Homemade date palm from the stone at room conditions. How to grow a date palm from a seed Palm from a date how to grow
Store-bought date pit can be turned into a sprawling and fluffy tree. The height of wild plants is from 12 to 30 m, and domestic ones - about 2 m. The leaves of indoor specimens are wide, of a rich green hue. Date palms grown in apartments never bear fruit, but sometimes delight owners with exotic flowers with a bright characteristic aroma.
Planting material preparation
The fruits from which the stone is to be removed must be ripe and juicy, free of mold, fungus and bad smell. Planting material obtained from spoiled dried fruits does not give healthy and strong seedlings.
Dates are carefully cut into two parts and the contents are taken out. The fruits have oblong seeds. cylindrical shape covered with a thick shell of a reddish or purple-brown hue. They are 3-4 cm long.
The pulp remaining on the bone is removed with a knife or sandpaper. A sharp object cleans the workpiece from the remnants of dates that can rot, and damages the protective capsule. A shell treated with a hard sponge allows water to pass through better.
Seeds begin to germinate in January or February. It will take from 3 to 6 months for a thin sprout to break through the protective capsule, which will turn into a tree. Seeds are doused with boiling water. Hot water softens the capsule and awakens the core. Planting material for a day is dipped into the Epin solution. The liquid is drained, and the workpiece is transferred to wet gauze. The fabric is folded in several layers to better retain moisture, and placed in a plastic container. You can fill a rag with cotton balls or sawdust. Sphagnum moss, which absorbs a lot of liquid, is also suitable.
Seeds are left in a closed container for 3-4 days. Water is regularly updated. In the stagnant liquid, a fungus and mold start up, which damages the bones of dates and destroys future sprouts.
A plastic container is placed on a battery or other heating device. Bones need to be germinated at a temperature of + 30-35 degrees. If everything is done correctly, the planting material will swell after 3 days.
Ready seeds, which have increased in size, are planted in pots. The containers are filled with a nutrient substrate. Special attention pay attention to the composition of the soil, because it will provide date seeds with vitamins and trace elements.
If during germination the seeds started thin roots, they do not have to be buried in the ground. Such specimens are simply laid out on the ground and wait until they independently fix themselves in the soil.
Substrate composition
Dates need loose earth that retains water. In flower shops, a special soil called "Palm" is presented, but you can also choose a neutral option - "Universal". Part home soil for growing a date tree, clay-turf and humus-leaf land with chopped twigs and pieces of bark is included. The workpiece is recruited at the edge of the forest, in the park or in the garden. Treated with steam or a strong solution of potassium permanganate to disinfect. In the soil brought from the dacha, insects, microbes and mold spores can live.
The earth is combined with raw sawdust, peat or sphagnum. Add calcined river sand. The coarse-grained component passes moisture better and does not retain excess liquid in the substrate.
Date seeds can be germinated in peat mixed with soddy or clay soil. After the appearance of thin sprouts, the future palm tree is transplanted into a container with sand.
The substrate is poured into small pots or ordinary plastic cups. Several holes are made in the bottom through which excess water should flow. Be sure to pour a thick layer of pebbles, expanded clay, foam or broken clay shards. The material performs a drainage function, protecting the developing plant from fluid stagnation and mold. To prevent the development of the fungus, charcoal powder is introduced into the substrate. The component absorbs liquid and disinfects the earth.
The soil is thoroughly moistened before planting seeds. You can add some vermiculite. Clay mica retains heat and nourishes young sprouts. Mineral and organic fertilizers are not used, they only burn unformed roots and slow down the development of the date palm.
Disembarkation and departure
The pot is filled with a substrate and a hole is made in the ground 6–8 cm deep. The stone is thrust into the ground vertically and sprinkled. The soil does not need to be compacted. Plastic cups or clay containers are covered with plastic wrap. It retains moisture and creates a tropical climate inside each pot. Flowerpots with future date palms are placed next to the battery. Seeds germinate at a temperature of + 25-30 degrees.
The cups are periodically opened so that condensation does not accumulate on the film, and the earth is saturated with oxygen. Bones awaken and germinate in 1.5–3 months. A simple thin leaf appears first, and then a lancet stalk. After the formation of sprouts, cups with a date palm are rearranged on the southern or eastern windowsill. The tree will need a lot of sun to form a fluffy crown of a rich green hue. During this period, you need to follow the roots. It is impossible that they crawl out through the drainage holes.
