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Germinating a Super Market clean coconut??


JASON M

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I can't help but think that my crappy climate and crappy supermarkets are killing the coconuts before I can even try to germinate them.

I'm going to try this, yet again, and see if I can get lucky (5th time's the charm?)

"Ph'nglui mglw'napalma Funkthulhu R'Lincolnea wgah'palm fhtagn"
"In his house at Lincoln, dread Funkthulhu plants palm trees."

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ok, I kid .... when it's time to try a coconut i'll just go to the local hardware store and pay $25 for one that's' already 2' tall and try from there

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  • 9 months later...
  • 5 weeks later...

Update! Picture taken May 22, 2014

post-47-0-80988600-1403099985_thumb.jpg

Frank

 

Zone 9b pine flatlands

humid/hot summers; dry/cool winters

with yearly freezes

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I successfully raised a supermarket coconut. I did it because I'm interested in unusual varieties that are not common in Florida. You can sprout and raise them, but it's not easy. The seedlings are prone to dying off for various reasons. It's best to raise them indoors under a grow light for several months before planting them outdoors. The sun will overheat the nut and it will crack -- which is fatal to the seedling. Without the husk, the seedling is at the mercy of nature -- heat, disease and insects. The young coconut needs to be just about weaned off the nut before you plant it. That takes about a year. Good luck!

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Thanks for the update Frank! I would expect it to be larger by now, it might be time to pot it up.

Rick, I too try to grow different varieties of coconuts than the common Malayan dwarf. The variety grown in Dominican Republic is an Atlantic tall variety that escaped LY called Criollo. I'm trying to grow one from the supermarket of this variety as well. Right now I have one coconut that's about at the level of Frank's coconut in the bag in post 49.

  • Upvote 1

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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Rick, as far as huskless nuts go, would it adversely affect the seedling if you buried the coco in mulch? Would that keep it from cracking?

"Ph'nglui mglw'napalma Funkthulhu R'Lincolnea wgah'palm fhtagn"
"In his house at Lincoln, dread Funkthulhu plants palm trees."

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From the picture, can you tell if it's the real Criollo variety?

Frank

 

Zone 9b pine flatlands

humid/hot summers; dry/cool winters

with yearly freezes

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From the picture, can you tell if it's the real Criollo variety?

Looks like it to me. To be sure you'd have to grow it in the ground for a few years to see.

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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Best material to start a dehusked coconut is coir... Duh!

Modesto, CA USDA 9b

July/August average 95f/63f

Dec/Jan average 55f/39f

Average lowest winter temp 27f

Record low temp 18f

Record high temp 113f

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Hi Funkthulhu. Mulch might help, but without the husk, the nut can be invaded by bacteria, fungi and insects through the soft pore and even through the shell. That can happen anyway with a husk, as some coconut sprouts just die for no apparent reason. You might be able to create an artificial husk using something like "Greastuff," but I have never tried that. I recommend growing it indoors with a very bright "Grow And "Show" light in a warm, humid place.

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  • 5 months later...

I stumbled upon this thread a few weeks back and decided to give some dehusked coconuts a try. The day I went out it didn't even get above 0F, so this is possible to do year round! I'm actually pretty amazed this worked considering how cold the store was where I picked this up.

28thopv.jpg

Hopefully it survives. I had it in my car driving home across country, or getting ready to, when I broke down, and it got pretty cold by the time I got towed back home (I broke down 20 miles from my house :)).

Edited by fr8train

sticker.gif?zipcode=78015&template=stick

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Hey Dawnne, welcome to Palmtalk! I'm a newbie too. Where in Jersey are ya? I'm in Monmouth County by Sandy Hook. I have some Palms growing in the ground but its tough. I have tried growing a coconut from a store bought one with no luck but I want to try again! I have many Sabal minors growing that made it thru last winter totally unprotected! Good luck!

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  • 3 weeks later...

11kvymx.jpg

Interesting that yours shows the red color that Jeff's did. I sprouted two, one of which was green right away, the other stayed the original white color for a while. The green one is now green, and the other one is an orange-bronze color. I'll try to remember to get some pics tomorrow to show them.

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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Interesting that yours shows the red color that Jeff's did. I sprouted two, one of which was green right away, the other stayed the original white color for a while. The green one is now green, and the other one is an orange-bronze color. I'll try to remember to get some pics tomorrow to show them.

I think I remember that thread when searching around online about germinating de-husked coconuts. I look forward to pictures of yours. :greenthumb:

sticker.gif?zipcode=78015&template=stick

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Okay here's the photos! This is my green petiole coconut. This is the first one that I got from Publix and it took quite a while to actually sprout. I ended up giving up and buying another coconut, which sprouted first, but I was able to eventually coax this one into sprouting by removing the lid from the embryo. It's in the location that I plan to plant it, but I might wait a little before I do that. It's been an unusually warm winter though, so I'm tempted to put it in the ground before spring.

