Growing date palm from seed at home and care, disease prevention

Lovers of indoor plants are interested in the date palm at least once during their cultivation. An adult tree fascinates with its beauty and unusualness. Not everyone can grow a date palm. To do this, you need to know all the rules and, of course, adhere to them.

Biological description and varieties of date palms

Most often the plants are a tree or a squat bush. The pinnately divided leaves are a rich, dark green color. They differ in length, which increases as the palm tree grows. They have large and sharp spines at the end. As a rule, the tree has one trunk, but there are representatives with several trunks. When a palm tree grows large enough, it produces flowers. They are small and yellow in color. Some gardeners may not see what a palm tree looks like during the flowering period.

Humanity knows only 17 species of date palms that grow in hot countries. The most common are only 3:

1. Canary date. At the base of the tree is a feathery trunk. The leaves are hard to the touch and straight. The edges are so sharp that you can get hurt on them. Maximum height - 2 m.
2. Date Robelena. The crown of an adult plant is dense, which looks very beautiful. Tolerates shade and reaches human height.
3. Date palmate. The shape and appearance of the palm tree are not as exotic as other representatives. But they have one feature - relatively fast growth.

In the latter case, the tree also has disadvantages. As a palm tree grows, its trunk becomes bare. Every person knows the fruits of the palmate date. They are tasty, sweet and very nutritious.

Is it possible to germinate from a seed?

Grown palm trees are expensive, so gardeners try to grow them themselves. To do this, just buy dates at the market and place the pits in the ground. Moreover, these are the same sweet dates.

Seed preparation and germination

The pits are taken from dates bought at the market. Fresh, dried and even sugared fruits will come in handy. Fruits should not be pre-heat treated.

The bone is placed in a glass of water and left for several days.

In this case, you need to periodically drain the water and add fresh water. Scalding with boiling water will speed up the germination of the date. To guarantee a sprout, you need to soak several seeds at once.

Landing rules

When planting a date pit in the ground, all the nuances play an important role. This is the soil, container size and much more. If you neglect the planting rules, you may not get a positive result. To ensure rapid germination of the seeds, the outer skin is damaged.

Required soil composition for planting

Soil can be purchased at a specialized kiosk. As a rule, these are ready-made earthen mixtures that are designed for growing palm trees. If possible and willing, prepare the substrate yourself. To do this you will need compost, turf soil, humus and sand. All components must be in different parts.

You can also plant seeds in soil that includes peat, rotted leaves and clay. The bone is inserted vertically. The upper part of the seed should be buried no more than 1 cm into the ground. This will allow you to monitor how the palm tree emerges and slowly turns into an adult plant.

Volume and optimal dimensions of the pot

A properly selected container for a palm tree promotes normal and comfortable development of the root system. The plant pot should not be wide. It is better to give preference to high capacity.

The sprout appears above the surface within 3 months. But it may take six months before shoots appear.

In this case, you need to be patient.As soon as the palm tree sprouts, it needs to be placed in a bright place.

Palm tree care at home

The plant is characterized by slow growth and development. Caring for a palm tree is very simple. A person is required to follow standard rules so that the young tree pleases the eye and decorates the room.

Light and temperature conditions

Indoor date palm needs bright lighting. In summer, you can take it outside and leave it there until cold weather sets in. But it does not tolerate hot weather, so it is better to shade it during peak hours. Temperatures gradually decrease until winter. In summer it is 20-25 °C, in spring and autumn - 15-20 °C, and in winter only 9-11 °C. It is recommended to protect the palm tree from drafts. The tree has a sensitive root system, so pots should not be placed on cold window sills or stone floors.

Watering and irrigation

How often should you moisten the soil? In summer, make sure that the soil does not dry out or become covered with a rough crust. Overmoistening is also unacceptable. Watering is a procedure that completely depends on air temperature. The date palm is a tree with heat-tolerant and drought-resistant characteristics. But even it needs irrigation.

This accelerates the ripening of fruits, increasing yield. Irrigation should be carried out during the growth period.

Feeding and fertilizer

How many times do you feed a palm tree? During growth, from spring to autumn, fertilizer is administered once every 2 weeks. In winter, at rest, you can get by with just 1 procedure per month. Dates respond positively to organic fertilizers. You can buy them or prepare them yourself.

