Growing coconut in Melbourne Australia, is it possible?

[Fi Melbourne 17]

Hi guys,

I've just received my 3 sprouted coconuts in the mail. This will be my first time growing coconut and I am a bit excited and nervous at the same time as I've never done this before.

I grew up in South East Asia and my late grandfather's house was surrounded with beautiful coconut trees. Now that I've moved to Melbourne Australia, I wanted a piece of tropical paradise with me to remind me of my childhood.

Since it's currently winter now in Melbourne, the coconuts will be grown indoor. Once they get bigger... I will move them in the greenhouse. Hopefully with the right method and equipment, I would be able to grow them in the ground one day. I have about a dozen of banana trees growing in the backyard already and now I just need a few coconut trees to have my own tropical paradise.

Do you guys have any advice for a newbie like me? Do's and don'ts? I have a heat mat, grow light and humidifier to help these babies grow. Should I leave the heat mat on all night? I put plastic over them to create a humid environment. Any fertilizer at all at this stage?

Thanks guys and it's great to be a part of this community.

Regards,
Fi

[sandgroper 977]

Unfortunately mate they stand absolutely no chance in the ground in Melbourne,  it's just too cold there. They'll survive inside with plenty of light and warmth and potted into the right growing medium but there'll come a time where you'll need to decide if you want to try to bonsai them, which can be done or unfortunately probably lose them. 

[Fi Melbourne 17]

 

37 minutes ago, sandgroper said:

Unfortunately mate they stand absolutely no chance in the ground in Melbourne,  it's just too cold there. They'll survive inside with plenty of light and warmth and potted into the right growing medium but there'll come a time where you'll need to decide if you want to try to bonsai them, which can be done or unfortunately probably lose them. 

Thanks Dave. Truly appreciate your advice. Now I know that it is impossible to grow them in the ground,  they will remain in pots.  I will also check out how to bonsai them and that should make an interesting plant display at home 

[tropicbreeze 627]

I've had a bonsaied one for about 15 years now, but outdoors. It's in very poor soil and doesn't get extra water during the dry season. It looks terrible, but it still won't give up. Given good soil and water I don't think you'll be able to slow growth. Given poor soil and very little water and you won't like what it looks like.

[Mr. Coconut Palm 1,029]

Fi,

Sorry, but your highs and lows in the wintertime are just too chilly for a Coconut Palmto make it.  They are marginal where I live, but occasionally grow to maturity with a few nuts on them on the east side of Corpus Christi, Texas near the water.  Mine struggle through the winter, and my winters are considerably milder on average than yours, with a normal daytime high in Jan. of 65F and a normal nighttime low of 50F, which is BELOW optimal minimum temps for them in winter. But we ARE able to grow them because our temps in late Feb. and early Mar. warmup rapidly, and we have hot summers, and warm falls here, which gives us enough heat MOST of the year to overcome our cool winters here, for the slightly more cold and cool weather tolerant varieties.  Unfortunately for you, even with these varieties, your climate in Melbourne is still just too chilly for them in the winter.

John

[tim_brissy_13 389]

Much too cold here in Melbourne for coconuts, even without frost or freezing temperatures they’ll die from lack of heat before July. They’ll be ok for a while in pots outside from October to April If you move them inside over winter until they get too large. 
 

it is worth noting that they are some very nice palms you can grow here that serve similar landscaping purposes and look somewhat similar to coconuts. Beccariophoenix alfredii, Parajubaea species and even Howea forsteriana have some similarities to coconuts in terms growth structure and frond/crown appearance. 

[Fi Melbourne 17]

13 hours ago, tropicbreeze said:

I've had a bonsaied one for about 15 years now, but outdoors. It's in very poor soil and doesn't get extra water during the dry season. It looks terrible, but it still won't give up. Given good soil and water I don't think you'll be able to slow growth. Given poor soil and very little water and you won't like what it looks like.

