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Coconut Madness In ISRAEL !!!


lioril

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28 minutes ago, Stelios said:

My friend Lior is great to hear from you again. Beautiful palms you have there. The big one in the ground looks great. We'll be looking forward for updates in the future. You have milder winters than me here in Cyprus so you should have better chances for the cocos. My coconut is still alive. This winter we had milder lows and it survived with less protection. Thats the 6th winter since it was planted in the ground. I'll make some photos tomorrow and post them.

Dear Stelios, 

How are you my friend ? It has been a while indeed and it's great hearing from you too, Thank you for your Compliments, I should have done better, there 

where a few weeks here and there that i just neglected my palms and i haven't paid too much attention to them during winter months and therefore i lost them

Plus the first ones i had where planted in regular potting soil it was not well drained so i payed the price for my mistakes, I could have saved them all if i would

have done it differently, I had ones that where 3 years old, They where amazing, It was very unfortunate, I also learned that before winter months i should apply

Copper Based Anti Fungi and water the palms so there will be no rotting, I lost my big palms from fungal rot, It wasn't the cold that killed them, The Temps this

winter was nice, No frosts, there where a few storms but nothing too serious, Cocos should be in the ground not in a pot, Therefore, It will Start it's second year

In the ground where it should be, I do have King Coconut Sprout as well, I love the Bronze Color of it's petioles, But I'm a bit afraid since its much more delicate 

then the Malayan Green Dwarfs I have, they are much stronger.

P.S.

I'm happy to hear that your Cocos Has made it through, I'd love too see it in a few pics, by the way, what about the Soil Acidity ? Do you check it from time to time ? 

Cheers,

Lior.

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Dear Lior

Its good that you didn't give up on growing cocos even if you lost some. The bigger the palms will grow the more chances they will have to make it through the winter. Here our winter was also very mild. We didn't have temps less than 8C in our yard. The majority of the temps were 18-21C in the day and 9-12C in the night. And the rain was not a lot. We generally have many dry winters. That helps the cocos to stay more dry but we need the rains on the island. The palm is less protected than before. Is more difficult to cover it cause is bigger and I always try to push is limits. If I had a green tall variety it would be better but I have golden dwarf maybe one of the least cold tolerand. I will already stop to protect it these days like every year, but first I have to move some small palms I have under it before I take down the naylon. As for the soil I never checked the acidity. I know I still have a lots to learn and do.

Here are some photos!

2018-02-21 10.04.57.jpg

2018-02-21 10.04.26.jpg

2018-02-21 10.03.59.jpg

2018-02-21 10.03.22.jpg

Edited by Stelios
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1 hour ago, Stelios said:

Dear Lior

Its good that you didn't give up on growing cocos even if you lost some. The bigger the palms will grow the more chances they will have to make it through the winter. Here our winter was also very mild. We didn't have temps less than 8C in our yard. The majority of the temps were 18-21C in the day and 9-12C in the night. And the rain was not a lot. We generally have many dry winters. That helps the cocos to stay more dry but we need the rains on the island. The palm is less protected than before. Is more difficult to cover it cause is bigger and I always try to push is limits. If I had a green tall variety it would be better but I have golden dwarf maybe one of the least cold tolerand. I will already stop to protect it these days like every year, but first I have to move some small palms I have under it before I take down the naylon. As for the soil I never checked the acidity. I know I still have a lots to learn and do.

Here are some photos!

2018-02-21 10.04.57.jpg

2018-02-21 10.04.26.jpg

2018-02-21 10.03.59.jpg

2018-02-21 10.03.22.jpg

Hello Stalios,

Your Palm looks good, I do agree that as time goes by (from the day of planting in the ground) the stronger it gets and the chances of survival are increasing.

Here we had a few days here and there that we had temps around 6-7C, But it was for a very short period of time, usually we got around 9-13C at night, But

during daytime its about 19-21C, Here it was a dry winter too, We need the rain but it's just not comming, I do not Cover my Coconuts after the first year, 

Since they need to cope with the weather conditions in order to get hardy, My only mistake is the fact i didn't plant them on the ground. The 4 meters tall

Hawaiian tall that i sold to my friend, was in the ground with no protection even in the stormy days, It didn't suffer too much i guess since there where no

cold burnings on its fronds. the new leafs of your Cocos look great, I wonder why the trunk stays thin, Maybe you should water it more often during summer

time, and make sure it gets more iron... I think that if you will be able to get your hands on Malayan Green Dwarf or Samoan Dwarf you will be a very 

Happy Guy, Cause they grow much faster then the other varieties from my own personal experience.

Cheers, 

Lior.

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Hi Lior

The big hawaiian palm looks perfect. Its very impressive that you l protected the palms only the first winter. I wouldn't be surprised if your palms in the ground will grow like the coconut in La Quinta in California.