A plant that has become cramped in a plastic cup is transplanted into a larger pot. The root system is transferred to a new flowerpot along with an earthen clod. Most seedlings die after transplantation due to damaged young shoots.
Date palms should not be grown in a large box or plastic container and then picked. The procedure is dangerous, so plants do not tolerate it well. After separation and damage to the root system, young trees get sick, wither and die, while others are deformed.
When transplanting, plastic cups are carefully cut with sharp scissors. A lump of earth is removed along with the roots and transferred to a clay pot filled with soddy and deciduous soil mixed with peat and sand.
In the first 2–3 years, only individual green skewers are formed in the plant. Wide leaf plates appear after 5–6 years.
Watering and light regime
Date palms are thermophilic. In summer, the temperature in the room should not fall below +30 degrees, and in winter it drops to +17–20. Young trees tolerate heat well, but die due to drought. The soil in which the palm grows should always be moist. In winter, the substrate is sprayed from a sprayer, watered abundantly in summer, and a container of water is placed next to it so that the liquid droplets evaporate and settle on the leaves.
Young plants live on illuminated window sills. The pot with the tree is regularly rotated clockwise. The crown of a palm tree with uneven lighting and improper distribution of ultraviolet is stretched and deformed, loses its saturated green color and becomes pale.
The date tree is watered only with distilled or melted water. There are many harmful impurities in the tap fluid that clog the soil with salts of heavy metals. Suitable also rainwater, but it must be defended for at least 2-3 days so that the additives settle to the bottom of the container.
In summer, a pot with a palm tree is taken out to the balcony or left in the garden, hidden under taller and spreading trees. Dates tolerate direct sunlight well, but feel more comfortable in the shade.
From late spring, mineral fertilizers are applied to the soil along with irrigation. Flower shops sell options for palm trees, which have all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Date sprouts in summer and autumn are fed 1 time in 10 days. In winter, reduce the amount of recharge. From December to March, top dressing is applied once a month.
In summer, organic fertilizers are used, as well as potassium nitrate. Dissolve 1 g of the substance in 1 liter of water. They are introduced into the substrate after abundant watering so that the recharge does not leave burns on the root system. The date palm living in the garden can be fertilized with bird droppings. Use granular versions or weak infusions.
It is not difficult to grow a tree from a date seed. First, the seeds are stratified and germinated, then regularly watered and fertilized. Young trees are exposed to the sun and fresh air, cut, tied up and protected from spider mites, scale insects and mealybugs. If you constantly look after and take care of the date palm, it will become tall and fluffy, and one day it will delight you with exotic buds.
Video: how to grow a date palm
Today we will talk about how to grow a date at home or date palm from a date bone on the windowsill. We will also consider the technologies and methods of germination and cultivation of date palm in room conditions With detailed description and visual photographs
The date from the stone will be obtained only if it has not undergone heat treatment. Both fresh fruits brought from vacation and dried fruits from the store are suitable for this. For the sake of experiment, many simply try to stick a bone in flower pot and surprisingly, it usually takes root. In an apartment, this can take up to 5-6 months, is it possible to speed up the process?
How to germinate a date bone at home:
1. The bones must be thoroughly cleaned and washed so that the process of decay does not begin in the soil. In the washed form, they should lie down for a day until next stage- soaking.
2. The date seed is very hard. To speed up the germination time of the bone, a variety of methods are used:
- its surface is scratched or rubbed with sandpaper for faster penetration of water inside;
- incisions are made so that the shell splits more easily;
- for this, you can simply scald the bone with hot water.
3. The most effective soaking is with cotton wool. A piece of cotton wool in a small container (for example, in a plate) is abundantly moistened with water, a stone is placed on it, covered with another layer of moistened cotton wool on top to prevent rapid evaporation of moisture. Cotton wool can be replaced with gauze, sawdust, hydrogel.
4. Germination requires a high temperature, so the container with cotton wool can be placed on the battery. Every day you need to look after the moisture content of cotton wool and add a little water.
5. When the bone swells well, it can be transplanted into the ground.
Thanks to soaking, several months are saved. best time to start germination - February-March.
Even if you want to grow only one date from a seed, you need to take several seeds. Some sprouts will die due to diseases or your inept actions during transplantation, so a safety net will not hurt.
