Growing date palm at home. How to plant a date from a seed

The article will tell you how to grow a beautiful home palm tree from a date seed.

Anyone who has eaten a date at least once has noticed the presence of a seed inside the fruit. People involved in growing flowers or gardening have wondered, “Is it possible to grow something from a seed?” It is known that dates grow on palm trees, so I immediately want to grow something similar at home.

Turns out, Growing a date palm at home is very easy. But it is important to know what a plant is that is not in natural conditions, will never bear fruit. However, the palm tree is beautiful and can easily fit into any interior. With due and good care, it will even be able to bloom.

Palm tree grown from date kernel requires a lot of space and space indoors. This is a necessity because palm leaves are large and long, they shoot high up and wide to the sides. That is why the plant should be kept in a room with a lot of light and little furniture.

A palm tree will look impressive only where all its “royality” will be noticeable. In a corner or against a wall, she will “feel bad” and will not be able to develop adequately. You should also choose the pot for this plant correctly; preference should be given to large clay or ceramic containers.

If you decide to grow a palm tree from a date seed, you should know that this process can be long and very long, up to two years. It all depends on what type of plant the seed belonged to. A small plant that has not reached its maturity and lushness will be able to temporarily “live” on the windowsill.

Lush home date palm Young domestic date palm

Tall domestic date palm

How to plant a date seed and grow a date palm at home?

IMPORTANT: You will be able to grow a palm tree only if the date seed was taken from a fruit that was not treated with high temperatures. Fresh date palm fruits, which you can bring with you from “hot countries,” are ideal for this. Properly dried fruits also retain a “healthy” seed capable of germination.

How to plant a seed:

Collect a handful of date pits (to be sure at least one of them has sprouted).
Rinse the seeds thoroughly with water to remove excess pulp so that they cannot rot in the soil.
After washing, dry the seeds
Since the date seed is hard, it is recommended to soften it a little or make it so that the sprout comes out easily: rub with sandpaper or cut a little with a blade. This way moisture can penetrate inside the seed faster.
Place date seeds on a layer of cotton wool soaked in water in a saucer, cover with a damp layer of gauze, folded several times, and place on a sunny windowsill. Each time the moisture evaporates, the cotton wool should be moistened.
If you don’t have a lot of sun, you can place the saucer on the radiator, it is important that there is a lot of heat.
Keep an eye on the seed; if it is swollen, it’s time to plant it in the ground.
Place the seeds in the soil, this should be done with the stone positioned vertically.
The pot with the seed must be placed in a warm place and regularly ensure that the soil in the pot is moist.
You will be able to notice the first shoots after 1.5-2 months.

INTERESTING: This soaking will help you save several months of growing time by speeding up the process.

How to properly grow a palm tree from a date seed?

Dates from seeds at home: care

The date palm pot deserves special attention. It must be made from natural material and have a tall, not wide shape because the date long roots. Be sure to place a layer of drainage on the bottom of the pot, this will allow the plant not to experience a lack or excess of moisture.

What should be the soil for a date palm:

Sand
Manure (humus)

Since the process of growing a palm tree is long, you will need a lot of time spent waiting and effort invested in caring for the plant. It is noteworthy that the palm tree should be replanted every year and with each replant the volume of the pot should be increased.

Replanting a date palm should only be done using the transshipment principle because the roots of the plant are very thin and delicate. Carefully remove the palm from the pot so as not to damage the roots. If the roots are damaged, the plant can quickly die.

Choose a light and light color for your date palm. warm room, where the air temperature will not drop below 15-16 degrees. Under no circumstances should you place a date near a radiator, fireplace or air conditioner - it will die. Protect the palm tree from drafts, and in the summer, try to place it on a balcony or outside (veranda, garden with a gazebo, etc.).

The ideal air humidity for dates is 50%. Dates like to be sprayed with water, but not in excessive quantities, so one spray per day in the warm or cold season will be quite enough. In a dark room, the date will turn yellow and its leaves will become brittle. The date allows direct sunlight to reach its leaves, but in limited quantities.

In order for the plant to be beautiful and have a proportionately lush crown, you should regularly turn the pot towards the light in different directions. Regularly check that the soil is drying out so that there is no dry lump. Water can be added to the tray. In winter, watering of the plant should be limited.

