Date palm is an evergreen ornamental tropical plant, the top of which is decorated with beautiful spreading leaves. It is not necessary to buy an adult exotic plant to decorate the interior of a house. Knowing how to grow a date palm and how to care for it, such a tree can be obtained from a stone.
Preparation of planting material
Delicious sweet dates people learned to grow and eat with pleasure 5 thousand years ago. At home in North Africa and Arabia, these fruits are one of the main and he althy foods, due to the presence of many vitamins and minerals. In nature, date palms grow to great heights (from 12 to 35 m), but in the Russian climate they have a more modest size.
In nature, there are 17 species of this plant, but only 3 varieties are adapted for cultivation at home:
- Canarian - has a pinnate "furry" trunk and narrow hard leaves,tree height - up to 2 m.
- Robelin - a decorative species 1.5-2 m high, decorated with a dense deciduous crown.
- The date is the most unpretentious species, it grows quickly, but its appearance is more modest.
As planting material, it is not necessary to purchase seeds in the store. You can buy dried fruits sold in many stores, and then you can grow a date palm from a date. Most likely, it will be Date finger, the fruits of which have a sweet honey taste.
When buying dates in a store, pay attention to the packaging date. Seeds lose their germination capacity very quickly - by almost 10% per month, so you need to take the freshest ones, which are then immediately planted for sowing.
Preparing seeds for planting
The most suitable time for sprouting dates is the end of February and the beginning of March. Starting to resolve the issue of how to grow a date palm from a seed, you should start preparing the fruit. For germination, you should choose several ripe fruits in the store that have not been heat-treated. Dates brought from a trip to African countries are even better.
These fruits have a tough skin and therefore germinate very slowly (almost 3 months). To grow a date palm from seeds, increasing their germination, it is recommended to follow the steps:
- remove the seeds from the fruit, peel the pulp and rinse in warm water - this will help reduce the risk of dates rotting in the soil (you can soak in warm water for a fewdays, changing the water daily and removing the remaining pulp);
- dry the bones during the day;
- scratch the hard skin a little with a sewing needle, and then rub it with sandpaper (fine grit) - this will facilitate the penetration of moisture inside;
- using a blade or a sharp knife, make small incisions on the surface of the shell and then pour boiling water over it;
- to speed up the awakening, the seeds can be immersed for 2-3 hours in hot water (about +70 ° C);
- soak the seeds in gauze or cotton wool, placing them in a shallow container (plate, etc.), also cover with damp gauze on top - this is necessary to maintain constant fruit moisture and germinate from the inside of the sprout (you can also use hydrogel or wet sawdust).
Sprouting dates
To answer the question of whether it is possible to grow a date palm in a seed house, you should try to do it yourself, following the recommendations of experienced gardeners.
After soaking, prepared containers with seeds should be placed in a very warm place - on top of a central heating battery or on a window illuminated by the sun. The optimum temperature for rapid germination is +30…+35 °С.
It is recommended to put the plates in a container. To maintain high humidity, it is necessary to pour a small amount of water into the mini-incubator every day. In almost 10-12 days, the swelling of the seeds will become noticeable - this means that it is time to proceed directly to sowing the seeds in the ground.
How to grow a date palm from seed at home: soil and pot preparation
As containers for planting, it is recommended to use separate low (8 cm) pots of small diameter or a plastic container. For planting, you can buy ready-made soil for palm trees or prepare it from several components: soddy land (1 part), humus (1 part), river sand (2 parts) and peat (1 part). It is also recommended to add some wood ash. Drainage should be placed at the bottom to ventilate the roots, then pour the soil mixture.
The seeds are planted in moist soil in a vertical position, covering the top with a layer of earth 1 cm thick. Put sphagnum moss on top of the soil to maintain moisture or cover the pots with transparent plastic wrap.
Then the container with planted dates is placed in a warm place where the temperature is maintained at least +25 ° C, not forgetting to periodically water and ventilate twice a day, removing the film (this will help avoid rot).
Waiting for the appearance of green leaves to grow a date palm from a stone will take a long time - the process can take from 2 months to six months. After pecking the sprouts, the film must be removed and air should be allowed to enter.
Sprout care
The next step is to regularly water and care for young date sprouts. The plant needs regular watering, the drying of the soil should not be allowed.
After the appearance of two leaves, it is recommendedmake a pick and plant in a larger container with the same soil, especially if the seeds were several in a pot. During this period, young plants actively grow roots, so the addition of leaves slows down at first.
In the first year of life of a palm tree in the hot summer months, direct sunlight should be avoided on young seedlings. Transplanting to larger pots is best done when the plants are 10-15 cm tall.
