Date palm from a stone at home - how to grow and care?

Want to create a unique beauty exposition? Grow a tree plant. For those who have such a desire, a date palm from a stone at home is the best option.

Growing at home

To grow a date palm will have to be patient. It grows slowly and, unfortunately, will not bear fruit at home. For this, its height must be at least 15 m. But this is not necessary. Even without fruit, an attractive plant with huge fans of leaves will decorate any interior. This will require a lot of space and light.

How to sprout a date seed stone?

Any plant begins with a seed. Date palm is no exception. There is no need to look specifically for its seeds - you can buy dates at any vegetable store. Not sprouted date palm seeds to plant there is no point. Most likely, they simply will not rise or the process will drag on for a very long time.

So, we grow:

1. choose bones from the dates purchased in the store;
2. We inspect them for damage, traces of mold or insects, we reject the entire non-standard;
3. soak in clean water for a day to remove the remains of the pulp, changing it several times, the pulp contains substances that inhibit the germination of seeds;
4. wash the bones;
5. wake up a seed for 48 hours in a thermos with slightly warmed up melt water with the addition of several grains of humate;
6. put in a container with moist loose material: vermicult, hydrogel, crushed and sterilized sphagnum moss, putting all this in a plastic bag;
7. for germinating seeds, a temperature of about 35 degrees is needed - a place on a heating radiator is ideal;
8. germination takes from 2 to 3 months, and all this time you need to monitor the humidity of the substrate and remove the condensation formed on the film.

As soon as sharp sprouts appeared, it was time to transfer the bones into the ground.

Soil requirement

The best soil, both for young palms and for grown plants, is a palm substrate.

If it is not possible to purchase it, they prepare the soil of the following composition:

• turf land;
• peat;
• sand.

All components are taken in equal parts. You can add a little steamed moss or sawdust of hardwood for looseness. At this stage, a pot with a height of 10 or 12 cm is sufficient for the plant. There should be drainage at the bottom of the pot.

Landing rules

There is no consensus among gardeners. Most people think that a seed should be stuck vertically so that there is a 1 cm soil layer above it. But there is an opinion that it is better to germinate seeds laid in pots horizontally with a seam down and covered with a 2 cm thick soil layer. In any case, start for one bone chores are not worth it. Their germination is not very good, so it’s easier to plant several seeds in two pots in different ways and see which one is more effective. Waiting for seedlings will have to be patient. Germination can take up to 5 months. All this time a plastic bag should be put on the pot, which should be removed for ventilation. Soil is sprayed from the spray gun to maintain its moisture. Pots should be at a temperature of 20 to 30 degrees. They do not need light at this time.

How to care for a palm tree at home?

In order to grow a date palm from a seed, to plant it a little, you need to properly care for newly emerged seedlings and adult plants. This tree is very sensitive to any inaccuracies in care, which is answered by poor health. Young just-hatched sprouts are especially in need of attention. They grow very fast, which is not surprising - because it is a tree. Growth power is much higher than that of herbaceous plants. Only after the opening of the first leaf does the growth rate slow down. The first leaves are completely unlike palm leaves, they are linear with clearly noticeable longitudinal grooves. Then they are split into segments, which make up surprisingly beautiful fans.

At the beginning of the growth of a palm tree, a lot of light is required, so the pots are placed on the brightest window. The air temperature for young plants should not fall below 20 degrees. In winter, you can insulate the window sill from below so that cold air does not lower the temperature of the soil in the pot.

If several plants have sprouted in a pot, each one will need an individual capacity for growth.

The transplant soil is needed in the following composition:

• humus - 4 parts;
• peat - 1 part;
• turf and leaf land, sand - 2 parts each.

It is good to add crushed charcoal to the mixture. Transplantation into individual pots with a diameter of about 15 cm is carried out when the first sheet will have a length of 15 cm. The drainage should consist of expanded clay mixed with charcoal. Its thickness is about 2 cm.

If possible, in the summer the palm should be held in the fresh air. Such a "summer vacation" will benefit the tree.

The main conditions for keeping the date palm in indoor conditions:

• maximum illumination but diffused light; this tree in their homeland withstands the scorching rays of the sun without damage to health, in the room they can cause a burn on the leaves; even in winter, the daylight hours for a plant should not be less than 12 hours; it is prolonged by illuminating phytolamps.

