Question
I am planning on growing red sealing wax palms[cyrtostachys renda]. Our Hawaiian climate is great for them, but everything I read says germination is difficult and the success rate is very low. Do you have any specific suggestions that i can try? Should I use bottom heat even though the air temperature is warm and we have sufficient humidity? Thank you so much for your help? Aloha, Camille

Answer
Camille, there are several ways to speed germination of certain seeds. The most common is soaking the seed for 8 hours in tepid water. This helps break down the outer coating. The second method, and most successful, is called stratification.

Stratification can be accomplished by nicking the seed with a knife using a small incision or by lightly rubbing the seed on sand paper. Like soaking the seed, this will break down the outer shell and speed germination.

The best detailed description of stratification I have found is attached below. If after reading this article you have any questions, please write back and I will be happy to clarify that particular subject.

http://www.gardenline.usask.ca/misc/seed_str.html  

In regard, to bottom-heating, this always is a good idea since seeds need warm temperatures to germinate. You can purchase heating coils designed specifically for this purpose at any reputable garden center.

I hope this answered y9ur question. Please write again if I can ever be of assistance.

Regards,

Mike