1. All seeds are immersed in the prepared soil (land from the forest, peat or a mixture of earth with sawdust) vertically to a depth equal to one and a half seed lengths.
2. The container with the earth is placed in a warm place. See that the earth is constantly moistened.
3. The first sprouts can be seen in 1-3 months. When their length reaches 10-15 cm, each sprout will need to be transplanted into a separate pot with a diameter of about 10 cm. The pot should not be too wide, its height is important, since the date will have long roots.
4. At the bottom of the pot, there must be good drainage (expanded clay, charcoal, pebbles), since stagnant water is detrimental to the plant. Special soil for palm trees is bought or the soil is mixed independently, it is taken:
- clay-turf land - 2 parts;
- humus-leaf land - 2 parts;
- peat - 1 part;
- rotted manure - 1 part;
- sand - 1 part.
The small palm will need to be repotted every year, always increasing the size of the pot a little. The plant has very delicate roots, so transplanting should be done by transshipment to avoid damage to the root system. The date tree will not please with beauty for the first five years, its decorative value will appear only after 5-7 years. Do not expect that, having grown a date from a seed, it will be possible to have an excellent decor for your home in a couple of years.
In order for your house to be decorated with an adult indoor date palm, caring for it throughout the years has several important points:
1. It must be constantly turned towards the sun so that the sun's rays reach all the leaves. Without light, the leaves stretch, develop unevenly and become brittle.
2. The plant is very afraid of drafts. Ventilating housing in the autumn-winter period, you need to protect it from cold air currents.
3. When watering, stagnation of water at the roots should not be allowed, so good drainage is a prerequisite. For irrigation, use settled, soft water without chlorine at a temperature of about 20 ° C.
4. Leaves should be sprayed daily, as the tree needs moist air. Once a week, the plant will even need a real shower, but during the procedure, an earthen lump in a pot must be carefully covered with a film.
5. The leaves should also be regularly wiped with wet sponges so that they are not attacked by pests and just so that the palm tree has a well-groomed appearance.
6. In no case is it permissible to cut or break off the top of a palm tree. Pruning the top of the stem is fraught with the death of the plant.
7. Apply mineral and organic fertilizers twice a month during the warm period and once a month during the winter. Complex preparations for palm trees or for decorative and deciduous houseplants are suitable. They are applied only in wet soil, in a diluted form.
The plant often begins to hurt after transplantation. It is very difficult for her to endure, if everything is done traditional way. How to transplant a date palm, should it be done at all?
A young date palm (up to 4-5 years old) is transplanted annually, and an adult plant - after 2-3 years. This is done in the spring. Every six months, it is recommended to remove the top soil layer and fill the vacant place with new soil.
A transplant is required only when the roots no longer fit in the pot and they are clearly visible through the drainage holes, so each transplant (more precisely, transshipment) is done into a pot 3-4 cm larger in diameter.
To do this, the bush is carefully rolled over into a new container, and the voids are filled with soil.
Location
It is better to put a pot with a palm tree on the south side, or slightly to the east, she loves light and a well-ventilated place, far from the wind. The plant must be constantly turned over to the sun so that it reaches all the leaves, make sure that the leaf arrow is directed into the room. Without light, the leaves stretch, form unevenly, become brittle.
In summer, a palm tree needs a temperature of 15-20 C, it is better to keep it on the balcony - in the fresh air, in winter time t 10-12 C.
Watering
For irrigation, defend the water, it should be soft without chlorine, the temperature is 18-20 C. In spring and summer it requires abundant watering, in winter it depends on the air temperature. Do not spill under any circumstances. Do not forget about wet processing of the leaves, using a sponge or sprayer for this purpose. In spring and summer, fertilize moistened soil every 7 days with special top dressing, diluting it in water, in autumn - once every 2 weeks, in winter - once a month.
If brown spots appear on the leaves, you are using hard water. This develops chlorosis, growth retardation. This color also appears in waterlogged soil. In this case, limit watering.
If the tips turn brown, then the dry air at home is most likely to blame. So do wet processing, put a lot of jars of water around the palm tree for its natural evaporation. The cause of the same problem may be insufficient watering, cold air. Brown color at the bottom layer, speaks of obsolete and dead leaves, cut them off with a sharp knife.
If all the leaves are of this shade, then you need to save the palm tree - you did not spare water when watering and rotting of the roots began.
