To date, it has become popular to decorate houses, offices and administrative institutions with exotic plants. Most often, palm trees are preferred, as the plant is quite decorative and without flowering. In this article, we will talk about the date palm, whether it is possible to grow a palm tree from a date seed and how to do it.
Soil for planting
For seed germination, experienced growers advise using a mixture of peat and sand. After transplanting a sprouted plant, the substrate must be replaced with a more suitable one. There are soils for palm plants on sale, but it is better to prepare the soil yourself by adding all the substances necessary for the development of the plant.
So, we prepare the soil for the date palm from the following components:
- A mixture of clay-turf land - two parts;
- A mixture of humus with leafy soil - two parts;
- Sand, peat - one part each;
- A good pinch of charcoal.
Important! A good drainage layer is a prerequisite for growing. You can use expanded clay or pebbles, any other material.
How to prepare dates for planting
We will figure out which seeds are suitable for planting and how to prepare in order to successfully germinate a date seed. A stone for planting is best taken from a fresh fruit, but it can also be from a dry one - in this case, ask if the dates have been heat treated. If not, the bones are suitable; if so, such a bone will not rise.
Prepare about eight seeds, flesh aside, wash and dry the seeds. It is better to plant a date palm from a stone at home in the winter - at this time the plant does not need as much sunlight as in a further period of development.
The bones should be soaked in warm water for several days and put in a warm place (you can attach it to or near the heater), change the water daily. Option two: wrap the bone in several layers of moistened cotton wool or gauze.
Then, in one or two areas of the surface of the seed, make punctures (according to some recommendations, cuts are made on the bone) so that water gets inside and stimulates germination. Leave it in the water for another three to four days. Seeds are ready to plant when they are slightly swollen.
Planting date seeds in the ground
Next, we will consider in detail how to plant a date seed. To germinate the seeds, we take a common container, plant six to eight seeds at some distance from each other in the prepared soil. The substrate described above is prepared for an already sprouted plant, the bone can be germinated in a mixture of earth and sawdust.
Planting depth should be equal to the length of the seed plus half. Landing is carried out in moist soil, watering is not carried out from above. The container with crops must be placed in a warm place.
How to plant a date palm from seeds - figured it out, now you need to create all the conditions for the plant.
Did you know? Date palms are masculine and feminine. "Men" differ in the type and shape of flowers. Ancient people knew: for a large harvest, one male copy is needed for a couple of dozen female ones, while one palm tree gives up to 250 kg of dates.
Conditions for germination and care of crops
If the substrate is moist, the first shoots will appear in one to three months. The substrate must be precisely moistened, so it is better to moisten it by spraying, and not by watering, like an adult plant.
Sprouts that have grown a strong leaf of four centimeters, it's time to transplant into separate pots. The pots should be tall, designed for the long roots of the plant, the width does not play a role. Drainage is necessarily placed at the bottom: small pebbles, pebbles, expanded clay.
It is not difficult to grow a date palm into an adult lush plant: provide it with the right care from a small, from seedlings. The date is photophilous, the lighting should be bright and constant. Choose a room with windows facing west, south, east.
A sharp change in temperature, excessive moisture in the soil is detrimental to date palm seedlings.
Did you know? In countries with a dry, hot climate, dates have long been called "bread of the desert." Going on long trips, be sure to take a few bags of these fruits with you. Eating dates alone can saturate the body with moisture, and all the necessary nutrients and vitamins.
How to care for seedlings
In nature, date palms grow in conditions of tropical heat and often drought, but how do dates grow at home? A palm tree needs light, all its leaves are drawn to the light, so the pot with seedlings must be regularly turned towards the sun with each side of it, otherwise the foliage will stretch unevenly.
Dry air is contraindicated for the plant, which means that in winter we remove the plant away from batteries and other heating devices. In the summer, the plant must be taken out to fresh air, gradually hardening.
When weather permits, ventilate the room where the palm tree is growing. In extreme heat, spray the foliage and airspace around the palm tree. Warm shower procedures once a week are not prohibited, the only condition is well-covered ground.
Important! When watering, observe the measure - you need to water when the top layer of soil dries. In case of overflow, the plant will hurt, its roots do not tolerate excess moisture. Water for irrigation should be free from chlorine and other hard impurities.
