WOW! That's all I can say. Good job!

Yup, they grow SUPER fast. and thats in pots. here they grow like weeds. I got five feet of clear trunk in three years from a "weed" that i didnt pull out (birds carry the seeds and new palms grow wherever they drop them)

central Cali-
Can you estimate how tall a Washingtonia would be and how thick the trunk would be for a plant that is about 3 and a half years old. I have one that I started from seed in July of 2004. I have re-potted it uncounted times in an attemt to give the roots ample room. Mine has fronds that are close to two feet wide, the plant is about 2.5 feet tall (the fronds bend so the height is less than the lenght), and the trunk is about 5-6 inches at the base.

I woudnt be of too much help, since i've never grown washingtonias in pots. BUT, i had another washingtonia that i let grow that sprouted about the same time as the one i mentioned above, only it was in a heavily shaded area. The one in the shaded spot grew just as fast but the trunk was really thin and the petrioles were really really long (About 3 feet long). The one that was in full sun was really chunky and the petrioles were only about a foot and a half. They were both w. robusta. The leaves of both were huge (about 4 feet in diameter).

I've seen a couple of robustas in huge wooden planters at the entrance of a local hardware store. They've been there since i moved here 4 years ago and they are about the size that you've described yours to be. They havnt seemed to of grown much since i noticed them 4 years ago. But there could be a couple of factors like minimal water, probably no fertilizer and the fact that customers use the containers as ash trays. Also, it seems like the containers are filled with 100% sand.

Central cali-
Thank you for the input. Th plants are tuff like weeds. One year I brought the plant out too early and the spear pulled because of the constant exposuer to cool weather. It grew back. Last year I didn't get off of the pot (no pun intended LOL) until August and put it in the giant pot it's in and it started to wilt because it was pot bound. After I re-potted it it exploded but around here it needs to come in by mid-October. I have it in a north facing window now so it is growing very slowly as it only gets some weak morning sun. I just started to give it artificail light every other day. I understand you can root prune them so I may sit it in the spring in a spot where the roots shoot through the drain holes and into the ground. That way it will have nothing obstrucing its growth (although the pot it's in is so big I don't think it would have much trouble growing anyway).

Don how long was it till you moved your seeds after they germinated ?

Very Impressive.
I will have to look around for some seeds next time I get a chance to go to California. Matt.

I think the trick to keep them growing in pots is to frequently repot them, but only a little bigger pot each time. If you give them too big of a pot, the roots will grow faster than the plant itself, and shoot straight down and wrap around the bottom of the pot almost instantly, then you're left with the same problem you started with. I'm gonna give root pruning a try on my Filiferas when they start to need a bigger pot. They're just seedlings, one is about a foot tall, so they have a little while yet, but I'm hoping to get them to close to 3 feet by the end of next summer. I think Washingtonias are one of the more attractive palms.

Nice yearlings by the way! Did you fertilize them to get that growth, and with what if u did? I know you're not supposed to fertilize too much if at all when young.

I moved them out of trays when they started second strap leaves,into 1/2 gallon pots,started then fertilizing with
20-20-20 peters right away and about every 2 weeks and full sun,then potted up about August one gallon,and when spring comes they will need to be potted up into a 3 gallon.

Just 1 more question How long did it take before you got your second strap leaf ?

About a month before the second strap appeared,if I can recall correctly it seemed pretty fast.
I potted a couple more seeds week before Xmas,and now they have one strap leaf,so thats been about 3 weeks,so I'll try to remember to post when second strap leaf appears.