How to grow a date palm from a seed at home: how to germinate

Author of the article

Daria Vorontsova

Reading time: 12 minutes

Many people tried to germinate a date from a seed and get a real date palm at home, but not everyone succeeded. However, it is not as difficult as it may seem. This palm tree is often grown as a house plant, because it adapts very well to ordinary home conditions.

Date palm from a seed: is it possible to grow it this way?

In general, if you plant a seed in a pot and provide it with proper care, you can get a palm tree. However, it is worth considering that such plants do not bear fruit at home, so you should not expect berries from them.

Date palm grows into a huge tree

How to germinate date pits at home: step-by-step instructions

So how to grow dates from seeds at home? There is no need to specifically look for date seeds. You can buy fruits at any vegetable store. Seeds must be germinated before planting, otherwise they most likely will not sprout or will sprout after a very long time.

Date seeds from which palm trees are grown

Properly germinate seeds as follows:

The seeds are taken out of the dates.
The seeds are carefully inspected, damaged ones or those with traces of possible diseases are discarded.
The seeds are poured into containers with clean water and left for a day to remove any remaining pulp. The berries themselves contain specific substances that interfere with germination.
After some time, the bones are thoroughly washed.
The container is filled with loose soil (with vermiculite and hydrogel), a seed is placed, and covered with plastic film.
It is better to place the pot near the radiator; germination will require a temperature of approximately 35 °C.
The seeds germinate within a couple of months; during the entire period it is necessary to monitor the soil moisture and remove condensation from the film.

Note! After the first shoots appear, the plants are allowed to be planted in the selected soil.

Roots with pits

Preparing date pits for planting

Growing a palm tree is a rather long process. Normal leaves of the crop will appear only in the third year; flowering at home occurs quite rarely. Over time, the palm tree can grow up to two meters.

Date palm - how to grow at home

Before growing a date from a seed, it is worth carrying out several operations to avoid disappointment later.

Selection and preparation of planting material

The correct selection of planting material plays an important role. Not all dates are able to germinate. For further planting, you need to choose fresh or dried berries that have not undergone heat treatment.

For your information! The fruits contain fairly large seeds that retain the ability to germinate for several years.

To speed up seed germination, you can subject it to mechanical processing:

prick the surface with a needle;
lightly sand with sandpaper;
cut with a blade;
pour over boiling water.

Germination process

Then the seeds are placed in moistened cotton wool, which is placed in a glass and covered. Leave the container in a warm room and make sure that the cotton wool does not dry out. After the sprout appears, it can be rooted and transplanted to a permanent place.

Soil selection

Soil for palm trees is selected with a large amount of nutrients. The soil must have good air and water permeability. It is acceptable to purchase ready-made soil for palm trees in a store. A universal primer will also work. If you wish, you can prepare the mixture yourself. For this purpose, sand, turf soil, compost or humus are mixed in equal parts.

Important! It is recommended to add superphosphate in the amount of 1 tbsp to the finished soil. spoons per 3 liters of soil.

You can prepare the soil with a slightly different composition: 2 parts of turf are mixed with 1 part of sand and 1 part of peat. Then a small amount of coal is added to the mixture.

The first shoots will appear in a few days

Purchased or prepared soil must be disinfected using any of the methods described below:

roasting in the oven;
treatment with boiling water;
treatment with a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
calcination in a microwave oven.

After all treatments, the seeds can be planted.

Planting a sprouted seedling

A sprouted seed is not difficult to plant and grow. It is placed vertically in the hole, then gradually covered with earth. Water with a small amount of water and move the pot to a warm place. No special conditions are required for planting; you can choose any container for germination.

Liviston palm - how to plant and care at home

It is recommended to replant the sprouts together with the soil in which they were germinated. For each seedling, you need to prepare a suitable deep pot and soil. Expanded clay and charcoal are poured onto the bottom of the container; the drainage layer should be at least 2 cm.

Note! The next transplant is carried out when the length of the first leaf reaches 15 cm.

Choosing a pot

The peculiarities of the date palm are such that in the first stages the root grows at an accelerated pace . The date has a tap root system, that is, one root is the main root, the rest are subordinate.

