How to grow a date palm from seed. Date tree. How to grow dates from a seed at home How to grow a palm tree from a dried fruit seed

The date stone is very small, but it is quite possible to grow a tall and sprawling date palm from it, and this can be done at home. It should be understood that a date palm grown at home will not bear fruit. However, this is a very beautiful tree that will delight its owners with an aesthetic appearance.

Preparing to grow date palm from seed at home

Seeds extracted from ripe dates are suitable for planting. For this purpose, there is no need to visit gardening shops, you can buy dates in a regular food supermarket. The main thing is to know how to choose dates correctly. The main condition that you should pay attention to when buying is the absence of mold and visible damage to the fruit.

So, after the dates are eaten, the remaining bones must be properly prepared for planting. To do this, they should be immersed in warm water for 1-2 days. During this time, the fluid will need to be changed 3-4 times. Such a procedure will allow you to clean the bone from the remaining pulp, and it will not grow moldy after planting in the ground.

In addition, the date seed swells in water, which makes it easier for the root to germinate. In order for moisture to be better absorbed, you can make a small and not deep scratch on the bone. After that, the seeds are again sent to the water for 2-4 days, not forgetting to change it 1-2 times a day.

Several date seeds should be planted at once, as some of them will not germinate, and the other part will die in the first few years. Provided that the date palm grows for a very long time, and some of the seedlings do not survive, it is better to take care of a sufficient number of them in advance.

It is best to choose the time for germination of date seeds in winter, when the sprouts do not yet need a lot of sun.

While the bone is in the water, you need to prepare the ground for it. You can use store-bought soil for palm trees, or make your own. Young palm seedlings prefer a mixture of peat and sand. It is good if sawdust is added to peat and sand. All components are taken in the same proportion.

After all the stages of preparation have been completed, you can proceed to planting date seeds. This is a very important point that affects the lifespan of a tree and its growth rate.

The following conditions must be observed:

Bones should be planted vertically in the soil in one large masonry.

They should not be buried too deep, just sprinkle the seeds with soil. The maximum planting depth is 1.5 sizes from the bone itself.

After all the bones are in the ground, you need to make a mini-greenhouse. To do this, cover the soil with Sphagnum moss or a plastic jar.

The seed pot should be warm all the time, the optimum air temperature is 30 ° C with a plus sign. Don't forget high humidity. To do this, you need to water the seeds daily, but this should be done carefully so as not to overmoisten the soil.

The first shoots will appear no earlier than a month later. The maximum germination period of date seeds is 3 months. If after this time the sprouts did not appear, then the bones should be dug up and opened. Most likely, they either soured, or simply turned out to be not viable.

Seedlings are planted after they reach a size of 10 cm. For them, you need to choose pots with a diameter of 9-12 cm. It is important to change the soil, since the composition suitable for germination will not be suitable for a mature tree. Optimal soil for date palms: humus (4 parts) + sand (2 parts) + peat (1 part) + turf or leaf ground (2 parts).

Young seedlings are especially sensitive to transplantation, so all manipulations should be carried out very carefully. Otherwise, the plant may die.

Palm requires an annual transplant until the age of 5 years. After that, the tree will need to be replanted as it becomes short of space in the pot. This will be indicated by roots sticking out of the ground. During transplantation, it will be necessary to trim the felt layer that forms the roots of the plant. Only in this way will it be possible to achieve the maximum survival of trees.

The palm tree is transplanted by transshipment. The earthen ball must remain intact. The pot is increased in size each time. Although an adult plant is transplanted 1 time in 2 or 3 years, at least 1 time in 6 months it will be necessary to remove the top layer of the earth and add fresh soil.

Rules for caring for a date palm

The date palm is an unpretentious plant, but, like all tropical "inhabitants", it loves sunlight, loose soil, periodic showers, high air temperature and moderate moisture.

The blackened leaves of the plant will indicate that the tree feels uncomfortable. Most often this happens due to lack of sunlight or due to insufficient watering. However, it is possible that the palm freezes, for example, due to constant drafts. Therefore, sudden temperature changes should not be allowed in the room where the tree is located.

