Malayan Dwarf Coconuts for Deep South Texas

[lahuasteca]

Hi!

My first post here.  I was going to respond to an old thread, but didn't want to hijack.  First, I'm in Brownsville, 26 N. latitude, same as Ft. Lauderdale.  2016 averaged 76.5 F. in Brownsville, and 79.5 in McAllen, TX.  Winter 2016-2017 averaged about 73 F, 10-11 F. above normal.  Worse than a freeze, sometimes during the winter, we get over-running cloudiness and drizzle with temps upper-30's lower 40's for 7-10 days.  That will kill a young coconut palm faster than a light radiational freeze.

Having just said all that, there are some large coconut palms in Brownsville, Pt Isabel, and South Padre Island that have survived some pretty rough winters.  I'm sure the ones in Brownsville are Mexican Tall - impossible for me to legally obtain the seed nuts, even though they are for sale in the markets in Matamoros, just on the other side of the Rio Grande.  Several of the fruiting coconuts on South Padre Island are green Malayans - I knew the owner (now deceased).  The Mexican Tall is definitely hardier than the green Malayans - he lost a few during a two week wet and cold spell during the winter of 2014-2015 (it never froze, just dripped cold rain).  

So, with difficulty, I had 20 seed nuts shipped in from Ft. Lauderdale (had a rough time finder sources who would ship).  They are all now sprouted, ranging from 5" to 24".  Three of the smaller ones look like they may not make it.  I have them in 3 gallon very well drained containers, and do not water often, until I know the roots are well established.  My goal is to wait until mid-February and plant 2 or 3 of the best ones around the house, then be prepared to do some major cold weather protection during the winter of 2017-18.  Any suggestions and tips for horticulture will be greatly appreciated.

FWIW, I've noticed searching this forum that the Somoan Dwarf seems to be a hardier and more LY resistant plant and may be better suited for South Texas.  I have absolutely no idea of how to get one from Florida to here, unless I drive over there (expensive)!

Thanks for listening to me.

Gene, Brownsville, Texas

 

 

Edited August 15, 2017 by lahuasteca

[GottmitAlex]

Welcome to the forum Gene.

20 coco's? Wow! Nice! Looking at the USDA hardiness map, Brownsville is in a Zone 9B. (your weather can (and has) dipped to 20F-25F)

How large is your yard?

Here are my suggestions:

1.- Make sure they will have a south facing position. 

2.- How's the soil drainage in the designated spots where you plan on planting the cocos?

If it is excellent, then I suggest digging a hole 3'x3'x3' and filling it with coarse sand. This is per coconut. This is to ensure the bulk of the roots do not remain wet during the cold season and potentially rot them out. 

3.- I would add a 1/2" of top layer of  black lava sand (not red) to every aforementioned spot. (example of the sand: http://www.acmesand.com/sand/black-lava-sand/)

4.- This is just me, but having this on 20 coco's would take a toll on the electric bill: Have a 75-100w brood lamp trained onto the soil and the side of the coconut. Space the lamps smartly away from the coco and check the temperature with a cheapo laser/ infrared thermometer gun.  The lights should be activated only during those cold early mornings (sometimes nights) when it's anywhere under 40F.  Here again, since you will be planting 20? coconuts, I would be a bit concerned with the electric bill.

5.- Try to give them some canopy. A makeshift tent from tarps, 3mil plastic etc. Make sure the plastic does not touch the leaves. Plastic is a fantastic conductor for cold. It will burn the parts of the leaves it touches. But this is just cosmetic, Since you want to protect the actual growing point (meristem) of the seedling/juvenile palm.

 

Walt, a forum member, has a mature and fruiting coconut in a zone 9B in Florida. He has great insight, experience and pointers  on how to take care of a coconut palm tree in a Zone 9B.

