How to pollinate a trachycarpus to obtain seeds?

A beautiful, fast-growing palm, trachycarpus, better known as 'hemp palm', can adapt to most gardens thanks to its amazing hardiness. To propagate it from seed, you need some know-how. Let's see how to proceed.

Characteristics of Trachycarpus

Obtaining seeds from Trachycarpus is more complicated than it seems because this plant is dioecious, meaning that a male and a female subject are required within a limited area for the palm to form seeds. These are carried by the female plant after pollination with male flowers. Therefore, two plants are needed in the same garden or in close proximity to each other for fertilization to take place.

How to recognize a male hemp palm from a female hemp palm?

The male palm blooms in spring. It appears in the form of very dense hanging clusters of cream-colored flowers that produce a lot of pollen that falls as soon as the inflorescence is touched.

The flowering of the female subject is less spectacular and intervenes a little later. The flowers look like small yellowish grains, again placed in clusters on the inflorescence.

How to pollinate a trachycarpus?

As you have probably understood, the ideal would be for you to have a female and a male subject in your garden. If this is not the case, you will have to collect pollen from the male flowers in your nearest garden or park, or even go to a website specialized in palms in order to find an amateur near you who will be ready to give you the famous pollen.

Equipment needed:

• A paintbrush;
• a small iron box;

How to proceed?

Wait until the male palm is well developed and then take a tin can or a glass jar and a brush;

Shake the inflorescence on top of your container to make the pollen fall in;

You can use the brush if necessary;

Close the container to avoid losing the pollen during transport if the two subjects are far apart;

A female flower is optimally receptive to pollination within 12 to 72 hours after opening, so you should aim for the right moment. Finally, if possible...

With the brush, take the pollen and pass it delicately on the female flowers;

Keep some pollen to repeat the operation for 3 successive days to maximize your chances of success.

After the pollination of the trachycarpus

All you have to do is wait for the seeds to form on the female plant. If this is the case, your artificial pollination is successful! Then wait for the seeds to mature before sowing them in a pot containing a very light mixture of potting soil and river sand.

Place the seeds in full light and water so that the substrate never dries out completely.

Over time, change the pot to accommodate the growth of the plant and then install it in the garden in the spring two years later.

Acclimatization of palms

Acclimatization is necessary in cold regions

Acclimatization of palms is a very important and necessary step for their successful integration into our gardens, as these are so-called exotic plants. This means that they normally live in an environment where the growing conditions, the nature of the soil and the climate are very different from ours.

Depending on the region where the garden is located, the acclimatization period will be more or less easy and more or less long. In fact, in the Mediterranean climate, given the warm temperatures in all seasons, acclimatization of palms is not necessary in principle. On the other hand, acclimatization is mandatory further north, as soon as winter temperatures are cooler.

The acclimatization of plants at the nursery Bio gardens

At the Bio jardins nursery (located in Brittany), the plants arrive without leaves or roots. They are then acclimatized and cultivated in local soil, before being sold to gardens in the region. Their breeding in nurseries allows them to avoid a difficult and sometimes fatal 'expatriation', when they will have to face shade, humidity, higher rainfall, and a specific soil (the Breton soil) other than the universal one.

The duration of acclimatization

The acclamation of palms requires a rotation of crops. It is important to know that when a palm tree arrives at the nursery, it is cultivated for two years (or even two and a half years) before being marketed, the time to produce roots and leaves, but also to harden up by facing several Breton winters and the climatic hazards that characterize it.

It is therefore important for the nursery to have a large number of palms (1,000) at different stages of cultivation, in order to have a permanent supply of trees for sale.

The hardiness of palms is acquired through acclimatization

Acclimatized palms are of interest to a varied public (communities, professionals and individuals) who have generally experienced several growing failures with palms from the Mediterranean region. The reason for this is simple: they are not used to the cold. Even if some palms have a theoretical hardiness of -18 to -21°C, they will not be able to withstand winters at -10°C if they have been raised in regions where temperatures never fall below 0°C.

The multiplication of palm trees

Palms are among those plants whose propagation is not the easiest. Many parameters must be taken into account to succeed in this operation.

