The date palm is a beautiful, sprawling tree with pinnate branches. Trying sweet, incredibly tasty fruits - dates, you probably have thought about whether a date palm tree can grow out of a bone at home? The answer is yes, maybe, but it will not bear fruit, because for this the tree must reach a height of 15 meters (at least). At home it is not possible, but it is quite possible to get a magnificent tree that will please your eyes, decorate your interior.
.- Date palm - seed preparation, planting
- Date palm at home - transplanting young plants
- Palma date - home care
The trading network offers small seedlings of miniature varieties of date palms, adapted for domestic breeding. But we are interested in the process of self-cultivation of a tree from a stone? I want to tell you more about this.
Date palm, photo:
In your home such a palm tree can grow up to 2 meters, for a harmonious development it needs space and good lighting.
.Date palm - seed preparation, planting
For planting, those very stones, extracted from fruits, that were bought to eat, are quite suitable. It is best to use the "fresh" bones, just taken out of healthy dates. Be careful that the bones do not have mold and traces of insects - planting material should be ideal. Then, place the seeds in wet conditions (a container of clean water) for about a day, so that the remains of the fruit pulp swell, they can be easily removed. During the so-called soaking, water should be changed several times.
Seeds of date, photo:
After 24 hours, remove the seeds, dry them, spread them on a dry, clean cloth. To speed up the germination process, the bones can be lightly treated with sandpaper or just a little scratching with a sharp knife. Good results are obtained by preliminary germination of the grains:
for this they are placed in moist vermiculite, sprinkled on top with a thin layer, put the container next to a warm battery, pre-covered with a polyethylene film. Here it is necessary to make sure that the agrovermiculite remains moist all the time (from time to time it should be sprayed).
The accumulated condensate should be removed in time. Sometimes it takes two weeks for the sprouts to germinate. After that, the planting material is planted in pots. These temporary containers will be home to young palms, until the period when the plant will have one long stalk. At the bottom of the pots, as usual, we pour the drainage (small expanded clay).
Young date palms, photo:
For sprouted bones, a special palm substrate (preferably) or a peat-sand mixture is best suited. It is possible to plant 3-5 seeds at the same time, while the soil must be constantly moistened. Watering future date palms should be very carefully and carefully, regular airing is also necessary. If you do everything right, but the sprouts do not appear for a long time, do not despair - this plant can "sit" under the ground for a long time, do not show activity. Continue to water and provide fresh air to the pot, there are cases where sprouts appeared even 4-5 months after seeding.
.Date palm at home - transplanting young plants
Asking how to grow a date palm in the home from a bone, you need to know that this plant-exot grows very slowly. Do not be surprised if before the appearance of the first full-fledged leaves there will be two, or even three, years.
Whatever it was, the transplant should be done very carefully, for fear of damaging the tender roots. As already mentioned above, the transplantation of the palm is performed at the stage of the appearance of the first stem. At this stage, the roots do not yet have time to fray the drainage, which makes it possible to transfer the plant together with an earthen lump (by overtaking).
There is an opinion that young palms need an annual transplant, and only then, when the plant is about five years old, it is possible to transplant as needed. If you see that your plant shows better after transplanting, then take care that each subsequent pot is 3 cm larger (in diameter), compared to the previous one. Remember drainage, use special substrates for indoor palm crops.
Palma date care at home, photo:
.Sometimes it is enough simply to replace the top layer of the soil mixture: the old earth is neatly cleaned, a new nutrient mixture is poured into its place. This process is best done in the spring.
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Despite the fact that this representative is characterized by slow growth, he very quickly reacts to the lack of proper care. Young palms instantly lose their vigorous appearance at the slightest discomfort. To make the date palm in the home feel good, she needs to provide adequate lighting. If large trees growing in nature, perfectly tolerate heat, scorching sun rays, then the home palm should be protected from these factors. Nevertheless, the room date palm is a light-loving plant. The best place for it will be a room facing south, or windowsills that are located on the west or east side.
.By the end of spring, when the air temperature reaches + 12..14 ° C, you can safely take out your date palm on an open balcony. If you do not have the opportunity to move the tree to the open air - it's okay, it feels comfortable at home, but do not forget to ventilate the room more often. With the onset of heat, do not be too lazy to irrigate the plant from the spray gun, and also to wipe its leaves with a damp cloth. The date palm tree likes to keep the soil dry, but excessive moisture is extremely harmful to its roots. In summer, the tree should be watered more often, but at the same time, make sure that the pan is dry, without stagnation of water.
With regard to winter care, you need to provide the palm air temperature of at least + 16..18 ° C. The indicator of mercury + 12 ° C is considered critical for a domestic palm - it ceases to grow, it starts to hurt. In winter, the plant is watered less often, when the top layer of the soil mixture dries out by about 3 cm, then watering should be done. Provide good drainage to the tree, remember that the larger the palm, the larger its pot, hence - the thicker the drainage layer at the bottom of the pot. Semi-shadow, diffuse lighting, air temperature + 15..18 ° C, moderate watering with room temperature water - ideal conditions for the content of this crop. Under direct sunlight should not be a date palm, leaves dry, the tree dries.
Also, mention should be made of top dressing - this plant loves them very much. Standard additives for palm crops give very good results, but if you decide to feed the tree with a diluted chicken litter (proportions ). After that, a liter of infusion is diluted with 10 liters of water. To make 1 time for 12-14 days. The palm will thank you with the splendor, saturated with the color of foliage. With the onset of winter, such a monthly feeding will be very appropriate.
By and large, the date palm room is an unpretentious plant, but diseases and pests can reach it at home. Spider mite, mealybug, scabbard - they are all very indifferent to palm crops, if you notice the first signs of infection, at an early stage hurry to treat the tree with a soap solution. If the condition is more serious, then you can not do without the chemical preparations - insectoacaricides such as "Actellik "Dursban "Agravertin "Vertimek" will help you.
Excessive irrigation (waterlogging) can provoke the appearance of pink rot, various spots on the leaves. With these manifestations, fungicides, the drug "Mankoceb "Fitosporin-M" are struggling. The room where the date palm tree is located should have a minimum humidity of at least 60%. Practice water irrigation, especially in summer, and with the onset of winter, place a small container filled with water near the palm pot. As for the slow growth of the tree, we should pay attention to the level of acidity of the soil. If the degree of acidity is increased, the growth of the palm can stop. Neutral pH is optimal for this plant.
.Observe the temperature regime, protect the plant from direct sun rays and drafts. To the date palm from the stone at home has become a lushly growing tree and a real decoration of your interior, it is worth following the simple rules described above.
