By Julie Christensen
Few trees are more exotic than the coconut palm ( Cocos nuciferaLinn . ) . This regal tree grow edible seeds – coconuts . regrettably , cocoa palm palms are dauntless only in USDA plant hardiness zone 11 and 12 . They need minimum temperature of about 72 degrees and grow best when temperatures grade between 85 and 95 degrees .
you may try growing them indoors , but they credibly wo n’t carry yield . If you live on in a warm , tropical area , you could plant coconut palm decoration outdoors at any time of the twelvemonth , although the lovesome , showery months of summertime are best . The trees grow slowly and may not produce yield for several yr . At adulthood , they can reach height of 80 to 100 pes .
Propagating Coconut Palm
The simple means to farm coconut palm tree is from a potted nursery plant , but you’re able to maturate them from seed . Start with a coconut – the kind you determine in the grocery store will do . Place the cocoa palm in a bucket filled with half-hearted water . Use a rock music or system of weights to keep the coconut submerse under body of water and provide it for three or four days . This soakage softens the coconut and accelerates the sprouting process .
Remove the coco palm from the water . Fill a large zip - top plastic bag with 1 loving cup of water . commit the coconut palm in the formative old bag and seal it . hive away it in a warm , drear localisation , such as near a water heater . chequer it every week . The seed will germinate and produce roots and a sprout within a few weeks or up to three calendar month .
Once the root start to grow , gently wrap them in a damp report towel and localise the coconut back in the old bag . It ’s clip to transplant the coconut when the sprout grows to about the size of it of your finger and the roots are about 6 to 8 inches long . To plant your coconut palm in a pot , select a locoweed that holds at least 10 congius of grime . fill up it with a potting soil designed for cactus or make your own mix by combining one part unconstipated pot soil with one part sand . Add a few handfuls of o.k. gravel . Plant the cocoa palm so part of the sprout is beneath the stain .
To plant a coco palm seeded player in the ground , select a location that has sandy , loose , well - draining soil . In low - lie region , plant cocoanut in raised seam to ameliorate drainage .
Whether you propagate your coconut thenar from source or from a nursery transplant , coco palms demand frequent wet . Water them at least weekly so the soil rest consistently moist . cocoanut palms should be plant in an sphere that gets full sun . A warm , protected region is idealistic . If you like , you’re able to create a mini - greenhouse around your youthful plant . repulse several bamboo wager into the undercoat 6 inch from the plant to make a kind of fencing around the flora . Wrap plastic wrap around the bamboo sticks and across the top to make an enclosing . Remove this greenhouse once the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree stands 12 inches tall .
Coconut palms are subject to phosphorus , nitrogen , manganese and atomic number 5 deficiencies , which typically present themselves as yellow leave or obtuse growth . To prevent nutritious deficiencies , fertilize your coconut palm every two months with a plant food made for palm Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . Apply the fertilizer with a rotary spreader throughout the expanse under the pennant of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . Apply it at a rate of 1 Cypriot pound per 100 square feet of soil .
Pests and Diseases
Coconut medallion are harass by several disease problems . The most common one is “ lethal yellow ” ( LY ) , which has slowly spread up the coast of Florida , kill off many native and commercial plantings . Yellowing leaves , dropping yield and slow expiry are the most potential symptom . If you live in an area prone to LY , constitute a disease - tolerant miscellanea such as Malayan Dwarf . Infected Tree may be treat with antibiotics , but you must treat the tree every four calendar month for the rest of its life . In a home garden , it ’s usually best to take away infected trees .
Fungal bud hogwash cause spot on the leaves or the leaves become gray . As the fungus infects the buds , they shrink , yellow and drop and have a loathsome odor . The disease is most coarse after heavy rain or in badly draining grease . industrial plant decoration coconuts in full sun , in well - draining ground and plow them with fosetyl - Al to prevent fungal bud rot . Once infect , the trees should be removed .
Harvesting Coconut Trees
Your coconut medal may set about producing yield five to seven days after planting . The coconuts take 7 to 12 months to mature from bud set . Harvest them at seven months for drink . harvesting at 12 months if you plan to dry the coconut .
For more information , see the following link :
The Coconut Palm in Floridafrom the University of Florida IFAS Extension
Julie Christensen see about gardening on her grandpa ’s farm and mother ’s vegetable garden in southern Idaho . Today , she live on and garden on the mellow plains of Colorado . When she ’s not digging in the grunge , Julie write about food , educational activity , parenting and horticulture .