The palm tree loves to have its leaves wiped, removing dust and moisturizing them. In the hot season, the palm tree can be given a shower, but make sure that the ground is not too moist. Feed the plant regularly organic fertilizers. In the warm season, you can do this once a week, following the instructions on the package, and in winter - once a month.

Date palm care at home

Transplanting dates from pits

Transplantation for dates should only be done by means of transshipment. Replanting the plant (young and adult) should occur once a year, and you also need to change the pot to a looser one as the root system increases. If you have already sprouted a seed in sawdust or damp cotton wool, it has swollen and increased in size, it should be lowered into the ground.

First, prepare the correct soil mixture, moisten or lower the pit by pressing on it with your finger. This is easy to do, since the bone is lowered vertically. Do not lower the bone too deep, 1.5-2 cm will be enough.

Video: “Date palm. Features of care at home"

Date lovers, while eating the amazing fruits, are probably wondering - can a date palm grow from a seed? If so, will it look like a plant that grows in nature?

It is possible to grow a homemade date from a seed, but such a palm tree in an apartment will never bear fruit.

She will fit perfectly into modern interior, will not require intensive care and some plants will even begin to bloom, so why not try it?

Home date palm – photos of cozy interiors

desire to have home greenhouse very often occurs after a bright vacation among exotic nature. Implement the idea winter garden in normal standard apartment will never work out in full, but also a few unusual indoor plants will be able to become excellent decor, decoration of the living room, bedroom or kitchen.

As you can see from the photo, the date palm in the interior requires a lot of space, since the plant has branches that are both high and wide. To create real tropics at home, an adult palm tree should be placed only in those rooms where there is not a lot of furniture.

Dates in the interior will not look impressive if you place them in corners or too close to the walls. For the interior of rooms in Mediterranean or nautical style This indoor plant is the most ideal option.

A properly selected pot will add style - these can be stylized medieval barrels or specially aged clay flowerpots. If in your apartment small rooms, then this is not at all a reason to refuse interesting experiment– Grow a date palm from a seed.

It will grow for a long time, the plant is not one of those species that stretches out in a year or two, so in the first years there will be enough space for it on the windowsill.

Then you can give it to relatives, friends, or take it to work - in offices there is usually always plenty of space. It is also possible that after some time your living situation will improve and you will already have a wonderful decoration for your new home!

Believe me: it is very interesting to watch every day the gradual transformation of a palm tree, how the leaves appear, how they grow, how the seedling completely changes.

Date palm from seed – photo

See what a date palm will look like at home, so you don’t have to worry that your pet is growing slowly. Houseplant lovers who have learned how to grow a palm tree from a date seed are happy to share photos of their favorites:

This is exactly what a date palm looks like at the age of 2-3 years, it is not very beautiful yet.

These palms are about 5 years old: they already have feathery leaves, but lack height.

A date from the pit will only work if it has not passed heat treatment. Both fresh fruits brought from vacation and dried fruits from the store are suitable for this.

For the sake of experiment, many people try to simply stick a bone into 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 seed:

1. The seeds must be thoroughly cleaned and washed so that the process of rotting does not begin in the soil. Once washed, they should sit for a day until the next stage - soaking.

2. Date seed is very hard. To speed up seed germination time, a variety of methods are used:

– scratched or rubbed sandpaper its surface for faster penetration of water;

– cuts are made to make the shell easier to split;

– 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, a plate) is generously moistened with water, a bone is placed on it, and covered with another layer of moistened cotton wool to prevent rapid evaporation of moisture. Cotton wool can be replaced with gauze, sawdust, hydrogel.

4. Germination requires high temperature, so the container with cotton wool can be placed on the battery. Every day you need to monitor the moisture content of the cotton wool and add a little water.

5. When the seed swells well, it can be transplanted into the ground.

Thanks to soaking, several months are saved. Nai 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 disease or your inept actions during transplantation, so insurance will not hurt.

How to grow a date palm from a seed further:

1. All seeds are immersed in prepared soil (soil from the forest, peat or a mixture of earth and sawdust) vertically to a depth equal to one and a half lengths of the seed.

2. Place the container with soil in a warm place. Make sure the soil is constantly moist.

3. The first shoots 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. There must be good drainage at the bottom of the pot (expanded clay, charcoal, pebbles), since stagnation of water is detrimental to the plant. You can buy special soil for palm trees or mix the soil yourself, take:

– clay-turf soil – 2 parts;

– humus-leaf soil – 2 parts;

– peat – 1 part;

– rotted manure – 1 part;

– sand – 1 part.