Here some threads regarding Walt's coconut: (look for Walt's posts)

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/43409-harvested-my-first-coconut-today-in-zone-9b-low-end/

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/50385-coconut-palms-in-zone-9b/&page=1

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/24450-how-far-n-in-florida-can-coconut-palms-reliably-grow/&page=2

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/38811-coconuts-yes-or-no/

 

Hope that helps for starters. Good luck with your coco's and keep us apprised of their status.

(We would like to see pics) 

 

Alex

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 15, 2017 by GottmitAlex

[lahuasteca]

Hi Alex,

Thanks for the info.  Definitely will go for the black lava sand.  Not planting until mid-Feb. 2018.  Older USDA show Brownsville at 9B; a revision in 2012 lists it at 10A.  I'm only planting 2 or 3 in my yard here.  The rest are for my friends on South Padre Island, definitely 10A there.  It's real late here in Texas right now - tomorrow I'll go out back and photograph some of the plants - they range in size from 5" to 3 ft., and from 2 gallons to 7 gallons.

FWIW, since last March South Texas has been like living in the Amazon, 90's or warmer during the day, and 70's at night, lots of humidity, but very little precip.

Gene

 

[wimmie]

Any photo's?

[Austinpalm]

10 hours ago, lahuasteca said:

 I'm sure the ones in Brownsville are Mexican Tall - impossible for me to legally obtain the seed nuts, even though they are for sale in the markets in Matamoros, just on the other side of the Rio Grande.

Gene,

Head out to Boca Chica or South Padre for a day and walk/drive the beach.  Lots of coconuts wash ashore after storms. Many times they are nuts from Mexican talls. There is gentleman from Corpus Christi (Mr. Coconut) that posts here with some regularity.  He collects many coconuts from the beach and is able to germinate a fair number.  He could probably clue you in on how to recognize the Mexican tall nuts when they wash in.

 

Clay

[Xenon]

Brownsville really is more or less 10a, I think it has dipped below 30F only 4 times since 1989 with the lowest being 27-28F. Why not plant a few now and get a head start next season? Still have about 4 months of nearly guaranteed frost free weather and warm soil. If you get another winter like last year, they'll probably grow right through the winter. It's not going to freeze this winter . There is a small Malayan Dwarf coconut growing on the bay on SPI (at the end of Palm St) that survived both the 2010 and 2011 freezes as a very young palm. Concerning the Samoan/Fiji Dwarf, I've heard they are less cold tolerant. 

[Xenon]

11 hours ago, lahuasteca said:

 

Having just said all that, there are some large coconut palms in Brownsville, Pt Isabel, and South Padre Island that have survived some pretty rough winters.  I'm sure the ones in Brownsville are Mexican Tall - impossible for me to legally obtain the seed nuts, even though they are for sale in the markets in Matamoros, just on the other side of the Rio Grande.  Several of the fruiting coconuts on South Padre Island are green Malayans - I knew the owner (now deceased).  The Mexican Tall is definitely hardier than the green Malayans - he lost a few during a two week wet and cold spell during the winter of 2014-2015 (it never froze, just dripped cold rain).  

 

Are you talking about the one on E Red Snapper? How old is that one? Also, do you know how old the ones at the motel in Brownsville are? 

Welcome to palmtalk!

[lahuasteca]

24 minutes ago, Xenon said:

Are you talking about the one on E Red Snapper? How old is that one? Also, do you know how old the ones at the motel in Brownsville are? 

Welcome to palmtalk!

I drive every day past the one at the motel on Central Blvd. in Brownsville.  It is now quite tall.  If my memory serves me correctly, I think it was there before the Christmas 2004 snowfall (our 100 year snowfall).  The temperature did not fall below 30 F. in Brownsville during that event and the snow may actually have insulated that palm.  However, I lost an Archontophoenix cunninghamiana during that event.  

Edited August 15, 2017 by lahuasteca

[topwater]

2 hours ago, Xenon said:

. It's not going to freeze this winter . 

I agree. We're due for a break after last January :(

[lahuasteca]

OK,

 

some images.  All the Malayan coconuts were shipped from Florida, taking five days in the heat.  The smaller sprouted nuts seem to be more affected by the shipping than the larger ones.  Here in the Lower Rio Grande Valley it's been another one of those summers of well above average temps., particularly in the McAllen area.