Remove the plant from the pot, inspect the roots, if they are darkened and watery, then the palm tree is lost. Have to throw out. If living roots are found, feel free to cut off the dead and damaged shoots, sprinkle the “wounds” with charcoal and transplant the tree into new soil.
The yellow color of the leaf indicates that you forgot about top dressing, or the roots were left without water. From lack of moisture, the leaves fall down, unfortunately, this defect cannot be corrected. They will need to be lifted and tied to a support.
The leaves turn pale with an abundance of light, to protect from bright sunlight, slightly shade the palm tree.
1. Know that sprouts from a stone in an apartment can hatch only after 5-6 months, so do not despair and be patient.
2. Cirrus leaves appear after 3-4 years, before that they are narrow.
3. In the first 5 years, the palm tree is transplanted annually, then every 3 years, gradually increasing the size and volume of the pot. After 15 years - once every five years. During this procedure, the roots forming the felt layer are cut off.
4. With each transplant, increase the amount of sod. Drainage must be good.
5. The pot should be tall, not wide, because. palm trees have long roots.
6. In no case should you cut the top of your head. In a palm tree, the top of the trunk is the only point of growth !!!
Pests - shield, spider mite and mealybug. Dealing with them is standard as for all houseplants. This is sprinkling with garlic extract, washing the leaves with laundry soap, etc. At one time, the date palm was called the "fun plant", since it is easy to grow it from "junk" seeds bought in the nearest shop. But still, any living creature, be it a plant or an animal, cannot be fun, it always requires attention and care, and most importantly, warmth.
Experienced experimenters know that the hard shell interferes with the rapid emergence of sprouts in fresh seeds, so before planting it is placed in water for swelling for several days (the water is changed regularly, you can add a growth stimulator to it). To speed up the germination of the date, scalding the stone or carefully sawing the shell is also practiced.
It is best to use sawdust or peat mixed with sand as a substrate for growing (care should be taken to good drainage). The pot is filled with this mixture and the date pit is planted vertically in the ground, the top of the pot is covered with wet moss (sphagnum) or sprinkled with 1-2 cm and covered with glass. The temperature for seed germination should be 25-30°C. Under favorable conditions, shoots appear in 1-2 months.
At the beginning of summer, you can try to germinate a bone prepared for planting in open field. When the plants reach a height of 10 cm, they are transplanted into pots filled with a soil mixture consisting of leafy, soddy soil and sand (1:1:1). The pinnate leaves of the home date palm appear in the 5-7th year.
How to care for a date palm indoors
Growing and caring for date palm at home. The date palm plant requires a lot of light, loves uniform watering (abundant in summer and moderate in winter). In order for the date palm to grow not in one direction, but spreading, you need to turn the pot with the plant towards the sun so that the arrow of the leaf is directed into the room. For the summer, it is advisable to take the palm tree out into the garden, shading it from direct hot sunlight.
Hard water causes chlorosis, stunting, and brown spots on the leaves (overwatering in winter and "cold, wet feet" also causes spotting). From lack of moisture, palm leaves sometimes begin to turn yellow. It is necessary to ensure that the roots of the date palm do not dry out in summer, since when the substrate dries out, the leaves of the moisture-loving palm fall down and no longer restore their original position and have to be tied to a support. In the room where it grows, the temperature in winter should not be lower than 15-18 ° C. Leaves can be washed with warm water using a soft sponge or brush.
While the plant is young, it must be transplanted annually. When it reaches the age of five, transplantation (transshipment) will be required less often - once every 2-3 years, but should be replaced every year upper layer soil. It must be borne in mind that the palm tree tolerates transshipment better than transplantation. Every year, caring for a date palm is easier. At each transplant (transshipment), the share of sod land in soil mixture should increase. Upon reaching the age of fifteen, a palm tree can be transplanted very rarely, once every 5-6 years. By this time, the composition of the soil should already include up to 5 parts of sod land.
As a substrate, you can use the specialized soil "Palma" or make up the mixture yourself (turf, leaf soil, humus and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1).
In spring and summer, during growth, domestic date palm requires feeding with small doses of organic and mineral fertilizer 2-3 times a month. Chicken manure (1:20) and slurry (1:10) are the most complete fertilizer. You can use an ash extract (25 g per 1 liter of water). Ash is a source of potassium and partially phosphorus.