A small palm tree will need to be replanted every year, always increasing the pot size a little. The plant has very delicate roots, so replanting should be done using the transshipment method to avoid damage to the root system.

Date palm at home - how to care and replant

Having an exotic palm tree at home is pleasant and prestigious, because an adult indoor plant is expensive. Growing a date from a seed is an excellent solution for everyone who does not have the opportunity to purchase a grown seedling, but not everyone can do it.

Why doesn’t every plant look like in our photos? The main reason that the sprout did not become a tall and lush tree is that complete information on caring for this exotic plant was not received in time.

We offer brief instructions By :

The temperature in the room where the pet will be should be moderate 16-20°C. There is no need to place it near heating devices, so as not to provoke the death of the plant. IN summer period best place- outdoors without drafts.
Humidity in the room should be within 50%. Spraying the leaves will increase it; this can be done up to several times a day.
The lighting should be sufficient so that the leaves do not become brittle or elongated. Even direct ones are possible sun rays. The pot should be periodically unrolled so that a uniform, beautiful crown is formed.
Water abundantly - only in summer; at this time you can even leave water in the pan. In winter, watering is minimal. It is necessary to strictly control so that the coma does not dry out, but the water does not stagnate due to poor drainage.
Transshipment is the only way to transplant. Everyone is looking for information on how to plant a date seed, but then they forget that until the age of 5, the plant needs to be replanted every year. A large palm requires replanting as the roots grow.
Spraying and wiping the leaves will increase humidity and give a beautiful appearance plant. Once a week it is advisable to take it under the shower, but you must carefully protect the earthen lump from excess moisture.
Fertilizers (mineral and organic) are introduced in sufficient quantities during the period active growth– from March to September weekly, and in winter once a month.

Date palm made from a stone can either decorate a home or completely destroy coziness and comfort. When a plant is sick, it looks very unsightly - the leaves turn yellow, darken, fall off, the trunks become soft, and a putrid smell appears. Diseases arise from improper care or due to pest attack. Help your pet: there is detailed information on our website on how to deal with these problems.

Palm trees are beautiful evergreen plants that can be used to decorate your home, zone a room, or enliven a boring office interior. Mature plants cost a lot of money, but with a small investment of time and money and the sporting interest of an amateur florist, it is not difficult to grow a date palm grow from seed at home so that it bears fruit.

How to plant dates at home

Photo of date seeds for planting

Before planting dates at home, choose the seeds from which the palm tree will be grown. They are pulled from fresh or dried fruits. If dates have been cooked, their pits are not viable and will not sprout. There should be at least ten seeds, since some of them will not sprout, and some sprouts may die during cultivation. The seeds, cleared of pulp, are washed and dried. The bones are placed in a warm and clean water, after which they are left in the sun.

The date seeds, slightly swollen in water, are pierced with a needle in several places. This helps water penetrate the hard shell of the date pit and stimulate the germination process at home. Return the seeds to the water for a few more days. Make sure that the water is clean and without signs of rotting. If there is any suspicion of acidification of the water, it should be replaced immediately to avoid contamination of the seeds.

Photos of the stages of growing dates from pits

After 3-4 days, the stage of planting the swollen seeds for further germination begins:

We are preparing a soil mixture for germinating future palm trees. It should consist of sand, peat and sawdust.
The seeds are planted in the soil prepared in the manner described. They need to be placed shallowly and at a short distance from each other. Sprinkle soil on top and water.
To create increased temperature and humidity during germination, you can cover the soil surface with moss, or place a jar or plastic on top, thus creating a prototype greenhouse. The temperature should not fall below 30 degrees. It is also important to maintain constant high humidity.

After two months, the first shoots should appear. If they are not there, most likely the bones are dead. Plants that have reached 10-12 centimeters are transplanted into individual pots in new soil at home. Humus is now added to the sandy soil mixture.

Photo of sprouted date palm seeds

Date palm at home: pitting care

Palm trees – unpretentious plants, which do not require particularly painstaking care at home. But it is worth remembering that these are plants whose natural environment rain-forest. In our northern latitudes, it is worth paying attention to some features of pitting so that the palm tree feels good and is pleasing to the eye.