For such a plant, try to choose a pot that is deep and narrow so that the date feels comfortable.

Initially, all seeds can be planted in one deep box.

Dates cannot tolerate stagnant moisture, so be sure to add a layer of drainage , which can be expanded clay, broken brick, pebbles or charcoal.

How to care for date palm seedlings at home

Palma Howea - home care

It is not enough just to plant a seed; proper care of a date palm from a seed at home is important. It is imperative to follow all the rules and conditions so that the small sprout does not die.

Young plants require special care

Location and lighting

The date palm can grow up to 2 m in height, so it is recommended to choose a bright and spacious room for it. An adult flower requires a lot of space; the amount of furniture needs to be reduced. However, the palm tree grows quite slowly; it will reach its full size after 10 years.

In nature, palm trees grow in the sun, but houseplants cannot tolerate direct sunlight. Therefore, it is better to place the pot in a bright place near southern, western or eastern windows.

Important! In particularly hot weather, the leaves are shaded from the bright sun.

It is recommended to constantly rotate the palm tree so that all leaves receive an even amount of light. Otherwise, leaves will grow well on only one side.

If in the fall there was not enough light for such a plant, then in the spring they gradually begin to accustom it to the sun. With a lack of light, the leaves wither or stretch out.

The normal temperature for a palm tree is 25 °C. In summer it can tolerate heat of 30 °C. However, in such a case, be sure to maintain suitable humidity. The plant is constantly sprayed.

The winter period is accompanied by plant dormancy. The optimal temperature is approximately 18 °C, but not lower than 14 °C. Sudden changes have a bad effect on the condition of the palm tree.

Note! In spring you can transfer the flower to the balcony. At first, an hour will be enough, gradually increasing the time spent in the fresh air. At night the flower is brought indoors. However, it is not recommended to constantly move the pot; this may have a bad effect on the condition of the palm tree.

Air humidity

The most suitable air humidity should not exceed 70%. In winter, it is not recommended to leave a palm tree near a heating radiator. The leaves are regularly wiped with a damp cloth.

Important! In the summer heat, the plant is sprayed once a week.

It is equally important to follow the rules of watering the flower. In nature, the plant has quite long roots, so it can tolerate heat and drought. However, at home, the palm tree is provided with the necessary amount of moisture. The following rules should be followed:

It is recommended to drain excess water from the pan. For irrigation use soft, non-chlorinated water;
in the warm season, the flower can be sprayed often, the palm tree likes it, but moisture should not get into the rosette;
after planting the seeds, monitor the condition of the soil; it should not be over-moistened; the soil should be almost dry;
from April to August the amount of watering is increased, in cold weather it is reduced.

It is important not to overwater the plant to avoid the development of fungal diseases.

A young palm tree does not require frequent watering

Soil and pot requirements

There is no need to take a large pot for a palm tree. When transplanting, the container should be 2-3 cm in diameter larger than the previous one. However, a tall pot is required because the plant has long roots.

The soil for a palm tree should be loose and nutritious, which allows water and air to pass through well. If necessary, the plant is fed with special fertilizers intended for palm trees.

Note! It is also possible to use preparations for ornamental deciduous plants with a high nitrogen content. This element promotes the formation of green mass. It is recommended to give preference to drugs in liquid form, as they are easier to use.

A little biology

According to various sources, the date genus of the palm family contains from 14 to 17 species. But the real date palm, which produces tasty and healthy fruits, is the palmate date. This plant is not found in the wild, which cannot be said about its relatives - 12 species grow in the tropical and subtropical zones of Pakistan and Africa. Over more than 6,000 years of cultivation, the palmate date has been domesticated. By selecting seedlings obtained from sprouted seeds, and then by breeding, about 5,000 varieties have been created. Biological features:

tall tree - grows up to 30 m with an average trunk diameter of 80 cm;
the plant is dioecious, the pollen remains viable for a very long time, and is pollinated by the wind;
the crown of the palm tree has up to 60 feathery leaves up to 6 m long, they are resistant to dust and wind;
the harsh conditions of deserts and semi-deserts have created endurance - the tree can tolerate both high and fairly low temperatures, the limit is minus 14 degrees;
lack of moisture has made the date palm drought-resistant; a very deep root system helps the tree to feed on moisture from the lower horizons of the soil;
it has adapted to the heat: since in direct sunlight the cells responsible for the growth of all organs do not divide, the palm tree grows at night;
the tree is accustomed to dry air; excess moisture at the time of flowering and fruiting reduces the yield;
The palm tree is a long-liver; there are cases of trees bearing fruit even at 200 years of age.

