Coconut Madness In ISRAEL !!!

[Lior_Gal]

On 4/27/2018, 4:17:03, Getta Robo said:

 

On 4/27/2018, 4:17:03, Getta Robo said:

 

Hello There Nikolas,

Thank you for the information about the Acai, I do have the Para dwarf variety, I still haven't tried to transplant it in the ground, I have more then just a few 

Just in case, About the Coconut's I do make sure that they are getting a proper ratio of Nutrients, and Acidic soil, I do check the Soil Acidity levels every

2-3 weeks, I have transplanted 2 of them in the ground already (2 new ones) not the third one will be on its way to be transplanted as well, I will try to get 

my hands on Mycorrhiza, One things which is clear to me is the fact that if  plants are planted in the ground  they will have a better survival chance then

hose staying in pots, Even though in the ground they grow slower, but much better and well established, Just like my Cocoa (Everyone said that they won't 

survive the Israeli winter....Not true, I have 3 in the ground and the winter and it's cold nights didn't even stopped them from growing !..

 

there are some pics and updates about the growth of all my Cocos and Acai, 

Enjoy. 

 

[Getta Robo]

On 5/30/2018, 10:07:03, Lior_Gal said:

Hello There Nikolas,

Thank you for the information about the Acai, I do have the Para dwarf variety, I still haven't tried to transplant it in the ground, I have more then just a few 

Just in case, About the Coconut's I do make sure that they are getting a proper ratio of Nutrients, and Acidic soil, I do check the Soil Acidity levels every

2-3 weeks, I have transplanted 2 of them in the ground already (2 new ones) not the third one will be on its way to be transplanted as well, I will try to get 

my hands on Mycorrhiza, One things which is clear to me is the fact that if  plants are planted in the ground  they will have a better survival chance then

hose staying in pots, Even though in the ground they grow slower, but much better and well established, Just like my Cocoa (Everyone said that they won't 

survive the Israeli winter....Not true, I have 3 in the ground and the winter and it's cold nights didn't even stopped them from growing !..

I am glad you have managed to perfectly succeed so far, and I'm looking forwards for your numerous future updates, keep it up Lior!

[Lior_Gal]

Hello Dear Friends,

Well, Big boy is in the ground for 2 weeks now, And i thought that it will be "Sad" since from my own experience Coconuts

Hate being transplanted, But surprisingly, It haven't shown any sign of stress whatsoever...It had a small spear in process..

and a day after it kept on pushing it out...now its almost a fully grown leaf...and another spear is on it's way, I'm in love with

Malayan Green Dwarfs now...thanks to that incident (I just added a few pics of it and some new born Coco Babies....)

As you Can see on the pics, My Dwarf Acai Palms are also nice and happy in their new pots, I transplanted them during

the last weekend, They also got BioFish fertilizer and Iron, So they are very happy now, their leafs became dark green

and all of them are pushing their second spear, they are tall for their size, but i guess that's how they should look like...

Enjoy the pics, Cheers,

Lior.

[sandgroper]

Your palms look fantastic mate! I just have a question,  in the photo of your potted coconuts there is a creeper in the foreground growing up a thin stake, is that by any chance a vanilla orchid? 

[Lior_Gal]

47 minutes ago, sandgroper said:

Your palms look fantastic mate! I just have a question,  in the photo of your potted coconuts there is a creeper in the foreground growing up a thin stake, is that by any chance a vanilla orchid? 

Thanks a lot for your Compliments Mate,

Your feedback is highly appreciated, and you do have a very sharp eye,

It's a Vanilla Orchid indeed (Vanilla Planifolia) - I took this one for you. 

[sandgroper]

Cheers mate! I thought it looked familiar,  I just bought one for my wife last weekend. 