For the symmetrical development of the crown, every 14 days the pot with the plant is rotated 180 degrees.

• humidity is about 50%;
• air temperature in summer - from 20 to 25 degrees, in winter it is reduced to 16 degrees in order to slow down the metabolism in plant tissues in conditions of lack of lighting;
• planting and transplanting into the soil for date palms having a neutral or slightly acid reaction;
• compulsory drainage;
• daily airing of the room;
• timely proper top dressing and watering.

How to water?

The irrigation schedule and the amount of water directly depends on the season. In the summer they watered so that the earthen lump does not dry out - from 3 to 4 times a week. During the period of forced rest from watering to watering, the earthen lump should slightly dry. It is enough to moisten the palm 1-2 times a week. Overfilling is harmful, so the excess water from the sump must be poured out half an hour after moistening the soil. Particular attention is paid to the quality of irrigation water. Ideally, it should be melt or pure rain, soft with a minimum amount of salt. Water temperature is about 33 degrees.

The plant responds well to spraying with warm soft water, especially in summer. He will also need sanitary procedures - wiping the leaves with a damp cloth, followed by drying with a dry cloth. Once a month, plants can have a warm shower, but the soil in the pot needs to be covered so that it is not wet.

Fertilizer and fertilizer

In the season of active growth - in spring and summer, the tree is fed with complex fertilizer for palm trees with a frequency of once every 14 days. In winter, the intensity of top dressing is reduced by 2-3 times.

Palm tree responds very well to foliar top dressing on leaves. They are made with the same fertilizer, but its concentration in the solution is reduced by 10 times. The frequency of dressing is from 3 to 1 times a month, depending on the growth rate of the plant.

Plant transplant

The best time to transplant palm trees is April. Young plants need this operation annually. After 5 years, transplantation is practiced once every 2-3 years, and in plants older than 10 years, the top layer of the substrate is simply changed. The palm tree itself will tell you that it needs a new pot - the roots will appear in the old one from the drainage hole.

They are thick but fragile by the palm. To their damage, she is extremely negative. For her, transplantation is a lot of stress, you need to do it carefully, keeping the earthen coma as much as possible.

The pot is selected high, each transplant, its diameter is increased by 3-4 cm. Drain must be laid on the bottom of the pot. Soil is prepared in the same way as for planting young plants.

The date palm is transplanted only by transshipment, without exposing the roots.

If this still happened, you will have to cut off part of the leaves in order to maintain a balance between the underground and aboveground parts. Even in older plants, the topsoil can be replaced - there will be more palm nutrition. This procedure is carried out once every six months.

Breeding

Date palm propagates by seeds. In some species, shoots may appear. These include the date of Robelin.

If the subsidiary plant has developed roots, it can be separated.

• With a sharp knife, cut the baby as close to the trunk as possible without damaging it.
• We transplant the dividend into the soil for palm trees, acting in the same way as when transplanting an adult plant.
• At first, you will have to put on a plastic bag on the pot with a young palm so that it is better taken root.

Do not forget to spray the young plant more often.

Pests and diseases of the date palm

Spending a summer on the street, a date palm can acquire a spider mite, scutellum or mealybug. But even if the plant is constantly kept in room conditions, pests still appear. Insecticides, for example, Actellic, will help to cope with them. Only treat them with a plant preferably in the open. Of the preventive measures, a good monthly warm shower with washing the leaves with soap and water is good. But the soil in the pot needs to be protected from it.

The main diseases of the palm are pink rot and spotting. Usually sick plants, weakened by poor care. Control measures - fungicides, but not containing copper: Mancozeb, Ridomil.

Possible growing problems

The palm is very sensitive to observing all the rules for care. When retreating from them, the leaves are primarily affected.

• The ends of the leaves are dry - the air is too dry, you need to spray the plants more often.
• Leaves turn yellow - lack of moisture, you need to water more often.
• Leaves darken - waterlogging, reduce the amount of watering.
• Date palm stops growing - it is too cold in the room. At temperatures below 16 degrees, the roots function poorly, practically without absorbing nutrients. Another reason may be the high acidity of the soil. It acidifies when irrigated with hard water. Such a plant will have to be transplanted.

In general, caring for a room giant is not so complicated. Palm trees are very responsive to care and will please the grower with good growth and a healthy appearance.