As for my palm I don't think it would survive unprotected after the 2nd winter. Not this variety. At some point when is bigger it will have to be uprotected. I am not sure why the trunk is thin. Maybe it needs more fertilizer. In the summer I'm watering it twice a week but I'm not sure if I give it enough water. Anyway is just an experiment. I'm already trying to grow other more strong palms. I feel lucky that I can grow other beautiful varieties here. I wish I could find more varieties of cocos or other palms but here is not easy.

Regards

Stelios

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Hello Satelios,

If your soil is well drained (and it seems like it's well drained from the pictures) you must water it every single day, if the soil is not moist during the summer you are in a big problem, and the palm will suffer, Of course it needs to be fertilized, I use to fertilize it with "red worms Droppings" as fertilizer its like a powder, I take a hand full of it and throw around the trunk once a month, and I also do the same thing with "Bio Fish" Its fish droppings that comes as a brown liquid with horrible smell but it lowers the soil PH and keep the Acidity levels as they should be, i give it 10 table spoons mixed with 10 liters of water once a month, and the coconut loves it, They grow so fast you wont believe it....2-3 spears each season aren't enough, With my Coconuts i get about 4-5 new spears each season, So I must do something right, Keep watering it during spring time and summer time even every day if the soil is dry...

and also give it one tea spoon of  iron powder mixed with 12 liters of water once every 2 months, and you can also take sea salty water and mix it 50% sea water 50% regular drinking water and give it to your palm once every 3-4 weeks, they love it and it helps them grow faster for some reason, also, a bit of a salty soil helps keep away different kinds of Fungi that can't grow on Salty soil.

P.S. - You must get your hands on Malayan Green Dwarf, You will be a happy guy, Trust me (if you have hard time to get your hands on Coconuts

Just purchase a sprout or two on eBay they will ship it right to your house or to your local Postal office and you will just have to go and pick it up and you can save yourself a lot of time in trying to buy a Coconut Seed and waste time and effort till it will sprout, The Sprouts that are shipped can be 10-12 inches tall already they ship very well and get to your place in a good shape if its no longer then 3-4 weeks, and if you plant it on April lets say, Till February with good care it can be as tall as 1 meter or even more, But before you plant it in the ground, Call me, and i will guide you how to do it right, I studied everything from a Coconut Expert in Sri Lanka, he also formally studied botanic.

Good Luck my friend.

 

Edited by Lior_Gal
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Here are a few of the Fertilizers and micro elements i use for my Coconut Palms:

1). Universal Bio liquid Fertilizer.

2). BioFish - Fish Droppings Fertilizer, Lowers the PH, Increasing soil Acidity levels.

3). Natural Red Worms Humus. 

4). Iron Chelate Powder.

Screen Shot 2018-02-21 at 8.23.04 PM.png

Screen Shot 2018-02-21 at 8.29.45 PM.png

iron chelate powder.jpg

Screen Shot 2018-02-21 at 8.26.02 PM.png

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Thanks for all the advise Lior. Its all very useful and I should improve the watering and fertilizer for the palm. As for the cocos I wish they could grow in my climate more easy and I would try them all. But I might try again only 1 more when I find a more hardy variety and plant it in the best microclimate in the garden. For the moment I want to get more beccariophoenix as a coconut alternative.

Keep up the good works with the palms and always keep us posted.

Cheers

Stelios

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You Welcome Stelios,

I Hope that you will be able to get your hand on a new Malayan Green Dwarf Coconut palm, and plant it in a more favorable location in your garden,

With better micro climate. Beccariophoenix Alfredii is nice but its not Nucifera and for me there is no better coconut then a real coconut.

P.S.

I got 2 new baby Coconut from a dwarf variety that i really don't know nothing about, You can see from my finger

pointing on them how tiny they are, they seem to gone through a bit of stress, But they have all spring and summer

ahead of them for a proper recovery, They are amazing and sweet, Love em already, both are pushing new spears.

So I have 5 now: 2 Malayan Green Dwarfs, 2 Unknown Dwarfs, 1 King Coconut. 

Coconut 1.jpg

Coconut 3.jpg

Edited by Lior_Gal
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A few More: 

The King Coconut, and the last one is not a Palm, But it's defiantly an Eye Cather

for Everyone that grows edible fruits, The Beautiful Majestic AeAe (Manini).

 

King coco1.jpg

AEAE.jpg

Edited by Lior_Gal
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AeAe Bananas on the plant (Pic from a search on google). 

Screen Shot 2018-03-01 at 6.23.34 PM.png

Edited by Lior_Gal
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6 hours ago, Lior_Gal said:

A few More: 

The King Coconut, and the last one is not a Palm, But it's defiantly an Eye Cather

for Everyone that grows edible fruits, The Beautiful Majestic AeAe (Manini).