Coconut bonsaied for 15 years? Wow! Is it possible to share some pictures with us? I love coconut trees, doesn't matter what they look like. Yes, even bonsaied ones.  I have no choice now but have to bonsai them as well as they will die if grown outdoor, especially over winter.
 

 

[Fi Melbourne 17]

7 hours ago, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Fi,

Sorry, but your highs and lows in the wintertime are just too chilly for a Coconut Palmto make it.  They are marginal where I live, but occasionally grow to maturity with a few nuts on them on the east side of Corpus Christi, Texas near the water.  Mine struggle through the winter, and my winters are considerably milder on average than yours, with a normal daytime high in Jan. of 65F and a normal nighttime low of 50F, which is BELOW optimal minimum temps for them in winter. But we ARE able to grow them because our temps in late Feb. and early Mar. warmup rapidly, and we have hot summers, and warm falls here, which gives us enough heat MOST of the year to overcome our cool winters here, for the slightly more cold and cool weather tolerant varieties.  Unfortunately for you, even with these varieties, your climate in Melbourne is still just too chilly for them in the winter.

John

Hi John,
Yes, I realized now it is just too cold here for coconut unfortunately. We do have frosty mornings in winter, unless I grow them indoor or in a heated greenhouse, so my coconuts won't make it obviously.  How warm is it over there in summer? We do have hot dry summers where I live, where it can get to 40 degrees C (10 degrees F) some days.

 

3 hours ago, tim_brissy_13 said:

Much too cold here in Melbourne for coconuts, even without frost or freezing temperatures they’ll die from lack of heat before July. They’ll be ok for a while in pots outside from October to April If you move them inside over winter until they get too large. 
 

it is worth noting that they are some very nice palms you can grow here that serve similar landscaping purposes and look somewhat similar to coconuts. Beccariophoenix alfredii, Parajubaea species and even Howea forsteriana have some similarities to coconuts in terms growth structure and frond/crown appearance. 

G'day Tim,
I will need to bonsai my coconuts  as eventually I will be running out of places to keep them.

Thanks for the suggestions about the palm trees being similar to coconut. Beccariophoenix alfredii looks pretty good and one seller in Melbourne does have them in stock. Now I need to find a place to grow it  

[GottmitAlex 2,703]

2 minutes ago, Fi Melbourne said:

G'day Tim,
I will need to bonsai my coconuts  as eventually I will be running out of places to keep them.

Thanks for the suggestions about the palm trees being similar to coconut. Beccariophoenix alfredii looks pretty good and one seller in Melbourne does have them in stock. Now I need to find a place to grow it  

Excellent choice!

[Mr. Coconut Palm 1,029]

54 minutes ago, Fi Melbourne said:

Hi John,
Yes, I realized now it is just too cold here for coconut unfortunately. We do have frosty mornings in winter, unless I grow them indoor or in a heated greenhouse, so my coconuts won't make it obviously.  How warm is it over there in summer? We do have hot dry summers where I live, where it can get to 40 degrees C (10 degrees F) some days.

 

G'day Tim,
I will need to bonsai my coconuts  as eventually I will be running out of places to keep them.

Thanks for the suggestions about the palm trees being similar to coconut. Beccariophoenix alfredii looks pretty good and one seller in Melbourne does have them in stock. Now I need to find a place to grow it  

Fi,

My normal high temps in July, the warmest month of the year run about 94F, with a normal low of about 78F.  We do have a few days each summer in the low 100'sF, and now due to Climate Change, even occasionally getting up to 100F in the springtime!

John

[sandgroper 977]

I found this pic online, if you Google bonsai coconut palm you'll find quite a few pics of them.

[WaianaeCrider 385]

Not trying to be a wise guy or any thing.  But it's so interesting to see people struggling to grow a coconut palm.  Here in the Hawaiian Islands they are a dime a dozen unless you try to buy one at say HD.  They grow by the thousands here.  So common that I got my first one a few months ago from a friend when it sprouted under his beach side tree.  It's still in a pot.  Can't make up my mind where to put it.  Picture tomorrow.