The various methods of propagation

Sowing seeds remains the most common method. In palms, the size, shape and color of seeds vary considerably from one species to another. For example, a Sabal minor seed will only measure a few millimeters while a coconut (Cocos nucifera) will be much larger!

In addition to sowing, other methods are possible on the species producing offshoots.

Some of them produce shoots at their feet, it is then easy to take them, others of the seedlings directly on the stipe, which it will be then necessary to marcotter.

In the horticultural industry, palms are multiplied by cloning but we will not go into the details of this technique reserved for professionals.

Sowing

This is the method most appreciated by palm growers, which is why we will detail it here.

The amateurs are sometimes put in failure by the non respect of certain parameters which we will learn to know better in order to control them:

The viability of seeds

The viability, that is to say the capacity of a seed to germinate in a given time, depends not only on the species (from a few weeks for the Latiana to several years for the Phoenix canariensis or the Cocos nucifera), but also on the conservation of these.

Palms growing in tropical areas need heat, the same applies to their seeds which should be kept at adequate temperatures (minimum 20°C). The rate of hygrometry is also important; if the seed dries too much, it will lose its germinative power.

Treatment before sowing

A specific treatment can also be necessary to induce a good germination. Thus, a few days in the refrigerator's crisper can be beneficial for species originating from temperate regions with a marked cold season. Others will have to be soaked 48h before sowing, others still will have to be well brushed and washed to remove the germination inhibiting substance present in their flesh!

Temperature, hygrometry, substrate, luminosity and patience: the keys to success

At the time of the sowing inform you well on the needs for each species because the temperature necessary for germination can vary. For Trachycarpus, a temperature of 20 to 24°C will be sufficient whereas Elaeis guinensis, the oil palm tree will need 38 to 40°C constant and this during a very long period (2 months and half) to germinate correctly. The installation must therefore be up to the task!

The composition of the substrate, the light and the hygrometry rate are other parameters to take into account. Always very light, the substrate will have to be very permeable so that water does not stagnate around the seed. The depth of the pot must also be chosen according to the species because some palms like Lodoicea maldavica have a so-called 'delayed germination'. A long root forms (sometimes for almost a meter) before the bud appears. Don't panic though: these cases are rare and our good old Phoenix will be satisfied with a depth of 2 cm!

After that, everything will be a story of patience because palm trees at the seedling stage are rather long to grow. Don't forget to water them regularly!

The planting of the palm trees

Planting a palm tree

The palm tree has an inverted vegetative cycle, compared to traditional plants; that is to say that it rests in summer. This characteristic allows it to be resistant to heat and drought in semi-arid regions. It is therefore during this period that we proceed to the planting of palms. The summer temperatures will be, moreover, an asset for the development of the roots.

To accentuate this heat effect, it is advisable to add well decomposed manure to the planting pit (fresh manure would burn the roots).

It is also important to bind the palms together: this is to limit the transpiration of the plant during the first year.

Maintaining the palm tree

Pruning the fruits

When the fruits appear, it is advisable to remove them so that their development does not exhaust the plant. This operation should be carried out regularly.

Pruning the palms

The trunk of the palm tree, called stipe, is actually a succession of old pruned palms. They can be cut more or less short depending on the variety or the climate; the drooping palms protect the stipe from the cold, but on small trees they quickly become cumbersome.

Consequences of pruning on the hardiness of palms

To give the palm tree extra protection against the cold, it is recommended to gather and tie the palms every winter. This protects the heart at the top of the stipe.

With this method, the hemp palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) can withstand temperatures between -18°C and -21°C. But for palms like washingtonias, which are less hardy, it is better to leave the old palms hanging around the stipe to protect it.

Rattan, a climbing palm

Under the common name of 'rattan palm' are hidden many tropical species of climbing palms with strong development. These amazing plants are used in many fields by the natives. Discovery...

Rattan palm, who are you?

Several species of palm trees are grouped under the term 'Rattan Palm'. From the Arecaceae family, these climbing palms grow in tropical areas, especially in Southeast Asia and Africa.

In Malaysia, they are very common, the word 'rattan' would come from the Malay 'rotang'. Among the genera, we find Calamus, from the Greek 'calamos' which means 'bamboo' in reference to the very fine stipes and Daemonorops. These genera are divided into many species of plants with very fine stipes, flexible like lianas.