Here's the 7 gallon Malayan - I haven't gotten the hang of posting images quite yet, some I'm providing links to the server:

http://www.pbase.com/lahuasteca/image/166027424&exif=Y

And now 2 and 3 gallon - they look more or less OK after a five day shipping from Florida:

http://www.pbase.com/lahuasteca/image/166027434

Now some 3 and 5 gallon Malayan:

http://www.pbase.com/lahuasteca/image/166027433

The small 5" in a 2 gallon container doesn't look too good - don't know if it is going to make it:

http://www.pbase.com/lahuasteca/image/166027440

And finally, while not a coconut, a fruiting Raja Puri banana.  While hardy as far as sweet bananas go, they still will not shoot up a stalk if cold damaged during the winter.
This tells me I just might be able to grow the Malayan Dwarfs here in Brownsville, that is, as long as no monster Arctic freezes (1989) rears its ugly head:

http://www.pbase.com/lahuasteca/image/166027477

 

Meanwhile I'll keep working at posting images directly onto the forum - it keeps telling me my files are too large at 1.5 MB.

Gene

 

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

You live in the only area of the continental US other than florida that readily grow coconuts to maturity, so take advantage and grow as many as you can. 

[lahuasteca]

10 minutes ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

You live in the only area of the continental US other than florida that readily grow coconuts to maturity, so take advantage and grow as many as you can. 

Will do!

[GottmitAlex]

11 minutes ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

You live in the only area of the continental US other than florida that readily grow coconuts to maturity, so take advantage and grow as many as you can. 

At 26 Latitude, I can only imagine it to be so.

I'm at 32.6 latitude and for some erroneous reason I feel my climate is better suited for cocos than Brownsville. Until I look at a cartograph that is.

Here are some pics of mine from today. (Two weeks shy from a full year in the ground, planted Aug 29 2016)

The garden which is just a sliver at the edge of a 26' rock retaining wall. You can see the neighbors roof adjacent to the fence. Yeah, he just recently piled on some boards atop his roof. Hey! More thermal mass for my coconuts!

^^Golden Malayan Dwarf. ^^

^^Jamaican Tall^^

^^Pacific Tall^^

^^Another Pacific tall^^

^^Mexican Tall coco purchased dehusked at supermarket. chiquita banana-style label said it's from Jalisco, MX  (Germinated in ziploc bag November 2016 and planted in March 2017) ^^

[lahuasteca]

Hi Alex,

Impressive set of coconut palms.  The big question is - where are you obtaining the husked coconuts?  I can not find them in fruit stands anywhere in South Texas.  If I could, there would be no problem sprouting the seed nuts with all the heat and humidity we have.  I've seen them in the markets across the river in Matamoros, but it is a heinous crime, equal to anything the drug cartels might smuggle, to try and pass one through customs, punishable by 25 years of solitary confinement in the high max in Colorado!

[GottmitAlex]

1 minute ago, lahuasteca said:

Hi Alex,

Impressive set of coconut palms.  The big question is - where are you obtaining the husked coconuts?  I can not find them in fruit stands anywhere in South Texas.  If I could, there would be no problem sprouting the seed nuts with all the heat and humidity we have.  I've seen them in the markets across the river in Matamoros, but it is a heinous crime, equal to anything the drug cartels might smuggle, to try and pass one through customs, punishable by 25 years of solitary confinement in the high max in Colorado!

I'll send you a PM. BTW, my garden is in Tijuana, Mexico (6 miles south of San Diego, CA)

 

 

[Xenon]

Nice coconuts, Gene. I remember you now...I used to anonymously admire your pbase gallery...for a long time you were the only source of coconut pics in Texas haha. I think you wrote a few articles on growing tropicals in the RGV too. One of them you photographed (on Amberjack St. mixed with queen palms) squeaked by the 2011 freeze but later died due to abandonment (I think the queen palms die too, due to lack of water). 