Photo of two-month-old date palms from seed

Palm trees love plenty of watering and moisture.
To prevent the roots of the plant from rotting, the drainage in the pot must be high.
In summer, palm trees are watered daily; in winter, watering should be reduced.
It is better to take rain water for irrigation or let it sit for several days. It is better to spray the leaves with water, especially if the room has heating radiators that dry out the air.
Sunlight is important for palm tree growth and development. She must be in a lighted place for at least 10 hours a day. However, you should avoid direct sunlight, which can burn the leaves. In the northern room, a palm tree can also grow successfully; for this it must stand next to the window.
The temperature in the room where the palm tree lives is winter period should not fall below 12 degrees, and not exceed 18. In summer, the palm tree can be located on the balcony or in the courtyard of a private house.
You can and should feed the plant; fertilizers have a good effect on palm growth. Both natural fertilizers, for example from chicken manure, and purchased fertilizers are used.

Photos of dates

The palm tree does not like frequent replanting, so young date palms are replanted no more than once a year. If a transplant is necessary, new pot you need to move as large a lump of earth as possible in which a date from a seed grows at home. Carefully remove the palm tree from the pot, being careful not to damage the roots. As you can see, the conditions for growing and maintaining date palms are simple. Minimal attention and time given to the plant will allow you to enjoy this tropical miracle for many years.

Watch the video: Date from the pit. Date palm, care, cultivation, easy and simple, simple rules

Now you know how to plant and grow dates from seeds at home, we hope that the photos and videos from this article will help you get the first fruits of the date palm. Practice not only in the country, but also at home on the windowsill.

There are many varieties of palm trees, but the date remains the most popular in home floriculture. Date palm or tamarind (Phoenix) – tropical tall plant, belonging to the Palm family (otherwise Arecaceae), naturally growing in Africa and Eurasia. But the date can live not only in the tropics - the plant is successfully used for decorating residential premises and offices, landscaping greenhouses and winter gardens.

In nature, a tree reaches gigantic size, producing huge clusters of tasty and nutritious fruit.

Various types of date palm are represented by woody forms or squat shrubs belonging to the group of pinnate palms. In natural conditions where the palm tree grows, it reaches a height of 12–15 m, and sometimes a gigantic size of about 30 m. For industrial purposes, the date is grown to produce tasty and nutritious fruits - dates, and its juice is used in the production of sugar.

At home, the date palm grows only up to 2.5 m in height, after which its growth stops. yellow flowers Dates are collected in inflorescences - panicles. Flowers and fruits appear on perennial trees 15 meters high, but it is impossible to grow such a tree at home. Dates grown at home do not bear fruit.

There are 17 species of date trees in total, and three of them are especially common in home gardening. This:

date (Phoenix dactylifera);
Canary date (Phoenix canariensis);
roebelen date (Phoenix roebelenii).

All types of date trees are highly decorative, fit perfectly into any interior space, are suitable for home and office landscaping, and growing in greenhouses. The date palm is very hardy and unpretentious, and therefore is the most popular among gardeners.

Date care

Growing a date palm requires creating certain conditions content - temperature, humidity and lighting, timely application of fertilizers.

Lighting

A domestic date tree should grow in a well-lit place. At the same time, direct sunlight is harmful to the plant, and it is better to shade it during the hottest lunch hours.

The indoor date palm loves free space, so it is not advisable to place the plant in a room cluttered with furniture.

In order for the leaves to form evenly and symmetrically, the plant must be rotated periodically.

Temperature

Caring for a palm tree at home involves maintaining a certain temperature:

from 20 to 25 ° C – in the spring and summer months;
from 15 to 18 ° C – in winter.

The plant does not respond well to drafts. Its root system is also different hypersensitivity to the cold, so it is not recommended to place a date in a pot on marble floors or a cold window sill.

Watering

The houseplant needs to be watered abundantly in the summer. Can't be allowed completely dry soil, otherwise the leaves of the date tree will wither and will not return to their original position. In addition, drying out the soil can cause the leaves to turn yellow.

In winter, watering is reduced, and the frequency of soil moisture is determined by the air temperature in the room. Overmoistening and cold air causes the appearance of brown spots. To avoid problems, each subsequent watering should be carried out only after the soil mixture has dried to a depth of 2–3 cm.