Transfer

Each new palm pot should be 4 cm larger in diameter. During transplantation, you should not break off the top of the tree, as it may die.The palm tree does not tolerate “relocation” to a new container well. If the date is no more than 5 years old, replanting is carried out annually, older plants every 3 years. The bottom of the container is filled with a drainage layer. And they sprinkle earth on top, removing the outdated one. Transplantation is carried out if the roots become cramped in the pot. Roots that are too large and long can be seen through the drainage holes.

When and how does it bloom

The appearance of flowers occurs in the spring, when winter frosts have passed. Yellow flowers are collected in twigs, resembling the shape of a panicle. Unfortunately, flowering begins after the palm has matured into a mature tree. This will take many years.

Will palm trees grown at home bear fruit?

Under natural conditions, trees begin to bear fruit at the age of 15 years. The fruiting period lasts for 150-200 years. For a tree to produce a harvest, both female and male flowers are needed. It is impossible to understand from the bone what the tree will be like. As a result of planting, all palm trees can have only female flowers. This leads to certain difficulties and makes it impossible to obtain fragrant dates at home.

How to stimulate fruiting

There is only one way to promote active fruiting of a palm tree - cold. After a period of dormancy, the chances of flowering and, accordingly, fruiting increase. If date planting is carried out in regions with cold winters, a person will rarely be lucky enough to see a tree with fruits.

Reproduction methods

At home, only one method of reproduction is possible. We are talking about planting seeds in the ground. These are the very seeds that remain after eating the fruit.

Signs of micronutrient deficiency

An insufficient amount of nitrogen has a detrimental effect on the palm tree. The leaves become light and growth stops.Brown spots indicate a lack of potassium. The plant may also need magnesium. Deficiency is manifested by the appearance of a yellow edging on the leaves. Over time, they begin to curl on the branches and die.

Planting a date palm in highly acidic soil can lead to iron and manganese deficiencies.

In turn, the young plant faces interveinal chlorosis. If no measures are taken on the part of the person, the tissue dies at the site of the stains. To solve such problems, first of all, you should maintain the soil acidity level within 7. Fertilizer application plays an important role. In this case, you will have to wait a long time to see the result of your efforts.

Possible problems during cultivation

The date palm is not a very fancy plant. Despite simple care rules, a person may encounter a number of problems. The young tree stops growing, the leaves dry out, change color, and over time the palm tree dies.

Seedlings don't grow

In order for the height of the bush to increase, it is necessary to pay attention to the temperature regime. Different times of the year have their own indicator. If the temperature is too low in spring or summer, the roots will stop growing and, as a result, the above-ground parts will also stop growing. Why is this happening? Because the root system is at rest at low temperatures. It stops absorbing nutrients.

Palm tree dries

The appearance of dry ends can be indicated by a low level of humidity in the room. The leaves dry out and do not recover if the plant is exposed to direct sunlight. To increase air humidity, you need to irrigate and periodically wash the leaves.

Leaves turn yellow or darken

A change in bright green color to yellow indicates an imbalance in water balance. Houseplant lovers often encounter a similar problem when they forget to water the plant. The earthen ball often dries out and large cracks appear.

Another equally important problem is excessive waterlogging of the soil in which the palm tree grows. Wood loves moisture, but you need to know when to stop in this matter. Watering too frequently leads to brown spots on the leaves.

The damaged area becomes too soft. Over time, you may notice a putrid odor. Suppuration occurs not only on the leaves, but also in the root system. To save a palm tree, the roots are examined. The rotten ones are removed, leaving only the living ones. Transplantation and careful care will give results, and after a while a person will enjoy the new tree.

Pests and diseases of date palm

As a result of improper care or its complete absence, the tree is attacked by insects and various diseases. The most common pests are spider mites, mealyworms and scale insects. They drink the juice of the plant and it dies. Among the diseases, pink rot is distinguished. It affects all parts of the tree, covering it with ugly spots. The leaf blade loses its former beauty, and the tree may dry out.

If it was not possible to avoid insect parasitism or the development of diseases, it is necessary to urgently save the tree. It needs to be treated with special preparations. Before treating a plant, you need to find out the cause of the poor condition.

Diseases and pests only affect plants that lack proper care. Therefore, the solution to the problem is obvious. It depends only on the person what kind of date palm the tree will be.