[Lior_Gal]

Hello Dear Friends,

I decided to call my Back yard "Little Thailand" Since that's what it's gonna become pretty soon, 

So here is an update, The Malayan Green Dwarf coconut i called "Big Boy"...is growing extremely 

fast since it was transplanted on the ground, it pushed 1 new leaf and another leaf is already 

opening (a leaf every 3 weeks) today i have noticed a new tiny spear pushing out from its center....

I created a high humidity microclimate in my back yard even though humidity levels in tel aviv are 

high enough to support it during summer (70% humdity) in my back yard its about 77%, which is 

almost fully tropical, thanks to the bananas (Pisang Ceylon and Dwarf Hawaiian Brazilian) and 

thanks to the decorative strawberries, I'm gonna plant 2 of  my small Cocoa trees in front of the coconut,

and 2 of my dwarf Acai palms behind it to keep the soil well drained, the more plants the less water will

be in the soil during winter time, Even though my back yard is fully protected from strong winds and frosts

the water has no where to go back there, so the more plants the less water will remain underground

So here are a few pictures from today, Enjoy !. 

Cheers.

[sandgroper]

Looks fantastic mate!  Stick a few pineapples in the ground, they'll look really good among your other tropical plants and you'll get a nice feed when they fruit.

[Lior_Gal]

2 hours ago, sandgroper said:

Looks fantastic mate!  Stick a few pineapples in the ground, they'll look really good among your other tropical plants and you'll get a nice feed when they fruit.

Hello Dave,

Thank you for your kind words, and what can I say - Great Minds think alike, Since i have a pineapple pup I was growing for a year just for planting it in between

the bananas, I also have verigated ananas but i don't think that the fruit is edible so i will stay with the regular one....

[Stelios]

Hi Lior

Your garden looks fantastic! It's always good to see the updates of your cocos and other plants.

Best regards

Stelios

[Getta Robo]

Congratulations Lior, you've done the impossible! Think about growing some passion fruit vines, they could also add to the microclimate, and prevent any cold winds.

[Lior_Gal]

20 hours ago, Stelios said:

Hi Lior

Your garden looks fantastic! It's always good to see the updates of your cocos and other plants.

Best regards

Stelios

Hello Stelios,

thanks a lot for your compliments dear friend, you Coconut looks amazing as well keep up with the good work 

[Lior_Gal]

20 hours ago, Getta Robo said:

Congratulations Lior, you've done the impossible! Think about growing some passion fruit vines, they could also add to the microclimate, and prevent any cold winds.

Thanks a lot, 

I do have passion fruit vine (Yellow lilikoy)

And they do add more humidity since they spread on a large area, and the fruit have a heavenly taste. 

 

 

 

[Lior_Gal]

My Acai Palms are pushing

Their Second Spears, extremely slow growth rate....the coconuts has much

faster growth rate. 

[GottmitAlex]

7 minutes ago, Lior_Gal said:

My Acai Palms are pushing

Their Second Spears, extremely slow growth rate....the coconuts has much

faster growth rate. 

and if you add salt (NaCL) to the coconuts, they will have a much faster growth rate.

[Lior_Gal]

New Germination of Dwarf Acai

i guess i have about 50 of them now

 

[Lior_Gal]

Hello Dear Friends,

Another Palm update...even though summer is still here, It's almost gone (I hope it won't since my palms love it)

Big boy is growing fast it has big spear that should be opened in the next week i believe, Today i figured out that

It pushed new smaller spear that i doubt it will be out this season, But if I sum up the number of leaves it pushed

this season, not its the sixth spear, Quite impressive, The other coconuts that are still potted, are growing much 

slower, but solid....I felt sad for the King coconut so i decided to re pot it in a bigger pot, all the soil got de attached

from its fragile root system which was much smaller then i thought, a few roots including its main root broke a bit

something that coconuts hate, Its now in stress, I hope it will recover before winter time, Im sure that next spring 

it will get better. My older dwarf Acai Palms are growing nicely but very slow, they are pushing their third spear

and they are more then 6 months old, i was wondering if its a normal growth rate for this variety, The Younger 

Acai Seedlings are growing rapidly and soon will push out their first leaf. 