[lahuasteca]

Hi Xenon,

Yes, that's me.  Here's the story on the palms on Amberjack St.  They belonged to a good friend of mine.  2011 was a bad cold snap - no freeze, but about a week of cold, rainy weather.  John lost a couple of trees during that cold episode.  He passed away a few years ago and, I guess, his widow moved away or didn't care for the palms.  I sort of forgot about growing coconuts until this past year I've noticed quite a few around Brownsville, Pt. Isabel, and South Padre Island (I generally don't go out there much because of the crowds, except during very bad weather - tropical storms, for purposes of meteorology photography).

Regardless, decided to give it a try and grow some of my own (Cocos nucifera, that is).  Will keep posting here to keep updated on how things go.  Right now I'm trying to get a good root system developed on the sprouted Malayans that I have - using heavily composted manure, and watering sparingly until the roots are strong.

Thanks for the contact.

Gene

 

[lahuasteca]

47 minutes ago, GottmitAlex said:

I'll send you a PM. BTW, my garden is in Tijuana, Mexico (6 miles south of San Diego, CA)

Actually Tijuana should be pretty close to frost free.  Have you seen any coconuts growing in the open further south in Ensenada or El Rosario?

 

 

[GottmitAlex]

25 minutes ago, lahuasteca said:

 

None. I think the closest coconuts are the ones in La Quinta, CA., Corona, CA., Mexicali, Mex., then onto Rocky Point, Sonora (Heard there is one there. Never seen a picture of it though). The problem with the coast line in California and Baja California is that the marine layer is coold. I am about 14 miles east of the ocean. I receive a much lower marine influence here. In fact, the temperatures on the east side of TJ are 5F to 10F degrees warmer than downtown and of course the beach side. You can even feel it driving to the border. Rolling down the windows it feels much cooler in that area than it is in the eastern side of town.  

 

 

Edited August 16, 2017 by GottmitAlex

[GottmitAlex]

Fortuitously, the garden is in a sweet spot: Between the marine layer influence zone and the ravaging Santa Ana wind zone. I get both, but quite milder than other places in the Socal/Baja region. 

[Josh-O]

1 hour ago, GottmitAlex said:

At 26 Latitude, I can only imagine it to be so.

I'm at 32.6 latitude and for some erroneous reason I feel my climate is better suited for cocos than Brownsville. Until I look at a cartograph that is.

Here are some pics of mine from today. (Two weeks shy from a full year in the ground, planted Aug 29 2016)

The garden which is just a sliver at the edge of a 26' rock retaining wall. You can see the neighbors roof adjacent to the fence. Yeah, he just recently piled on some boards atop his roof. Hey! More thermal mass for my coconuts!

^^Golden Malayan Dwarf. ^^

^^Jamaican Tall^^

^^Pacific Tall^^

^^Another Pacific tall^^

^^Mexican Tall coco purchased dehusked at supermarket. chiquita banana-style label said it's from Jalisco, MX  (Germinated in ziploc bag November 2016 and planted in March 2017) ^^

whoa!!

Alex your set up is very impressive!! If anyone can pull this off its defiantly going to be you

[lahuasteca]

Hi again everyone.  It worked!  Finally a direct image upload.  These are three feet tall green Malayans, now in 7 gallon containers.  They were shipped to me, bare-root, from Ft. Lauderdale.  Five days in transit - I was worried about excessive heat in the Fedex transport.  They look like they made it.  I'm trying to get a strong root system developed before planting.

[lahuasteca]

Some of the smaller Malayans, green, gold, and yellow.  These seemed to have had a rougher time in shipment.  They've been in the nursery pots about a week.  I'll keep updating this thread as they grow.

[lahuasteca]

11 minutes ago, Josh-O said:

whoa!!

Alex your set up is very impressive!! If anyone can pull this off its defiantly going to be you

Yes, a very impressive set up!

