Tips
on starting indoor tropical
plants from seeds.
Normally I
would not plant tropical or
sub-tropical plant seeds since you can buy a large plant already grown
at any store at a reasonable price, but sometimes I like to experiment.
I have tried this method with palm tree seeds and Oleander
plant
seeds.
Here's
a simple technique that works if the seed is good. With palm tree seeds
you should get a 50% germination success rate.
Let's say
you want to plant palm tree seeds as an example.
First of
all, place the seeds in
water for 3-6 hours before planting. This helps them germinate faster.
This soaking in water technique can also be done for planting outdoor
plants.
Mix regular
soil with peat moss in a small
pot. I prefer to use 3/4 soil and 1/4 peat moss. Wet the soil a little
and let it sit. Plant a couple of seeds (in case one doesn't germinate)
about 1/2 inch deep then cover with soil and water. Cover the pot with
clear plastic wrap and place the pot in direct sunlight. This creates a
mini greenhouse effect and helps to keep the soil moist by trapping in
moisture.
Here is the
palm tree that I planted from seeds in early 2000.
The seeds are
originally from Patras in Greece. I just picked the fallen seeds off
the ground. Originally it was intended as an experiment for me on
whether I could plant a palm tree from seed, from scratch. The original
tree is about 2
stories in height, at least. I wondered how an outdoor tree like this
would grow indoors. To domesticate it and to get it to grow
indoors I have used various containment techniques: not too much direct
sunlight, proper watering techniques and tying up. As you can see, I
have tied up the palm fronds in two sections to keep them from going
all over the place. By doing this, the tree looks nice and fits in
rather nicely in a corner of a room.