When grown in a room, plants are given their usual conditions. A tree of this size, of course, will not grow in an apartment. It most likely will not bloom, and if this happens, there will be no fruit, since a male pollinator tree is required. But even without fruits, the palm tree is surprisingly decorative. But first you need to sow the seeds. They show best germination in the spring.

Timing and technology of transplantation

If the plant is less than 5 years old, then replanting is carried out every year, then as needed, because such a procedure is difficult for an adult plant to tolerate. An indicator that the flower needs to be replanted are roots protruding from the drainage holes. This indicates that the pot has become small.

Important! The soil is selected the same as for planting.

Transshipment is considered the best method of replanting, because the palm tree has very delicate roots that can easily be damaged. A drainage layer is poured onto the bottom of the new pot, after which the palm tree is placed in it along with a lump of earth. Add new soil and water the plant.

Planting in a large pot can cause the flower to stop growing.

Every six months it is recommended to update the topsoil to saturate the soil with new nutrients.

An adult plant after 5 years is not replanted every year, but only the top layer of soil is renewed

What to do if the plant dries out, turns yellow or darkens

It happens that the leaves of a plant dry out, starting from the tips. This can happen when the relative humidity drops below 50%. It is easy to increase the humidity: to do this, spray the leaves or place containers with water. Knowing how to germinate date pits, it’s easy to care for them later.

The palm tree dries out only from an inattentive owner, a florist.

If you forget to water the plant, the leaves turn yellow. Timely watering will correct this problem. But if you expose a palm tree to waterlogging, its leaves will darken. Sometimes the plant will smell unpleasantly rotten. If the roots have softened and become watery, this means that the palm tree has died. When you manage to find a few living roots, you need to cut off the dead parts, sprinkle them with crushed coal and plant them in a fresh pot.

Plant growth stops due to increased soil acidity and lack of nutrients. Replanting or fertilizing will correct the problem.

Caring for a palm tree planted from a seed will not be difficult. Following recommendations for watering, fertilizing and replanting will help prevent the development of diseases and promote active growth. Knowing how to grow a palm tree from date seeds will ultimately result in a beautiful and large flowerpot.

Possible problems arising when growing from seed

If the rules of plant care are not followed, various problems may arise in growing:

dry ends occur due to lack of moisture, it is worth spraying the flower more often;
the leaves turn yellow due to dry soil, you need to monitor watering;
darkening of the leaves is the result of excess moisture;
the palm tree does not grow. Most likely she’s just cold, it’s worth checking the air temperature in the room;
yellow or brown spots appear on the leaves - a sign of potassium deficiency;
the presence of bright yellow spots along the edges indicates a lack of magnesium;
light leaves, lack of growth - not enough nitrogen, it’s worth feeding the flower;
the appearance of leaf chlorosis indicates a lack of manganese. Fertilizers will help.

What can destroy a palm tree seedling?

The date palm is an unpretentious plant, however, it is also susceptible to various diseases and can be affected by harmful insects. The danger for palm trees is:

spider mite Appears when the ambient temperature changes frequently. The first symptom is a lot of yellow and brown spots;
scale insect. The leaves turn yellow and brown plaques appear on them;
thrips. A whitish tint appears on the top of the sheets, brown on the bottom;
worm. When damaged, the plant quickly withers and dries out.

You can cope with insects using special preparations. It is also acceptable to use homemade products.

Palm tree is a wonderful ornamental plant. If desired, it is possible to grow a date tree at home even from a seed, the main thing is to strictly follow all the rules of germination and planting. Only then, after a few years, can you get a beautiful large plant that will delight you with abundant green foliage. The only negative is that you won’t be able to get the fruits at home.

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