Date palm for successful cultivation at home twice a month in warm seasons must be fed, in the winter season - once a month. For this, both mineral fertilizers and organic matter are used.
In gardening stores you can buy ready-made complex dressings balanced for palm plants. For dates, it is desirable to use water-soluble preparations.
Adult plants for proper growth and giving them a decorative look will need to be cut regularly. There are a few simple rules here: remove the number of leaves equal to what has grown in a year, no more; remove damaged and lower drooping leaves.
At the beginning of palm formation, all side shoots are removed - the plant should have one strong central stem. You can not cut the top of the palm tree - this will lead to death.
In our time, indoor palm trees have become very popular. A tropical or subtropical tree will decorate any interior, creating the feeling of a jungle or a small green oasis. The palm family has over 3402 species and 185 genera. Woody plants are represented by two large groups with a difference in leaf shape:
- Pinnate (for example: coconut, howea, dates);
- Fan leaves (for example: chamerops, trachyaprus).
Like any plant, representatives of the palm family need certain conditions in order to develop and grow well.
For the peoples of the world, the palm branch has, and had different meanings:
- in ancient China, this plant carries a symbol of dignity and fertility;
- in the Arabian state - is associated with the tree of life;
- in Christianity - a symbol of immortality, divine blessing and eden, victory over death;
- in the early period of Catholicism, it is a funerary symbol.
A branch of a palm tree is also present in the emblematic symbolism of ancient peoples. In the modern world, a palm branch is also used in heraldry: Bolivia, Cuba, Cyprus, Sierra Leone and so on. Here it symbolizes the territorial location of states and their economic priorities.
Basic conditions for growing palm houses
Is it possible to grow your palm tree at home, in an ordinary apartment? Can. And it is quite within the power of anyone who loves green pets. The main requirements for normal plant growth include:
- Bright room, diffused light (dries out in a dark place).
- Compliance with the temperature regime: without sudden changes. No drafts.
- Being near other plants is not welcome - the palm tree is a single plant.
- Compliance with the rules of watering and humidity. If the air is dry, it is recommended to regularly spray the leaves on both sides with warm water. It is also recommended to wipe the leaves with a damp sponge dipped in water. As a prophylaxis against pests, you can use a weak decoction of chamomile.
- Regular fertilization of plants during growth (from March to September) - once a week, in autumn - 2 times a month, in winter - 1 time per month.
- For young plants, top dressing is carried out 6 months after transplantation, using conventional fertilizers for flowers.
Transfer
The date palm will perfectly complement any interior. This tropical plant with a chic crown, feathery bright green leaves pleases the eye and looks unusual. And most importantly, this beauty is easy to grow in apartment conditions.
This variety of palm in the world has about a dozen species. And only four of them are grown in our country. The most common type is the date palm. Unfortunately, the palm tree will not bear fruit in the apartments, since the air temperature must be at least 36 ° C.
A plant can be grown at home in two ways: by layering (but it is worth considering that it is very difficult to find the desired palm shoot) or grow your own tree from a fresh date or dried fruit. Below we will talk about the second method of growing a room date palm at home, from a stone, with recommendations for planting, transplanting and caring for photos and videos.
Preparatory work, planting and transplanting plants
To increase the chances of a positive result, it is better to prepare several seeds for planting, given that the germination percentage ranges from 40 to 60 percent. In order for the seed to germinate faster, it is necessary to clean it from the pulp, so as not to provoke the process of decay in the soil. The bone must be washed and dried.
Then the seed is placed in a small container, poured with warm water, and placed under direct sunlight or on a battery for a couple of days, periodically changing the water.
When the bone swells, transplant into pots. Before planting, you need to mix sawdust and sand in equal parts, and add this mixture to a pot filled with peat.
Watering. After that, the pot is cleaned in a warm place, the air temperature is not lower than 25 ° C and watered regularly. To achieve the best result, you can make an imitation of the greenhouse effect - cover the container with a transparent film.