 

King coco1.jpg

AEAE.jpg

Wow your right! That AeAe is an eye catcher.  Did you find yours online or local grower?

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10 hours ago, Lior_Gal said:

You Welcome Stelios,

I Hope that you will be able to get your hand on a new Malayan Green Dwarf Coconut palm, and plant it in a more favorable location in your garden,

With better micro climate. Beccariophoenix Alfredii is nice but its not Nucifera and for me there is no better coconut then a real coconut.

 

Congratulations on your coconuts Lior!  It seems they are doing well.

Regarding the b. Alfredii vs Cocos nucifera in our climates, unless one likes the possibility of a curved trunk, the never ending protecting, the perennial babying, and falling coconuts, it could only be a win-win for the b. Alfredii palm.   

Today I had to set up my tarps back up to cover the five juvenile coconuts for the high probability of cold rain tonight and tomorrow. Once I got to my planted B. Alfredii, I just skipped it. They need no protection whatsoever in our climate. One day it will produce leaves as large as the ones found on coconuts. And have the beautiful crown a coconut has as well. Sure, they take twice as long as the tall varieties to produce fruit, and who knows if they're edible (gotta ask the lemurs), however, as I said, no risk of falling 10lbs nuts falling on a passerby nor the perpetual protecting the palm.   And yes, the coconuts are gorgeous!  The Alfredii are a very close second (especially when fertilized, quite the visual departure from Alfredii in habitat). 

Regards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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5 year high 42.2C/108F (07/06/2018)--5 year low 4.6C/40.3F (1/19/2023)--Lowest recent/current winter: 4.6C/40.3F (1/19/2023)

 

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I think it is a nice alternative and with our marginal climate the cocos won't ever look as good as in the tropics, but in the tropics the crowns of perfect coconuts are just number 1 (in my opinion), oh and I would love to have fruiting coconuts anyday:):

coconuts-on-coconut-palms-cocos-nucifera

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On 3/1/2018, 10:33:13, Jesse said:

Wow your right! That AeAe is an eye catcher.  Did you find yours online or local grower?

Hello There Jessie,

Thanks, I'm also into other tropical fruits, So i grow many different varieties, I got a AeAe Pup from a guy in the Exotic Fruit Foundation

he grows many different Banana Varieties so I saw it there and immediately fell in love with it, It's Amazing and i need to transplant it in

a bigger pot now, In order to Make it grow big this year.  

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On 3/2/2018, 1:41:39, GottmitAlex said:

Congratulations on your coconuts Lior!  It seems they are doing well.

Regarding the b. Alfredii vs Cocos nucifera in our climates, unless one likes the possibility of a curved trunk, the never ending protecting, the perennial babying, and falling coconuts, it could only be a win-win for the b. Alfredii palm.   

Today I had to set up my tarps back up to cover the five juvenile coconuts for the high probability of cold rain tonight and tomorrow. Once I got to my planted B. Alfredii, I just skipped it. They need no protection whatsoever in our climate. One day it will produce leaves as large as the ones found on coconuts. And have the beautiful crown a coconut has as well. Sure, they take twice as long as the tall varieties to produce fruit, and who knows if they're edible (gotta ask the lemurs), however, as I said, no risk of falling 10lbs nuts falling on a passerby nor the perpetual protecting the palm.   And yes, the coconuts are gorgeous!  The Alfredii are a very close second (especially when fertilized, quite the visual departure from Alfredii in habitat). 

Regards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Alex, 

I do love the B.Alfredii don't get me wrong, But i have a goal in my Botanical hobby, To Make the Coconut Palm Resistant to Sub-Tropical Climates, Naturally !. 

We all know that Genetic Mutations Happens here and there, that can allow a certain Adaptations, If i will manage to Re Create the Coconut Success like the one

In La Quinta or in Palm Desert, CA (that also had some fruits on it) that will be a major success for me, I know that all the Odds are against me, But that's what 

I like, Challenges, Everyone can grow Date palms in here, and other type of Hardy palms, But where there is no challenge there is no fun from my point of view. 

I will keep you all updated !. 

 

The Famous Coconut Palm in La Quinta:

The one in Palm Desert that Actually had fruits, But the house it was planted on was sold, and the new owners Cut it off !!!! since it was located in front of their window,

I guess Murphy is everywhere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48VMhXOJaK8

 

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On 3/2/2018, 2:04:35, Cluster said:

I think it is a nice alternative and with our marginal climate the cocos won't ever look as good as in the tropics, but in the tropics the crowns of perfect coconuts are just number 1 (in my opinion), oh and I would love to have fruiting coconuts anyday:):

coconuts-on-coconut-palms-cocos-nucifera

Hello Cluster,

Looks Amazing Indeed, and that's what inspired me to grow them, I wish that someday i will be lucky enough to make my own Cocos to fruiting Condition. 