[greysrigging 1,874]

1 hour ago, WaianaeCrider said:

Not trying to be a wise guy or any thing.  But it's so interesting to see people struggling to grow a coconut palm.  Here in the Hawaiian Islands they are a dime a dozen unless you try to buy one at say HD.  They grow by the thousands here.  So common that I got my first one a few months ago from a friend when it sprouted under his beach side tree.  It's still in a pot.  Can't make up my mind where to put it.  Picture tomorrow.

Same here ( 12*S )... regarded as 'weeds' pretty much in Darwin.... can't imagine anyone ever paying for one.... haha...
Mind you I take me hat off to the zone pushers and do like to read of the attempts ( success's and failures above and below 32* of the Equator !

[sandgroper 977]

4 hours ago, WaianaeCrider said:

Not trying to be a wise guy or any thing.  But it's so interesting to see people struggling to grow a coconut palm.  Here in the Hawaiian Islands they are a dime a dozen unless you try to buy one at say HD.  They grow by the thousands here.  So common that I got my first one a few months ago from a friend when it sprouted under his beach side tree.  It's still in a pot.  Can't make up my mind where to put it.  Picture tomorrow.

I used to live in a town in the north of our state called Broome where coconuts grow everywhere,  every nut that drops on the ground starts growing. We can grow whatever we like there, lipsticks, coconuts, anything and at the time I thought nothing of it, I wasn't even particularly interested in palms, I just didn't think about them. Having moved 2200kms further south in the state where coconuts don't grow wild I've developed an interest in trying to have one, don't really know why but I'll keep playing around with them. 

[Tyrone 1,742]

Beccariophoenix alfredii is the answer for growing a coconut look alike in very untropical climates. They handle a few degrees of frost too which my plants can attest too. Unfortunately if you want to grow a good looking and happy coconut you must move closer to the equator than about 28 degrees. 

[tropicbreeze 627]

On 7/18/2020 at 10:15 AM, Fi Melbourne said:

Coconut bonsaied for 15 years? Wow! Is it possible to share some pictures with us? I love coconut trees, doesn't matter what they look like. Yes, even bonsaied ones.  I have no choice now but have to bonsai them as well as they will die if grown outdoor, especially over winter.
 

I didn't bonsai it, that was a DIY by the Coconut itself. I just put it on bad ground in a bad spot, the Coconut did the rest. There's too many Coconuts laying around dropped by my mature trees. Ran out of things to do with them.

15 year old tree about a metre total height. I noticed it's producing a new frond now.

Trunk has a maximum diameter of about 70 to 80 mm

[Fi Melbourne 17]

On 7/18/2020 at 11:46 AM, sandgroper said:

I found this pic online, if you Google bonsai coconut palm you'll find quite a few pics of them.

Thanks Dave. I saw many videos on YouTube on how to make them. To be honest, I prefer "normal" looking coconut, but I might try it for fun in the future.

 

On 7/18/2020 at 4:53 PM, WaianaeCrider said:

Not trying to be a wise guy or any thing.  But it's so interesting to see people struggling to grow a coconut palm.  Here in the Hawaiian Islands they are a dime a dozen unless you try to buy one at say HD.  They grow by the thousands here.  So common that I got my first one a few months ago from a friend when it sprouted under his beach side tree.  It's still in a pot.  Can't make up my mind where to put it.  Picture tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing the picture(s) if you have the time to share with us, thank you.  I just love palm trees especially coconut palm 
The struggle to try and grow coconut out of the tropics I consider an interesting challenge. It is a fun project.  I am loving it
 

On 7/18/2020 at 6:40 PM, greysrigging said:

Same here ( 12*S )... regarded as 'weeds' pretty much in Darwin.... can't imagine anyone ever paying for one.... haha...
Mind you I take me hat off to the zone pushers and do like to read of the attempts ( success's and failures above and below 32* of the Equator !

