Propagate Bismarck Palm From Seed

Grow a new Bismarck palm from one fresh seed. Sow it in a deep pot, and keep the mix warm and barely moist until it sprouts.

Sow one fresh seed in a deep pot

Bismarck palm does not make rooted suckers, and a frond cutting will not grow. Seed is the way to start a new plant. Pick unblemished fruit that is olive-brown and a little soft, with one large seed inside. [1] Clean off the pulp. You can sand the coat lightly on the side away from the embryo so water can enter. Do not use sulfuric acid, and do not pour near-boiling water over the seed. [2] Sow one seed in a deep pot, because this palm buries the seedling axis well below the mix. A shallow tray leaves no room for that crown. [3]

1. Pull ripe fruit from a mature female cluster, or buy fresh seed. Do not pick green fruit.
2. Rinse off the pulp. Throw out any seed that floats if you soak it a day in warm water.
3. Optional: rub the coat with sandpaper on the side opposite the embryo. Do not cut into the inside.
4. Fill a draining tree tube or a pot at least 8 inches deep with a sandy mix.
5. Press one seed in about an inch. Label the pot. Sow at once. Old seed loses vigor.

Keep the mix warm and barely moist until it sprouts

Keep the mix barely moist and very warm, about 90 to 100 F. Fresh seed may show in two to four months. Other lots take six to twelve months, so do not throw the pot out after a few weeks. [4] When the first leaf pushes through, some growers scrape the mix down to the buried stem crown so it does not sit too deep. Do not break the seed off the seedling if it is still attached. Wait until several leaves are up before you move the plant to a wider pot, and wait for frost-free weather before it goes in the ground.

1. Slip the pot into a plastic bag, or use a covered tray, so the air stays humid.
2. Set the pot on a heat mat unless the room already stays near 90 F.
3. Keep the mix barely moist. Soggy mix rots the seed.
4. Expect sprouts in a few months, and wait as long as a year before you give up.
5. Once a leaf shows, take off the bag. If the stem crown is buried, ease mix away from it so it sits at the surface.

After the seedling is growing, sun, drain, and watering stay on How to Grow Bismarck Palm.

If nothing has sprouted after a few months, keep the mix barely moist and warm. Do not throw the seed out until a year has passed.