In nature, there are about 17 species of date palms, which, moreover, are prone to hybridization. The exact homeland of date palms is not known for certain: according to various opinions, this is Mesopotamia, Saudi Arabia or North Africa. Dates have been cultivated in these regions for over 5,000 years. Palm trees began to be grown not only as greenhouses, but also as ordinary ones. houseplants also in early XIX in.
In areas of natural growth, date palms have long been closely associated with the life of the local population (fruits, seeds, core of the trunk and young leaves were used for food, trunks and large leaves were used in housing construction and furniture production).
Interesting facts about dates:
· The origin of the name of the genus is associated with the legendary phoenix bird, which was reborn from its own ashes, because of the ability of this palm tree to form offspring from a dying trunk.
· The leaves of date palms in Southern Europe are used in worship on Palm Sunday.
The date palm reaches its maximum yield in the open field at the age of 30 years, which then decreases when the plant reaches 100 years of age. One plant can bring up to 100 kg of fruit.
· Dates, along with wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates and olives, are included in the list of seven agricultural crops with which "the Land of Israel is blessed." In ancient times, local residents were required to bring the first fruits of the harvest of these palms to the temple.
Date fruits contain the maximum amount of sugar in comparison with all other fruits.
· The fruits of date palms are very useful for women during pregnancy, as they contain special substances that strengthen the muscles of the uterus and, thereby, facilitate childbirth.
Dates have a mild hypnotic effect. The amino acid tryptophan contained in fruits is transformed in the body into serotonin (the hormone of good mood) and melatonin (the hormone of sleep).
Mature palms can withstand short-term temperature drops down to -5°C.
In summer, the date palm requires abundant watering and daily spraying. If splashes of water have contaminated a palm leaf, then you can clean it with a flannel soaked in a 5% solution of oxalic acid, followed by a warm shower (covering the base of the trunk and pot with polyethylene to avoid waterlogging the substrate). and wiping the sheet dry. Dust must be removed regularly every two weeks by wiping the palm leaf with a damp, soft cloth.
In autumn and winter, watering is reduced, preventing the earthen coma from completely drying out. Humidity in the room during this period should not exceed 50%. Foliar spraying should also be reduced so as not to expose the plant to unnecessary risk of disease-causing fungi. In general, based on the conditions of natural growth, dates tolerate drought more easily than the bay.
For uniform growth, it is recommended to rotate the plant so that the top of the young leaf is directed inward. To maintain symmetry, every two weeks it is recommended to rotate the palm around its axis by 180 degrees.
Probably, everyone who simply loves dates for their unique taste would dream of growing a date from a seed at home. But will it bear a resemblance to the plant that grows in natural conditions? Growing a palm tree from a stone is not so difficult, and for this you do not need to apply special efforts. But you are unlikely to ever see fruits on it, because such a plant does not bear fruit under room conditions. However, in order to grow such a palm tree, you need to know how to properly plant a seed, and you also need to remember the basic rules of care.
The first step is to look for quality planting material. To do this, you need to go to the store or to the market. Dates must be chosen very carefully. It is important to note that they should not be pre-treated. It is best for this purpose to choose dates that have been withered or dried.
In order to increase the chances of a successful landing, it is better to use not one, but several seeds at once. Before proceeding with planting, their surface must be carefully freed from the pulp. At the same time, it must be remembered that even the smallest piece of the remaining pulp can lead to mold appearing on the bone.
The cleaned bone should be placed in a container with cold water for 2 days. Water must be changed regularly. Then again, the planting material should be inspected for residual pulp. Now the bones are ready for planting. Experienced flower growers recommend resorting to the following tricks to speed up the appearance of a sprout:
- Place the bone in a small container and pour in hot water. Wait 10 minutes and take it out of the liquid. Thanks to this preparation, a young plant will appear just a few weeks after planting. By the way, without this procedure, seedlings have to wait for months.
- Also, the seed can be gently pierced with a pointed object or rubbed well with sandpaper. This method will allow the liquid to quickly get inside the seed. The result of this will be a fairly quick emergence of a sprout.
Before proceeding to the direct planting of a date seed, it is necessary to prepare the most optimal conditions for the plant.
Caring for dates from the stone at home
Earthmixture
For successful growth and development of the plant, it is necessary to choose the most suitable substrate for planting. So, it must be necessarily light, as well as loose. The date has a rather weak and fragile root system, so you should choose the most suitable soil mixture for growing it. This soil can be purchased at a specialized store. But it can also be done with my own hands. To do this, you need to combine sawdust, humus, peat, and sand.