I also Planted on April 2 Malayan Green Coconuts at my friends Orchard in a place northern then Tel-Avi,

 in a well drained and protected area with a very good micro climate, They pushed 6 spears this season, and i believe

that by now they have a well established root system that will help them survive the winter I attached pics of them 

from they they of planting and from last weekend....

that's about it for now, 

Enjoy the pics. 

[Lior_Gal]

My Malayan Green Dwarfs at my friends Orchard - the first 2 pics of the 2 palms where taken at the day of planting (4 months ago)

and the last 2 pics where taken last weekend, As you can see, A major progress...

Edited August 28, 2018 by Lior_Gal

[sandgroper]

Your palms are looking fantastic mate, very green and healthy looking and they seem to be growing at a great rate. They are very addictive. 

[Lior_Gal]

18 hours ago, sandgroper said:

Your palms are looking fantastic mate, very green and healthy looking and they seem to be growing at a great rate. They are very addictive. 

Thank you Dave, I appreciate your kind words, I do my best to keep my Palms Happy, I also figured why My Acai Palms are

Struggling to grow, As i thought, they are in a shaded area with no direct light, and thats the reason, My friends keeps a few 

of his Acai palms that i gave him in a place with a filtered light, and they already pushing their 4th spear while mine are only

Starting to push their 3rd spear.  - In the pics My friend's Acai Palms. 

[gyuseppe]

On 28/8/2018, 12:24:34, Lior_Gal said:

 

 

what species is these?

[Getta Robo]

Hey @Lior_Gal ! Your acai look fabulous, and your friend's coconut is on the right spot, with a nice microclimate and an abundance of organic matter. Please keep us posted.

When does the temperature is supposed to lower at 10 and down during the night? About the mid of October of later on? He might be in need of some cold protection during that time.

[Lior_Gal]

Those are Dwarf Acai Palms

[Lior_Gal]

37 minutes ago, gyuseppe said:

what species is these?

Those are dwarf Acai palms

[Lior_Gal]

8 hours ago, Getta Robo said:

Hey @Lior_Gal ! Your acai look fabulous, and your friend's coconut is on the right spot, with a nice microclimate and an abundance of organic matter. Please keep us posted.

When does the temperature is supposed to lower at 10 and down during the night? About the mid of October of later on? He might be in need of some cold protection during that time.

Hello Nikolaos,

thank you for your kind words and commitments, My friend’s Coconuts are actually my Coconuts as well since I gave them to him and i also help him taking care of them, I picked the planting site since it was the most tropical area in his orchard, it was well protected from winds and frosts, I’m 90% sure they will make it through winter in a very good condition. 

Temps are dropping below 10c usually in Mid November, I hope that my Durians will sprout till then and my purple mangosteen and rambutans will be fine during the winter 

[Stelios]

Hi Lior!

Your palms look great. The cocos look very healthy and I hope you have a mild winter to keep them going! It's also great to see that your Acai palms like your climate. Euterpe edulis is the palm I always wanted to try here at home. I believe it could make it in my climate. I will try to get a couple of them next year. That's why is interesting to see the future updates of your Acai palms.

Best regards

Stelios

[Lior_Gal]

15 hours ago, Stelios said:

Hi Lior!

Your palms look great. The cocos look very healthy and I hope you have a mild winter to keep them going! It's also great to see that your Acai palms like your climate. Euterpe edulis is the palm I always wanted to try here at home. I believe it could make it in my climate. I will try to get a couple of them next year. That's why is interesting to see the future updates of your Acai palms.