IMG_3696.jpg

Another pic:

IMG_3699.jpg

Here is coconut number two, the bronze-orange petiole one. It's petiole color was more striking before winter came. I've noticed that some of my coconuts with the orange or bronze trait show it more bold in the summer, but others show it in the winter. This one is in the former category

IMG_3700.jpg

I'll try to remember to post at the end of summer, when they should be quite a bit bigger.

  • Upvote 1

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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^nice

Why are they buried so deeply? Or are the tops just covered with moss?

The soil level comes up to a normal level, but I put a thick layer of sphagnum moss over that. The reason for this is that the husk prevents the coconut from exploding when it gets sunny/hot (which is the case here), so my thinking is that as long as I keep the sphagnum wet enough, it should moderate the temperature of the coconut enough to prevent that.

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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  • 1 month later...

Well the coconut above died in transport from my parents house in Illinois back to Wyoming, so last week I went out and bought 5 more. Two more have already germinated. I suprised how easy it is to get these things to sprout. I would have tried years ago if I'd known.

Edited by fr8train

sticker.gif?zipcode=78015&template=stick

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  • 6 months later...

Hi! This is my coconut seedling (Cocos nucifera - KING). I bought the king coconut (country of origin: Sri Lanka) in april 2014. I put it in the wet plastic bag. After a month the coconut began to germinate. In the autumn of 2014 the coconut tree was attacked by mites. I was destroyed them by pongam oil. The coconut seedling survive last winter. This summer 2015 was very dry and hot in our country (Slovakia), so my coconut palm got sunburn.

P.S.: English isn’t my first language, so please excuse any mistakes.

image.jpg image.jpg DSC07486.jpg DSC07898.jpg

  • Upvote 3

My name: Miroslav Janocko My location: Kosicke Olsany, Slovakia, Europe

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Hi! This is my coconut seedling (Cocos nucifera - KING). I bought the king coconut (country of origin: Sri Lanka) in april 2014. I put it in the wet plastic bag. After a month the coconut began to germinate. In the autumn of 2014 the coconut tree was attacked by mites. I was destroyed them by pongam oil. The coconut seedling survive last winter. This summer 2015 was very dry and hot in our country (Slovakia), so my coconut palm got sunburn.

P.S.: English isn’t my first language, so please excuse any mistakes.

image.jpg image.jpg DSC07486.jpg DSC07898.jpg

Hello Graupel! Nice job! Your seedling and young coconut looks great. What conditions will you give it this winter? do you have any artificial light? are you going to warm the container? I have 6 coconuts bought in a grocery store, all waiting for germination in an "incubator" !

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Hi! This is my coconut seedling (Cocos nucifera - KING). I bought the king coconut (country of origin: Sri Lanka) in april 2014. I put it in the wet plastic bag. After a month the coconut began to germinate. In the autumn of 2014 the coconut tree was attacked by mites. I was destroyed them by pongam oil. The coconut seedling survive last winter. This summer 2015 was very dry and hot in our country (Slovakia), so my coconut palm got sunburn.

P.S.: English isn’t my first language, so please excuse any mistakes.

image.jpg

Your first photo is very informative because you can see the early growth of the radicle which you can’t see normally as it is hidden by fibres or soil. :greenthumb:

My photos at flickr: flickr.com/photos/palmeir/albums

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Here's an update on the two coconuts that I posted in January!

post-3598-0-62593400-1441549957_thumb.jp

Here's a coconut I'm germinating that I got at a local Indian market. The size and shape suggest that it's a South-East Asian variety. The coconut itself weighs over 2.5 pounds.

post-3598-0-37228000-1441549979_thumb.jp

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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Here's a coconut I'm germinating that I got at a local Indian market. The size and shape suggest that it's a South-East Asian variety. The coconut itself weighs over 2.5 pounds.

attachicon.gifIMG_4293.JPG

This one looks like my mini-coconut, only a little bit bigger … :winkie:

post-10467-0-09754600-1441551656_thumb.j

My photos at flickr: flickr.com/photos/palmeir/albums

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here's a coconut I'm germinating that I got at a local Indian market. The size and shape suggest that it's a South-East Asian variety. The coconut itself weighs over 2.5 pounds.