Gene

 

[lahuasteca]

And these are the ones I'm worried about - only about 5" of growth and they look like they had a very rough time in transport.  Just sparingly watering until I see some rear growth.

[GottmitAlex]

6 minutes ago, lahuasteca said:

Hi again everyone.  It worked!  Finally a direct image upload.  These are three feet tall green Malayans, now in 7 gallon containers.  They were shipped to me, bare-root, from Ft. Lauderdale.  Five days in transit - I was worried about excessive heat in the Fedex transport.  They look like they made it.  I'm trying to get a strong root system developed before planting.

Just gorgeous, Gene! One has an almost fully pinnate frond!  I see a bright future with those cocos!

[Josh-O]

3 minutes ago, GottmitAlex said:

Just gorgeous, Gene! One has an almost fully pinnate frond!  I see a bright future with those cocos!

very nice!!

[Chatta]

Nice San Pedro alex :)

[GottmitAlex]

1 hour ago, Chatta said:

Nice San Pedro alex :)

Thank you! 

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On ‎8‎/‎15‎/‎2017‎ ‎12‎:‎26‎:‎05‎, GottmitAlex said:

Welcome to the forum Gene.

20 coco's? Wow! Nice! Looking at the USDA hardiness map, Brownsville is in a Zone 9B. (your weather can (and has) dipped to 20F-25F)

How large is your yard?

Here are my suggestions:

1.- Make sure they will have a south facing position. 

2.- How's the soil drainage in the designated spots where you plan on planting the cocos?

If it is excellent, then I suggest digging a hole 3'x3'x3' and filling it with coarse sand. This is per coconut. This is to ensure the bulk of the roots do not remain wet during the cold season and potentially rot them out. 

3.- I would add a 1/2" of top layer of  black lava sand (not red) to every aforementioned spot. (example of the sand: http://www.acmesand.com/sand/black-lava-sand/)

4.- This is just me, but having this on 20 coco's would take a toll on the electric bill: Have a 75-100w brood lamp trained onto the soil and the side of the coconut. Space the lamps smartly away from the coco and check the temperature with a cheapo laser/ infrared thermometer gun.  The lights should be activated only during those cold early mornings (sometimes nights) when it's anywhere under 40F.  Here again, since you will be planting 20? coconuts, I would be a bit concerned with the electric bill.

5.- Try to give them some canopy. A makeshift tent from tarps, 3mil plastic etc. Make sure the plastic does not touch the leaves. Plastic is a fantastic conductor for cold. It will burn the parts of the leaves it touches. But this is just cosmetic, Since you want to protect the actual growing point (meristem) of the seedling/juvenile palm.

 

Walt, a forum member, has a mature and fruiting coconut in a zone 9B in Florida. He has great insight, experience and pointers  on how to take care of a coconut palm tree in a Zone 9B.

Here some threads regarding Walt's coconut: (look for Walt's posts)

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/43409-harvested-my-first-coconut-today-in-zone-9b-low-end/

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/50385-coconut-palms-in-zone-9b/&page=1

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/24450-how-far-n-in-florida-can-coconut-palms-reliably-grow/&page=2

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/38811-coconuts-yes-or-no/

 

Hope that helps for starters. Good luck with your coco's and keep us apprised of their status.

(We would like to see pics) 

 