Best regards

Stelios

Hello Dear Stelios,

Thanks a lot for your compliments, How is your coconut doing ? I would love to see how it grew in the last

few months, maybe you could upload a picture of it, the Acai is an amazing palm, I also planted 2 of them 

in my friends orchard, I hope that they will make it through winter even though I'm a bit sceptic about them

since they are still tiny and delicate and i planted them too late to have a good chance to establish themselfs

in the ground with a decent and deep root system, Well see, If not i will try to plant new ones Next April. 

P.S.

You can purchase sprouted Acai on E-Bay for a few dollars:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Acai-Seeds-Palm-Euterpe-Oleracea-10-DWARF-Superberry-Germinated-Brazilian/183233897596?hash=item2aa997647c:g:B~MAAOxyTMdTNjXD

Cheers,

Lior. 

[Stelios]

Hi Lior

Thank's for the info. I will try next year to get a couple of them but the edulis. They should be better for my climate as they are more cold hardy than the oleracea. So far I have to see also the progress of some of the new palms I added in my collection since last summer like chambeyronia macrocarpa, kentiopsis oliviformis, archontophoenix purpurea, veitchia arecina and elaeis oleifera. They are still small so they still need extra care. So far elaeis survived last winter without cover with only a little leave burn. The others I put them under canopy.

My cocos is growing slow but good. I should water it more. Here are some photos.

[GottmitAlex]

17 minutes ago, Stelios said:

Hi Lior

Thank's for the info. I will try next year to get a couple of them but the edulis. They should be better for my climate as they are more cold hardy than the oleracea. So far I have to see also the progress of some of the new palms I added in my collection since last summer like chambeyronia macrocarpa, kentiopsis oliviformis, archontophoenix purpurea, veitchia arecina and elaeis oleifera. They are still small so they still need extra care. So far elaeis survived last winter without cover with only a little leave burn. The others I put them under canopy.

My cocos is growing slow but good. I should water it more. Here are some photos.

Wunderbar!

[Stelios]

15 minutes ago, GottmitAlex said:

Wunderbar!

Many thanks!

[sandgroper]

5 hours ago, Stelios said:

Hi Lior

Thank's for the info. I will try next year to get a couple of them but the edulis. They should be better for my climate as they are more cold hardy than the oleracea. So far I have to see also the progress of some of the new palms I added in my collection since last summer like chambeyronia macrocarpa, kentiopsis oliviformis, archontophoenix purpurea, veitchia arecina and elaeis oleifera. They are still small so they still need extra care. So far elaeis survived last winter without cover with only a little leave burn. The others I put them under canopy.

My cocos is growing slow but good. I should water it more. Here are some photos.

What a fantastic looking coconut, well done!

[Stelios]

4 hours ago, sandgroper said:

What a fantastic looking coconut, well done!

Thanks!

[Lior_Gal]

12 hours ago, Stelios said:

Hi Lior

Thank's for the info. I will try next year to get a couple of them but the edulis. They should be better for my climate as they are more cold hardy than the oleracea. So far I have to see also the progress of some of the new palms I added in my collection since last summer like chambeyronia macrocarpa, kentiopsis oliviformis, archontophoenix purpurea, veitchia arecina and elaeis oleifera. They are still small so they still need extra care. So far elaeis survived last winter without cover with only a little leave burn. The others I put them under canopy.

My cocos is growing slow but good. I should water it more. Here are some photos.

Hey Stelios, 

Your Coconut looks amazing and very healthy, the new leafs are great, and i see that the trunk

got thicker then last year which is a good news, I try to get my hands on a few Hawaiian Tall's

since they are fast and robust growers, even here in Israel. 

I wish you luck with your new palms, Keep up with your great work my friend.

[Cluster]

Hello Lior,

Thanks for the fantastic updates! You are doing an amazing job with your climate!

A few questions Lior!

I am really curious about the Euterpe Oleracea and even more curious about a Durian and the Purple Mangosteen, because I have never seen anyone crazy enough to do it with such climate:). When will you test these 3 outside with the cacao? I would love to see updates of these on top of the cocos and also the theobroma cacao you have.