By the way, There is a Coconut Palm in Israel that lives on the Dolphin Reef Beach on Eilat (the most Southern City in israel) The Cocos was brought from

Thailand as a Sprout and was planted on the Beach, I guess the one who planted in didn't knew to much about how to do it right, But it's close proximity to

water source on the beach and the hot winters over there must have helped this Specimen to make it for a long time, In the last pictures i saw it, it was in 

a poor condition, I guess it's because the palm hasn't been taken care of as it should, Other ways im sure it could get to a fruiting condition, I'm planning a

trip to Eilat next month, Since i know it's exact location, I will go and look for it on the beach, I will bring some Iron Powder and Bio Fish Fertilizer and i will

give it a good treatment, I will also try to contact with a local maintenance guy or the owners and guide them through taking care of this Rare palm, 

Giving to it a proper irrigation it needs, Lets hope there will be someone who will care enough to listen to what i have to say.  

There is a Picture of the Cocos in the Dolphin Reef in Eilat:

Cocos Nucifera dolphin reef.jpg

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On 01/03/2018, 16:13:06, Lior_Gal said:

A few More: 

The King Coconut, and the last one is not a Palm, But it's defiantly an Eye Cather

for Everyone that grows edible fruits, The Beautiful Majestic AeAe (Manini).

 

King coco1.jpg

AEAE.jpg

Great palms Lior. And beautiful banana plant too! As for finding a new cocos might a bit difficult as they confiscate plants at the post coming out of the EU without certificate. I just remember that I bought a cocos from the Lidl supermarket here in my town in the summer and forgot it under a tree in my garden in a semi protected place. I just had a look and is badly burned but still alive. Not bad for a Holland grown palm. The weather is getting warmer now and if it wll make it, this will be my next experiment.

Looking forward for updates for the Eilat cocos.

Regards

Stelios

 

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29 minutes ago, Stelios said:

Great palms Lior. And beautiful banana plant too! As for finding a new cocos might a bit difficult as they confiscate plants at the post coming out of the EU without certificate. I just remember that I bought a cocos from the Lidl supermarket here in my town in the summer and forgot it under a tree in my garden in a semi protected place. I just had a look and is badly burned but still alive. Not bad for a Holland grown palm. The weather is getting warmer now and if it wll make it, this will be my next experiment.

Looking forward for updates for the Eilat cocos.

Regards

Stelios

 

Hello Dear Friend, 

Thank you for your compliments, I do know that Customs sometimes Confiscate Plants, But i would give it another shot if i was you, 

I'm so happy to hear that you have another Cocos in your garden, Maybe its good for you to place it on a pot indoors and to make sure

it will survive the cold season and make it through summer. 

Can you post a pic of it ? 

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I totally forgot to tell you guys about another palm I'm growing:

Snake Fruit (Salaca Zalacca), I have 3 Sprouts, Let see if they will make it, 

I know this one is super tropical so it may not make it outside but who knows...

now it's too small so it is in an controlled environment, till it will get stronger

then i will introduce it to the local weather conditions:

 

I also have Acai seeds on germination, If they will sprout, You will be the 

first ones to know about it. 

Cheers.

 

Salak.jpg

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8 hours ago, Lior_Gal said:

Hello Dear Friend, 

Thank you for your compliments, I do know that Customs sometimes Confiscate Plants, But i would give it another shot if i was you, 

I'm so happy to hear that you have another Cocos in your garden, Maybe its good for you to place it on a pot indoors and to make sure

it will survive the cold season and make it through summer. 

Can you post a pic of it ? 

Hi Lior

Here are the photos from the cocos. I'm not sure if it will make it in the end but if you can see in the photo is pushing a new green spear. It's still very small but it looks like it started growing the last few days. Even though now the nights are about 13-15C and the days around 20-22C I placed it in a more protected place and hope to survive.

I'm also very happy that my Elaeis Oleifera (3rd photo) made it through the winter  without any protection or under any canopy, with only some spots. I saw it in an older post here on PT from a local grower that had a trunking one so I wanted to give it a try too. Maybe is a bit more hardy than cocos.

2018-03-03 18.39.30.jpg

2018-03-03 18.39.51.jpg

2018-03-03 18.40.30.jpg

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Hello Lior,

Eilat is decently warm even in the winters, I think it has way better chances than La Quinta and Tel Aviv. The coco will need  a lot of water though, it never rains there apparently and the humidity is low for them, so water is surely needed with all that sun and no rain with low humidity. I think it has potential but will need to be taken care of. On our island the only apparent wild coconuts (being mostly neglected and without people watering them), look way better in the winter than in the summer due to the lack of rain in the summer. The fertilizer will also surely help that coconut in Eilat. To be honest the ones you have look better than the one in Eilat, so you are probably doing something right and is good knowledge. Will be nice to see the progress of all the cocos, the king coco looks very interesting. By the way apparently there are a lot of different king varieties as well.