What sort of coconuts can you find in Darwin? Do you have Licuala Spinosa up there too? I am trying to grow them here in Melbourne. The seedlings are growing very slow at the moment. Here is one of them.

21 hours ago, sandgroper said:

I used to live in a town in the north of our state called Broome where coconuts grow everywhere,  every nut that drops on the ground starts growing. We can grow whatever we like there, lipsticks, coconuts, anything and at the time I thought nothing of it, I wasn't even particularly interested in palms, I just didn't think about them. Having moved 2200kms further south in the state where coconuts don't grow wild I've developed an interest in trying to have one, don't really know why but I'll keep playing around with them. 

Same thing when I was living in Malaysia,  I never really take much notice of coconut palms or any other tropical plants because that's a common sight everywhere. Now after living in Australia for 20 years, I get excited seeing all these tropical trees because I know how hard or impossible it is to grow them when you are away from the tropics.

 

18 hours ago, Tyrone said:

Beccariophoenix alfredii is the answer for growing a coconut look alike in very untropical climates. They handle a few degrees of frost too which my plants can attest too. Unfortunately if you want to grow a good looking and happy coconut you must move closer to the equator than about 28 degrees. 

I love B Alfredii. I saw the photos on the internet.  The foliage is almost identical as the cocos nucifera. Moving closer to the equator isn't in my plan anytime soon unfortunately... but I am trying to go and visit my folks in Malaysia every two years anyway.    This one was taken last year somewhere in animal park near KL. 

I am thinking of planting B. Alfredii to replace this banana palm once it dies off.

 

5 hours ago, tropicbreeze said:

I didn't bonsai it, that was a DIY by the Coconut itself. I just put it on bad ground in a bad spot, the Coconut did the rest. There's too many Coconuts laying around dropped by my mature trees. Ran out of things to do with them.

15 year old tree about a metre total height. I noticed it's producing a new frond now.

Trunk has a maximum diameter of about 70 to 80 mm

Wow, it doesn't look like a mature tree at all due to its smaller size. But look at the base of the trunk and roots. That's definitely an older tree there for sure. The soil must be so hard, dry and no nutrients whatsoever? Looks like a severely malnourished tree.

[greysrigging 1,874]

35 minutes ago, Fi Melbourne said:

What sort of coconuts can you find in Darwin? Do you have Licuala Spinosa up there too? I am trying to grow them here in Melbourne. The seedlings are growing very slow at the moment. Here is one of them.

All sorts.... every variety imaginable.... ( I never even knew there were varieties back in the day ) As mentioned, no one really gives them a second thought they are so common. 
I have a Spinosa in my front yard.... very slow growing up until a few years ago when I gave up working FIFO and started spending more time at home and consequently looking after the garden a bit more...ie water and fertilizer. Its now rocketing along....and reaches out and draws blood as I walk past most days....cursed spikey thing !

[WaianaeCrider 385]

Here is my one and only coconut.  Can't figure a good place for it yet.

[tropicbreeze 627]

13 hours ago, Fi Melbourne said:

Wow, it doesn't look like a mature tree at all due to its smaller size. But look at the base of the trunk and roots. That's definitely an older tree there for sure. The soil must be so hard, dry and no nutrients whatsoever? Looks like a severely malnourished tree.

This is the parent plant, only have 4 this height or more now, a lightning strike took out 5 others a number of years ago. But I also have about 30 or 40 more that are a little smaller.

Some more of the taller ones

[Tyrone 1,742]

14 hours ago, Fi Melbourne said:

Thanks Dave. I saw many videos on YouTube on how to make them. To be honest, I prefer "normal" looking coconut, but I might try it for fun in the future.