 

post-3598-0-37228000-1441549979_thumb.jp

IMG_4295.thumb.jpg.c564fb7acccbae0731ed9

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello Graupel! Nice job! Your seedling and young coconut looks great. What conditions will you give it this winter? do you have any artificial light? are you going to warm the container? I have 6 coconuts bought in a grocery store, all waiting for germination in an "incubator" !

Hi, RemiMontreal2015 !

My coconut palm survived last winter without any special conditions, so this winter I didn‘t prepare special conditions too. Suffice room conditions.

Placing: bright place, not near heating
Air temperature: more than 20°C / 68°F
Humidity: more than 60%
Spraying the leaves with water: more than 3 times per day (water temperature: about 30°C / 86°F)
Watering: about 300-600 ml / 10-20 oz per day (water temperature: about 30°C / 86°F); the amount of water depends on size of the pot; the soil should not dry out, but at the same time there shall be no waterlogging of the soil

Edited by graupel

My name: Miroslav Janocko My location: Kosicke Olsany, Slovakia, Europe

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Hello Graupel! Nice job! Your seedling and young coconut looks great. What conditions will you give it this winter? do you have any artificial light? are you going to warm the container? I have 6 coconuts bought in a grocery store, all waiting for germination in an "incubator" !

Hi, RemiMontreal2015 !

My coconut palm survived last winter without any special conditions, so this winter I didn‘t prepare special conditions too. Suffice room conditions.

Placing: bright place, not near heating
Air temperature: more than 20°C / 68°F
Humidity: more than 60%
Spraying the leaves with water: more than 3 times per day (water temperature: about 30°C / 86°F)
Watering: about 300-600 ml / 10-20 oz per day (water temperature: about 30°C / 86°F); the amount of water depends on size of the pot; the soil should not dry out, but at the same time there shall be no waterlogging of the soil

Many thanks for yout detailed answered. I just succeed germinating a grocery store dehusked coconut ( it is only at the embryo stage with the first shooting root and plumule) so I will try your settings!

 

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  • 3 months later...
On September 14, 2015 at 19:54:53, Zeeth said:

 

IMG_4295.thumb.jpg.c564fb7acccbae0731ed9

New Year's update.

IMG_4826.thumb.JPG.d6bf950151c65b5a49e67

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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On January 4, 2015 at 17:43:37, Zeeth said:

Okay here's the photos! This is my green petiole coconut. This is the first one that I got from Publix and it took quite a while to actually sprout. I ended up giving up and buying another coconut, which sprouted first, but I was able to eventually coax this one into sprouting by removing the lid from the embryo. It's in the location that I plan to plant it, but I might wait a little before I do that. It's been an unusually warm winter though, so I'm tempted to put it in the ground before spring.

 

IMG_3696.jpg

 

Here is coconut number two, the bronze-orange petiole one. It's petiole color was more striking before winter came. I've noticed that some of my coconuts with the orange or bronze trait show it more bold in the summer, but others show it in the winter. This one is in the former category

IMG_3700.jpg

 

New Year's update on these coconuts too, showing 1 year of growth since the first pictures I posted. IMG_4644.thumb.JPG.2e1381f35ac5ba1081916

  • Upvote 2

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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16 minutes ago, Kai said:

Here's mine about 10 days ago.

Initially I had 3 germinated coconuts, but 2 of them died because of fungus. Still waiting for it to pick up some speed LOL

I had similar problems with fungi in the past. So I would recommend pure mineral soil like coarse sand or perlite without any humus.

  • Upvote 1

My photos at flickr: flickr.com/photos/palmeir/albums

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1 minute ago, Pal Meir said:

I had similar problems with fungi in the past. So I would recommend pure mineral soil like coarse sand or perlite without any humus.

That would certainly decrease chances of fungus. Thanks. Still I'm not repotting this one soon. I'm pretty confident it will pull through. The other 2 died in a propagator with very poor air circulation. This one is in healthy condition and so far acclimatized to my indoor conditions...so far. We'll see. No harm done at €1,50 for the 3 nuts...

www.facebook.com/#!/Totallycoconuts

Amsterdam,

The Netherlands

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  • 3 months later...

Cocos nucifera 15.4.2016
DSC08786.jpg

My name: Miroslav Janocko My location: Kosicke Olsany, Slovakia, Europe

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  • 3 months later...

Cocos nucifera 15.7.2016

DSC09172.jpg

My name: Miroslav Janocko My location: Kosicke Olsany, Slovakia, Europe

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  • 5 weeks later...
On January 1, 2016 at 10:19:57, Zeeth said:

New Year's update.

IMG_4826.thumb.JPG.d6bf950151c65b5a49e67

Update on this one. It's the one in the pot. 

IMG_6514.thumb.JPG.4a638a3a59969c5301218

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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