Phoenix dactylifera -What kind of dates you eat?

[Alicante]

I eat Spanish dates:

Very sweet and tasty

[chayote]

Different dates have different taste

[chayote]

http://www.tamaracooperative.org.au/
More australian dates will come soon

[_Keith]

The Black Sphinx Dates are not available.   Give em a shot.

[Cedric]

I love the hard chewy ones from Dubai, colour like honey, transparent and sweet as honey as well. They seem to be a speciality there imported from Oman. The big soft pasty ones we get at the supermarket (think majool California) I don't like at all, maybe better for baking though they improve if you leave them open in the fridge for four weeks.

I planted a few seeds and they came up but due to repeated mowing eventualy dissapeared.

The most attractive ones I've seen and notably so where being grown for dates in the North of Thailand, the leaves were a lovely reddish pinky silver. They are selected for the climes meant to be something special about the fruit too which they sell along the roadside, I didn't stop and find out.

[_Keith]

Above, I meant to say that the Black Sphinx Dates are available.   I ordered 3 pounds, some will be gifts.   Anyway, give em a shot.

[Ben in Norcal]

I just ordered my Black Sphinx.  I hope to germinate some!

[dalmatiansoap]

Above, I meant to say that the Black Sphinx Dates are available.   I ordered 3 pounds, some will be gifts.   Anyway, give em a shot.

I just ordered my Black Sphinx.  I hope to germinate some!

Any feedbacks guys?

[Ben in Norcal]

Above, I meant to say that the Black Sphinx Dates are available.   I ordered 3 pounds, some will be gifts.   Anyway, give em a shot.

 

I just ordered my Black Sphinx.  I hope to germinate some!

Any feedbacks guys?

Well, they are yummy.  Very sweet, you can only eat a few at a time.  Just put some seeds in soil today!  In the greenhouse they go.

[_Keith]

They are super rich.   When they say 1 pound will do you, they are not lying.   I ordered 3 pounds and we will never get them down.   My first seeds are going in the soil tomorrow.   I wonder how many years before we know if we really have that miracle black sphinx among one of us.   We can't be the first to try this.

[steveb]

From February 2016 my  Barhee dates will come into commercial production - had 150kg last year - expecting 3,000 kg this next season + a small quantity of medjool dates - other varieties have on our property - hopefully 2017 start getting some fruit are Khadrawy, Khalas, Nemeishi. If interested in dates from February in Australia http://www.riverlanddates.com.au/ 

[mcrawford]

Do not spend time growing dates from seed!  To get a good fruit bearing female, you must start with a pup from a good fruit bearing tree.

In other words, you must have a clone.  The same is true with apples, except dates are dioecious, meaning separate male and female plants.

You could spend 5-10 yrs growing from seed only to find out you have a male (pollen bearing) plant and no fruit.  If you did have a female, it

is guaranteed to be genetically different from the parent and likely not near as tasty.  The only way is to get a pup from a friend or buy one from

a date farm ($100+).  There are 3 Dept of Ag date collections, the largest in the Coachella Valley, the smallest near Yuma and the 3rd SE of Phoenix.

Here is a link to this site, where I occasionally volunteer.  The varieties are amazing.   https://sites.google.com/a/asu.edu/arboretum-date-palms/

Many varieties of fruit  are available in the fall from Sphinx Date Farm in Scottsdale, including the Black Sphinx.

 

ps...That is a Phx. dactylifera v.medjool in my avatar

[Ben in Norcal]

Do not spend time growing dates from seed!  To get a good fruit bearing female, you must start with a pup from a good fruit bearing tree.

In other words, you must have a clone.  The same is true with apples, except dates are dioecious, meaning separate male and female plants.

You could spend 5-10 yrs growing from seed only to find out you have a male (pollen bearing) plant and no fruit.  If you did have a female, it

is guaranteed to be genetically different from the parent and likely not near as tasty.  The only way is to get a pup from a friend or buy one from

a date farm ($100+).  There are 3 Dept of Ag date collections, the largest in the Coachella Valley, the smallest near Yuma and the 3rd SE of Phoenix.

Here is a link to this site, where I occasionally volunteer.  The varieties are amazing.   https://sites.google.com/a/asu.edu/arboretum-date-palms/

Many varieties of fruit  are available in the fall from Sphinx Date Farm in Scottsdale, including the Black Sphinx.

 

ps...That is a Phx. dactylifera v.medjool in my avatar

This assumes the point is to have a fruiting date palm.  That's not my objective (they don't fruit well here anyway.)