Do not worry about the fact that the palm tree is growing slowly. This is quite natural for tree crops. You should choose a place for a palm tree where there will be enough sunlight for it. However, subjecting a date palm grown at home to a test of scorching sunlight is not worth it. It is best to put the plant pot in the back of the room, provided that the windows face south.

Starting in May, you can transfer the plant to the balcony and loggia. The tree is not afraid of temperatures above +12 °C Celsius.

As for the humidity of the air, the tree has no special preferences. However, in the heating season, as well as in the hot season, it is necessary to additionally spray the roots of the plant and wipe the leaves with a damp cloth.

It is important not to overwater the palm tree, as its roots are absolutely intolerant of stagnant water. However, do not allow the soil to dry out. In summer, the tree is watered more often, and less often in winter. The landmark is the drying of the soil surface by 2-3 cm. It is important that there is no water in the pan, if it accumulates there during irrigation, then it must be removed. The liquid for irrigation should be warm. If the plant does not have enough moisture, then spots will appear on its leaves. You should be very careful about watering, as overdried palm leaves cannot be restored.

As for fertilizers, the plant responds well to special top dressing. To do this, you can buy mineral fertilizers for palm trees in the store and apply them according to the instructions.

If you take care of the plant correctly, then it will reach an impressive size and will delight its owners for many years.

Expert editor: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist

Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University N. I. Pirogov, specialty "Medicine" (2004). Residency at the Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).

Today, there are two ways to decorate a house or office with a tall spreading date palm. The easiest option would be to simply buy a plant of the desired size and appearance, but it is more economical and interesting to grow it yourself. But how to do it in a far from tropical climate?

Any work on growing plants always begins with the selection of seeds and the creation of the necessary conditions for life. How to grow a date from a seed? You need to choose a variety suitable for home growing palm trees. It is very simple to do this - just find any dates that have not undergone heat treatment.

It is best to take fresh dates for this, but dry fruits, which are freely sold in the markets, can also be used.

But before you buy dried dates for seedlings, you should ask the seller if they were subjected to additional cooking in sugar syrup. If such a heat treatment was, then the seeds will no longer germinate.

Preparing seeds for planting:

After the dates are selected, the bones must be freed from the pulp, washed and slightly dried. How many bones to take? At least 6-10 pieces. Many of them will not sprout at all, and some of those sprouts that still please the gardener will die in the first few years.
Now clean bones must be placed in warm water for a couple of days and kept in the sun. Experienced gardeners advise doing this in the winter season, when the plant still does not need as much sunlight as in the further stages of cultivation. And so that all the time the dates are soaked, there is no rot or infection, the water should be changed 1-2 times a day.
Once the seeds have settled a little, you can pierce or rub their outer shell with sandpaper. The bones are very hard, and in order for water to penetrate inside, it is better to intentionally violate their integrity. But you do not need to erase the entire layer - just one small area is enough. After that, the grains are again sent to a jar of water, where they must ripen for another 2-4 days.

You can also speed up the process of their ripening in another way: for a few minutes, place the bones ready for planting in hot water with a temperature of about 80 degrees. How to understand that the seeds are ready for planting in the soil? They will swell slightly.

Before planting the prepared date seeds, you need to make a few simple preparations:

Find the best place for a date palm indoors
Choose the right size pot
Pick up the soil

All palm trees are tropical plants. They are accustomed to sunlight and a certain amount of humidity. Of course, this does not mean that a swamp should be planted in a tub near a plant. But frequent watering, as well as direct sunlight for at least 3-4 hours a day, he needs to provide. It is best to grow dates on the south side.

And here the main difficulty lies in the fact that the date palm is a tree up to 30 meters tall. Of course, in indoor growing conditions, it will never be above the 2-3 meter mark, and even up to this value it will grow for more than 5 years. But in order for nothing to harm the development of a tree, it must receive sunlight in the right amount throughout its life. And if at the very beginning young sprouts can be kept in a pot on the windowsill, then later for the date palm you will have to find your own sunny corner in the house.