Stelios,

I am very surprised your Holland coconut is doing so well even if it got a bit of natural protection (form what I understood), maybe you had a really good winter, people in the Canaries which are way warmer kill IKEA coconuts all the time without gradual adaption of several years, or so I have read long time ago. Cyprus does not even reach 18 c for 2 months according to the warmer normals you guys have (starting only at the year of 91 that is why I say warmer compared to 81 ones). So you are also doing a very good job!! I think there is more to the coconut than the magic 20 number and this proves it again. How well drained is the soil? I have heard normal potting soil is often poor at drainage? I am still not sure the cocos would do well in the open in a much lower than normal winter there, but sheltered who knows, always learning. Your climate is already great for a lot of stuff.

Edited by Cluster
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4 hours ago, Cluster said:

Hello Lior,

Eilat is decently warm even in the winters, I think it has way better chances than La Quinta and Tel Aviv. The coco will need  a lot of water though, it never rains there apparently and the humidity is low for them, so water is surely needed with all that sun and no rain with low humidity. I think it has potential but will need to be taken care of. On our island the only apparent wild coconuts (being mostly neglected and without people watering them), look way better in the winter than in the summer due to the lack of rain in the summer. The fertilizer will also surely help that coconut in Eilat. To be honest the ones you have look better than the one in Eilat, so you are probably doing something right and is good knowledge. Will be nice to see the progress of all the cocos, the king coco looks very interesting. By the way apparently there are a lot of different king varieties as well.

Stelios,

I am very surprised your Holland coconut is doing so well even if it got a bit of natural protection (form what I understood), maybe you had a really good winter, people in the Canaries which are way warmer kill IKEA coconuts all the time without gradual adaption of several years, or so I have read long time ago. Cyprus does not even reach 18 c for 2 months according to the warmer normals you guys have (starting only at the year of 91 that is why I say warmer compared to 81 ones). So you are also doing a very good job!! I think there is more to the coconut than the magic 20 number and this proves it again. How well drained is the soil? I have heard normal potting soil is often poor at drainage? I am still not sure the cocos would do well in the open in a much lower than normal winter there, but sheltered who knows, always learning. Your climate is already great for a lot of stuff.

Hi Pedro

If this small cocos will make it I think is because of pure luck or it just happens to have better genetics. I planted it in a pot with mostly beach sand as soon as I bought it. I placed it under an olive tree cause the leaves were still sensitive in the summer sun. The olive tree also has branches growing from the ground and it was like a natural wall from the north winter winds. It was only exposed to the south warming up from sun. Also some days that we had a lot of rain this palm was unprotected. Since November I completely neglected this palm like the rest of the garden. I was very busy with other things that watering in the garden was only from the rain. Only some small special palms which I protect near the big cocos were properly maintained. Of course the mild winter this year also helped the small cocos to survive. In Cyprus we often have warm masses of air from Africa in the winter so we get some days with more than 20C and many around 18C. The last 20-25 years winters became more mild. Also our winters are usually not very wet. Only our humitidy is high all year round. Creating a microclimate in the garden is also very important. That's why I don't always look at the weather statistics. Many palms and plants need some adjustments to grow better. Is like the kentias. I could never grow them under our summer sun when they are small without some canopy. It will take years to take half day sun and it will never be as perfect as in Madeira. Buy like you said I am happy that I can grow a number of different palms.

Edited by Stelios
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4 hours ago, Cluster said:

Hello Lior,

Eilat is decently warm even in the winters, I think it has way better chances than La Quinta and Tel Aviv. The coco will need  a lot of water though, it never rains there apparently and the humidity is low for them, so water is surely needed with all that sun and no rain with low humidity. I think it has potential but will need to be taken care of. On our island the only apparent wild coconuts (being mostly neglected and without people watering them), look way better in the winter than in the summer due to the lack of rain in the summer. The fertilizer will also surely help that coconut in Eilat. To be honest the ones you have look better than the one in Eilat, so you are probably doing something right and is good knowledge. Will be nice to see the progress of all the cocos, the king coco looks very interesting. By the way apparently there are a lot of different king varieties as well.

Stelios,

I am very surprised your Holland coconut is doing so well even if it got a bit of natural protection (form what I understood), maybe you had a really good winter, people in the Canaries which are way warmer kill IKEA coconuts all the time without gradual adaption of several years, or so I have read long time ago. Cyprus does not even reach 18 c for 2 months according to the warmer normals you guys have (starting only at the year of 91 that is why I say warmer compared to 81 ones). So you are also doing a very good job!! I think there is more to the coconut than the magic 20 number and this proves it again. How well drained is the soil? I have heard normal potting soil is often poor at drainage? I am still not sure the cocos would do well in the open in a much lower than normal winter there, but sheltered who knows, always learning. Your climate is already great for a lot of stuff.

