Date palm at home from the stone, how and where it grows

There are many plants in nature, and when choosing them for indoor floriculture, everyone is guided by their tastes: compactness, regular flowering, unpretentious care, extravagant appearance, or, conversely, modesty, someone likes decorative deciduous plants. The heroine of our article is ranked among the latter.

The seed date palm at home goes from seed to large fan palm. To do this, you will need a long time, patience and some knowledge. Of course, the palm tree will not bloom and bear fruit indoors, because for this it will need to be grown 15 m high. In the room the date palm tree will grow as a sprawling bush with gorgeous leaves.

What are dates?

Dates are the edible fruits of the date palm tree. They have been used by people for a long time as a highly valuable food product. On sale, you can purchase them in the form of dried fruits. Countries with hot climates grow different varieties of palm trees for industrial scale. In dried form, they acquire a sweetish-pleasant taste. We offer you to get acquainted with this delicacy, find out what kind of fruit is a date, where it grows.

Date palm description

So, the date palm. She is a representative of trees or squat shrubs with feathery-split leaves. Almost all species of this plant have one trunk, but there are exceptions with several. The date palm is a huge tree that catches the eye of many tourists visiting hot countries. This tree has a straight and thick trunk up to 80 cm in diameter, which can reach a height of 20-30 m. There are no branches on this trunk, only at the top there are fifty large feathery leaves, the length of which can reach six meters in length. Near the base of the trunk, there is a growth that serves as a material for reproduction. It is important to note that the date palm is not a tree, although we call it that, but a perennial herb with a powerful root system. Just like grass, it has no trunks or branches. She only has stems. Every year they dry up, they are cut off, and a new stem grows from the center again.

The date palm is a typical plant in the dry tropics. It cannot be called a weed, it grows very slowly at night, and during the day the leaves are busy with photosynthesis. This plant can be up to a hundred years old. Today in the world, date palms occupy many areas; this is the oldest cultivated plant. Dates were still eaten by primitive people. Further you will find out the continents where dates grow.

How to care for a palm tree?

First, do not place it near a battery. It should be located in a room with a moderate temperature up to +20 degrees. In summer, the best place for a palm tree is open air without drafts.

Leaves can be sprayed with water several times a day. At the same time, watering should be plentiful only in summer. It is important to control so that there is no overdrying or waterlogging.

Note that the palm must be repotted regularly over the next five years. Mineral and organic fertilizers should be introduced in sufficient quantities during active growth - from March to September. This should be done every week. In winter, it is advisable to introduce complementary foods once a month.

Flowering and pollination

Date palms live in harems because they are dioecious.Inflorescences grow from the bases of the leaves. On some palms they are female, on others they are male. These inflorescences are very large, like a panicle. To ensure cross-pollination of flowers, one male is planted on 20-100 female trees. Paniculate inflorescences consist of small yellow flowers. The flower has a cup-shaped cup, 3 petals. Male flowers have 6 stamens, female flowers have 3 pistils and 6 stamidonia. Only one pistil gives fruit after dusting.

The inflorescences contain many flowers. On one palm tree, you can count up to 2000 pieces. Fruits develop only in female inflorescences. Today, dates of noble varieties are obtained by artificial pollination or additional pollination of female inflorescences. To do this, the male inflorescences are cut off, and the pollen from them is shaken off over the flowering female panicles. Another option of artificial pollination is possible, when a male panicle is suspended in the crown of female inflorescences. Then you will learn not only where the dates grow on the tree, but also about their useful qualities.

Diseases and pests attacking dates

A well-tended palm tree does not often get sick. Here is a short list of the diseases that date dates are susceptible to and how to treat them.

Cause	Signs on the leaves	Treatment
Lack of nutrients	Yellowness.	Regular feeding.
Watering with hard water	Yellowness.	Filtration of water for irrigation.
Excess watering	Brown, rotten smell.	Stop watering until the soil is completely dry.
Lack of moisture	Darkening at the ends.	Correction of conditions of detention, change of location.
Drafts
Air is too dry
Watering with cold water
Fungal diseases	Gray or pinkish spots.	Fungicides are anti-fungal drugs. It is not recommended to use it more than once a week.

In addition, the date palm can become an object of attack by pests:

The spider mite makes the leaves turn yellow, dry and curl, braids with a thin cobweb.
The mealybug sucks the juice out of the leaves, leaving a white, fluffy bloom.
Thrips fouls and dehydrates, resulting in discolored spots.
The scabbard sticks to the integument of the plant, drawing out the juice. It can be distinguished by its brown bumps.
Nematodes are worms that live inside leaves and cause them to thicken, deform and die off. They are difficult to hatch and spread quickly, so if they are found, the plant should be destroyed as soon as possible along with the pot.

