, and
much to my suprise I pulled out some huge sprouts with long sinker roots after a couple of weeks. Take care
in transplanting, let them develope a good root, remember these are remote germinators so you will see a fork
in the root if your not sure which way to sow just place them on thier side and cover with 1/2 inch of potting
soil, I have had better results using 4 inch or lager pots. I just placed them in my shade garden where they
get regular waterings and they are doing great.
Submitted on 01/06/2004 by Ed Mijares ed.mijares@boeing.com
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
I got 8 of these seeds froma online order and immediatly planted them. I planted 4 in a baggy and 4 in seperate
clear trays. In about a week, a little root appeared out of one of the seeds in the baggy. The soil I used was
60% sphaghnum moss, 40% desert sand. I kept the soil on top dry and left a little moisture at the sand on the
bottom.
Submitted on 10/03/2004 by Anton wutang8364@yahoo.com
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
I ordered a packet of these seeds and soaked them for 24 hours in warm water and planted them in a ziplock bag.
I used 50% desert sand and 50% jungle mix soil. Left in full sun at about 75-80F. Germination began in about
2 weeks.
Submitted on 09/03/2004 by one of our visitors
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
These are the easiest seeds I've tried to grow. Almost all seeds sprouted-I generally just pick them up from
under a mature tree, soak for 3 days in regular water and germinate in baggies of 50% perlite 50% moist sphagnum
peat moss. They are a little finiky on transplanting, so best to plant in larger baggies and leave them alone
for a while. Also, don't let them soak in water...the roots need drainage. Seem to be fine in full sun, even
when very small.
Submitted on 04/03/2004 by one of our visitors
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
I soaked six seeds in an organic fungicide for three days, as the seeds seemed quite dry. I placed them in a
ziploc with very damp peat moss and located the bag about a foot away from a fifteen-watt lamp (meaning top
heat). I had 100% germination within a month and, after only two months, one of the plants is already about
eightteen inches long and is potted in a one gallon pot. A very rewarding species.
Submitted on 19/01/2004 by Ryan Taylor raticuslaviticus@msn.com
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
I soaked these in warm water for about a week, changing the water daily. Placed in a ziplock with nothing else,
put them on top of the refrigerator and had nearly 100% germination within 4 days!
Submitted on 05/02/2004 by Scott Wallace webgator@hotmail.com
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
Put cleaned seed in 1 gallon plastic freezer bag with moist peat moss. You should not be able to squeeze any
water out of the peat before putting seeds in bag. Placed bag in the top of my metal shed over the summer all
of the seeds germinated within 4weeks and sprouts followed only 1 month later. Very Easy to germinate.
Submitted on 01/01/2004 by one of our visitors
...easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
Easy but tempermental to germinate. 70 degrees and meduim humidity. Seeds placed in higher hunidity and 90+
degrees will rot. Use a light seeding mix so initial root will set into soil verses pushing the seed pod out
of the soil. 20 -30 days for germinate and up to an additional 30 days for sprout.
Submitted on 30/12/2003 by one of our visitors
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
The first seeds germinated in three weeks. The rest germinated a week later. (100% germination) I used a mixture
of mostly shagnum peat, regular potting soil, and small amounts of sand, perlite, and vermiculite. Seeds were
put in shallow plastic dish and covered, kept moderately humid and placed on a heat mat. Room temperature was
not very high since it is the beginning of winter in Montana. Young plants are growing very well.
Submitted on 03/11/2003 by one of our visitors
...very easy to germinate and need up to 3 months to
sprout.
it took me about 2 months to germinate and I only accidently planted it. When I used to live in San Francisco
we were redoing our yard and ordered soil. The seeds must have been mixed with the dry rocky soil and 2 months
later they came up like grass. Now we have 3 there and they are about 16 feet tall and next year they may produce
their own seeds.
Submitted on 19/04/2003 by kyle wicomb kewondom@yahoo.com
...easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
Germinated in exactly 1 month with bottom heat from water heater. Placed in plastic container with lid and planted
in potting soil mixed with sand. Misted twice a week.