As for the pots, there are no special recommendations for their choice. The main thing to consider here is that at the very beginning the palm tree grows to the root, and only then throws out the leaves. At an early stage, all date seeds are planted in one large bed, and only then everyone will need their own tub.

The soil for planting seeds can be bought. It is sold in flower shops marked "for palm trees", but it is better to make it yourself.

To do this, mix raw sawdust, peat and sand in equal proportions 1:1:1.

You can use other types of soil looseners, such as perlite. There should always be drainage at the bottom of the pots. Further, as the palm tree grows during transplantation, the composition of the soil will also have to be changed several times.

Transplant stages: from seed to palm

Despite the fact that without proper preparation of the seeds for planting, the date tree will not sprout at all, it can be ruined at each of the important stages. Therefore, you need to do everything right throughout the life of a palm tree:

Ripe seeds are planted vertically in one large tub in the prepared soil. At the same time, they do not need to be deeply buried and strongly crushed, it is enough just to lightly sprinkle with earth.
From above you need to cover with sphagnum moss, or you can make a mini-greenhouse from a plastic or glass jar. However, moss will help not only create a suitable temperature regime, but also protect the bone from pests.
At this stage, the bones must be constantly kept warm at a temperature of about 30 degrees and high humidity.
The first shoots will appear only after one and a half to two months. However, if after three months there are no results, the bone should be dug up and checked. Perhaps she turned sour or turned out to be unviable.
Only after the young date palms have grown to a height of more than 10 cm, they can be seated. Each tree needs to be transplanted into a pot with a diameter of 9-12 cm, while changing the composition of the soil for the tree. Now it is 4 parts, 2 parts of sand, 1 part of peat and 2 parts of sod and leafy soil. Requirements for drainage and watering are the same.

Before the tree reaches 5 years of age, it will have to be replanted once a year, and later only as it grows, which will be indicated by roots sticking out of the ground.

When transplanting, the felt layer formed by the roots will always need to be trimmed.

Only in this way will it be possible to obtain maximum survival among young date-stone palms.

In order for the palm tree to please the eye all the time, it should be properly looked after. What does the date palm love? Like any tropical tree, it simply adores:

sunlight
moderate humidity
Soft loose soil
Periodic shower or wiping the leaves with a damp cloth
high air temperature
Space: the plant needs a lot of space, and nothing should block the light.

Anything that goes beyond these recommendations can harm the palm. How to understand that the tree does not feel comfortable? Its leaves have begun to turn black. Most often this happens due to lack of sunlight or low watering. But a draft from the window can also lead to plant disease. Therefore, it is impossible to allow a sharp change in temperature in a room with a date tree.

As soon as the first symptoms of an uncomfortable life for the plant appear, mistakes in caring for it should be corrected.

Sometimes all you need to do is increase the humidity in the air by spraying the tree with just water from a spray bottle. In some cases, you will need a little top dressing in the soil, it is best to buy it in specialized stores. With proper care, the date palm will delight the eye for many years.

More information can be found in the video.

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 seed.

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 lump 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.

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. This is:

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 not 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 can 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.

Looking at the oblong bones inside the dates loved by kids and adults, many indoor plant lovers wondered: “How does a real date palm grow from such a crumb, and what will happen if you plant a seed at home?”

Sweet dates sold in stores are the fruits of the Phoenix dactylifera palm. In nature, a powerful tree grows to a gigantic size, producing huge bunches of fruits famous throughout the world.

For indoor cultivation, more miniature, indoor-adapted species are offered. Such palms can be seen and purchased in flower shops. If you want to independently engage in the cultivation of date palm from the stone, there is a high probability of success.

Of course, waiting until the tree reaches its true height of 30 meters and gives the first harvest of dates will not work. But watching the growth and development of an unusual plant will appeal to both parents and children.

How to grow a date palm from seed?

