Content of the article:
Looking at the oblong bones inside favorite kids and adult dates, many indoor plant lovers wondered: “How does a real date palm grow from such crumbs, and what will happen if you plant the seed at home?”
SweetDates sold in stores are fruits of the genus Phoenix dactylifera. In nature, a powerful tree grows to gigantic sizes, giving huge brushes of fruits famous all over the world.
For indoor growing, smaller ones are offered, adapted to the content in the room. Such palm trees can be seen and purchased at flower shops. If you wish to independently engage in the cultivation of date palm from the stone, the probability of success is high. 
Of course, it’s impossible to wait until the tree reaches its true height of 30 meters and gives the first harvest of dates. But to observe the growth and development of an unusual plant will appeal to both parents and children.
How to grow a date palm out of a stone?
For planting, seeds that have just been harvested from ripe fruit will be needed. Quite fit bones from store dates. 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 the seedlings is sharply reduced:
- Before growing a palm seed tree, seeds are dipped in clean, warm water for 24–48 hours. During this time, the liquid is changed several times. The procedure will help to free the bones from the remnants of the pulp, which will eliminate the mold growth of the stones that have got into the soil, and will accelerate the appearance of sprouts.
- Planting is carried out in a ready substrate for palm trees or a mixture of sand and peat. The soil is moderately moisturized, and the container is placed in heat. In the next 2-3 weeks, palm care at home consists of regular, but very careful watering and ventilation.
- Date-growing date palm sprouts are extremely sensitive to overmoistening, therefore, when grown in a greenhouse, they are regularly aired and the condensate is removed.
Before the bones are immersed in the soil, they are sometimes advised to be carefully scraped to facilitate germination. It is much healthier and safer to germinate them in moist vermiculite. The seed container is placed in heat and it is observed that the substrate does not turn out to be completely dry. In this case, in 10–14 days, as soon as the florist notices the first roots, the bones are transferred to the soil and the pots are put into heat in a well-lit place.
If the sprout did not appear in time, you do not have to despair. Perhaps the bone has dried up before planting and it will take more time to “revive” it. Sometimes date palm sprouts were found even half a year after planting seeds in the ground.
Date palm, which appeared from the bone, is afraid of damaging the roots, so it is important to carry out all the manipulations on transplantation very carefully and carefully. Otherwise, a small sapling is extremely acclimatized for a very long time, or it can even die.
How to care for the palm tree at home? Unlike ordinary houseplants for date palms, even the first pot is needed in a very impressive size. A sapling with a single, still closed “children's” sheet is transferred into containers of 0.3–0.5 liters. The next transplant is carried out until the moment when the long taproot of the plant penetrates 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 noonday sun. Watering for date palm from the stone and after germination should be stingy. Waterlogging threatens with the development of rot and death of a fragile plant, but it is not worth overdrying an earthen ball.
How to care for a palm tree at home?
Date palm, like other tree cultures, does not show rapid growth. But on the discomfort and inadequate care of the palm tree at home, the plant responds immediately. This is especially true for young individuals.
What conditions are needed for a palm tree to make the plant feel “at home” and respond well to care?
Whether it is a home grown date palm from a stone or a plant brought from a flower shop, culture needs to find a place with suitable lighting. In nature, large trees easily tolerate the scorching sun, but it is better not to expose light-requiring indoor palm trees 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.
As early as May, when the average daily temperature exceeds 12 ° C, nothing threatens the date palm. Therefore, plants safely transferred to the open air under the protection of larger crops, on the loggia or on the balcony.
If a grower does not have the opportunity to take a palm tree to the air, the plant develops well at normal room temperature. But in the winter time, it will be optimal to keep it in cooler air, heated to just 16–18 ° C.Cooling to 12 ° C is considered critical for date palm trees. In this case, the growth stops, the palm tree stops feeding and may suffer from rotting of the roots, if the watering is not stopped in time.
There are no special requirements for ambient air humidity. But in the hot season, as well as in the winter, when the heating is working indoors, regular palm care at home includes spraying the crown and wiping the foliage with a damp cloth.
The plant does not tolerate stagnant water. Therefore, when caring at home, the date palm is watered so that the soil does not dry out, but it is not constantly wet. In summer, watering is carried out more often, in winter, the intervals between treatments increase and are oriented to drying of 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.
Date palm willingly perceives spring-summer feeding, for which they use liquid complex compositions for large ornamental leafy crops. If a palm tree is brought to the garden for the summer, the plant can be fed with bird droppings at intervals of 7–10 days using a granulated form or infusion.
The frequency of transplantation of the date palm depicted in the photo at 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 trying not to bother. If transshipment is necessary, it is carried out, first well spilling the earthen room and trying not to damage the sensitive roots of the plant. Date palm transplantation is carried out in the ready ground offered by specialized shops.
For the arrangement of drainage, you can take a brick crumb or expanded clay on 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 replacing the top layer of soil. The old substrate is carefully removed, and in its place fresh nutritious soil is poured. Then the palm is watered.