Bones germinate, as a rule, in one and a half to two months. By this time, the sprout must be transplanted into a larger pot (300 ml). And slightly change the composition of the soil: four parts of sand, two parts of turf, peat, humus and one part of charcoal. The bottom must be covered with drainage (small pebbles or expanded clay). A pot with a planted sprout is placed in a well-lit place, avoiding direct sunlight. The plant is regularly watered and sprayed.
In order for the plant to please the happy grower with its appearance for a long time, you need to know how to properly care for the date palm at home. Pots with a palm tree need to be rotated periodically. Otherwise, the light will be distributed unevenly. It is important to water the plant regularly. It is not worth over-wetting the soil. In the warm season, when the plant is actively growing, watering is supplemented with special top dressing, which can be easily purchased at the store. You need to do this once a week. In winter, it is enough to feed a palm tree no more than once a month. If brown spots appear on the plant, then the soil is very waterlogged. If the leaves turn yellow, then there is not enough moisture. Do not forget about spraying with water from a spray bottle.
Although the date loves good lighting, burns should not be allowed on the plant. The presence of pale leaves indicates that the palm tree should be removed from direct sunlight.
To combat bugs and other pests, the stem and leaves are wiped with a sponge dipped in a solution of laundry soap, or the plant is sprayed with garlic infusion. It is not worth trimming the branches of a palm tree, since its growth occurs at the top of the trunk. The first 5 years, the date is transplanted once a year. Then every three years. It is not difficult to understand that it is time to transplant the plant: the root system completely fills the pot.
There are many varieties of palm trees, but the date remains the most popular in home floriculture. Date palm or date (Phoenix) is a tropical tall plant belonging to the Palm family (otherwise Arekaceae), which naturally grows in Africa and Eurasia. But the date can live not only in the tropics - the plant is successfully used for decorating residential premises and offices, landscaping greenhouses and winter gardens.
In nature, the tree reaches gigantic proportions, producing huge bunches of tasty and nutritious fruits.
Various types of date palm are represented by woody forms or squat shrubs belonging to the group of pinnate palms. Under natural conditions, where the palm tree grows, it reaches a height of 12–15 m, and sometimes gigantic sizes of about 30 m. For industrial purposes, dates are grown to produce tasty and nutritious fruits - dates, and its juice is used in the production of sugar.
The date palm at home grows only up to 2.5 m in height, after which its growth stops. Yellow date flowers are collected in inflorescences - panicles. Flowers and fruits appear in perennial trees 15 meters high, but it is impossible to grow such a tree at home. A date grown at home does not bear fruit.
In total, there are 17 types of date trees, and three of them are especially common in home floriculture. It:
- common date, otherwise palmate (Phoenix dactylifera);
- Canarian date (Phoenix canariensis);
- roebelen date (Phoenix roebelenii).
All types of date trees are highly decorative, fit perfectly into any interior space, suitable for home and office gardening, growing in greenhouses. The date palm is very hardy and unpretentious, and therefore is the most popular among flower growers.
Date care
Growing a date palm requires the creation of certain conditions of detention - temperature, humidity and lighting, timely fertilization.
Lighting
The home date tree should grow in a well-lit area. At the same time, direct sunlight harms the plant, and it is better to shade it during the hottest lunch hours.
The date palm loves free space, so it is undesirable to put the plant in a room cluttered with furniture.
In order for the leaves to form evenly and symmetrically, the plant must be rotated periodically.
Temperature
Caring for a palm tree at home involves maintaining a certain temperature:
- from 20 to 25 ° С - in the spring and summer months;
- from 15 to 18 ° С - in winter.
The plant does not respond well to drafts. Its root system is also characterized by increased sensitivity to cold, so it is not recommended to put a date in a pot on marble floors, a cold window sill.
Watering
A houseplant needs to be watered abundantly in summer. The complete drying of the earth must not be allowed, otherwise the leaves of the date tree will wither and will not return to their original position. In addition, drying out the soil can lead to yellowing of the leaves.
In winter, watering is reduced, while the frequency of soil moisture is determined by the air temperature in the room. Waterlogging and cold air causes brown spots to appear on the leaves. To avoid problems, each subsequent watering should be carried out only after the soil mixture has dried to a depth of 2–3 cm.
Water the plant with warm (about 20 ° C), soft, non-chlorinated water. For these purposes, settled, melted or rain water is suitable. Hard water containing calcium is bad for indoor palm. To ensure that the water in the pot does not stagnate, you need to provide good drainage.