Curved
Most insects can be removed in the following folk ways:

Garlic infusion: 4 heads of garlic are dipped in 1 liter of water and kept for 5 days. The resulting extract is diluted with water and used to spray foliage.
Tobacco infusion: put 40 grams of tobacco in 1 liter of water, insist for 2 days. Then add another liter of water and spray the plant.
Soap-vodka solution: 15 g of liquid soap and a couple of tablespoons of vodka are diluted in 1 liter of water. Use once a week to wipe leaves.

If the listed methods are ineffective, it is necessary to treat the plant with agrochemical preparations, guided by the instructions.

It is recommended that you first try the remedy on one leaf of the plant in order to detect a reaction.

Before processing, the soil must be covered with a film to protect it from the ingress of foreign substances that can harm the composition of the soil.

Yield

Date palms begin to bear fruit in the fourth year of life. Fruits from a 5-6 year old plant are used as marketable products. At this age, the palm tree produces 8-9 kg of fruit. The yield of a 15-year-old tree is 50-80 kg. Improved palm varieties can yield up to 150 kg per tree. If the palms are densely planted, then a harvest of 12-17 tons per hectare is possible. The average global gross yield is indicated as 5 tons per hectare. The date palm can bear fruit abundantly for 60-80 years.

What do the fruits look like raw? They are a berry-shaped cylindrical drupe with a fleshy pericarp and cutinized skin of amber, reddish or even darker color.

Can you get the fruits?

Under natural conditions, date palms can bear fruit after four or six years of cultivation, and at home - only 12 or more years after germination. Potted dates, although they are extremely ornamental plants, grow rather slowly and practically do not bloom at home, which means they do not bear fruit.

The Canarian date is most often recommended for home cultivation. A large and beautiful plant can be obtained if the date palm is properly cared for.

The Robelen date can be described as a more capricious potted plant. It should only be grown in greenhouse conditions or in greenhouses, because it does not live so long in apartments and requires more careful maintenance.

Now you know how to plant a date and grow a beautiful exotic plant at home. We hope you succeed.

Countries where dates grow

Where is the birthplace of dates? In our article you can find out not only useful information about date palms, but also see their photos. Where the dates grow is also interesting to many readers. Date palms originally grew in North Africa and the Middle East. Already more than 6 thousand years ago, this culture was ennobled here. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia are leaders in the cultivation of dates.

Many countries today are interested in planting date palms. They can be seen in Iraq, Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Syria, Tunisia. In some parts of Mexico, Australia this crop is also grown. Date palms are also found in the state of California (USA). The leader in the export of dates is Saudi Arabia. Large plantations of dates grow in Israel. They even grow there along the roads.

Date palm varieties

Over the past century, more than 1,500 varieties of date palms have been bred. Each variety has its own characteristics in terms of the conditions and territory of their growth, in terms of endurance, taste, size and chemical composition of the fruit. What are the most popular varieties of dates?

Dairi dates grow on the monastic lands of Iraq. They are distinguished by long and thin fruits with a very dark color and soft flesh. It is worth noting that only Iraqis have learned how to grow this variety.

Another popular date palm is Bahri. Its fruits are cylindrical, light amber, sometimes dark brown when ripe. These dates have a thick consistency and rich flavor. For transportation and storage of fruits, a low temperature is provided.

Another popular variety, Halawi, is widespread in Iraq. The fruits of these palms are slightly below average in size. The peculiarity of the Halavi variety is that during ripening dates can dry out, so the plant requires a lot of moisture.

In Algeria and Tunisia, the Deglet Nur variety of dates is widespread. They are grown in oases. This variety also grows on plantations in California in the United States. Deglet Nur is a very productive variety, but does not like rains or high humidity.

The Egyptians fell in love with the Hayani variety. These dates are not exported, they are sold immediately fresh after harvest. This date palm is very hardy, adapted to cold climates.

The Arab market in Saudi Arabia and Iraq is filled with Kadrawi dates, which taste great. Americans and Europeans are not very fond of this variety due to its too dark color. These palms are rather undersized.

The Saidi variety is prized in Libya. Its fruits are soft and sweet. Saidi date palms need exceptionally sultry weather.

What variety is grown in Europe? Sayer palm trees are common here.Syrup is made from the orange-brown pulp of these dates. Zahidi palms grow in the Middle East, and Turi palms grow in Algeria.