The stipe is never very thick although it can reach 18 cm in diameter on some species, but it is very long and equipped with fine prickles that help it to attach itself to the surrounding trees, allowing it to climb happily up to 200 meters in length.

Rattan palms are clumping, which means that they often form a clump at their base. There are however solitary subjects.

The pinnate leaves, 60 to 80 cm long, are also armed with hooks or spines, sometimes even flagella with a hook at the end, allowing them to cling to the surrounding plants to reach the light. Red, yellow or orange fruits follow a white flowering in clusters.

Rattan palm in local crafts

In the countries where the rattan palm grows, it is exploited from the 8th year following its plantation and this, over a period of about 30 years. Harvesting is generally done after fruiting, with many precautions and specific clothing to avoid injury on the various hooks and spines of the plant.

The stipes are then sectioned in sections of 5 to 10 m then rid of their spines and their leaves to be then conditioned.

The pith will be used for fine basketry, while the strips removed from the peripheral part of the stipe will be used to make coarser objects.

Locally, fishnets and traps are made with rattan fibers, but also crossbows, baskets or small handicrafts, both utilitarian and decorative.

Rattan is also used to cane chairs and of course to make furniture that will find its place in our verandas or in the garden.

The palm trees

Originating from hot zones of the globe, palm trees bring a touch of exoticism to your decor. Common to the Mediterranean coastline, their elegant bearing and original foliage never cease to seduce plant lovers who dream of acclimatizing them in their gardens.

From the Palmaceae or Areacaceae family, palms group together 2700 species of monocotyledonous arborescent plants bearing large pinnate leaves, palmate or arranged in a fan at the top of a stipe. The stipe is the name given to the robust stem of palms, it is an interlocking of old leaf sheaths nested in each other and resulting from the fall of leaves induced by the growth of the plant. For palms, we will never speak of a trunk. The stipe is recognizable by its constant diameter which does not vary from the foot to the bunch of leaves. This stipe is in fact a stem filled with pith or fibers.

The stipe does not branch except in rare cases, we will then speak of cepae when multiple stems are born at ground level, as in the case of Chamaedorea seifrizii for example.

The leaves of palms are often large and very cut. They can be pinnate, that is to say that the leaflets are distributed on both sides of the veins as in Cocos nucifera (coconut palms), Phoenix canariensis, or palmate or flabelliform (fan-shaped) in Chamaerops.

The inflorescence (spadix) of palms is formed by a spike surrounded by a large bract called "spathe". In some genera of Araceae, the spike can bear more than 2,000 flowers. The fruits have a soft edible flesh in the date palm (Phoenix dactylifer) or hard in the coconut palm.

Due to their botanical specificity, palms are similar to grasses; it is impossible to cut or graft them. The only method of multiplication remains the sowing of seeds, preferably on a hot bed. Germination is very slow (2 to 3 months). The small seeds will be planted in a mixture with sandy dominance and covered with a thickness of substrate equal to their size. The very big seeds as those of the coconut trees will be half buried. Certain species produce rejections with their feet, it is then possible to separate them delicately in order to replant them separately by taking care well to take a stem already well rooted. However, the success of this technique remains uncertain and sowing is without doubt the only sure way to multiply palms.

You can grow some species of palm trees in your gardens even if only two species grow naturally in Europe, the Chamaerops humilis and the Phoenix theophrastii.

The very famous Trachycarpus fortunei, very present on the French Riviera, is without doubt the most cultivated of the so-called hardy species. Once well installed, it can survive temperatures of -15°C. Be careful because this palm can grow very fast and take unexpected proportions.

The Rhapidophyllum hystrix, although quite rare, remains one of the most resistant species to cold (-20°C). Northern countries have adopted it. Brahea armata, otherwise known as the "Mexican blue palm" is recommended for small gardens because its growth is very slow, as well as Chamaerops humilis, which has a great capacity to adapt and will do well in dry ground as well as in areas exposed to sea spray. Very present in garden centers, it is the ideal palm tree even in a pot on a terrace, to give a note of exoticism to your decor.