Hey Cluster,

I agree with you that Eilat has better conditions for Coconuts then Tel-Aviv, But if you saw the Hawaiian Tall Coco in my Friends back yard, It seems like he is 

doing quite well and it keeps on growing, Not its about 4 meters tall, So if you find the right spot, with the proper care, You can do wonders, Even with super tropical

plants like the Coco. I hope that when i will get to Eilat i will find Someone that will take care of the palm since one visit every 5 years won't be enough for a proper

Care of the palm, I will let people know about it's importance and even as a tourist attraction, And maybe it will make Someone Understand it's another thing that

makes this site very unique. 

About My palms, I know how to take care of them, I did a few mistakes in the past, it cost me a few palms, But as i said it was the soil and the bad drainage that made them

Suffer. It won't happen again.

Stay in touch, 

Best Regards.

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13 hours ago, Stelios said:

Hi Lior

Here are the photos from the cocos. I'm not sure if it will make it in the end but if you can see in the photo is pushing a new green spear. It's still very small but it looks like it started growing the last few days. Even though now the nights are about 13-15C and the days around 20-22C I placed it in a more protected place and hope to survive.

I'm also very happy that my Elaeis Oleifera (3rd photo) made it through the winter  without any protection or under any canopy, with only some spots. I saw it in an older post here on PT from a local grower that had a trunking one so I wanted to give it a try too. Maybe is a bit more hardy than cocos.

2018-03-03 18.39.30.jpg

2018-03-03 18.39.51.jpg

2018-03-03 18.40.30.jpg

Hello Stelios, 

I see that the winter gave your small coco palm a hell of a blow, Since it looks like it is suffering from a fungi rot, Maybe it's still alive but it won't get better

if you wont solve the problem before it gets worse, You need to water it with Anti fungal material copper based, It will take care of the fungi and hopefully it

will be able to recover, But don't let it stay outside if you will have more rain or cold days, Its better to keep it indoors or somewhere not exposed to the elements,

IF it will make it, I guess that the summer will be long enough to help it build itself again, Still it will need to be protected next winter as well. 

Good luck my friend, 

P.S. 

Is there a chance that you can get your hands on a new healthy one ? 

 

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Hi Lior

I already put some extra protection to the palm and if it will survive, next winter I will protect it better. If you can see in the 2nd photo is pushing a new green spear so maybe there is a chance. From now on the temps should only get warmer. I saw the temp in Tel Aviv today is already around 27C so your palms should continue to grow fast. 

If this cocos will not make I will try to find a new one.

Cheers

Stelios

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7 hours ago, Lior_Gal said:

Hey Cluster,

I agree with you that Eilat has better conditions for Coconuts then Tel-Aviv, But if you saw the Hawaiian Tall Coco in my Friends back yard, It seems like he is 

doing quite well and it keeps on growing, Not its about 4 meters tall, So if you find the right spot, with the proper care, You can do wonders, Even with super tropical

plants like the Coco. I hope that when i will get to Eilat i will find Someone that will take care of the palm since one visit every 5 years won't be enough for a proper

Care of the palm, I will let people know about it's importance and even as a tourist attraction, And maybe it will make Someone Understand it's another thing that

makes this site very unique. 

About My palms, I know how to take care of them, I did a few mistakes in the past, it cost me a few palms, But as i said it was the soil and the bad drainage that made them

Suffer. It won't happen again.

Stay in touch, 

Best Regards.

Hello Lior,

Yes I saw the Hawaiian tall, it looks really nice. I think the bad drainage is probably something that is really important for people trying to push the limits. Over the years we will see how your different coconut varieties will adapt. I am very curious especially on the King coconut, wish I could get one myself:). Will you offer your palms some sort of shelter/protection if your next winter is not nice like this one?

Anyway keep up the good work!

Regards,

Pedro

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9 hours ago, Stelios said:

Hi Pedro

If this small cocos will make it I think is because of pure luck or it just happens to have better genetics. I planted it in a pot with mostly beach sand as soon as I bought it. I placed it under an olive tree cause the leaves were still sensitive in the summer sun. The olive tree also has branches growing from the ground and it was like a natural wall from the north winter winds. It was only exposed to the south warming up from sun. Also some days that we had a lot of rain this palm was unprotected. Since November I completely neglected this palm like the rest of the garden. I was very busy with other things that watering in the garden was only from the rain. Only some small special palms which I protect near the big cocos were properly maintained. Of course the mild winter this year also helped the small cocos to survive. In Cyprus we often have warm masses of air from Africa in the winter so we get some days with more than 20C and many around 18C. The last 20-25 years winters became more mild. Also our winters are usually not very wet. Only our humitidy is high all year round. Creating a microclimate in the garden is also very important. That's why I don't always look at the weather statistics. Many palms and plants need some adjustments to grow better. Is like the kentias. I could never grow them under our summer sun when they are small without some canopy. It will take years to take half day sun and it will never be as perfect as in Madeira. Buy like you said I am happy that I can grow a number of different palms.