Submitted on 17/07/2003 by David jojo4david@hotmail.com
...easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
I have planted hundreds of these seeds that came from a local tree. The trick to getting these to germinate
quickly is to give them good bottom heat (75-95 F), keep the soil moist, NOT WET, and use a coarse soil that
retains the moisture but not the water (I used half soil with wood chips in it and half vermiculite). I planted
some in trays outside and some in baggies inside with heat, and both methods seem to work well. If the roots
are bright white, you're doing good. Many of the seeds did turn black and rotted from overheating and/or being
kept too wet. The baggie method gave me roots in 3 weeks!
Submitted on 14/08/2003 by justen gannon dobbsae@hotmail.com
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
I picked these (fresh) seeds up off the train tracks, soaked them in tepid water for 2 days and planted the
cleaned seeds in 50% peat moss, 50% perlite mix in baggies. Almost all germinated and only one or two (out of
about 20) died later after transplanting.
Submitted on 14/05/2003 by one of our visitors
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
very easy to germinate! after soaking seeds for 24 hours seedswere put in a tupperware container with moist
wetted peat and perlite.about a 80/20 mix. sproutng was within 5 to 7 days.transfering them to potting soil
showed no ill affect with allmost 100% success.
Submitted on 13/07/2003 by one of our visitors
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
After soaked in water for 3 days, the seeds was buried in a damp perlite/sphagnum moss (about 1:1) no deeper
than 1'' and keep it in ~80F. At least 2 of 10 seeds germinated in day 5.
Submitted on 08/08/2003 by one of our visitors
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
this is my first time attempting to germinate palm seeds. currently i'm in my 3rd week of the "baggy"
method with my Canary Islands. I put 10 seeds into a bag with a 1:1 ratio of spanghum peat and perlite. I then
placed them on my hot water heater. Check them for dampness periodically, don't want them to dry out. After
just 3 weeks, already starting to see a couple of them with @1/2" roots!!!
Submitted on 08/05/2003 by Chris Watkins Chris.Watkins@gnf.com
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
I have had great success germinating these in fresh water, some of them starting just after 5 days. The water
needs to be changed almost every day, though. They seems to like good bottom heat, and have survived well in
regular living room temperature.
Submitted on 04/07/2003 by one of our visitors
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
Soak seeds for forty eight hours, drain water off after that time. Then get two cups vermiculite and pour into
a plastic tupperware that seals or you can use a baggie, next add 2 tablespoons of water to the mix and stir
around good, it should feel dry to the touch but nevertheless do not be tempted to add more water as fungus
likes the stones of the Date but a good fungicide to use which is an option is Captan and it is readily available
at nurseries and garden shops. Next add the presoaked seeds to your mix and slightly cover them. The Canary
Island Date Palm like many others likes heat in order to germinate but does'nt require light, I put my tupperware
with the seeds on top of the hot water tank where temperatures are around 84 degrees, but temperatures around
90-95 are ideal. After this just check the seeds every couple of days and if dry you can add a very little water
to them and within a month you should see the white root emerging at this time you are ready to grow, just place
the seed in a small pot or if your climate is suitable outside with the root down and good luck!!
Submitted on 01/06/2003 by one of our visitors
...very difficult to germinate and need up to 3 months to
sprout.
Very difficult. Low germination rate. I planted 6 seeds, and 4 of them rotted. The remaining two germinated
in about two months and are doing well. (They were fresh seeds from the tree in my yard).
Submitted on 02/01/2003 by Leslie Price skinnychick2@yahoo.com
...very easy to germinate and need up to 3 months to
sprout.
Planted seeds hastily without soaking. Even so, they germinated in as soon as 2 weeks in gratifying numbers.
Although this is a large tree in nature, it can be kept within bounds indoors by underpotting and general abuse
- although it does not attain its full majesty in these inadequate conditions. I have a plant more than 10 years
old which is only 5 feet high - all the room I have for it.
Submitted on 01/03/2003 by Steve Flynn sflynn22@mac.com
...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to
sprout.
Very simple to grow, I didn't use any special methods.
Submitted on 23/12/2002 by Van vandringar@hotmail.com
...difficult to germinate and need up to 3 months to
sprout.