The plant should be watered with warm (about 20 ° C), soft, non-chlorinated water. For these purposes, settled, thawed or rainwater. Hard water containing calcium indoor palm tree has a bad effect. To ensure that the water in the pot does not stagnate, you need to ensure good drainage.

Dates love moist air, so caring for the plant at home should include spraying the leaves, which is done daily. Once a week, you can give the date a warm shower, after covering the soil in the pot with film. In winter, when the air is too dry due to heating devices, it is advisable to place a container filled with water near the tree pot.

Fertilizer application

Fertilizer for date palms is applied diluted to the moist soil substrate. For feeding you can use:

complex products for palm trees or indoor decorative foliage flowers;
chicken manure diluted with water (mix fertilizer with water in a ratio of 1:3, leave for 10 days, dilute the resulting product with water in a ratio of 1:10 before fertilizing);
potassium nitrate (dilute a teaspoon in a liter of water).

Flower growers recommend using potassium nitrate for feeding palm trees only in summer.

Frequency of feeding per month:

three times - in spring and summer;
twice - in the fall;
once - in winter.

Growing from seed

A date palm grows from the seed of an ordinary date. How to grow a palm tree from a date seed? For cultivation, you can take fresh, candied or dried fruits. The main thing is that the dates do not undergo heat treatment.

January or February is the best time to plant date pits.

To make the date pit germinate faster, you can scald it with boiling water or rub it with sandpaper. Before planting, the seed is placed in water (temperature 40 °C) for three days to swell. From time to time, the water needs to be changed, and the seeds should be thoroughly cleaned of any remaining fruit pulp. The seeds that have sunk to the bottom of the container with water are suitable for germination. After swelling they are washed under running water, spread on a dry cloth.

Place the seed vertically in a pot with sand, peat and raw sawdust (taken in equal quantities), sprinkle with a 1–2 cm layer of soil mixture. Water the soil, cover with damp moss or glass. The glass is removed daily to ventilate the crops, and condensation on it is wiped off. Optimal temperature crop content - from 25 to 30 ° C. Under such conditions, a date from a seed will germinate in about 1.5–2 months. If the fruits have been stored for a long time, germination slows down, and sprouts may appear after 3 months or even six months.

They know how to grow a date palm experienced flower growers. They recommend that the emerging sprouts be immediately placed in a place with good access to light, but not in direct sun. Spray and water the sprouts regularly.

To grow dates from seeds, it is important not to over-moisten the soil. The date tree does not respond well to excessive moisture, so watering should be done only after the top layer of the soil substrate has dried out.

When the seedlings grow to 12–14 cm, they are planted in separate pots with a diameter of no more than 15 cm. A drainage layer 3 cm thick is placed at the bottom of the container. The following mixture is suitable for planting:

peat (1 part);
leaf and turf soil (2 parts each);
sand (2 parts);
humus (4 parts).

When growing a date palm from a seed at home, during the first few years, only simple belt-shaped leaves are formed, and feathery leaves on the plant will appear only after 3–5 years.

During the first 5 years, the grown date looks quite modest and unassuming, and only after 5 or 7 years does the date tree acquire true decorative value. I wonder what date trees, grown from identical seeds, can have different shape. It could be a small but fluffy tree or a tall, slender and elegant palm tree.

You cannot cut or break off the top of the tree - this will lead to its death.

Transfer

The grown date endures the replanting procedure quite hard, and at the slightest damage to the roots it begins to hurt or dies. Therefore, palm trees are replanted by transshipment.

Young plants (up to 4–5 years old) are replanted annually; adult trees are moved to a larger pot every 2–3 years. It is best to replant the plant in the spring. To renew the soil, it is recommended to remove the top layer of soil every 6 months and fill the empty space with fresh soil substrate.

At home, replanting a large palm tree is carried out only when the root system becomes crowded, individual roots begin to emerge through drainage holes. The pot for replanting should be 3–4 cm larger than the previous one. Pots for palm trees need not be wide, but high enough and stable so that the long roots are not cramped, and they fit freely into the container.

The transplant must be carried out very carefully so as not to damage root system, otherwise the plant will get sick or even die.