Hello Stellios,

Madeira is more cloudy and Kentias surely look great there. But even Kentias do much better in shade there than in full sun, however, usually I see them under some sort of shade! King palms do better in shade as well there:). Kentias can look perfect in Lisbon and in Porto under some shade by the way.

Maybe your coco palm was not not cooked in the greenhouse as much, it looks quite small still so maybe it was not as used to the greenhouse as larger ones. Creating a decent micro climate in your garden surely helps, I think the good drainage you gave to your small cocos is paying off as well. Cyprus can have very mild winters, but it is also prone to much cooler ones, I would not be surprised if a really bad winter only gets you average highs of 16 C or less in January or February with lows below 7, but the sand will help a lot to not stress those roots when they get water. 

Keep up the good work buddy!,

Regards,

Pedro

PS: I wonder if any of you will try a lipstick just for science :D

Edited by Cluster
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13 hours ago, Cluster said:

Hello Stellios,

Madeira is more cloudy and Kentias surely look great there. But even Kentias do much better in shade there than in full sun, however, usually I see them under some sort of shade! King palms do better in shade as well there:). Kentias can look perfect in Lisbon and in Porto under some shade by the way.

Maybe your coco palm was not not cooked in the greenhouse as much, it looks quite small still so maybe it was not as used to the greenhouse as larger ones. Creating a decent micro climate in your garden surely helps, I think the good drainage you gave to your small cocos is paying off as well. Cyprus can have very mild winters, but it is also prone to much cooler ones, I would not be surprised if a really bad winter only gets you average highs of 16 C or less in January or February with lows below 7, but the sand will help a lot to not stress those roots when they get water. 

Keep up the good work buddy!,

Regards,

Pedro

PS: I wonder if any of you will try a lipstick just for science :D

Hi Pedro

The climate of Madeira is great for many palms. I already miss that place. I know here it will not be easy to grow a coconut palm but it's always interesting to see how people might manage to grow cocos in places like Israel, south Spain or south California.

This is mostly an experiment but I know the limits too. I would neven try to grow lipstick palm not even indoors. I'm mostly trying to find some more easy growing tropical palms.

Best regards

Stelios

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16 hours ago, Cluster said:

 

Hello Lior,

Yes I saw the Hawaiian tall, it looks really nice. I think the bad drainage is probably something that is really important for people trying to push the limits. Over the years we will see how your different coconut varieties will adapt. I am very curious especially on the King coconut, wish I could get one myself:). Will you offer your palms some sort of shelter/protection if your next winter is not nice like this one?

Anyway keep up the good work!

Regards,

Pedro

Hey Pedro,

Yeah, The Hawaiian Looks great, It just tilted to the side a bit from the winds, I hope there is no root stress, Every year that it will survive out here in the open, Will make it stronger

and the bigger and deeper root system, the better chance it will have. I had King coconut last year, It died since it was a very very dry winter indoors, No matter how much i watered

it and sprayed it with water, It started shrinking and eventually it died out, Never had this experience indoors before, they usually made it and even pushed out new leaves, This 

Winter i kept my new King Coconut indoors and as i used to do in previous years, and it was totally fine, now its already 3 weeks outside and it seems to be very happy, This year

it will get stronger, I will try to plant it outdoors in the ground, But the first Candidate for planting is the Malayan Green. I do offer them protection only when they are sprouts. When

they grow bigger i offer no protection at all, they are fully exposed to the elements, As i said, the main concern is Good spot near a brick wall, semi protected from strong winds

and Even more important is well drained soil, and on November / December, i add Copper Based Anti Fungi mixed with water in order to keep away any Fungi that may start developing in the root system, if you keep these key principals it should be fine. 

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Hello Lior,

That looks like a good formula to me, makes sense based on all I have read during these years on palmtalk. Does it get very expensive to apply the Anti Fungi? 

Stelios seems to be using sand for his cocos, how is your soil mixed when they are in pots and what type of soil will you get them when they go to the ground?:)

It is weird the previous King died indoors and this one is doing fine, sometimes we just can't explain everything.

Keep looking forward to their progress!

 

PS: Why not apply the Anti Fungi in January/February instead of November/December.