Planting a date is not at all difficult. To do this, it is necessary to lower the prepared bone into the hole made in the soil vertically, and then sprinkle it with soil. Then the soil must be watered, while the water should not be used very much. a large number of. After that, the pot is moved to a fairly warm place. In order to plant a date, you do not need any special containers. You can take a pot, a large bowl, etc. After the plants show both a small leaf and a sprout, they will need to be transplanted into separate containers.
Transfer
It is necessary to replant the plant very carefully together with an earthy clod. Try not to break the integrity of the root. If the root system has been damaged, then such a seedling can be thrown away, since it will not take root in a new pot.
The date palm is quite undemanding and non-capricious. This plant responds well to moisture, heat, and also top dressing. Fertilizers should be applied to the soil several times a year. Watering should be moderate. Such a palm tree reacts negatively both to overdrying and to waterlogging of an earthy coma. AT summer time he is advised to take a shower. The date also needs direct sunlight.
Planting a date palm, as well as caring for it, will not cause many difficulties. And in a few months you will have a luxurious plant grown by your own hands on your windowsill.
Date palm in conditions ordinary house so far more of a curiosity than commonplace. It is not difficult to germinate a seedling from an ordinary bone. However, not everyone has the patience and zeal to properly care for it for several years before the tree becomes an adult. A homemade date will never bear fruit, but it will perfectly fit into the interior and decorate the home.
The date of the common species can be germinated from the seed of fruits that are sold in the store. The culture has other varieties - Canarian and Robelin. They are propagated and sold only in flower shops. Dates that have not undergone heat treatment can be used as seed material. For example, dried or dried. Bones for planting should be processed immediately after receiving them.
It is best to start work in February or March. Prepare several seeds, even if you only want one palm tree. Indeed, in the process of growing young seedlings often die. The procedure should begin with water treatment of seeds. Impregnation of the seeds with moisture will significantly speed up the process of seed germination: 2-3 weeks versus 4 (if you skip this stage).
date pit Subsequence:
- Remove the seeds from the date and clean them of the pulp as much as possible.
- Place the bones in a glass warm water for 48 hours. Refresh the liquid 2 times a day, keeping the temperature in the container above +22°C.
- Remove the swollen growths of pulp with a knife.
- Make a 5-minute soak for the seeds hot water(about 80°C).
Many use cotton wool during soaking. A pad of cotton wool with a bone is placed in a plate filled with water. From above it is covered with another wet cotton wool. Rolled gauze or sawdust can also be used as a material.
Advice. To further reduce the time for spitting seeds, you can process them with sandpaper or scratch them with a knife. A damaged shell allows moisture to pass through more easily, which gives vitality to the sprout.
How to plant a bone
As a soil for planting, a substrate for indoor flowers from a store is suitable. You can cook it yourself: mix equal parts peat, raw sawdust and river sand. Such soil is optimal for a young plant, but in the future, during the first and subsequent transplants, the pot will need to be filled with other soil. Proportions:
- humus - 40%;
- sod land - 20%;
- sheet soil - 20%;
- sand - 20%;
- peat - 10%.
Germination of date seeds The landing process should be carried out as follows:
- Deepen the cleaned and processed seeds into the ground in a strictly vertical position.
- Sprinkle a centimeter layer of the same soil on top.
- Put the container and seeds in heat (+ 22 ... 25 ° С). You can directly on the heating radiator.
- Water moderately: so that the soil does not dry out, but the water does not stagnate.
Attention! At proper care in 2-3 months a sprout will break out from under the ground - a juvenile leaf. Then it will grow into an arrow, consisting of 2-3 sharp leaves.
Transplantation and further care of a date tree seedling
After the sprouts reach 10 cm, each of them needs to be transplanted into a wider pot. Flower growers advise doing the procedure annually for the first 5 years of a palm tree's life. The size of the container must be constantly increased, meeting the growing needs of the plant's root system. For the final transplant, you need a capacious flowerpot.
Advice. After the date has acquired a permanent place of residence, instead of transplanting, periodically change the topsoil without touching the plant.