The date is very fond of moist air, so home care for the plant should include spraying the leaves, which is done daily. Once a week, you can arrange a warm shower for the date, having previously covered the earth in a pot with a film. In winter, when the air is too dry due to the operation of heating devices, it is advisable to place a container filled with water near the pot with a tree.
Fertilization
Date palm fertilizer is applied diluted to a moist soil substrate. For top dressing, you can use:
- complex products for palm trees or indoor decorative deciduous flowers;
- chicken manure diluted with water (mix the fertilizer with water in a ratio of 1:3, leave for 10 days, dilute the resulting product with water in a ratio of 1:10 before feeding);
- potassium nitrate (dilute a teaspoon in a liter of water).
Flower growers recommend using potassium nitrate for feeding palm trees only in summer.
Feeding frequency per month:
- three times - in spring and summer;
- twice - in the fall;
- once in winter.
Growing from the bone
The date palm grows from the seed of an ordinary date. How to grow a palm tree from a date seed? For cultivation, you can take fresh, candied or dried fruits. The main thing is that the dates do not undergo heat treatment.
January or February is the best time to plant a date seed.
To make the date seed germinate faster, you can scald it with boiling water or rub it with sandpaper. Before planting, the seed for swelling is placed in water (temperature 40 ° C) for three days. From time to time, the water needs to be changed, and the seeds should be thoroughly cleaned of the remnants of the fruit pulp. Bones that have sunk to the bottom of a container of water are suitable for germination. After swelling, they are washed under running water, spread on a dry cloth.
In a pot with sand, peat and raw sawdust (taken in equal amounts), the stone is placed vertically, sprinkled with soil mixture with a layer of 1–2 cm. The soil is watered, covered with wet moss or glass. Glass is removed daily to ventilate the crops, wipe the condensate on it. The optimum temperature for keeping crops is from 25 to 30 ° C. Under such conditions, a date from a stone will germinate in about 1.5–2 months. If the fruits have been stored for a long time, germination slows down, and sprouts may appear after 3 months or even after six months.
Experienced flower growers know how to grow a date palm. They recommend that the sprouts that appear immediately be put in a place with good access to light, but not under direct sun. Sprouts regularly spray and water.
To grow a date from a seed, it is important not to overmoisten the soil. The date tree does not respond well to excessive moisture, so watering should be done only after the top layer of the soil substrate has dried out.
When the seedlings grow to 12–14 cm, they are planted in separate pots with a diameter of no more than 15 cm. A drainage layer 3 cm thick is placed at the bottom of the container. A mixture is suitable for planting:
- peat (1 part);
- leaf and sod land (2 parts each);
- sand (2 parts);
- humus (4 parts).
When growing a date palm from a stone at home, only simple belt-like leaves are formed for the first few years, and pinnate leaves on the plant will appear only after 3-5 years.
The date grown during the first 5 years looks quite modest and unpretentious, and only after 5 or 7 years does the date tree acquire a true decorative value. Interestingly, date trees grown from the same seeds can have a different shape. It can be a small but fluffy tree or a tall, slender and elegant palm tree.
It is impossible to cut or break off the top of the tree - this will lead to its death.
Transfer
The grown date transfers the transplantation procedure quite hard, and with the slightest damage to the roots, it starts to hurt or die. Therefore, palm transplantation is carried out by transshipment.
Transplantation of young plants (up to 4–5 years old) is carried out annually, adult trees are moved to a larger pot every 2–3 years. It is best to transplant the plant in the spring. To renew the soil, every 6 months it is recommended to remove the top layer of the earth, fill the empty space with fresh soil substrate.
At home, a large palm tree is transplanted only when the root system becomes crowded, individual roots begin to emerge through the drainage holes. A pot for transplanting should be taken 3-4 cm larger than the previous one. Pots for palm trees need not be wide, but tall and stable enough so that the long roots are not cramped, and they fit freely in the container.
The transplant must be carried out very carefully so as not to damage the root system, otherwise the plant will get sick or even die.