 

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Hello Pedro,

Thanks for your Compliments, Applying Anti Fungi isn't expensive at all, at least for me it isn't since i use 

only small ammounts just before winter time. The planting soil Im using is a mix between regular potting

soil (about 30%) and beach sand (about 70%) and i mix it together. It works like a charm.

P.S. 

I'm almost 100% sure about the Cause of death of my King Coconut, I'm sure it was due too the very low

indoor and outdoor humidity levels during the 2016 winter time.

I apply the Anti Fungi early since I want to prematurely kill any spores that may be in the ground before

the Plant metabolism drops critically during the winter time so it will more moist in the ground since

the plants water consumption will decrease. 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 3/22/2018, 12:03:45, Cluster said:

Hello Lior,

Thanks for all the info, looking forward to the progress of all those coconuts!

Hello Dear Pedro,

you are more then welcome, I'm just a few days from planting the older Malayan in the ground, I just need to remove

a few plants from its new "home". i will update with some photos soon. 

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Hello Dear Friends,

I have waited for this moment for a long time, I just sprouted a few Dwarf Acai Palms

And Planted them in the ground, They look fine so far, I just hope that they will make

it through the cold days outside (even though temps are much higher these days). 

Dwarf Acai, Is more cold hardy then the taller variety so i figured, that was the main

trigger for me to grow them and also their amazing look, Just like a tiny Coconut palm. 

 

Acai Palms 1.jpg

Acai Palms 2.jpg

Acai Palms 3.jpg

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19 hours ago, Stelios said:

Nice Lior! It's really a beautiful palm!

Thank you Stelios My dear friend, 

P.S.

How is your young Coconut doing ? Is it still alive ? Any signs of vitality ? 

and how is your old Coconut doing ? 

 

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Hi Lior

Unfortunately my young cocos didn't make it. I checked it today and the new spear is totally burned. I will try to find another this summer.

The old cocos is doing good. I believe the new spear should open soon.

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On 3/29/2018, 9:06:32, Stelios said:

Hi Lior

Unfortunately my young cocos didn't make it. I checked it today and the new spear is totally burned. I will try to find another this summer.

The old cocos is doing good. I believe the new spear should open soon.

Hey Stelios,

I'm sorry to hear about the little Coco, R.I.P, But it was a certain death as i predicted since

It had all the signs of Fungal Rot, and also, the only way to save Coconut palm and give it

a good head start is to plant it in a well drained soil after 1-2 years in a pot, the longer its

in a pot the lest chances it will have to make it through. 

I hope that you will find a new coco soon !.

Cheers. 

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 3/28/2018, 12:38:29, Lior_Gal said:

Hello Dear Friends,

I have waited for this moment for a long time, I just sprouted a few Dwarf Acai Palms

And Planted them in the ground, They look fine so far, I just hope that they will make

it through the cold days outside (even though temps are much higher these days). 

Dwarf Acai, Is more cold hardy then the taller variety so i figured, that was the main

trigger for me to grow them and also their amazing look, Just like a tiny Coconut palm.

Hello there Lior, I've read your thread and I'd like to share some info regarding the growing of your acai, and very tropical palms like cocos.

First of all, if by dwarf acai you mean the para dwarf Euterpe oleracea variety, I don't want to be negative, but they don't do well at all in our Mediterranean subtropical climate. Several people have tried to grow them outside a greenhouse, including my buddy who lives in Patmos island. When the temperature fell about to 10c or so, all of his seelings died, and he transplanted them when they were about a years old or so. I am not aware who first made comments about the para dwarf being cold hardy or even frost tolerant, but I'm afraid that's far from truth.

The good news is, that you can actually successfully grow a certain variety of acai, namely Euterpe edulis. It naturally growns in subtropical places, like southern Brazil, northern Argentina and coastal California to name a few. They're also good looking and do produce fruit as well. As a rule of thumb, they grow well were Archontophoenix alexandrae are present. And fortunately, there's quite of few of king Alexander palms throughout Greece, even in somehow elevated areas in Athens!

Now about your cocos - including other palms trees and exotic trees/plants in general, I strongly suggest you to use mycorrhiza and Effective Microorganism during their transplant in the ground. While you can have an ideal microclimate and a perfect PH, subtropical soils rarely have the needed organisms and mycorrhiza in order to properly grow and thrive. Fortunately, nowadays both are easy to be found, and they're not expensive at all.

Hope for you the best friend!

 

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Hello Nikolaos,

I have heard at some point that there were some euterpe oleracea in south Florida, if that is true they definitely can take lows below 10 c (50 f), at least from time to time:).

I love euterpes, another good species to try out that has been shown here on palmtalk is euterpe espiritosantensis which some consider it a variety of edulis. It should be more cold resistance than oleracea or precatoria the problem is that it is super rare.

DSCF4583z.jpg

 

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