For planting, you need seeds that have just been extracted from ripe fruits. The bones from store-bought dates are quite suitable. The main thing is that they are healthy, not damaged by insects or mold and do not have time to dry, otherwise the probability of getting seedlings is sharply reduced:

Before the seeds are sunk into the ground, it is sometimes advised to scratch them gently to facilitate germination. It is much healthier and safer to germinate them in moist vermiculite. The seed container is placed in heat and observed so that the substrate does not turn out to be completely dry. In this case, after 10–14 days, as soon as the grower notices the first roots, the seeds are transferred to the soil and the pots are exposed to heat in a well-lit place.

If the sprout did not appear in due time, there is no need to despair. Perhaps the bone dried out before planting and it will take more time to “revive” it. Sometimes date palm seedlings were found even six months after the seeds were planted in the ground.

The date palm that has emerged from the seed is afraid of damage to the roots, so it is important to carry out all transplantation manipulations very carefully and carefully. Otherwise, a small seedling takes an extremely long time to acclimatize or may die altogether.

How to take care of palm trees at home? Unlike ordinary houseplants, for a date palm, even the first pot needs a very impressive size. A seedling with a single, still closed "baby" leaf is transferred to containers of 0.3-0.5 liters. The next transplant is carried out until the moment when the long tap root of the plant penetrates the drainage hole.

Seedlings need a bright place where the plant will not be in the dark, but it will not be disturbed by the midday sun. for date palm from the stone and after germination should be stingy. Waterlogging threatens with the development of rot and the death of a fragile plant, but it is not worth overdrying an earthen ball.

How to care for a palm tree at home?

The date palm, like other tree crops, does not grow quickly. But the plant reacts immediately to discomfort and insufficient care for the palm tree at home. This is especially true for young specimens.

What conditions are needed for a palm tree to make the plant feel “at home” and respond well to care?

Whether it's a home-grown date palm from a stone or a plant brought from a flower shop, the culture needs to find a place with the right lighting. In nature, large trees easily tolerate the scorching sun, but it is better not to subject a light-loving indoor palm tree to such tests. The optimal location is in the back of a south-facing room, as well as on the east or west windows.

Since May, when the average daily temperature exceeds 12 ° C, nothing threatens the date palm. Therefore, plants are boldly transferred to the open air under the protection of larger crops, to a loggia or balcony.

If the grower does not have the opportunity to take the palm tree out into the air, the plant develops well at normal room temperature. But in winter, keeping in cooler air, warmed up to only 16–18 ° C, will be optimal. Cooling down to 12 ° C is considered critical for the date palm. In this case, growth stops, the palm tree stops eating and may suffer from root rot if watering is not stopped in time.

The plant has no special requirements for the humidity of the surrounding air. But in the hot season, as well as in winter, when the room is heated, regular care of the palm tree at home includes spraying the crown and wiping the foliage with a damp cloth.

The plant does not tolerate stagnant water. Therefore, when leaving at home, the date palm is watered so that the soil does not dry out, but is not constantly wet. In summer, watering is carried out more often; in winter, the intervals between procedures increase and focus on drying out 2–3 cm of the surface layer of the substrate. If irrigation water penetrates from the pot into the pan, it is immediately removed and the bottom of the container is wiped. Do not forget about the powerful drainage layer. The larger the date palm and the pot intended for it, the thicker the layer of expanded clay or brick chips at the bottom.

The date palm willingly accepts spring-summer dressings, for which they use liquid for large decorative and deciduous crops. If a palm tree is taken out into the garden for the summer, the plant can be fed with bird droppings at intervals of 7–10 days using a granular form or infusion.

The frequency of transplanting the date palm shown in the photo when caring for at home depends on the age and size of the plant. Young seedlings are transferred to a larger pot approximately once a year, and adult specimens try not to bother in vain. If transshipment is necessary, it is carried out after shedding the earthen ball well and trying not to damage the sensitive roots of the plant. Date palm transplantation is carried out in ready-made soil offered by specialized stores.

For arranging drainage, you can take brick chips or expanded clay according to the size of the drainage holes. If the roots of the date palm are still visible at the bottom of the pot, in the spring you can get by with replacing the topsoil. The old substrate is carefully removed, and fresh nutrient soil is poured in its place. After that, the palm tree is watered.