Alex

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alex,

That is an old USDA Climate Zone Map you must be looking at.  Brownsville, as well as most of the Rio Grande Valley, has been a solid Zone 10A Climate for the last 20 to 25 years now, as evidenced by the VERY BIG Zone 10 tropical trees and plants that have been growing there for many years now.  There is an absolutely HUGE Royal Poinciana in a front yard there that covers at least 2/3 of the front yard (and it's a pretty big front yard).  And there are 40ft.+ tall Mexican Tall Coconut Palms there and 20ft. to 25ft. tall Green Malayan Dwarf Coconut Palms there, both with mature nuts on them, and there are Cuban Royal Palms there that are pushing 50ft. tall or more!  The coastal areas of the RGV (Port Isabel and South Padre Island are borderline 10B Climates).  Even as far north as the east side of Corpus Christi near the water, we have been a solid low end 10A Climate for probably the last 15 + years, and Galveston Island, even further north than here has been a solid low end 10A Climate for probably the last 20 + years, even though it is a cool 10A Climate too cool for coconut palms, but with large royals and foxtails there.  South Padre Island by now, may already be a solid low end 10B Climate.  Up here in the Corpus Christi area where North Padre Island is, there are some winters that the coldest temps in the yards of canal homes on the island don't drop below 40F!  South Texas and especially the Rio Grande Valley have become MUCH MORE tropical over the last 20 to 30 years!

John

Edited November 5, 2017 by Mr. Coconut Palm

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On ‎8‎/‎15‎/‎2017‎ ‎10‎:‎55‎:‎58‎, Xenon said:

Are you talking about the one on E Red Snapper? How old is that one? Also, do you know how old the ones at the motel in Brownsville are? 

Welcome to palmtalk!

Jonathan,

I think the one right behind the Blue Marlin grocery store on South Padre is about 15 to 18 years old.  It was planted by a lady from Puerto Rico.  She told me that she brought the sprouted nut from Puerto Rico with her and planted it when she bought the home there.  I didn't think to ask her how old it was.  Anyway, as I recall, I talked to her back in 2008, and it was already mature and fruiting back then.  How she got it on the plane with her, I don't know, but she said she thought it was dwarf variety. I think though, that it is a tall variety, maybe a Maypan, judging by the bulging at the base of the trunk and the thickness of the trunk, as well as its ability to survive some bad winters.  At the end of the street (same side) there is what appears to be a mature Mexican Tall that is also fruiting.  It is probably about 13 to 15 years old.  Both would be even bigger and have more nuts on them if they received more water.  The home of the one at the end of the street may be rental property or a  just a weekend island home of someone, as it often looks like no one is there, so the palm probably rarely gets much more than rainwater.

Anyway, the two REALLY BIG Mexican Talls at the Flamingo Motel in Brownsville are probably about 20 years old.  The previous owner of the motel told me he brought them as sprouts across the river one day from Matamoros in the back seat of his vehicle (I guess Customs wasn't checking vehicles much that day.) and he planted them back in the late '90's.  Those two, just like the ones on the island would be even bigger and with more nuts on them if they were just properly watered during the hot dry months.  Also, fertilizing them with the MicroLife All Organic fertilizer I use that has over 70 minerals and micronutrients would do wonders for them too.

John

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On ‎8‎/‎15‎/‎2017‎ ‎11‎:‎20‎:‎30‎, lahuasteca said:

I drive every day past the one at the motel on Central Blvd. in Brownsville.  It is now quite tall.  If my memory serves me correctly, I think it was there before the Christmas 2004 snowfall (our 100 year snowfall).  The temperature did not fall below 30 F. in Brownsville during that event and the snow may actually have insulated that palm.  However, I lost an Archontophoenix cunninghamiana during that event.  

Yes, Gene, there are actually two of them there.  The other one is in the backyard of the motel behind the swimming pool and is probably a few feet taller than the one in the front yard.  Anyway, according to the previous owner, as I recall, he said he planted them back in the late '90's, so they are about 20 years old.  They and some others, including some Green Malayans survived the 2004 snowstorm.

John

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

Just now, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Yes, Gene, there are actually two of them there.  The other one is in the backyard of the motel behind the swimming pool and is probably a few feet taller than the one in the front yard.  Anyway, according to the previous owner, as I recall, he said he planted them back in the late '90's, so they are about 20 years old.  They and some others, including some Green Malayans survived the 2004 snowstorm.

John

By the way, I have two large nuts off the front palm there that I am currently trying to sprout.  I hope at least one of them sprouts and it comes out as a pure Mexican Tall.

