Growing your own Windmill Palms (Trachycarpus fortunei) is totally doable, but I’ll be honest with you: it’s a marathon, not a sprint. While you can harvest your own seeds or grab some from a garden center, it takes several years for a tiny seed to turn into a full-grown, majestic palm. If you’ve got the patience, though, it’s a super rewarding project!
Should You Buy or Harvest Your Own Seeds?
Getting viable seeds from your own palms is actually a bit of a challenge. Windmill Palms are “dioecious,” which is just a fancy way of saying you need both a male and a female plant to get the job done. Plus, both palms need to be mature (usually several years old) before they’ll even think about flowering. If you’re lucky enough to have a successful pollination, the palm will produce edible fruits containing the seeds. Just make sure to leave the flower on the plant until it’s completely dried out.
If you’re debating whether to buy or harvest, keep in mind that indoor palms rarely bloom. However, if you have a few of these beauties growing outdoors, you might see some flowers! You can even play Mother Nature by using a small paintbrush to transfer pollen between the flowers to boost your chances of getting seeds by autumn.
Prepping Your Seeds for Success
Windmill Palm seeds have a very tough outer shell. To give them a head start, you’ll want to soak them in lukewarm water for about 24 hours before planting. Some gardeners even give the seeds a light scuff with sandpaper to help moisture get through that hard casing. Since these seeds can take a notoriously long time to sprout, these little tricks are a lifesaver for speeding things up.
Step-by-Step Guide to Sowing Windmill Palms
The best time to get started is between February and April. Here’s how to do it:
- Soak your seeds for 24 hours.
- Prep your starter pots with a good seed-starting mix.
- Sow the seeds into the soil.
- Cover them with a thin layer of dirt.
- Find a warm, bright spot for your pots.
- Keep the soil consistently moist (but not soggy!).
- Once your seedlings hit about four inches tall, it’s time to move them into their own individual pots.
Don’t panic if you don’t see green right away—it can take up to a full year for a seed to germinate. It’ll take another two or three years of TLC before you have a sturdy young plant, but trust me, watching that first palm frond unfurl is worth the wait!