Picked some seeds up off the ground from the tree in my yard. It has been over a month now, and no signs of
germination yet. I scarified some of the seeds and left the others alone to see which method works best. They
are in an empty fish tank with several other varieties of seeds. Will watch and wait to see what happens.
Submitted on 11/12/2002 by Leslie Price skinnychick2@yahoo.com
...very easy to germinate and need
up to 3 months to sprout.
i use a double ground pine bark, with 10% peat and 10% fine sand.
i purchase the locally.i put about 10" - 12 " deep in
a pot, spread the seed so none touch, then cover with1.5 "
- 2" of the same medium. i water this good, then mist with
a spray nozzel about every other 2nd or 3rd day, unless it is very
hot and dry.
Submitted on 21/05/2002 by r, lamon ready lamonready@hotmail.com
...very easy to germinate and need
up to 1 month to sprout.
Seeds were soaked for one day and then soaked in a fungicide for
ten minutes. The seeds were placed in damp perlite to sphagnum moss
1:1 ratio. The temperatures were consistant at 70 -75 degrees F.
Germination occured after a week. I recieved 100% germination rate,
10 out of 10 seeds.
Submitted by Jason r21000@usa.com
plant cultivation comments by our visitors
Also see germination commnets above.
Plants from this species ...
... are of average ornamental value 
In amsterdam in The Netherlands they need little care and grow normal.
Took a lot seeds with me from Malta when I was on vacation there, 8 years ago. Not long after planting the seeds, into small pots with normal potting soil (I wasn't such an experienced palm-enthusiast back then) the first sprouts started to appear. I've lost some seedlings because the pots were too small and the first leaf started screwing around (haha), like a corkscrew. Some of them I transplanted right away in bigger pots and I was able to save about 10 of them. Later I gave some away and now I'm left with just 1. It is beautiful though and about a meter high in a large pot on my balconie facing the south (full sun) Only when it starts freezing I bring it inside and it gets to endure some hard wind every now and then.
Submitted on 22/06/2007 by Kai Kuné fishyboy2@hotmail.com
... are of excellent ornamental value 
In LAKE CONROE, Montgomery, Texas in USA they need average care.
Bought 15 seeds and soaked them for 7 days in tap water and Superthrive, changing water each day and removing any remaining fruit. Put them in a tupperware container in a warm room, about 70 to 80 Degrees. Within 3 weeks had 3 sprouts, since then have had 8 more. The first ones are now almost 1 inch tall and I transplanted them to 16 oz cups. Very happy with germination results.
Submitted on 06/05/2006 by eric v ghm@cebridge.net
... are of high ornamental value 
In London in England they need little care and grow normal.
I have two P. canariensis. The older was purchased as a pot plant approx. 0.9m tall in approx. 1996/7 and lived, mainly outdoors except for periods of severe frost, in a pot until 2000, when I planted it out in a sunny spot in quite heavy clayey loam topsoil. For the first Winter, I protected it, but as it seems to cope effortlessly with -5ºC, I have left it unprotected since. It started very slowly, presumably whilst it established its root system, but after our 2003 heatwave and drought, responded by doubling in size during 2004. It is now nearly 3.0m tall, with a 300mm trunk, and is very healthy. The lowest temperature since it was planted out was -6ºC last February and caused no damage at all. The other P. canariensis was purchased as a 200mm tall seedling in 1999 and is kept indoors as a pot plant in a Northwest facing 2.1m high window, where it is now 1.9m tall. It is obviously in need of repotting next Spring, as it has made little growth this year.
Submitted on 19/11/2005 by David Matzdorf davidmatzdorf@blueyonder.co.uk
If you wish to read more on palm cultivation, we highly recommend Ornamental Palm Horticulture
by Timothy K. Broschat and Alan W. Meerow, available in our bookshop.
Ratings and comments reflect individual experiences and the views of our visitors. They do not necessarily describe the most
appropriate methods, nor are they necessarily valid for all seeds or plants of this species. Germination and plant cultivation
success depends on many different factors; nevertheless, these experiences will hopefully aid you in your effort to get the
best germination results from our seeds and the best growth results from your plants.
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