The soil for growing dates should be soft, loose, and well-permeable to air and moisture. To grow a healthy and beautiful date palm at home, you need to replant it in soil containing the following ingredients:

clay-turf substrate (2 parts);
humus leaf substrate (2 parts);
sand (1 part);
peat soil (1 part);
rotted manure (1 part);
a small amount of wood ash.

If you cannot prepare the soil substrate yourself for some reason, you can use special soil for palm trees or universal soil for planting indoor plants. At the bottom of the pot you need to place good layer drainage made of pebbles or coarse sand.

In nature, dates reproduce by seeds. At home, palm tree propagation is also carried out using seeds. Due to the fact that the shell of the seed is very hard, you have to wait a long time for the sprouts. To speed up this process, the shell is filed down or thinned with sandpaper, the seeds are soaked in growth stimulants, and bottom heating of the soil is created during germination.

Problems in growing

If a date palm grows at home, care must be appropriate. Maintenance errors lead to diseases, slower plant development, and other problems.

Overmoistening of the soil. The leaves acquire a dark brown tint, the trunk becomes loose and soft, and a putrid odor emanates from the palm tree. In this case, you need to stop watering. It is advisable to remove the plant from the pot to inspect the root system. If the roots have darkened, become watery and soft, the date cannot be saved. If there are living roots left, the plant can be saved. Dead roots must be removed and the cut areas sprinkled with crushed coal.
Insufficient watering. The leaves of the tree droop and turn yellow.
Increased soil acidity. Acidic soil lacks manganese and iron, causing plant growth to stunt. The acidity level of the soil for growing dates should not exceed 7.
Dry air and soil, sudden temperature changes and drafts. These negative factors lead to the darkening of the tips of the plant's leaves. The leaves die off, so they need to be removed - cut off the dark tips or entire leaf blades.
Low air temperature. At low temperatures, the development of the root system and aerial parts is suspended, and tree growth stops.
Excess light. In bright sun, the leaves of the plant become pale. A similar situation is observed when a plant is damaged by red spider mites.

If brown leaves appear from below, this is normal. This is how, as a rule, age-related changes occurring in the plant appear.

In poor lighting, the leaves of the date palm stretch out and become brittle.

Pests

If you do not properly care for your palm tree, the risk of pest attack on the plant increases. As a result of activities mealybug, scale insects or spider mite the leaves of the plant darken and dry out, dark brown spots. To control pests you can use:

solution laundry soap(leaves are washed with solution);
garlic extract (the plant is sprayed);
Actellik solution (1–2 ml per 1 liter of water) – used for treatment in case of severe damage to the plant.

Diseases

The date may be affected by pink rot and brown spotting. These are the most common fungal diseases that occur due to excessive watering. Spotting affects the leaf blades, and with pink rot the entire flower rots. Young and weakened date palms are especially susceptible to diseases if they are not properly cared for at home. The affected plant must be treated with a fungicide solution. If necessary, carry out the procedure several times once a week.

Where to buy

Date seeds can be purchased at a specialized seed retail outlet or in an online store. But knowing how to grow a date from a seed, you don’t have to buy the seeds, but get them from the fruit. The main thing is that the dates do not undergo heat treatment and are not affected by rot, otherwise it will not be possible to wait for shoots.

For those who do not want to spend a lot of time growing, you can purchase a plant at flower shop. The cost of a palm tree will depend on both the variety and the height of the plant. Canarian date 50 cm high will cost about 1000 rubles, a Robelini date - 1600 rubles. The price for adult plants with a height of 2 to 2.5 m varies between 24,000–30,000 rubles.

The palm tree is a majestic plant that creates a special exotic atmosphere in the interior. But in order to grow a gorgeous plant, it is important to know how to care for a date and follow all the recommendations for its maintenance.

Today it has become popular to decorate homes, offices and administrative institutions. exotic plants. Most often, palm trees are preferred, since the plant is quite decorative and does not flower. In this article we will talk about the date palm, whether it is possible to grow a palm tree from a date seed and how to do it.

Soil for planting

To germinate seeds, experienced plant growers advise using a mixture of peat and sand. After transplanting a sprouted plant, the substrate must be replaced with a more suitable one. There are soils for palm plants on sale, but it is better to prepare the soil yourself by adding all the substances necessary for the development of the plant.

So, we prepare the soil for the date palm from the following components:

A mixture of clay-turf soil - two parts;
A mixture of humus and leaf soil - two parts;
Sand, peat - one part at a time;
A good pinch of charcoal.