[chayote]

of course seeds propagating only for horticulture / breeding purpose, but it will be the cheap way to get a palm tree for ornamental use

[Phoenikakias]

Do not spend time growing dates from seed!  To get a good fruit bearing female, you must start with a pup from a good fruit bearing tree.

In other words, you must have a clone.  The same is true with apples, except dates are dioecious, meaning separate male and female plants.

You could spend 5-10 yrs growing from seed only to find out you have a male (pollen bearing) plant and no fruit.  If you did have a female, it

is guaranteed to be genetically different from the parent and likely not near as tasty.  The only way is to get a pup from a friend or buy one from

a date farm ($100+).  There are 3 Dept of Ag date collections, the largest in the Coachella Valley, the smallest near Yuma and the 3rd SE of Phoenix.

Here is a link to this site, where I occasionally volunteer.  The varieties are amazing.   https://sites.google.com/a/asu.edu/arboretum-date-palms/

Many varieties of fruit  are available in the fall from Sphinx Date Farm in Scottsdale, including the Black Sphinx.

 

ps...That is a Phx. dactylifera v.medjool in my avatar

This assumes the point is to have a fruiting date palm.  That's not my objective (they don't fruit well here anyway.)

Never say never! Observing many years date palms in my area, I can only tell that there is a BIG difference between the conditions needed for a COMMERCIAL date production and production only for individual needs. For a sustainable commercially date production, trees have to fruit PROLIFICLY, RELIABLY and CONSTANTLY with the LOWEST cultivation cost for the possibly BEST product. Those conditions are not necessary when it comes to a cultivation of a couple of trees privately...

[dalmatiansoap]

Just to ad, TC seedlings are still to expensive and hard to obtain here. Cuttings would be even hardier to get. Unfortunaly seedlings are still the only option for many of us. 

[Phoenikakias]

Just to ad, TC seedlings are still to expensive and hard to obtain here. Cuttings would be even hardier to get. Unfortunaly seedlings are still the only option for many of us. 

Ante, what does TC stand for?

[dalmatiansoap]

Tissue culture

Just to ad, TC seedlings are still to expensive and hard to obtain here. Cuttings would be even hardier to get. Unfortunaly seedlings are still the only option for many of us. 

Ante, what does TC stand for?

[Mohsen]

I eat Mazafati Date from Iran...eating them with milk and tea specially at mornings since I remember,,, cant imagine starting my day without them...that should be the root of my fond to palms

http://www.datecoop.com/mazafati-dates/

[Howeadypsis]

My partner bought me some dates today , never heard of this brand,Sharazade. 

 

[steveb]

Do not spend time growing dates from seed!  To get a good fruit bearing female, you must start with a pup from a good fruit bearing tree.

In other words, you must have a clone.  The same is true with apples, except dates are dioecious, meaning separate male and female plants.

You could spend 5-10 yrs growing from seed only to find out you have a male (pollen bearing) plant and no fruit.  If you did have a female, it

is guaranteed to be genetically different from the parent and likely not near as tasty.  The only way is to get a pup from a friend or buy one from

a date farm ($100+).  There are 3 Dept of Ag date collections, the largest in the Coachella Valley, the smallest near Yuma and the 3rd SE of Phoenix.

Here is a link to this site, where I occasionally volunteer.  The varieties are amazing.   https://sites.google.com/a/asu.edu/arboretum-date-palms/

Many varieties of fruit  are available in the fall from Sphinx Date Farm in Scottsdale, including the Black Sphinx.

 

ps...That is a Phx. dactylifera v.medjool in my avatar

Would not entirely agree to this statement - yes if you want to grow a particular cultivar - you will never get true to type growing from seed. On the other hand you just may grow by chance a great date - that is unique. All the different cultivars of dates - the initial parent plant had to have been a seedling and they were reproduced from pups (off-shoots) or the last 20+ years by tissue culture. Good example in the USA is the Black sphinx - no one knows exactly but most thinking its a seed that took root and someone decided to keep that line going.  

Ok it may take 10+ years to find out what you have - but you never know what you may come up with - that in itself can be rewarding

 

[_Keith]

[Phoenikakias]

To make things even more complicated, it is A KNOWN PRACTICE ΤΗΕ COMMERCIAL CROSS-POLLINATION of female dactylifera with other male Phoenix spss, because resulted fruits may obtain due to natural hormonic changes certain properties. There are scientific papers on this issue  because of the economic importance and  the natural phenomen is called  METAXENIA. For example it is a common practice the cross pollination from male Phoenix zeylanica, because resulted dates have only tiny to none stones. In other instances dates from cross pollination ripen ealrlier or get bigger etc. Now germinated seeds from such dates produce hybrids and latter probably get pollinated from or pollinate genuine dactylifera  and resulted plants are f1(b) hybrids. Go figure out what results from date stone! 