I am also surprised your cocos grow faster when they are planted in the ground, you probably have good draining soil there:)

 

Keep us up to date on your progress!

PS: When will you try a lipstick?

Regards,

Pedro

Edited August 31, 2018 by Cluster

[Lior_Gal]

12 hours ago, Cluster said:

 

 

Hello Pedro, 

Thank you for your compliments, I appreciate your kind words. I have good answers for your questions:

1. I'm a guy who loves Challenges, Of course everyone can Grow Citrus, Mango, or mint in his yard, But it's nothing special for me,

    I love to try and grow things that are more complicated and needs thought and improvisation to create the proper Micro-Climate for them,

    and that is what I'm doing in my yard, and in my friends orchard, You can call me Insane lol, I always say "Who Dares Wins !".

    there where many tropical fruit growers that told me i have no chance with coconuts, and they told me no mangosteen will make it here

    during winter time, and Rambutan either, For now, I proved them wrong !. I just sprouted 8 New mangosteen trees, I have another 8 growing 

    from last year pictures will be added to this post.

2. About the Euterpe - I had them here during winter when they where seedlings, They made it through with no problem, I have about 25 new sprouts

     and my bigger ones are pushing their third spear now, Next april im gonna plant 2 of them in the ground behind my Coconut Palm.

3. I have 5 Durian Sprouts, they still haven't popped out from the ground but i do check them out every once in a while and they are all live and well

    I guess it will take another month or so till they will pop out, I will inform you when they do, They are robust trees, I have no doubt they will make it

    through I also Have Santol Trees, they are lovely and grow very well now. 

4. About the cocoa, I had more then 50 sprouts, Most of them are alive and well, They where outdoors during winter months, and they where fine 

    they grow very rapidly, I think i will need to replace their currant pots very soon, I'm gonna plant a few of them in my back yard, I had 6 big ones

     that are 1 year old now (pictured attached), I gave 3 of them to my friend and we planted them in the ground at his orchard, and i also gave him

     about 8 of the smaller ones, We will wait till next April and then we will plant them in the ground.

5. I also grow Annona Muricata, from seeds, Now they are about 1.5 years old, they grow nice but i do place them indoors during winter months

    since i had bad experience with the previous ones i had, They died so i don't take chances with those. 

 

[Lior_Gal]

My Purple Mangosteens and Rambutan from last year,

Yeah i know that they don't look so good, and the leafs are deformed, but you know what....

Who gives a Sh**t, They are alive and growing  as long as they are Alive I'm a happy guy.  

I also added a pic of my 2 santol trees

[Cluster]

Hey Lior,

I totally relate to you, I would also add I love cocos and many tropicals:)

That is amazing that the purple mangosteens actually survived your winter, I don't think they look that horrible, some even look good. Unless I am mistaking the plants. I am really curious if they will be able to set fruit at some point, if they do you have a top fruit. Since I brought this up how do those Yellow lilikoy taste like? Do you need to add some sugar?

I am surprised you are more careful with the Annona Muricata, from what I read they can even set fruit in San Diego or Sydney and while it is not easy there, it should in theory also work there. I heard they do need good drainage though, they don't like wet feet. 

Keep up the awesome work and the updates!

 

Regards,

Pedro

 

 

[Cluster]

Hello Stelios!

Your coco is great! Remind me again, how long has she been with you? You have good drainage in your soil right?

I was looking at the coconut and these last pictures made me question the variety. It might be the camera or just the time of the day, but the color of the leaflets of the newer fronds has some bluish tint to the green. It reminds me of the King cocos tint, are we sure it is a golden malayan (red Malayan as they call it internationally) ?