Important! A prerequisite for growing is a good layer of drainage. You can use expanded clay or pebbles, or any other material.

How to prepare date pits for planting

Let's figure out which seeds are suitable for planting and how to prepare them to germinate successfully date pit.It is best to take a seed for planting from a fresh fruit, but you can also take it from a dry one - in this case, ask whether the dates have been heat-treated. If not, bones are fine; if so, such a seed will not sprout.

Prepare about eight seeds, put the pulp aside, wash and dry the seeds. It is better to plant a date palm from a seed at home in winter - at this time the plant does not require as much sunlight as during the subsequent period of development.

The bones should be soaked in warm water and place in a warm place (can be placed on or near heating device), change the water daily. Option two: wrap the bone in several layers of moistened cotton wool or gauze.

Then make punctures in one or two areas of the surface of the seed (according to some recommendations, cuts are made on the seed) so that water gets inside and stimulates germination. Leave in the water for another three to four days. The seeds are ready for planting when they swell a little.

Planting date seeds in the ground

Next, we will look in detail at how to plant date pits. To germinate seeds, we take a common container and plant six to eight seeds in the prepared soil at some distance from each other. The substrate described above is prepared for an already sprouted plant; the seed can be germinated in a mixture of soil and sawdust.

The planting depth should be equal to the length of the seed plus half. Planting is carried out in moist soil; no watering is carried out from above. The container with the crops must be placed in a warm place.

We figured out how to plant a date palm from seeds, now we need to create all the conditions for the plant.

Did you know? Date palms come in male and female varieties. feminine. “Men” differ in the type and shape of flowers. Ancient people knew: for big harvest One male specimen is needed for a couple of dozen female ones, while one palm tree produces up to 250 kg of dates.

Conditions for germination and care of crops

If the substrate is kept moist, the first shoots will appear in one to three months. The substrate must be precisely moistened, so it is better to moisten it by spraying rather than watering it, like an adult plant.

It’s time to transplant the sprouts that have grown a strong leaf of four centimeters into separate pots. The pots should be high, designed for the long roots of the plant; the width does not matter. Drainage must be placed at the bottom: small pebbles, stones, expanded clay.

Growing a date palm into a mature, lush plant is not difficult: provide it proper care from a small point, from seedlings. The date is light-loving, lighting should be bright and constant. Choose a room with windows facing west, south, east.

Sudden changes in temperature and excess moisture in the soil are detrimental to date palm seedlings.

Did you know? In countries with arid, hot climates, dates have long been called “bread of the desert.” When going on long journeys, we always took several bags of these fruits with us. Eating dates alone can saturate the body with moisture and all the necessary nutrients and vitamins.

How to care for seedlings

In nature, date palms grow in conditions of tropical heat and often drought, but how do dates grow at home? The palm tree needs light, all its leaves are drawn to the light, so the pot with seedlings must be regularly turned to the sun on each side, otherwise the foliage will stretch unevenly.

Dry air is contraindicated for the plant, which means that in winter we remove the plant away from radiators and other heating devices. In summer, the plant should be taken out fresh air, gradually hardening.

When weather permits, ventilate the room where the palm tree grows. In extreme heat, spray the foliage and air space around the palm tree. Warm showers once a week are not prohibited; the only condition is well-covered soil.

Important! When watering, observe moderation - you need to water when the top layer of soil dries out. If it is overwatered, the plant will get sick; its roots cannot tolerate excess moisture. Water for irrigation should be kept away from chlorine and other hard impurities.

Date palm for successful cultivation at home, it is necessary to feed twice a month in warm seasons, and once a month in the winter season. For this purpose they use mineral fertilizers, and organics.

In gardening stores you can buy ready-made complex feeding, balanced for palm plants. For dates, it is advisable to use water-soluble preparations.

Mature plants for proper growth and giving them decorative look will need to be trimmed regularly. There are several simple rules here: remove the number of leaves equal to what has grown in a year, no more; remove damaged and lower drooping leaves.

At the beginning of palm formation, all side shoots are removed - the plant should have one strong central stem. You cannot cut the top of a palm tree - this will lead to death.

Seating in separate pots

As the date grows and develops, it becomes cramped in the pot. How to replant a date palm and when to do it?