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On ‎8‎/‎15‎/‎2017‎ ‎1‎:‎25‎:‎32‎, topwater said:

I agree. We're due for a break after last January :(

I hope this winter will be mild so my big Green Malayan Dwarf will not only survive but start flowering by next spring.  It is big enough now to start flowering any month now.

John

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On ‎8‎/‎15‎/‎2017‎ ‎6‎:‎25‎:‎54‎, lahuasteca said:

OK,

 

some images.  All the Malayan coconuts were shipped from Florida, taking five days in the heat.  The smaller sprouted nuts seem to be more affected by the shipping than the larger ones.  Here in the Lower Rio Grande Valley it's been another one of those summers of well above average temps., particularly in the McAllen area.

Here's the 7 gallon Malayan - I haven't gotten the hang of posting images quite yet, some I'm providing links to the server:

http://www.pbase.com/lahuasteca/image/166027424&exif=Y

And now 2 and 3 gallon - they look more or less OK after a five day shipping from Florida:

http://www.pbase.com/lahuasteca/image/166027434

Now some 3 and 5 gallon Malayan:

http://www.pbase.com/lahuasteca/image/166027433

The small 5" in a 2 gallon container doesn't look too good - don't know if it is going to make it:

http://www.pbase.com/lahuasteca/image/166027440

And finally, while not a coconut, a fruiting Raja Puri banana.  While hardy as far as sweet bananas go, they still will not shoot up a stalk if cold damaged during the winter.
This tells me I just might be able to grow the Malayan Dwarfs here in Brownsville, that is, as long as no monster Arctic freezes (1989) rears its ugly head:

http://www.pbase.com/lahuasteca/image/166027477

 

Meanwhile I'll keep working at posting images directly onto the forum - it keeps telling me my files are too large at 1.5 MB.

Gene

 

Gene,

I have the same problem trying to post my images here.  They always tell me they are too large, so I just take them from my Facebook group and post them here.  That seems to work okay.  With your little Malayan Dwarf that doesn't look so good, you can try spraying it with Bonide Copper Fungicide for Organic Gardening.  That is what I treat my coconut palms with a couple of times over the winter to help ward off any fungus and bud rot.  I have brought a couple of small coconut palms back that way that I thought I was going to lose.  I think it is one ounce of the fungicide per gallon of water that I use then put it in a hand held spray bottle and wet the leaves and stem really good, and let a little drip down into the nut where the sprout is emerging from.  Don't do it more than twice in a winter though, as using it too much can cause a copper toxicity if too much copper builds up in the palm.

I also have a cluster of Raja Puri bananas up here in Corpus Christi that do just fine in a typical winter here.  We even got some fruit off of them last year, but this year, I just didn't keep them watered enough to get any fruit production.  The stout leaves of them hold up better to our high winds here better than the bigger standard sized banana leaves.

John

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On ‎8‎/‎15‎/‎2017‎ ‎6‎:‎25‎:‎54‎, lahuasteca said:

OK,

 

some images.  All the Malayan coconuts were shipped from Florida, taking five days in the heat.  The smaller sprouted nuts seem to be more affected by the shipping than the larger ones.  Here in the Lower Rio Grande Valley it's been another one of those summers of well above average temps., particularly in the McAllen area.

Here's the 7 gallon Malayan - I haven't gotten the hang of posting images quite yet, some I'm providing links to the server:

http://www.pbase.com/lahuasteca/image/166027424&exif=Y

And now 2 and 3 gallon - they look more or less OK after a five day shipping from Florida:

http://www.pbase.com/lahuasteca/image/166027434

Now some 3 and 5 gallon Malayan:

http://www.pbase.com/lahuasteca/image/166027433

The small 5" in a 2 gallon container doesn't look too good - don't know if it is going to make it:

http://www.pbase.com/lahuasteca/image/166027440

And finally, while not a coconut, a fruiting Raja Puri banana.  While hardy as far as sweet bananas go, they still will not shoot up a stalk if cold damaged during the winter.
This tells me I just might be able to grow the Malayan Dwarfs here in Brownsville, that is, as long as no monster Arctic freezes (1989) rears its ugly head:

http://www.pbase.com/lahuasteca/image/166027477

 

Meanwhile I'll keep working at posting images directly onto the forum - it keeps telling me my files are too large at 1.5 MB.