 

Looking forward to seeing the picture(s) if you have the time to share with us, thank you.  I just love palm trees especially coconut palm 
The struggle to try and grow coconut out of the tropics I consider an interesting challenge. It is a fun project.  I am loving it
 

What sort of coconuts can you find in Darwin? Do you have Licuala Spinosa up there too? I am trying to grow them here in Melbourne. The seedlings are growing very slow at the moment. Here is one of them.

Same thing when I was living in Malaysia,  I never really take much notice of coconut palms or any other tropical plants because that's a common sight everywhere. Now after living in Australia for 20 years, I get excited seeing all these tropical trees because I know how hard or impossible it is to grow them when you are away from the tropics.

 

I love B Alfredii. I saw the photos on the internet.  The foliage is almost identical as the cocos nucifera. Moving closer to the equator isn't in my plan anytime soon unfortunately... but I am trying to go and visit my folks in Malaysia every two years anyway.    This one was taken last year somewhere in animal park near KL. 

I am thinking of planting B. Alfredii to replace this banana palm once it dies off.

 

Wow, it doesn't look like a mature tree at all due to its smaller size. But look at the base of the trunk and roots. That's definitely an older tree there for sure. The soil must be so hard, dry and no nutrients whatsoever? Looks like a severely malnourished tree.

That’s an Abyssinian banana you got there am I right? Ensete? I would let that flower and set seed. They are very rare now. Not many around. If it seeds let me know and I will buy some from you.

[tim_brissy_13 389]

9 minutes ago, Tyrone said:

That’s an Abyssinian banana you got there am I right? Ensete? I would let that flower and set seed. They are very rare now. Not many around. If it seeds let me know and I will buy some from you.

Yeah looks like E ventricosum. There are 3rd generation plants at my parents place from the original I grew. They now pop up in all parts of the garden and some have grown to maturity (6m+) in about 3 years. Really easy and fast to grow, didn’t realise they were rare. When isolation ends and I can visit I’ll have a dig around for some seed. 

[sandgroper 977]

4 hours ago, Tyrone said:

That’s an Abyssinian banana you got there am I right? Ensete? I would let that flower and set seed. They are very rare now. Not many around. If it seeds let me know and I will buy some from you.

I've seen them growing at South Perth Zoo Tyrone, next time I'm there I'll have a look around.

[Fi Melbourne 17]

19 hours ago, greysrigging said:

All sorts.... every variety imaginable.... ( I never even knew there were varieties back in the day ) As mentioned, no one really gives them a second thought they are so common. 
I have a Spinosa in my front yard.... very slow growing up until a few years ago when I gave up working FIFO and started spending more time at home and consequently looking after the garden a bit more...ie water and fertilizer. Its now rocketing along....and reaches out and draws blood as I walk past most days....cursed spikey thing !

Yeah Spinosa has those thorns which can give you  nasty wounds if you're not careful. Is it easy to get Spinosa in the wild (like the coconuts)? In Malaysia we use the young leaves to wrap the glutinous rice. I wanted to buy the young leaves (from unopened frond), been looking for a while now. Let me know if you know anyone who's willing to sell some to me please. 

[Fi Melbourne 17]

10 hours ago, WaianaeCrider said:

Here is my one and only coconut.  Can't figure a good place for it yet.

It's beautiful. Is it yellow Malayan dwarf? How old you think it is?

[Fi Melbourne 17]

6 hours ago, Tyrone said:

That’s an Abyssinian banana you got there am I right? Ensete? I would let that flower and set seed. They are very rare now. Not many around. If it seeds let me know and I will buy some from you.

Yes, you are absolutely right. This is Ensete ventricosum and this one is about 5 or 6 years old. I have 3 of them and if Tim couldn't give you some seeds, I will keep some for you when my trees are producing some. It may take a few more years as I heard their life span is between 3 to 10 years.

[WaianaeCrider 385]

I got it from a friend it had sprouted under his tree.  Not sure what it is.  Maybe he knows.  Think I scooped it back in May.  It was smaller.  I'm sure it's a 2020 sprout.

