Seed propigation?

what is the best method for propigation of sago palm seeds

Seed propigation?
If a Sago Palm seed is tiny or floats when placed in water, then it wasn't pollinated and won't sprout. Remove the orange skin by soaking in a bucket of water for a few days (change the water every day), then peel off the skin. Use gloves, otherwise your hands might turn orange! Once the seed has been cleaned and allowed to dry a day or two, you are ready to plant them. (If the skin just won't come off, then you probably didn't leave them on the moma plant long enough to dry the seedcoat. Just plant them skin on). Choose a shady, protected area to sprout your seed since "first leaves" can be tender.





If you don't plan to plant the seed right away, store in a cool, dry place. Before planting, soak in a bucket of water for a day to remoisturize the hard ivory seed coat. Seed can be stored for up to several months.





Fill flats or soil benches (they need to be about 5-6" or 12-15 cm deep) with well drained soil - you want the water to "perk" through fairly fast - and press the seeds 2/3 of the way into the soil so that only the top flat side can be seen. Use 50% perlite and 50% peat moss to root.. or course river sand.





You plant sago seeds on their side. To demonstrate this, take a handful, drop them on a soft floor and watch how they fall -- they fall on their sides just like if they fell out of a mother plant in the forest. Only the top flat side of the seed should peek out of the soil. Mother Nature usually covers them with falling leaves and natural mulch, but we'll have to improvise with a little extra soil almost covering them.





Water well, press the seeds down again if some "bubble" up and water again. Use a "water breaker" - something that provides a gentle "rain", not a blast of water.





Water the seed when the soil becomes dry about 1-2 inches down (3-5 cm). You do not want to keep them constantly wet, yet you do not want them to dry out completely.





When all the seed in a tray seem to have come up that will, then plant them in 4" pots only slightly larger than the root system. Spiral the long roots down into the pot and add soil. Do not cover the growing tip of the young sago bulb. Adjust the soil level so that only the uppermost tip of the seedling shows.





Seedlings prefer to be root bound at first, but within 6 to 8 months, should be ready to transplant to the next size container; we use 5" pots. By the 2nd year, most become root bound and can be moved up to a 6" or 1 gallon pot.
Reply:Propagation of Sago Palms, (Cycads) can be difficult and commonly are reproduced by removing young Pups(small plant-lets) from the base of the mother Palm. Seed propagation can be difficult as seed is not always fertile.


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