Gene

 

Gene,

A week or so after applying the copper fungicide, you should probably spray your little sickly Malayan Dwarf with Medina Hast Gro Lawn 12-4-8 as a foliar spray.  It has some much needed micronutrients in it.  It comes in a hose end spray bottle, but I mix once ounce of it to a gallon of water, then put it in a hand held sprayer and douse the leaves and upper part of the trunk/stem with it.  Applying this 3 or 4 times over the course of the winter helps potted and in ground coconut palms to make it through the winter better as it helps to give them some much needed Potassium.  Coconut palms in South Texas seem to always develop a Potassium deficiency even in normal winters, as they have a harder time taking up available Potassium in cooler weather.  Severe Potassium deficiency can kill a coconut palm (starts out as brown spots on the ends of the leaves and eventually takes over the whole leaf), but they usually naturally snap out of it with continued warmer weather in he spring time.  Central and South Central Florida coconut palms have the same problem in the winter.

John

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On ‎8‎/‎15‎/‎2017‎ ‎8‎:‎22‎:‎47‎, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

You live in the only area of the continental US other than florida that readily grow coconuts to maturity, so take advantage and grow as many as you can. 

Joseph,

There should be literally thousands of coconut palms grown in the Rio Grande Valley and South Padre Island, but unfortunately, there are probably only about 150 or less there.  I think the only reason why there aren't a lot more planted there is just the lack of availability from local nurseries.  Since the culture there is predominantly Mexican, I am sure that many people would be planting them there if they were just more widely available, just as their relatives across the river do.  In fact, I know first hand there is demand for them in the Valley, because I personally know people from there who ask me for them.  I even think they could be grown commercially at least to a limited extent for the retail nurseries and the landscaping industry there, on the southeast side of Brownsville (the most tropical part of Brownsville) in the rich delta soil there.

John

Edited November 5, 2017 by Mr. Coconut Palm

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On ‎8‎/‎15‎/‎2017‎ ‎9‎:‎09‎:‎01‎, lahuasteca said:

Hi Alex,

Impressive set of coconut palms.  The big question is - where are you obtaining the husked coconuts?  I can not find them in fruit stands anywhere in South Texas.  If I could, there would be no problem sprouting the seed nuts with all the heat and humidity we have.  I've seen them in the markets across the river in Matamoros, but it is a heinous crime, equal to anything the drug cartels might smuggle, to try and pass one through customs, punishable by 25 years of solitary confinement in the high max in Colorado!

So much for the "Land of the Free".  Only in a far right Fascist system like ours would the CIA be flying in literally many tons of drugs from Central and South America all the time (trust me I used to be a cop, and my father is a retired government attorney), but some guys who love to grow coconut palms can't even bring a sprouted nut or even just a good seed coconut from across the river without all Hell breaking loose!

John

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On ‎8‎/‎15‎/‎2017‎ ‎11‎:‎03‎:‎07‎, lahuasteca said:

And these are the ones I'm worried about - only about 5" of growth and they look like they had a very rough time in transport.  Just sparingly watering until I see some rear growth.

Gene,

I would water them more often, especially in hot, dry weather.  I have gotten some shipped to me from Florida over the years that came not looking too good, but after potting them up and applying a little of the high quality MicroLife All Organic fertilizer I use, along with regular watering, they recovered from shipping pretty quickly and started growing again nicely.  The only ones I ever lost in shipment were ones in which the bud or trunk was damaged, and in that case, no amount of careful watering will bring them back.

John

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

I just stepped outside to take a look at my biggest Green Malayan Dwarf Coconut Palm silhouetted against the full moon.  There is nothing like the site of a beautiful coconut palm against the moonlight of a full moon!

John