The land for growing dates should be soft, loose, well pass air and moisture. To grow a healthy and beautiful date palm at home, you need to transplant it into the ground from the following components:
- clay-turf substrate (2 parts);
- humus-leaf substrate (2 parts);
- sand (1 part);
- peat soil (1 part);
- rotted manure (1 part);
- a small amount of wood ash.
If for some reason it is not possible to prepare the soil substrate on your own, you can use special soil for palm trees or universal soil for planting indoor plants. A good drainage layer of pebbles or coarse sand should be placed at the bottom of the pot.
In nature, dates are propagated by seeds. At home, palm reproduction is also carried out with the help of seeds. Due to the fact that the shell of the stone is very hard, you have to wait a long time for sprouts. To speed up this process, the shell is filed or thinned with sandpaper, the seeds are soaked in growth stimulants, and lower soil heating is created during germination.
Growing problems
If a date palm grows at home, care should be appropriate. Content errors lead to diseases, slowdown in plant development, and other problems.
- Overmoistening of the soil. The leaves turn dark brown, the trunk becomes loose and soft, and a putrid smell emanates from the palm. In this case, you need to stop watering. It is advisable to remove the plant from the pot to inspect the root system. If the roots have darkened, become watery and soft, the date cannot be saved. If there are living roots, the plant can be saved. The dead roots must be removed, the cut points should be sprinkled with crushed charcoal.
- Insufficient watering. The leaves of the tree fall down, turn yellow.
- Increased acidity of the soil. In acidic soil, there is not enough manganese and iron, which is why the growth of the plant stops. The acidity level of the soil for growing dates should not exceed 7.
- Dry air and soil, sudden changes in temperature and drafts. These negative factors lead to the darkening of the tips of the leaves of the plant. The leaves die off, so they need to be removed - cut off the dark tips or completely leafy plates.
- Low air temperature. At low temperatures, the development of the root system and the aerial part is suspended, the growth of the tree stops.
- Too much light. In bright sun, the leaves of the plant become pale. A similar situation is observed when a plant is damaged by a red spider mite.
If brown leaves appear from below, this is normal. So, as a rule, age-related changes that occur with the plant appear.
In poor lighting, the leaves of the date palm stretch out and become brittle.
Pests
With illiterate palm care, the risk of attacking the plant by pests increases. As a result of the activity of a mealybug, scale insect or spider mite, the leaves of the plant darken and dry out, dark brown spots appear on them. For pest control, you can use:
- a solution of laundry soap (leaves are washed with a solution);
- garlic extract (the plant is sprayed);
- Aktellik solution (1-2 ml per 1 liter of water) - used for treatment with severe plant damage.
Diseases
The date may be attacked by pink rot and brown spotting. These are the most common fungal diseases that occur due to excessive watering. Spotting affects leaf plates, and with pink rot, the entire flower rots. Young and weakened date palms are especially susceptible to diseases, which are not properly cared for at home. The affected plant must be treated with a fungicide solution. If necessary, carry out the procedure several times at intervals of once a week.
Where could I buy
Date seeds can be purchased at a specialized seed outlet or in an online store. But knowing how to grow a date from a seed, you can not buy seeds, but get them from fruits. The main thing is that the dates do not undergo heat treatment and are not affected by rot, otherwise it will not be possible to wait for seedlings.
For those who do not want to spend a lot of time growing, you can purchase a plant in a flower shop. The cost of a palm tree will depend on both the variety and the height of the plant. A Canarian date 50 cm high will cost about 1,000 rubles, a Robelini date - 1,600 rubles. The price for adult plants with a height of 2 to 2.5 m varies between 24,000–30,000 rubles.
Palm tree is a majestic plant that creates a special exotic atmosphere in the interior. But in order to grow a gorgeous plant, it is important to know how to care for a date and follow all the recommendations for its maintenance.
For the successful cultivation of date palm seed, there are two quite equal methods.
First way.
We dry the date bone for several days in the open air. Then fill it with hot water and hold for about 24 hours so that the bone swells. Pour sawdust into a small container, place a swollen bone in them and pour generously with water. In this case, sawdust should always be wet.
