The Tropical Fruit Forum
Tropical Fruit => Tropical Fruit Discussion => Topic started by: Gryffindor4 on January 30, 2012, 03:02:09 PM
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I'm so jealous of you guys further south being able to grow coconuts! I really want to. Are there any dwarf coconut trees small enough to be protected during cold nights? And what is the damage temp for coconuts?
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I think it would be difficult to protect a dwarf coconut from the cold. Even if they are slow growers the new leaves are facing upwards and usually adds at least 6ft to the top of the tree. Also since its a monocot, it will be much easier for the tree to die because of its one growing point.
Someone on the forum may have experience growing coconuts in colder areas and may have a method of protecting them that works.
Coconuts will usually die or be injured at freezing. I have 10 coconut tree including a Fiji Dwarf and what ive seen from the cold damage is that it sometimes weakens a tree and then it will die from a resulting bacterial rot.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg043 (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg043)
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Samoan dwarf coconut is one of the best coconuts of all. Fruits low to the ground and the nuts are incredibly huge and tasty. In order to succeed you would need a very large pot and bring the whole thing inside during cold spells. They don't like cold (below 55F) soil temperatures. It's not just the air temperature that bothers them.
Here is a photo of me holding a 20 pounder samoan coconut:
(http://fruitlovers.com/Gallery1/CoconutSamoan3.jpg)
Oscar
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I agree. January 2010 saw a low of 27F (at my house) and that killed almost all of the numerous coconut palms in town. The only survivors are growing next to Tampa Bay or the gulf and they showed extensive leaf damage. Consider the size of the crown too. Here's a link to the Fiji Dwarf with a picture.
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/ar/archive/may08/coconuts0508.htm (http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/ar/archive/may08/coconuts0508.htm)
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Now where to get a source for a Samoan dwarf coconut in CA, I like experimenting... I don't think the coconut will like the low humidity, but temps never get below 32 degrees over here. Oscar are you growing Samoan dwarf?
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Yes that photo is off one of my trees. Can ship nuts to California but have to be sent unsprouted.
Oscar
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Yes that photo is off one of my trees. Can ship nuts to California but have to be sent unsprouted.
Oscar
I remember reading somewhere that samoan dwarfs are open pollinated. Usually the talls are open pollinated while the dwarfs are not but the samoan was supposed to be an open pollinated dwarf. Has your samoan dwarf seeds usually come true to type?
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They're true if isolated from other plants.
Oscar
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Yes that photo is off one of my trees. Can ship nuts to California but have to be sent unsprouted.
Oscar
Unsprouted is no problem, I just would need some good germination instructions. I would love to try a few of them out. Perhaps I will order when the temps warm up a little more.
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Your early summer i think would be best time to try to sprout them.
Oscar
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Your early summer i think would be best time to try to sprout them.
Oscar
Thats, what I was thinking. Our weather has been very unusual here in Southern California. It was in the 80s the last 4 days, we have had a few of these weird heat waves in the middle of winter. The way temps are trending, late spring may be optimal.
I was thinking of planting the dwarf coconuts in 30 gal containers with a mister or two attached to the side.
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Your early summer i think would be best time to try to sprout them.
Oscar
Thats, what I was thinking. Our weather has been very unusual here in Southern California. It was in the 80s the last 4 days, we have had a few of these weird heat waves in the middle of winter. The way temps are trending, late spring may be optimal.
I was thinking of planting the dwarf coconuts in 30 gal containers with a mister or two attached to the side.
You just want to keep the soil moist, so any emitter is fine, mister not needed. Plant with 1/2 nut sticking out of soil. Not hard to sprout but takes long time.
Oscar
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awesome pic oscar
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Man, that's a shame. Well, maybe at some point I'll try growing a dwarf Samoan.