Growing coconut at home is not an easy task, because creating a comfortable environment for the plant is quite difficult. And in order to get a beautiful palm tree, you have to make a lot of effort. You will learn about how to grow coconut at home and how to care for a plant from this article.
We prepare planting material
To grow coconut at home from seeds, first of all, you will need, in fact, planting material. Note that you will not be able to get a palm tree from a purchased walnut. Indeed, the fibrous membrane is removed from such fruits, and it is extremely necessary for the plant to produce a sprout. Therefore, for cultivation, you can use only unpeeled nuts, in which there is a large supply of juice.
Before growing coconut from seed, it is important to prepare planting material. To do this, soak the nut in a container of water at room temperature for 2-3 days. Due to this, the fibrous membrane softens and is saturated with moisture, which will improve germination.
For planting, use a shallow flower pot whose diameter is twice the size of the nut. And also choose containers that have multiple drainage holes. As for the soil, the usual flower mixture, diluted by a quarter with coarse-grained sand, is suitable.
Coconut planting
To begin, pour a 3-cm layer of expanded clay on the bottom of the planting pot. Then fill the drain with prepared soil so that it occupies ¾ of the tank volume. Next, make a small hole for the nut and place the coconut in it with the blunt end down. Fill the fruit with a substrate so that one third of the nut rises above the ground. Then water and slightly compact the soil.
How to grow coconut
For the plant to sprout, you will need to create comfortable conditions for it, close to natural. To do this, cover the landing with glass or plastic wrap and try to maintain the temperature in the greenhouse within +30 ° C. Keep in mind that coconut needs a lot of light, so keep the landing in a well-lit place, but without direct sunlight. If this is not possible, be sure to install a phytolamp next to the greenhouse, otherwise all efforts will go down the drain.
Do not forget to regularly water the soil so that the water completely passes through all layers of the soil. But remember that coconuts sprout only in a moist but not wet substrate. Therefore, always drain excess fluid from the sump. And for irrigation, use only room water at room temperature.
Such conditions will have to be maintained for 3-6 months. When a sprout appears, begin to tame the plant gradually to the conditions of the apartment. To do this, remove the shelter first for 30 minutes, then for an hour and so on. When the plant adapts, ensure proper coconut palm care at home.
Lighting
How to grow coconut at home? First of all, the plant needs to provide good lighting. Therefore, only southern windows are suitable for a tropical palm tree. But even if you put the pot on this side of the room, it’s not a fact that the sun has enough for the plant, because the coconut needs maximum illumination all year round. Therefore, in any case, you can not do without additional illumination with a phytolamp, especially in winter.
Temperature
Coconut palm is one of the most thermophilic plants. And all year round near the flower pot it is desirable to maintain the temperature within + 21 ... +23 ° C. In summer, the culture will survive the more debilitating heat. But in winter you can not allow a strong drop in temperature. Of course, the palm tree will survive a short cooling to + 16 ... +19 ° C. But it is better not to bring it to this, otherwise you risk losing it.
Despite the love of heat, the coconut palm categorically does not tolerate stagnant air. Therefore, the room where you grow a tropical plant should be regularly ventilated. But carry out these procedures very carefully, because the culture has a negative attitude to the draft and a sharp drop in temperature. Therefore, take out the palm during airing to another room, if possible.
Watering
The basic rule of caring for the coconut palm at home is regular and plentiful watering. Even the slightest drying out of the soil can lead to a disease, or even the death of a tropical beauty. Therefore, make sure that the substrate is always wet. And water the palm as soon as the top layer dries by 1-2 cm. At the same time, make sure that the water does not stagnate at the roots, because this can lead to their decay. Therefore, always drain excess water from the drip tray.
As a rule, you need to water the plant 3-4 times a week in the summer and once in the winter. But still, be guided by the conditions of your apartment. At all times of the year, use soft, settled and warm water for irrigation.
Air humidity
Coconut palm reacts extremely negatively to dry air, and for the normal development and growth of this plant, the humidity near the pot should reach 70%. And if you do not provide the tropical beauty with such conditions, then she will quickly lose her decorative effect. Therefore, purchase a special humidifier, otherwise you will need to spray the palm trees up to 5-6 times a day. And it is also advisable to place the pot with the plant on pallets filled with wet moss or expanded clay.
Top dressing
Coconut needs additional fertilizing, and conventional fertilizers for palm trees are not suitable for tropical plants. Therefore, use special blends for citrus crops. Feed every two weeks from spring to fall. But in winter, fertilize the soil not often once a month, while reducing the dose by half.
Pruning
Forming pruning for a coconut tree is not carried out, but still this tree needs periodic cleaning. Otherwise, the plant will lose its decorative appearance, and it will also develop poorly. Therefore, do not forget to cut dried and damaged leaves. But remember that you can only remove completely dead vayi, and slightly changed the shade and dried by half better left on the tree. After all, palm extracts additional nutrients from them.
During pruning, in no case do not damage the trunk and especially do not touch the apical bud of the plant. Otherwise, the palm tree will die. And also never remove more leaves than has grown in a year.
Transfer
Often you do not need to transplant a coconut palm, because the plant responds extremely negatively to root injury. Nevertheless, this procedure should be carried out every two years for young plants that have not yet been released from the nut. Adult specimens are enough to transplant once every 4-6 years. It is better to start the event in the spring, then the plant will more easily bear the stress of the procedure. And in those years when a transplant is not performed, be sure to replace the topsoil.
Before the event, prepare a substrate and a suitable pot. For coconut, a fibrous, rough and very permeable earth mixture is suitable. If you wish, you can buy special soil designed for palm trees. Or make a substrate yourself. To do this, mix the following components in equal parts:
- sand;
- peat;
- turf soil;
- clay;
- humus;
- agroperlite or expanded clay.
If you make the mixture yourself, then be sure to disinfect it. To do this, pour the substrate into a baking sheet with a 5-centimeter layer. Then add a liter of water and mix well. Next, heat it in the oven for 1-1.5 hours at a temperature of 60 degrees.
As for the pot for the plant, then choose containers whose diameter is 4-6 cm larger than the previous ones. But the palm does not have any special requirements for the material, so you can choose both clay and plastic flower pots.
How to transplant a palm tree
Coconut palm reacts very negatively even to touching its roots, not to mention injuries. Therefore, a tropical plant should be transplanted carefully and exclusively by transshipment. To do this, stick to the following algorithm:
- At the bottom of the planting pot, pour a 3-cm layer of drainage. For these purposes, use broken brick, pebbles or expanded clay. Sprinkle drainage with a centimeter layer of soil.
- Carefully remove the plant from the old pot and place it in a new container with an earthen lump.
- Fill the voids with soil and lightly compact the substrate. To do this, gently tap the walls of the pot. Make sure that half the nut remains on the surface of the soil, as before. If the palm has already dropped the fruit, then do not leave the level of deepening the same. That is, do not completely cover the roots, some of their length should remain on the surface.
- Water the soil and put the palm in its usual place.
Diseases and Pests
With proper care, the coconut tree is practically not sick. And only occasionally does rot strike her. Use fungicides to treat these diseases. In this case, the plant will have to be treated until complete recovery with an interval of a week.
Often, pests start on the home palm, and most often the tropical beauty is annoyed by spider mites and mealy bugs. At the first sign of parasites, treat the plant with a systemic insecticide, such as Actara or Actellic.
By following these rules, both beginners and experienced growers can grow coconut. But in any case, this will have to make every effort, because this tropical guest can not be called unpretentious. But if you create optimal conditions for him, then the capricious handsome will become a source of pride and the main decoration of the collection of domestic plants.