Growing From Date Stone s

[Throbber]

Hi all

I was reading the Pheonix thread and saw the link to Dave's page about growing Pheonix palms from date stones, WOW I want to have a go!

One question, you seem to be able to get two different types (from the supermarkets) Medjool and Deglet Nour.

Do they all produce the same palm or will they produce a different one, if so, which do they grow into?

Thanks for your help.

Dave

[col]

I was reading the Pheonix thread and saw the link to Dave's page about growing Pheonix palms from date stones, WOW I want to have a go! One question, you seem to be able to get two different types (from the supermarkets) Medjool and Deglet Nour.Do they all produce the same palm or will they produce a different one, if so, which do they grow into?Thanks for your help.Dave

They'll be essentially the same Phx dactylifera, Dave. I used a chinese takeaway container (with lid) half-full of vermiculite. I then put a tiny - and I mean tiny - amount of water onto the vermiculite and then bury my washed and soaked seeds in it. Lid on, then into the dark, warm airing cupboard. I forget how long they take to germinate, but it isn't that long. I killed a lot of my dactylifera seedlings off in my ignorance, thinking that palm trees come from a sunny place = they love sun. Wrong! A couple grew to quite decent proportions though. I also tried Phx theophrasti, which is a close relative. Give it a go - you get a crop of palms and it keeps you regular into the bargain!

[palmking]

Hi all

I was reading the Pheonix thread and saw the link to Dave's page about growing Pheonix palms from date stones, WOW I want to have a go!

One question, you seem to be able to get two different types (from the supermarkets) Medjool and Deglet Nour.

Do they all produce the same palm or will they produce a different one, if so, which do they grow into?

Thanks for your help.

Dave

It is incredibly easy -soak them in warm water for 24-48 hours - replace water after the first day -make sure you clean all and I mean all the flesh &use sterile soil -They are prone to pests and i'm pretty sure they are present on the stone-so think about what you're eating !!!-tiny nematode like worms and tiny flies can be a nuisance.Have Provado at the ready! add some drainage -I use a little sand and perlite and sow straight into the pot. You can put several into one -needs to be quite deep as they put down good tap roots, they are easy to repot later on.

I have about 20 seedlings on the go and the germination rate is excellent , with most sprouting to surface within a couple of weeks at around room temperature. Quite fast growing too.

Incidentally it doesnt matter whether Medjool or Deglet Nour. The fruit is slightly different to taste but you will not get a medjool or Deglet Nour from your seedling as each becomes a new variety. Medjool and Deglet nour I believe are cultivated from cuttings rather than seed. So you can call it 'Throbber' if you wish!.

Paul

[Dave Brown]

Dave,

Daglet Nour and Medjool are just different varieties of Phoenix dactylifera, a bit like Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples. Date groves are proagated vegetively by seperating pups. and have been bred for over 1000 years. I don't know if the trees look different , but there are subtle differences in the fruit you can buy in a supermarket. The most common here seems to be Daglet Nour, and in my limited experience of growing medjool, the Daglet nour is easier to germinate..... but I don't know if the dates are treated differently from tree to shop.

For anyone thinking of trying to grow dates from stones, as we are rolling ever towards Christmas and date season, look HERE for one method of Germination.

[Throbber]

Thanks both.

So if I go for the airing cupboard method to germinate, once germinated I can pot them up into tall pots using a compost and perlite mix?

How long do you need to keep them indoors before going outside?

Cheers

Dave

[palmking]

Thanks both.

So if I go for the airing cupboard method to germinate, once germinated I can pot them up into tall pots using a compost and perlite mix?

How long do you need to keep them indoors before going outside?

Cheers

Dave

Throbber - you'd be looking at 5-6 years I reckon, before they'd be big enough to try them outside -treat them as you might a Phoenix Canariensis but with a much lower tolerance of wet conditions.They would probably tolerate lower temperatures than P.canariensis, maybe to -10c but they would need summer heat to attain this hardiness and need to be kept dry in the brightest location.I reckon they'd have a similar need/care regime to Brahea Armata. They are happy to 'dip their feet' in water at the roots, which is why the Nomads knew that water(oasis) would be found where they grow but I reckon they would not tolerate soggy winter conditions at the base/crown.

I've got 3 Syagrus Botryophora -Pati Queen palms, that are only just producing their split fronds now after 6 years! and they are pretty quick growing.My largest Washingtonia Filifera seedlings though have produced a plant large enough to try outside by next summer by comparison at 2 1/2 years old at present.P.Dactylifera can produce impressive growth but they'd need Dutch greenhouse like conditions to grow fast enough to do better!

http://www.everyoneweb.com/palmsnexotics/ -click on the 'my nursery' pic link -there's a few of these and Dactylifera's growing with various others -

Paul

[Adrian]

What do you mean Dave, Christmas is date season? I eat them all year round.
I prefer medjool but Ill eat any. Good for you too, moreso now that I have to make a lifestyle change

Dactylifera (dates) and Washingtonia have to be the perfect begginer palms from seed as they are so easy, always readilly available, fast germinating and fairly fast growing (for palms).

[mikefromniagara6b]

As everyone said... very easy to grow from seed. P dactlyifera. I lay the seeds on their side and they germinate within months. Ordinary potting soil. Just keep at warm temps. Almost free palms. And they size pretty fast from seed.... AN excuse to eat more dates!

[Dave Brown]

Thanks both.

So if I go for the airing cupboard method to germinate, once germinated I can pot them up into tall pots using a compost and perlite mix?

How long do you need to keep them indoors before going outside?

Cheers

Dave

Dave, high temperatures slow germination down. I carried out a germination test, which my web page was based on, and at 19 to 24C, on top of my kitchen cupboard in Decmber 2006, after 9 days I had about 40% germination and went onto get nearly 70% in a month. An even temperature of 30C almost induces domancy, as mimics a desert summer and suicide to any germinating stone. I'm sure I wrote a lot of info in posts but was probably on UKO.

A very well drained mix is best, can spend most of the year with roots in water, but not when cold. For quickest growth a very, very deep pot is needed, as the palm's main aim after germination is to get it's root down as far as possible before a drought. A drain pipe is a suitable pot.... 3 ft is not excessive Anyone who has tried to dig out a single leaf seedling from below a parent palm will know..... they head for the centre of the earth

Planting out ...... Not too soon as hardiness is dependant on thermal mass, the more bulk the more hardy. Then.. the warmest, sun baked, heat trap you have These are desert palms and like HEAT, with a capital H A winter rain shelter would be useful while small enough to cover. They must have air so if you must wrap, never for longer than is absolutely necessary..... unwrap at the first available opportunity.

[Throbber]

Thanks for all the replies, especially Dave's tip about the heat as I was going to put them in the airing cupboard to germinate.

Quite excited to try this, just need to get to the shops and get some dates now.