[Howeadypsis]

To be honest I don't grow them with the hope of getting fruit. I wouldn't expect dates from a palm until over 30 years anyway. I just grow them because I like the plants. Bringing the exotic to Northern England 

[Stelios]

Some friends gave me theses dates. I don't know the variety but they are more round than others and the tree, like they told me, looks like  phoenix dactylifera. Maybe a hybrid? I kept them in the freezer for a few days and now I let them outside to mature more quickly. In a couple of days I can eat them. I already tried some a few days ago and they are very delicious.

 

 

 

[dalmatiansoap]

Its a Bahri date! Save these seeds

[Stelios]

Its a Bahri date! Save these seeds

Thanks for the info. I checked about Bahri dates and they describe them as some of the most sweet dates. Is it O.K. that I had the fruits 1 week in the freezer? I could always ask my friends to send me more fruits when they mature on the tree.

[dalmatiansoap]

Sure, why not.

[steveb]

Its a Bahri date! Save these seeds

Thanks for the info. I checked about Bahri dates and they describe them as some of the most sweet dates. Is it O.K. that I had the fruits 1 week in the freezer? I could always ask my friends to send me more fruits when they mature on the tree.

Definitely a Barhi date - my profile photo is of a bunch of Barhi dates in Khalal stage - one of the few varieties that you can eat in the fresh - crunchy stage where they are not astringent.

[Brian F. Austin]

We eat alot of the Bard Valley medjools sold at Trader Joe's. I have quite a few plants that I sprouted from these last year that are on their 3rd strap now.

I tried some Halawi dates also that were very sweet and caramel flavored. Very Nice!  I'm exocited to germinate the Halawi stones, there is about 50 of them! The stones are very long and thin shaped like a cigarillo. the medjools are more of a football/loaf of bread shape. 

Does anybody here grow any of the Halawis? I specifically picked these after reading online that the fruit can handle more humid conditions and also that the palms are larger than medjools in trunk and canopy and make beautiful specimens. I haven't seen a photo of one though.

One other question... Do commercial date growers pollinate their female trees with same variety or even same specie of pollen? I don't assume that a medjool or halawi will grow true to type from seed.

[Phoenikakias]

5 hours ago, Brian F. Austin said:

 

I tried some Halawi dates also that were very sweet and caramel flavored. Very Nice!  I'm exocited to germinate the Halawi stones, there is about 50 of them! The stones are very long and thin shaped like a cigarillo. the medjools are more of a football/loaf of bread shape.

 

Like this?

[Phoenikakias]

6 hours ago, Brian F. Austin said:

One other question... Do commercial date growers pollinate their female trees with same variety or even same specie of pollen? I don't assume that a medjool or halawi will grow true to type from seed.

Not sure, whether pollen is always from the same sp. There is something called mataxenia effect, which date producers try to use it to their own benefit, meaning producing dates of bigger size, ripening faster and having only a small stone or not at all. I have read also that sometimes date trees produced in vitro are hermaphrodite!

[Brian F. Austin]

Yes! Here's a photo of these little bullets... pretty cool huh?

Mataxenia effect is a new phrase for me. Thanks!

 

 

 

[Phoenikakias]

The medjool seeds have the typical wings.

[rprimbs]

On 9/26/2015, 10:30:46, _Keith said:

The Black Sphinx Dates are not available.   Give em a shot.

From time to time I hear of people trading female Black Sphinx suckers.  And I've noticed suckers at the base of the Black Sphinx date palms,  in videos of people harvesting the dates.  So suckers do actually exist.  Maybe it is just really hard to get ahold of them.  And there are probably other soft dates that are just as good and a lot easier to find.  I want to get one male, then a Madjool, and then I want to head over to Death Valley and check out what they have available at China Ranch.  I think that they sell plants.

[_Keith]

On 5/24/2017, 9:07:16, rprimbs said:

From time to time I hear of people trading female Black Sphinx suckers.  And I've noticed suckers at the base of the Black Sphinx date palms,  in videos of people harvesting the dates.  So suckers do actually exist.  Maybe it is just really hard to get ahold of them.  And there are probably other soft dates that are just as good and a lot easier to find.  I want to get one male, then a Madjool, and then I want to head over to Death Valley and check out what they have available at China Ranch.  I think that they sell plants.

I'll be anxious to hear of your finds.