Been looking for the answer to this question for a while.

I just germinated 48 seeds of a total of 50 (using baggies). They haven't sprouted yet, but I moved to pots and I was trying to get a realistic idea of what to expect in terms of their growth rate on the first year. I'm assuming they slow down as they progress and I know that later on they're expected to grow at about 1 foot per year. I'm just wondering if I'm going to have 48 6 inch tall palms in my yard :-)

It's time for me to ask... I've seen several people that have posted pictures, but I do not know how to view them. Is there a link or something i should click?

I get no indication that there is an image at all. This is not an issue with your image, rather an issue I am having with the site altogether. I know this because I have seen other posts indicating there is an image but no links, images, redirections... nothing.

I also know that I am experiencing this on other desktops and my personal laptop. Maybe a profile issue? Settings? who knows

Found out it's those pesky admins. They are blocking every site that doesn't begin with WWW. The pictures are stored in i32.photobucket.com, so, no can do. I'll have to see them at home... sigh...

Finally was able to see your pics. Just for clarification, the 3 yr old palms are the ones in the front? If so, I have to consider them ground cover for a while LOL

Phoenix dactylifera, like most palms, will grow slowly the first couple of years. They tend to put most of their energy into producing roots instead of foliage. Once the leaves go pinnate, the plants will start to grow more rapidly.

If you live in an area with colder winters like I do(I keep all of my container palms in an unheated greenhouse), your P.dac will more than likely stop growing until the spring. If you can give them supplemental heat, you can probably get at least twice the growth of the one in the picture. Also, they tend to be prone to leaf spotting while in the seedling stage, but will grow out of it once they go pinnate.

That gives me the idea I was looking for. Right now, all seedlings have grown a single root, between 1 and 2 inches in length.

I live in FL, zone 10. I think it would be realistic to expect the leaves to go pinnate in about a year or so. Maybe then grow at about 1 foot per year, reaching 3 feet in 3 years. Of course, I will curb my expectations through time and results.

Thanks again!

Just wanted to give an update on this. Of my 45 or so date palms, the first one just went pinnate (fourth leave is separated). I had most of them in community pots and you can tell too. The ones sharing pots have grown a lot slower, some barely show any growth at all, but I do have a handful ready to go pinnate too.

If you do the math, that makes 7 months since the time they germinated.

I'll keep you all posted!