Transplanting is the most delicate process in caring for a date palm. In inexperienced hands, more than one seedling may die. The reason is the tenderness of the root system of this culture. If even a little damage to the long root, the plant will die. For transplanting, only one method is suitable - transshipment. It consists in transferring the root along with a clod of earth.
date sprouts Plant care has the following features:
- While the date has not yet formed, it needs weekly top dressing in spring and summer. During the dormant period, organic and mineral fertilizers are applied no more than 1 time per month.
- It is important that the soil always remains moist. In summer, water the plant abundantly, even with the collection of water in the pan. In winter, the least.
- The palm tree responds well to spraying in the warm season. Also, give the plant a weekly water shower. room temperature. During the procedure, it is necessary to protect the soil from excess moisture.
- Date loves a lot of light and will withstand even direct sunlight. Without proper lighting, palm leaves will become long and brittle.
- The air temperature in the room should be moderate, in the range of + 16 ... + 22 ° С. Putting a palm tree near a heating radiator is risky: it will die from the heat. In summer, the plant is taken out to the loggia or veranda, limiting drafts. In winter, the temperature can be kept within + 13 ... 14 ° С.
Even if the care of the date is correct, do not expect a quick result. The palm will turn into decorative tree around the 5th year. But after that, the plant will become a real decoration of your home.
Growing date palm from seed: video
The fruits of date palms are quite tasty, nutritious and healthy. Them the nutritional value per hundred grams of the product is 227 kilocalories. They contain vitamins:
- A, which plays an important role in the formation of teeth and bones in humans;
- B1, necessary for the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins;
- B2, supporting human immunity;
- B3 involved in the metabolism of fats and amino acids;
- B5, capable of stimulating the production of adrenal hormones,
- B6, which is involved in the production of blood cells;
- B9, necessary in the synthesis of amino acids;
- C, involved in the conversion of cholesterol into acids;
- D, providing the absorption of calcium and fluorine;
- K required for protein synthesis.
It turns out that from date seeds you can get beautiful houseplants, which, by the way, are rather unpretentious in their care. The only negative is that such a palm tree will never bear fruit and bloom.
Bone selection
The stone can be taken from any ripe fruit that has not been exposed to high temperatures.
To begin with, it should be washed and cleaned of the sweet shell. It is better to take several blanks for planting at once, as some of them may die. Now you need to take a cloth, wet it well so that it becomes wet, wrap the seeds in it. Before this, it is better to cut the bones slightly with a knife. This is necessary specifically so that the water is better absorbed and the shell opens better.
Put the rag in a container and place it in a warm place. Thanks to this procedure, the ripening time will be reduced by a couple of months. We are waiting for 2 weeks, adding water to the container daily. After the seed swells, it can be planted!
Choosing a soil
In this case, it is better to give preference to peat mixed with sawdust. Soil is poured into the container. The bones are inserted vertically so that they are deepened one centimeter into the ground. Next, you need to arm yourself with patience and constantly ensure that the soil is moist.
palm tree care
In a month, seedlings will reach 10-15 centimeters. The peculiarity of the date palm is that its leaves are sharp, narrow and long and have a slightly corrugated surface.
The plant is best placed in a warm, lit place. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that before the age of five, a palm tree should be transplanted into a new, larger pot. After this age, you can simply observe the state of the roots: if they come out through the holes in the bottom of the pot, then this is a sure sign that it's time to transplant.
Tap water is not recommended for irrigation. It is better to wait for it to stand for some time in the vessel, cool down and become softer. It is recommended to water the plant once a day. You do not need to flood the palm tree, but you should not overdry the soil either.
The palm loves fertilizer very much. Therefore, when transplanting, it is advisable to think about drainage. For example, you can put expanded clay on the bottom and add charcoal. For adult plants, you can use a mixture of leaves, peat and sand.
Diseases
Unfortunately, even at home, plants can carry diseases.
- First of all, you should pay attention to the condition of the leaves. If brown spots appear on them, then this is a sure sign that hard water is being used or there is excess watering.
- Cold and dry air can cause the tips of the leaves to dry out and change color. In this case, it is worth starting to spray the leaves of the plant with water and transfer it to another, warmer place.
- It will be much worse if the entire palm tree turns completely brown. As a rule, this means the death of the plant.
- However, do not be afraid if the lower leaves suddenly dry up. The palm tree stretches up and out. You just need to remove the extra leaves with a knife so that they do not spoil the picture.