One Year Old Today

[Neofolis]

As mentioned before, last March after eating a date, I put the seed in the edge of a pot to see what would happen.  This was my first attempt at germination, albeit a half hearted attempt.  So now for the first time, I have a palm who's age I know exactly at one year (one year from seed, rather than from germination).  This palm now measures about 18"-24" tall and doesn't seem particularly bothered about being squeezed up against one side of the pot or about having been grown from seed in a pot that was way oversized.

So, here it is on it's first birthday - 21-03-07

I doubt that I will have any other species reach this size at this age, as I am concentrating on smaller species, but I wondered if anyone else has similar pictures of one year old palms, as a comparison.  I can certainly understand why some Phoenix species are popular in cultivation, with their germination and growth speed, not to mention cold, heat and drought tolerance.

[Kamipalms]

Not bad growth for 12 months there Corey.

I go through some of my stuff tomorrow and see what I can find....

J.

[Kris]

Dear Corey  

well done my friend,and what variety does it belong to_iam

very cruious to know that.

and tomarrow i will post my still of date palms derived from

seeds.but its present stills are avalaible.but one year stage

stills.i did not take snaps them.i have in my garden 2 varities

of date palms and are about 7 years old i think...

wish your palms very happy years ahead...

Love,

Kris  

[Neofolis]

It was a Medjool date Kris, but as I understand it they are not true to seed and the only true Medjool palms are clones of the original.  Please correct me, if I am wrong anyone.

[DoomsDave]

Corey:

That rocks!  P. dactylifera will grow in an amazing range of places.

It will grow in UK and it will get big and it will get SPINY!

Keep it away from the footpaths at the nudist colony . . . .  

dave

[Exotic Life]

Neofolis,

Nice looking plant!

Robbin

[ron@springhammock]

You embarrass me.  I tried a few Medjool date seeds a while back...first year strap leaves...second year dead.  I'll stick to enjoying the fruit and discarding the seed.  But if I could grow them, I would.

[Nigel]

Corey thats very impressive growth for 1 year !!

Its unlikely to be a pure medjool date though, the commercial medjool is propagated by tissue culture and all are female, the growers will pollinate with any old phoenix pollen just to get a crop. Could be pollinated with anything.....

[Neofolis]

Ron, yes I understand many Phoenix species don't like the Floridian humidity.

Nigel, would the pollen doners include other Phoenix species or just any old dactylifera.  If it is any species, I would suspect that male CIDP's would be more commonly available as donors, but then I have no idea how these commercial growers operate.

[rubyz]

(Neofolis @ Mar. 23 2007,19:50)

QUOTE

It was a Medjool date Kris, but as I understand it they are not true to seed and the only true Medjool palms are clones of the original.  Please correct me, if I am wrong anyone.

The Medjool was originally native to Moracco, but a disease wiped out nearly all the specimens. A healthy palm was located and brought to California for cultivation. Specimens were then brought to Nevada for mass propagation. All existing Medjools in every country are offsprings of the one imported to California from Moracco.

    Since commercial propagation of all varieties of p. dactylifera involves offshoots (suckers) or tissue culture, all specimens are clones.

[Kris]

Hey guys this thread is taking an intreasting turn,

i wish to see stills of Medjool date palms in cultivation or

from members garden.i meant grown up specimens.

Since i have 2 datepalm in our garden_ one germinated from

californian pited dates tin and another came to me from a

friend who's grandfather went on pilgrimage to mecca(Haj).

the container mentined as costly tasty dates from Oman ?

my date palms are around 7 years old.but no trunk yet.but

the leaves are very different.the california dates leaf fronds

are preety large in size i.e 2 to 3 times the size of my local phoenix palm.while the date palm from oman its leaves are

stiff and small compared to our local phoenix palm ?

so i wish to see stills of this most talked about Medjool

date palm.just to compare mine.

Thanks & Love,

Kris  

[Kris]

Now the palm from Cali_

[Kris]

Now lets see that Cali's trunk region_

the fan belt is used tighten the leaves when we clean the

garden,or if  leaf droups to our eye level_just for safety..

[Kris]

Now to Oman Date palm_Leaf section  

[Kris]

Now to Oman date palms trunk section_And see the suckers

which i keep cutting to assist faster grouth of the mother

palm_

[Kris]

Dear Guys,

I have put my local phoenix palm just for conparision and to

see its grouth rate for 7 years old guy_

Love,

Kris.

[Scott]

Kris - Thanks for sharing the great stills! It's really interesting to see an "Oman" date palm!!!

Thanks!

[M@ximus]

(Neofolis @ Mar. 23 2007,18:50)

QUOTE

It was a Medjool date Kris, but as I understand it they are not true to seed and the only true Medjool palms are clones of the original.  Please correct me, if I am wrong anyone.

Seed propagation, also called sexual propagation, although useful for breeding purposes, is not a proper method of date palm vegetative propagation, and should be discouraged. Reasons in favour of discouraging seed propagation, are the following:

* Date palm is a dioecious species and consequently half of the progeny will be males and half will be females, with no certain way to determine at an early stage the sex of the progeny, nor fruit or pollen quality prior to flowering (often only seven years later);

* Female plants originating from seedlings usually produce late maturing fruits of variable and generally inferior quality compared to established clonal palms. In a seedling plantation it is rare that more than 10 percent of the palms produce fruit of satisfactory quality;

* Date palms are heterozygous, and thus there will be much variation within the progeny, and desirable characteristics of the parent palm may be lost. In other words, it is not true to type propagation and no two seedling palms are alike;

* Seedlings differ considerably with regard to production potential, fruit quality and harvesting time, making them very difficult to market as one harvest;

* The above reasons result in waste of time, space and money.

Thus, seed propagation is by far the easiest and quickest method of propagation. However, it is not a true to type propagation technique and no two seedlings will be alike. Because of its diversity, the seed approach could only be useful for breeding purposes. When conditions are known to be unfavourable for date fruit production (case of marginal areas), the planting of date seeds, for future selection on fruit quality, is the most economical way of selecting clones that have some desirable characters such as rain and/or salt tolerance (Figure 34).

Taking the above into consideration, and also because of the many reasons listed below, date growers are encouraged to use tissue culture-derived material of known varieties with high date quality and marketing potential.

http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/Y4360E/y4360e00.HTM

Ciao  M@x