 

[Fi Melbourne 17]

6 hours ago, tropicbreeze said:

This is the parent plant, only have 4 this height or more now, a lightning strike took out 5 others a number of years ago. But I also have about 30 or 40 more that are a little smaller.

Some more of the taller ones

I wonder how old are those trees. More than 20 years at least. You have 30 or 40 more that are a little smaller? Wow you must have huge property.  Do you grow any other trees like rambutans, durians etc? 

[Fi Melbourne 17]

1 minute ago, WaianaeCrider said:

I got it from a friend it had sprouted under his tree.  Not sure what it is.  Maybe he knows.  Think I scooped it back in May.  It was smaller.  I'm sure it's a 2020 sprout.

 

Looks very healthy sprout and doesn't matter where you put it, it will always be beautiful tree  because you have a perfect climate for it. 

[greysrigging 1,874]

1 hour ago, Fi Melbourne said:

Yeah Spinosa has those thorns which can give you  nasty wounds if you're not careful. Is it easy to get Spinosa in the wild (like the coconuts)? In Malaysia we use the young leaves to wrap the glutinous rice. I wanted to buy the young leaves (from unopened frond), been looking for a while now. Let me know if you know anyone who's willing to sell some to me please. 

Well, they're not native to our region, and suspect it would only be enthusiasts/collectors who grow them in Darwin.  Those wicked thorns precludes them from mass plantings in public areas methinks. Having said that, I have a small one that has appeared out of seeming nowhere in the last few years.... can only be bird or bat droppings with embedded seed. So there must be some nearby me producing viable seed. So now I have 2....and both are sort of in the wrong spot ( haha those spikes ! )

[tropicbreeze 627]

2 hours ago, Fi Melbourne said:

I wonder how old are those trees. More than 20 years at least. You have 30 or 40 more that are a little smaller? Wow you must have huge property.  Do you grow any other trees like rambutans, durians etc? 

"Huge" is a relative term, however, in terms of suburbs something like 90 suburban blocks. But about 1 km from my place is a property about 270 times bigger than mine. Makes my place look like a speck.

There were Coconuts on the place when I bought it, they've had a reasonable time to grow. The previous owner liked Coconuts, also the bloke next door who had even more. But when new people moved in next door they cut out most of the Coconuts.

Got a lot of Mangos, 4 species of 'Mangosteen' (Garcinia) - G. mangostana, G. warreni, G. xanthochymus and G. intermedia. Only the last two are fruiting so far. Had a small Durian but the dry heat got to it. There's a big Durian plantation not far from here. Found out they have sprinklers in the trees as well as under them. Seems to work quite well. Don't have Rambutans but from people I know who have them the dry heat is also a problem. There's lots of bits and pieces like Carambola, Bananas, Pawpaw, Pineapple, Guava, Barbados Cherry, etc.

[greysrigging 1,874]

1 hour ago, tropicbreeze said:

Barbados Cherry,

Now there is an underrated tree for the Darwin region. My son has a couple in his Palmerston ( Johnston ) yard... hardest toughest rocky ground imaginable and these 2 trees he bought from old mate out there in Bees Creek are fair dinkum rockets ! And producing copious amounts of fruit in only 3 years !
Gotta get up early to beat the birds, but.....

Edited July 20 by greysrigging
addition to post.

[WaianaeCrider 385]

On 7/19/2020 at 7:25 PM, WaianaeCrider said:

I got it from a friend it had sprouted under his tree.  Not sure what it is.  Maybe he knows.  Think I scooped it back in May.  It was smaller.  I'm sure it's a 2020 sprout.

 

Got eMail back from my friend and quote "Your coconut is a coconut. If you put it in the ground it will grow a coconut tree".  LOL  He's not exactly a palm person.  LOL

[Zeeth 2,181]

18 hours ago, WaianaeCrider said:

Got eMail back from my friend and quote "Your coconut is a coconut. If you put it in the ground it will grow a coconut tree".  LOL  He's not exactly a palm person.  LOL

Probably Hawaiian tall.