Possible problems

Possible problems with growing palm trees include:

stopping growth - depends on the temperature of the soil. At a temperature of + 16 ... + 17 ° C, the root growth of the plant slows down;
edge burn of leaves - it is difficult not to notice the burned edges of the leaves, which is a signal for a complete or partial change of the soil;
magnesium deficiency - the first signs are visible on old leaves. With this problem, wide yellow stripes are formed on them, located along the edge of the plate. At the same time, the middle of the leaf is green;
copper toxicity - elliptical spots on a leaf blade that resemble signs of fungal spot (palm leaf disease). In such a situation, it is necessary to avoid the use of preparations containing copper.

The benefits of dates

Dates are loved by adults and children. The delicacy is not only tasty, but also healthy. If candies and regular sweets only destroy gums and tooth enamel, dates strengthen them. They contain all the most important vitamins and minerals. They also contain niacin and pantothenic acid. These substances are very beneficial for the skin and hair, and benefit the eyes and liver. Potassium and magnesium contained in them serve to prevent heart disease. The dietary fiber (fiber) present in these dried fruits improves digestion. They help lower cholesterol levels and stabilize blood sugar levels. Dried dates contain a high concentration of antioxidants.

In another way, they are also called "desert bread". The great advantage of dates is that they are not treated with sulfuric acid, like other dried fruits. For example, there are many long-livers among the Chinese, whose food is based on dates. They not only increase the lifespan of a person, but also make him hardy, strengthen the liver, kidneys, and heart. Dates stimulate the nervous system, help the body fight infections, including viral ones. These dried fruits prevent diseases such as hypertension, anemia, breast and lung cancer. They are able to soothe coughs and speed up phlegm excretion.

How to choose the right one?

To choose high quality dried fruits, take a close look at them. They should have dry and dark wrinkled skin. Light dried fruits indicate that the fruits were not quite ripe. Excess wrinkle indicates overdrying of the product. Look carefully for foreign formations, mold, plaque on the skin. It is worth noting that dates can be of different varieties.

Preparing the date bone for planting

First, you should start looking for high-quality planting material. To do this, you need to go to a store or market. The choice of dates must be very careful. It is important to consider that they should not be pretreated. It is best to choose dates that have been withered or dried for this purpose.

In order to increase the chances of a successful planting, it is better to use more than one seed at once. Before proceeding with planting, their surface must be carefully freed from the pulp. It should be remembered that even the smallest piece of leftover pulp can cause mold to appear on the bone.

The peeled bone should be placed in a container with cold water for 2 days. The water must be changed systematically. Then the planting material should be inspected again for pulp residues. The bones are now ready for planting. Experienced growers recommend, to speed up the appearance of a sprout, resort to the following tricks:

Place the pit in a small container and pour in hot water. Wait 10 minutes and remove it from the liquid. Thanks to this preparation, a young plant will appear just a few weeks after planting.By the way, without this procedure, seedlings need to wait for months.
You can also gently pierce the seed with a pointed object or rub it well against the sandpaper. This method will allow the liquid to quickly get inside the seed. The result of this will be a fairly early appearance of the sprout.

Before proceeding to the direct planting of the date seed, it is necessary to prepare the most optimal conditions for the plant.

Fink palm at home

An ornamental date palm is not difficult to grow from a seed in a pot. Naturally, such a tree will not bear fruit, because two trees of different sexes are needed for pollination. Housewives use these palms as a houseplant with feathery, beautifully curved leaves. It is worth sticking the seed of the fruit into the ground and watering, as in 2-3 months shoots will appear. Leaves in such a date palm can appear in three or even five years. First, a kind of arrow appears from the trunk, which gradually turns into a leaf. The decorative qualities of such a plant are worth all the effort you put into it.

Transfer

A young date palm grows quickly and should be replanted at least once a year. For adult plants (over 5 years old), this procedure is required once every 3-5 years.

It is advisable to transplant in the spring. It is strongly not recommended to choose autumn for this - the palm tree may die.

It is difficult to adapt to a new place, so it should be transplanted in accordance with the step-by-step instructions:

The new pot should be much deeper than the old one, because the roots of the palm tree grow deeper than in breadth. Good drainage holes are essential.
Lay drainage at the bottom of the pot - for example, expanded clay.
The soil can be used ready-made in the store or you can independently mix turf soil, sand and humus in equal proportions, be sure to add 1 tablespoon of superphosphate fertilizers per 3 liters of earth.
In no case should the earthen lump around the roots be damaged. Only the top layer of the old earth needs to be cleaned off. If the pot does not allow the palm to be removed along with the soil, it should be smashed or cut open.
The stem of the plant does not need to be buried in a new pot. The ground level should remain the same as in the old location.