We grow date palm at home

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?"

The sweet dates sold in stores are from the Phoenix dactylifera genus. In nature, a powerful tree grows to gigantic proportions, giving huge clusters of fruits famous throughout the world.

For indoor growing, more miniature species adapted to indoor maintenance are offered. These palms can be seen and purchased at flower shops. If you want to start growing a date palm from a stone on your own, there is a high probability of success.

Of course, waiting for the tree to reach its true height of 30 meters and give 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.

Read also:home plant - coffee tree.

How to grow a date palm from seed?

For planting, you will need seeds that have just been extracted from ripe fruits. Shop dates are fine. 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:

1. Before growing a palm tree from a date seed, the seeds are immersed in clean warm water for 24–48 hours. During this time, the liquid is changed several times. The procedure will help free the bones from the remnants of the pulp, which will exclude mold from the seeds that have fallen into the ground, and accelerate the appearance of sprouts.
2. Planting is carried out in a ready-made substrate for palm trees or a mixture of sand and peat. The soil is moderately moistened, and the container is placed in a warm place. In the next 2-3 weeks, caring for the palm tree at home consists of regular, but very careful watering and airing.
3. The emerging date palm sprouts are extremely sensitive to waterlogging, therefore, when grown in a greenhouse, they are regularly ventilated and the resulting condensation is removed.

Before the seeds are submerged in the soil, it is sometimes advised to carefully scratch them to facilitate germination. It is much healthier and safer to germinate them in wet vermiculite. The container with the seeds is placed in a warm place and it is observed 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 placed in a warm place in a well-lit place.

If the sprout has not appeared in due time, there is no need to despair. Perhaps the bone is dry before planting and it will take longer to "revive". Sometimes seedlings of a date palm were found even six months after the seeds were embedded in the ground.

The date palm tree that has emerged from the stone is afraid of damage to the roots, so it is important to carry out all transplant 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 the palm tree further 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 into 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 into the drainage hole.

Saplings need a bright place where the plant will not be in the dark, but it will not be disturbed by the midday sun. Watering for a date palm from seed and after germination should be stingy. Waterlogging threatens the development of rot and the death of an immature plant, but it is not worth overdrying the earthen lump either.

How to care for a palm tree at home?

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

What conditions does a palm tree need to make the plant feel "at home" and respond well to care?

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

Since May, when the average daily temperature exceeds 12 ° C, the date palm is not threatened. Therefore, the plants are safely 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, the content 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 stops feeding and may suffer from root rot if watering is not stopped in time.

The plant has no special requirements for the humidity of the ambient air. But in the hot season, as well as in winter, when the heating works in the room, regular home care of the palm tree 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 also is not constantly wet. In summer, watering is carried out more often, in winter, the intervals between procedures are increased and are guided by the drying out of 2–3 cm of the surface layer of the substrate. If irrigation water enters the pan from the pot, 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 readily accepts spring-summer dressings, for which they use liquid complex formulations for large decorative deciduous crops. If the 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 replanting the date palm shown in the photo during home care depends on the age and size of the plant. Young seedlings are transferred to a larger pot about once a year, and adult specimens are in vain trying not to disturb. If transshipment is necessary, it is carried out after having shed an earthen lump well and trying not to damage the sensitive roots of the plant. The date palm is transplanted into 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 do without replacing the top layer of soil. The old substrate is carefully removed, and fresh nutrient soil is poured in its place. Then the palm is watered.

Experience of growing dates at home - video