[ahosey01 183]

Honestly if you can grow one in Corona California then I say stick it in a hole between concrete slabs on the south side of your house and just give it a shot...

[tim_brissy_13 389]

1 hour ago, ahosey01 said:

Honestly if you can grow one in Corona California then I say stick it in a hole between concrete slabs on the south side of your house and just give it a shot...

On this side of the world, it would need to be the north side. But even then Melbourne is a hell of a lot cooler than Corona. It has hardly been above 13C (55F) for the past 72 hours. It would be a very fast death sentence for a coconut or anything else which has a similar need for at least daytime warmth. 

[ahosey01 183]

6 minutes ago, tim_brissy_13 said:

On this side of the world, it would need to be the north side. But even then Melbourne is a hell of a lot cooler than Corona. It has hardly been above 13C (55F) for the past 72 hours. It would be a very fast death sentence for a coconut or anything else which has a similar need for at least daytime warmth. 

Duh on the north side thing.  Didn’t even think of that.  God I’d be all jumbled up the first few years if I ever moved to the Southern Hemisphere.

[Fi Melbourne 17]

On 7/20/2020 at 4:19 PM, greysrigging said:

Well, they're not native to our region, and suspect it would only be enthusiasts/collectors who grow them in Darwin.  Those wicked thorns precludes them from mass plantings in public areas methinks. Having said that, I have a small one that has appeared out of seeming nowhere in the last few years.... can only be bird or bat droppings with embedded seed. So there must be some nearby me producing viable seed. So now I have 2....and both are sort of in the wrong spot ( haha those spikes ! )

This picture of unopened L. Spinosa fronds was taken at one of the local markets in Malaysia. The seller sourced these from the people who live in the village where they harvested them from the local forest.

Not sure how deep are their roots, but I think you need to move Spinosa to somewhere in the corner away from people because the thorns are quite vicious. You don't want them anywhere near kids, pets or even adults.

[Fi Melbourne 17]

On 7/20/2020 at 6:18 PM, tropicbreeze said:

"Huge" is a relative term, however, in terms of suburbs something like 90 suburban blocks. But about 1 km from my place is a property about 270 times bigger than mine. Makes my place look like a speck.

There were Coconuts on the place when I bought it, they've had a reasonable time to grow. The previous owner liked Coconuts, also the bloke next door who had even more. But when new people moved in next door they cut out most of the Coconuts.

Got a lot of Mangos, 4 species of 'Mangosteen' (Garcinia) - G. mangostana, G. warreni, G. xanthochymus and G. intermedia. Only the last two are fruiting so far. Had a small Durian but the dry heat got to it. There's a big Durian plantation not far from here. Found out they have sprinklers in the trees as well as under them. Seems to work quite well. Don't have Rambutans but from people I know who have them the dry heat is also a problem. There's lots of bits and pieces like Carambola, Bananas, Pawpaw, Pineapple, Guava, Barbados Cherry, etc.

Wow, those fruits you mentioned are  truly tropical. They sell those here down in Melbourne but I am not sure if they are imported or grown in NT or QLD. Judging from the prices, I think they are imported. I know most durians are  imported because they sell them frozen. Most of them are from Thailand and Malaysia. Here is the picture I took yesterday at a local store. Frozen durians imported from Malaysia.

[Fi Melbourne 17]

On 7/22/2020 at 4:36 PM, WaianaeCrider said:

Got eMail back from my friend and quote "Your coconut is a coconut. If you put it in the ground it will grow a coconut tree".  LOL  He's not exactly a palm person.  LOL

  I think you just have to wait and see when the tree gets slightly bigger to know what variety it is.  Or it could be Hawaiian tall like Zeeth said.