 

Regards,

Pedro

 

PS: You must buy a house on Madeira and go there plant some cocos for the island, doing great:)

[Lior_Gal]

On 2.9.2018, 18:21:11, Cluster said:

Hey Lior,

I totally relate to you, I would also add I love cocos and many tropicals:)

That is amazing that the purple mangosteens actually survived your winter, I don't think they look that horrible, some even look good. Unless I am mistaking the plants. I am really curious if they will be able to set fruit at some point, if they do you have a top fruit. Since I brought this up how do those Yellow lilikoy taste like? Do you need to add some sugar?

I am surprised you are more careful with the Annona Muricata, from what I read they can even set fruit in San Diego or Sydney and while it is not easy there, it should in theory also work there. I heard they do need good drainage though, they don't like wet feet. 

Keep up the awesome work and the updates!

 

Regards,

Pedro

 

 

Hello Pedro,

Growing Coconut on a Sub-Tropical Climate like Israel is Challenging, But you can also give it a shot, First of all you need to Create a micro climate

that will help it survive, as you can see, I Planted my Biggest Coconut in my back yard, which is fully protected from winds and the soil if very well drained,

I also Planted Banana Plants in order to provide it more protection and to help increasing Humidity levels. even so, I think i will add fungocides to the soil before

winter time to avoid any rottings in the root system at least till it will grow bigger. 

The Purple Mangosteen Survived the winter outside, Even though they where partially protected by the Lychee trees, Still the cold nights and winds didn't killed

them, which is impressive. same thing about the santol and Rambutan, for now I'm not thinking about fruits, I just wanna see them grow and survive. 

My yellow passion fruit is amazing, Actually its the best passion fruit i have ever tasted, I grew it from seed, and not its a huge vine, But it's not self pollinated

So i had to cross polliante it with Passion Dream, The result was amazing and has havenly taste, very sweet and a bit sour no need to add sugar at all.

The Annona Muricata i had 2 years ago died from frosts, So i don't take no chances with my 2 year old trees. I hope that next spring they will bloom and

I could hand pollinate them, I also grew Annona Squamosa and gave it to my friend, and he plant the 2 trees in his orchard, i was suprised to figure out

that they bear fruits in their second year with no need of hand pollination, Even though the trees where small and still in pots, they had many fruits, 

so we palnted them on the ground, now i feel sorry that I haven't kept one for myself, but i still have seeds available just no patiance to wait another 2 years.

Cheers,

Lior.

[Stelios]

14 hours ago, Cluster said:

Hello Stelios!

Your coco is great! Remind me again, how long has she been with you? You have good drainage in your soil right?

I was looking at the coconut and these last pictures made me question the variety. It might be the camera or just the time of the day, but the color of the leaflets of the newer fronds has some bluish tint to the green. It reminds me of the King cocos tint, are we sure it is a golden malayan (red Malayan as they call it internationally) ?

 

Regards,

Pedro

 

PS: You must buy a house on Madeira and go there plant some cocos for the island, doing great:)

Hi Pedro!

The coconut I brought it from Samara beach in Costa Rica in 2009. I was there for two months to improve my spanish and I asked the owner of the place which I was staying if I could have some seeds. They had dozens of fallen cocos in their yard in piles with the husk, most of them they were not keeping and they told me to get as many as I want. I couldn't take seedlings cause they were big and could be damaged bringing them back home, and some of the seeds were bigger. I was not very experienced with palms then but I remember in the yard there were tall cocos and some shorter, a bid skinnier with yellow-golden petioles. I chose two not very bid seeds and this one started to germinated during my stay there. The other I also brought it home but it never germinated. So I can't be sure about the variety of my palm. Before I planted it in the ground here (it was in a pot till 2012) I dug a big hole and filled it with mostly beach sand. But my yard has also very sandy soil like most of the area here.

As for Madeira, we love this place and we are really thinking to buy a house there in the future. If we will, then for sure I will plant cocos and othen exotic palms.

Here are a couple of photos from Costa Rica when I was there. Is difficult to ID the cocos varieties from the photos though. The first is Samara beach and the second is Carillo beach (right after Samara).