After 30 days, when the first sprout appears, the sprouted seed can be transplanted into a pot about 70 mm high. We equip the pot with good drainage and fill it with a mixture consisting of 4 shares of sand, 2 shares of soddy land, 2 shares of humus and one share of charcoal. During this procedure, you should be especially careful with the germinated bone, keeping it connected to the germ - the bone provides additional nutrition.
When the sprout reaches a height of 100 mm, the young palm tree should also be carefully transplanted into a pot with a large volume. Given the fact that the palm is susceptible to transplanting, the best option would be to simply move the entire plant, along with the soil ball, into a new pot and fill the remaining space with a potting mix similar to that used when planting.
The first five years of transplantation are carried out annually, then - once every 3 years. In this case, each time you should slightly increase the amount of land. Upon reaching the age of 15, the frequency of transplantation decreases to once every 6 years. Pots should not be wide, but high, because. The palm tree has a long root system. The lighting of the palm tree should be diffused, and in the process of growth, the plant should be turned a little, while orienting the palm tree so that the end of the youngest sprout is directed deep into the room.
Watering is carried out with settled water at room temperature. The frequency of watering increases in hot weather. Constantly wipe the palm leaves with a damp cloth and additionally moisten them with a spray bottle. The introduction of a special nutritional supplement (ready to eat in stores) is carried out once every 2 weeks, during the period of enhanced vegetation - in summer and spring, the frequency increases to 1 time per week.
It is preferable to choose a moderate temperature regime: in winter from 8 to 15 ° C, and in summer - up to 20 ° C. The room is ventilated, but the date is not exposed to drafts. During the summer "walk" of palm trees on the balcony or in the garden, avoid open ventilated places. Remove dried leaves immediately.
The second way.
The method is similar to the first one in almost everything, except for a few features. First, before planting, the hard shell of the bone is cut in the middle. This is necessary for the faster exit of the sprout from the very strong shell of the date pit. And secondly, after placing the incised bone in a pot, the surface is covered with a film to create a microclimate. Under the film, the soil should be kept moist. The sprout appears after 30-45 days and further operations are completely identical to the first method.
Date lovers, eating amazing fruits, probably think - can a date palm grow from a seed? If so, will it look like a plant growing in nature?
It is realistic to grow a homemade date from a seed, but such a palm tree in an apartment will never bear fruit.
It will fit perfectly into a modern interior, will not require enhanced care, and some plants will even begin to bloom, so why not try it?
Date home palm tree - photo of cozy interiors
The desire to have a home greenhouse very often arises after a bright vacation among exotic nature. It will never be possible to fully implement the idea of a winter garden in an ordinary standard apartment, but a few unusual indoor plants can become an excellent decor, decoration for a living room, bedroom or kitchen.
As can be seen from the photo, the date palm in the interior requires a lot of space, since the plant has branches that are both high and wide. To create real tropics at home, an adult palm tree should be placed only in those rooms where there is not a lot of furniture.
The date in the interior will not look spectacular if you put it in the corners or too close to the walls. For the interior of rooms in a Mediterranean or nautical style, this houseplant is the most ideal option.
A properly selected pot will add style - it can be both stylized medieval barrels and specially aged clay flowerpots. If your apartment has small rooms, then this is not at all a reason to refuse an interesting experiment - to grow a date palm from a stone.
It will grow for a long time, the plant does not belong to those species that stretch out in a year or two, so in the first years there will be enough space for it on the windowsill.
Then it will be possible to give it to relatives, friends, or take it to work - there is usually always enough space in offices. It is also possible that after some time your living situation will improve and you will already have a wonderful decoration for your new home!
Believe me: it is very interesting to watch the gradual transformation of the palm tree every day, how the leaves appear, how they increase, how the seedling completely changes.
Date palm from the stone - photo
See what a date palm will look like at home so you don't have to worry that your pet is growing slowly. Fans of indoor plants, who have learned how to grow a palm tree from a date seed, are happy to share photos of their favorites:
This is how the date palm looks at the age of 2-3 years, it is not very beautiful yet.
These palms are about 5 years old: already have feathery leaves, but not enough height.
The date from the stone will be obtained only if it has not undergone heat treatment. Both fresh fruits brought from vacation and dried fruits from the store are suitable for this.
For the sake of experiment, many simply try to stick a bone into a flower pot and surprisingly: it usually takes root. In an apartment, this can take up to 5-6 months, is it possible to speed up the process?