How to grow a date palm: conditions and rules
For the further growth of the date palm at home, it should create suitable conditions:
- air temperature - within +22 … +26 °С (not lower than +16 °С), humidity - about 50%;
- the place should be well lit, but not the bright sun, otherwise the palm tree will grow crooked; in an apartment, it is better to put a pot with a tree near the western or eastern window;
- palm seedlings should not be placed near heating appliances due to possible drying out and death;
- there should be no drafts in the room, especially cold ones;
- every two weeks, the pot should be rotated 180° to evenly illuminate the leaves - due to lack of light, they become brittle and stop growing;
- in the hot months, it is necessary to spray the plant, and also wipe the leaves with a dampened sponge;
- potting soil should always be slightly damp; watering in summer is carried out 3-4 times a week as the earth dries out, in winter - 1-2 r. in 7-10 days;
- you can only water with settled warm water;
- once a weekit is recommended to arrange shower procedures for the tree, covering the soil with polyethylene, which will also help protect the plant from pests;
- when heat comes in spring, it is better to take the plant out into the fresh air, gradually increasing the “walk” time;
- in summer it can be outdoors all the time, but only in the shade of trees or buildings in the yard.
Feeding
To grow a date palm at home strong and he althy, during the warm season (March - October), it is recommended to feed the palm tree every two weeks with complex fertilizers. It is better to buy ready-made special dressings designed for decorative leafy crops or for palm trees.
A beneficial effect on the date palm is the introduction of a solution of potassium nitrate in the ratio of 10 g per bucket of water.
In the winter months, it is recommended to keep the date palm at a lower temperature (+12…+14 °С), observing moderation in watering. At this time, plant growth slows down, so feeding is not required.
In nature, beautiful feathery leaves on a palm tree appear, as a rule, only in the 3rd year, and in an apartment - not earlier than after five years.
Transfer
Every he althy plant needs more and more space as roots and leaves grow. Therefore, the list of recommendations on how to grow a date palm in the house also includes mandatory regular plant transplants. Transplant grownthe palm tree should be placed every year in a larger container (increase the diameter of the pot by 3-4 cm). After reaching the age of 5, the procedure is already carried out less often - every 2-3 years.
The need for repotting becomes noticeable when the roots begin to peep out of the drainage hole of the plant. Transplantation of date palms is always painful, so it must be done with caution.
Transfer Rules:
- 1 day before the start, moisten the soil well with warm water;
- put drainage in a new pot, add some earth;
- transfer the plant from the old pot to the new one, being careful not to damage the earth ball and roots;
- compact and water the soil.
Pruning leaves
If you follow all the recommendations on how to grow a date palm at home, and with the normal development of the plant, the number of leaves on it will increase. But some of them may deteriorate or shrink.
Pruning is recommended in the following cases:
- remove dead or broken leaves;
- long leaves leaning below horizontal.
Strictly prohibited:
- break off the top, which is the only growth point of the palm tree;
- damage the trunk when cutting.
The total number of leaves removed in a year should be less than the number of new leaves. If by chance, during transplantation, an earthen lump crumbled, and part of the roots was exposed, then it is recommended to remove half of the leaves - thiswill help reduce the amount of water evaporated by the plant.
Possible palm growth problems and solutions
Date palm from seed can be grown by following the recommendations and rules for planting and care. But even when creating ideal conditions, some problems may appear, the solutions to which are indicated in the table below.
| Problem name | Her reason | Remedy |
| Yellowing of leaves | Lack of watering | Don't let the soil dry out during the summer months |
| Tips of leaves turned brown | Dry or cold air, lack of moisture when watering | Regularly spray the leaves and observe the temperature regime |
| Appearance of brown spots on leaves | Remoistening the soil, watering with hard water | Reduce the frequency of watering. Use only soft settled warm water (even in winter) |
| Leaves are turning yellow | Misnutrition | Carry out regular feeding |
| Lower palm leaves are drying up | Due to dying off with age | Pruning with a sharp knife |
| All leaves turn brown | Overwetting the soil and, as a result, rotting of the roots | Pull the tree out of the pot, examine the roots: if they have darkened or become watery, then the plant cannot be saved. In the presence of living roots, damaged ones should be cut off, sprinkling sections with activated charcoal. Then transplant the palm tree into a new pot with fresh soil. |
Conclusion
The following tips and tricks on how to grow a date palm from ordinary store-bought fruits will help you get it right and get a young plant. However, you will have to be patient - only after a few years it will become like palm trees that grow and bear fruit in Africa, and then it will be a wonderful decoration for the interior of the house.
