Growing coconut at home is not an easy task, because creating a comfortable environment for a plant is quite difficult. And in order to get a beautiful palm tree, you will have to make a lot of effort. Learn how to grow a coconut at home and how to care for the plant in this article.
Preparing planting material
To grow coconut at home from seeds, first of all, you will need, in fact, planting material. Please note that it will not be possible to get a palm tree from a purchased nut. After all, the fibrous membrane is removed from such fruits, and it is essential for the plant to sprout. Therefore, only unpeeled nuts, which have a large supply of juice, can be used for cultivation.
Before growing a coconut from a 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. This will soften and hydrate the fibrous shell, which will improve germination.
For planting, use a shallow flowera pot twice the diameter of the nut. And also choose containers that have several drainage holes. As for the soil, a regular flower mix diluted by a quarter with coarse sand will do.
Planting a coconut
First, pour a 3-cm layer of expanded clay on the bottom of the planting pot. Then fill the drainage with prepared soil so that it occupies ¾ of the volume of the container. Next, make a small indentation for the nut and place the coconut in it with the blunt end down. Cover the fruit with the substrate so that one third of the nut rises above the ground. Then water and lightly compact the soil.
How to grow a coconut
In order for a plant to germinate, it will be necessary 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 planting in a well-lit area, but out of direct sunlight. If this is not possible, then be sure to install a phytolamp next to the greenhouse, otherwise all efforts will go down the drain.
Remember to regularly water the soil so that the water completely passes through all the layers of the soil. But remember that coconuts sprout only in moist, but not wet, substrate. Therefore, always drain excess fluid from the sump. And for irrigation, use only settled water at room temperature.
Such conditions will have to be maintained for 3-6 months. When will appearsprout, begin to gradually tame the plant 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, take proper care of the coconut tree at home.
Lighting
How to grow a 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 place the pot on this side of the room, it is not certain that the plant will get enough sun here, because the coconut needs maximum light all year round. Therefore, in any case, one cannot 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 even more exhausting heat. But in winter, a strong drop in temperature should not be allowed. Of course, the palm tree will survive a short-term cooling down to +16 … +19 ° C. But it's better not to bring it to this, otherwise you risk losing her.
Despite the love of the heat, the coconut tree categorically cannot stand 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 towards drafts and a sharp temperature drop. Therefore, take the palm tree during airing to another room, if possible.
Irrigation
The basic rule of carecoconut palm at home is regular and plentiful watering. Even the slightest drying of the soil can lead to illness, and even death of a tropical beauty. Therefore, make sure that the substrate is always wet. And water the palm tree as soon as the top layer dries out 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 summer and once in winter. But still be guided by the conditions of your apartment. At any time of the year, use soft, settled and warm water for irrigation.
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 such conditions are not provided for the tropical beauty, then it will quickly lose its decorative effect. Therefore, purchase a special humidifier, otherwise you will need to spray palm fronds up to 5-6 times a day. And it is also advisable to place the plant pot on pallets filled with wet moss or expanded clay.
Feeding
Coconut needs additional feeding, and ordinary palm fertilizers are not suitable for a tropical plant. Therefore, use special mixtures for citrus crops. Feed every two weeks from spring to autumn. But in winter, fertilize the soil no more than once a month, while reducing the dose of drugs by half.
Cutting
Forming pruning is not carried out for the coconut palm, 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 off dried and damaged leaves. But remember that only completely dead fronds can be removed, and slightly changed shade and half-dried are best left on the tree. After all, the palm tree draws additional nutrients from them.
During pruning, in no case do not damage the trunk, and even more so do not touch the apical bud of the plant. Otherwise, the palm tree will die. And also never remove more leaves than have grown in a year.
Transfer
It is not necessary to replant the coconut palm often, because the plant responds extremely negatively to root injury. However, this procedure should be carried out every two years for young plants that have not yet been freed from the nut. Adult specimens are enough to transplant every 4-6 years. It is better to start the event in the spring, then the plant will more easily endure the stress of the procedure. And in those years when transplantation is not carried out, be sure to replace the topsoil.
Before the event, prepare the substrate and a suitable pot. For coconut, a fibrous, coarse and very permeable earth mixture is suitable. If you wish, you can buy a special soil designed for palm trees. Or make your own substrate. To do this, mix in equal parts suchcomponents:
- sand;
- peat;
- turf soil;
- clay;
- humus;
- agroperlite or expanded clay.
If you make the mixture yourself, 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 the mixture 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, choose containers with a diameter of 4-6 cm larger than the previous ones. But the palm tree does not impose special requirements on the material, so you can choose both clay and plastic flower pots.
How to transplant a palm tree
The coconut tree 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, follow the following algorithm:
- Pour a 3 cm layer of drainage into the bottom of the planting pot. 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 along with an earthen clod.
- Fill the voids with soil and lightly compact the substrate. To do this, gently tap on the walls of the pot. Make sure that half of the nut remains on the surface of the soil, just like before. If the palm tree has already dropped the fruit, then leave the same depth level. That is, do not completely fall asleep the roots, some of themlength should remain on the surface.
- Water the soil and put the palm tree in its usual place.
Diseases and pests
With proper care, the coconut tree practically does not get sick. And only occasionally it is affected by rot. To treat such diseases, use fungicides. At the same time, the plant will have to be processed until complete recovery with an interval of a week.
Often, pests start up on a home palm tree, and most often spider mites and mealybugs annoy the tropical beauty. At the first sign of parasites, treat the plant with a systemic insecticide, such as Aktara or Actellik.
By following these rules, both beginners and experienced flower growers will be able to grow coconut. But in any case, you will have to make every effort for this, because this tropical guest cannot be called unpretentious. But if you create optimal conditions for him, then the capricious handsome man will become a source of pride and the main decoration of the collection of domestic plants.