How to sprout a date seed:
1. The bones must be thoroughly cleaned and washed so that the process of decay does not begin in the soil. In the washed form, they should lie down for a day until the next stage - soaking.
2. The date seed is very hard. To speed up the germination time of the bone, a variety of methods are used:
- its surface is scratched or rubbed with sandpaper for faster penetration of water inside;
- incisions are made so that the shell splits more easily;
- for this, you can simply scald the bone with hot water.
3. The most effective soaking is with cotton wool. A piece of cotton wool in a small container (for example, in a plate) is abundantly moistened with water, a bone is placed on it, covered with another layer of moistened cotton wool on top to prevent rapid evaporation of moisture. Cotton wool can be replaced with gauze, sawdust, hydrogel.
4. Germination requires a high temperature, so the container with cotton wool can be placed on the battery. Every day you need to look after the moisture content of cotton wool and add a little water.
5. When the bone swells well, it can be transplanted into the ground.
Thanks to soaking, several months are saved. The best time to start germination is February-March. Even if you want to grow only one date from a seed, you need to take several seeds. Some sprouts will die due to diseases or your inept actions during transplantation, so a safety net will not hurt.
How to grow date palm from seed further:
1. All seeds are immersed in the prepared soil (land from the forest, peat or a mixture of earth with sawdust) vertically to a depth equal to one and a half seed lengths.
2. The container with the earth is placed in a warm place. See that the earth is constantly moistened.
3. The first sprouts can be seen in 1-3 months. When their length reaches 10-15 cm, each sprout will need to be transplanted into a separate pot with a diameter of about 10 cm. The pot should not be too wide, its height is important, since the date will have long roots.
4. At the bottom of the pot, there must be good drainage (expanded clay, charcoal, pebbles), since stagnant water is detrimental to the plant. Special soil for palm trees is bought or the soil is mixed independently, it is taken:
- clay-turf land - 2 parts;
- humus-leaf land - 2 parts;
- peat - 1 part;
- rotted manure - 1 part;
- sand - 1 part.
The small palm will need to be repotted every year, always increasing the size of the pot a little. The plant has very delicate roots, so transplanting should be done by transshipment to avoid damage to the root system.
Date palm at home - how to care for and transplant
It is pleasant and prestigious to have an exotic palm tree at home, because an adult houseplant is expensive. Growing a date from a seed is an excellent way out for everyone who does not have the opportunity to purchase a grown seedling, but not everyone can do it.
Why does not every plant look like in our photos? The main reason that the sprout did not become a tall and lush tree is that complete information on the care of this exotic plant was not received in time.
We offer short instructions on:
- The temperature in the room where the pet will stand should be moderate 16-20°C. Near heating appliances do not need to be placed, so as not to provoke the death of the plant. In summer, the best place is outdoors without drafts.
- Humidity in the room should be within 50%. Spraying the leaves will increase it, this can be done up to several times a day.
- Lighting should be sufficient so that the leaves do not become brittle, elongated. Even direct sunlight is possible. The pot should be periodically unrolled to form a uniform beautiful crown.
- Watering is plentiful - only in summer, at this time you can leave water even in the pan. In winter, watering is the most minimal. It is necessary to strictly control so that there is no overdrying of the coma, but also water does not stagnate due to poor drainage.
- Transshipment is the only way to transplant. Everyone is looking for information on how to plant a date seed, but then they forget that up to 5 years the plant needs to be replanted every year. A large palm tree requires a transplant as the roots grow.
- Spraying and rubbing the leaves will increase the moisture and give the plant a beautiful appearance. Once a week it is desirable to transfer it to the shower, but it is necessary to carefully protect the earthen ball from excess moisture.
- Fertilizers (mineral and organic) are introduced in sufficient quantities during the period of active growth - from March to September weekly, and once a month in winter.
A date palm from a stone can both decorate a house and completely destroy coziness and comfort. When a plant is sick, it looks very unsightly - the leaves turn yellow, darken, fall off, the trunks become soft, a putrid smell appears. Diseases arise from improper care or due to pest attacks. Help your pet: how to deal with these problems on our website there is detailed information.
