Ravenala madagascariensis - Travelers Palm - 10 Seeds

This famous Banana relative is not a palm at all, despite its common name, and is a popular ornamental in tropical regions throughout the world. Its most conspicuous characteristic is the distichous leaf arrangement, which gives the entire plant the appearance of a huge fan. The Madagascan Travelers Palm derives its name from its capacity to hold water in the leafbases for long periods of time after a rainfall, providing water for weary travellers, even during a drought, ...or so the story goes. The long leaves catch the rain, and the rain flows down to the leafbases, which are stacked into each other and attached to the trunk at an upward angle. If you poke a hole in the leafbase with a stick, a stream of surprisingly clean water will flow out. The seeds are somewhat erratic to germinate but the resulting plant is VERY fast growing. The waxy, blue seed cover may contain germination inhibitors and should be removed for better results. High daytime temperatures may help to trigger faster and more uniform germination, and a hot water treatment before sowing and soaking may also improve results.

Sowing Instruction - seed germination
Propagation: Seeds/Division
Pre-Treatment: remove blue wax layer, pour hot water over the seeds + soak ca. 24-48 h in potassium nitrate, butter milk or liquid soft soap
Sowing Time: all year round
Sowing Deep: ca. 1 cm
Sowing Mix: Coir or sowing mix + sand or perlite
Germination Temperature: ca. at night 22-24°C during the day 28-35 temperature alternation is important!
Location: bright + keep constantly moist, not wet
Germination Time: ca. 3-6 months
Irrigation: in the growing season richly water
Fertilization: biweekly 0,2%ig or long-term fertilizer
Pests: Spider mites > especially under glass
Substrate: potting soil + sand or perlite
Culture: bright at ca. 15-20°C + constantly moist
Overwintering: Mature specimens can be kept bright at approx. 10-15°C + only so much water that the rootball does not dry out completely.