Jump to content
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LOGGING IN ×
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

Fruiting Date Palms in Hawaii?


ahosey01

Recommended Posts

Just curious for the Hawaiians on here... Phoenix dactylifera need very high daytime temperatures to fruit.  They don’t fruit in south Texas or Florida, though, because the rain rots the fruit before it ripens.  How about in areas of Hawaii that get sub-10 inches of rainfall?  Does anyone know of fruiting date palms that ripen without rotting?

Edited by ahosey01
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, ahosey01 said:

 They don’t fruit in south Texas or Florida, though, because the rain rots the fruit before it ripens. 

The fruit ripens just fine and the seed is perfectly viable in Texas and Florida. However you are right if you mean the more humid climate leads to lower overall fruit quality and probably lower sugar content as well. 

  • Upvote 4

Jonathan

Katy, TX (Zone 9a)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've seen a lot of fruiting/edible dates in Houston and edible fruit all over florida. It's probably not perfect quality like Yuma dates but you can eat them no problem. 

  • Like 3
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe humidity also plays a factor in the date quality. There are arid parts of Hawaii that still face a lot of moisture coming off the ocean. Kailua-Kona for example receives about 18 inches of rain a year, yet has the daytime humidity found in South Florida with 60+ inches.

It's very drastic in portions of South America like Lima which are extremely dry (less than 1 inch a year!) yet have extremely foggy and overcast marine climates.

Edited by CodyORB
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know of any on Oahu.  Maybe in our desert Botanical Garden but I haven't been there in like 10 years or more.  There is some kind that fruits on the north and east shores but they are not the eating kind.

  • Upvote 1

Steve

Born in the Bronx

Raised in Brooklyn

Matured In Wai`anae

I can't be held responsible for anything I say or do....LOL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not much heat here in South SF Bay Area but I’ve seen tons of ripe dates falling from these palms in Saratoga from time to time. 

3FF723AE-AE6D-492D-9CA8-FD7263A13308.thumb.png.671c1c03236766ed37d7c9576047d400.png

  • Like 2

Jim in Los Altos, CA  SF Bay Area 37.34N- 122.13W- 190' above sea level

zone 10a/9b

sunset zone 16

300+ palms, 90+ species in the ground

Las Palmas Design

Facebook Page

Las Palmas Design & Associates

Elegant Homes and Gardens

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

Not much heat here in South SF Bay Area but I’ve seen tons of ripe dates falling from these palms in Saratoga from time to time. 

3FF723AE-AE6D-492D-9CA8-FD7263A13308.thumb.png.671c1c03236766ed37d7c9576047d400.png

The trick is if you eat them, what is the flavor and texture like?

To get dates like you get in the store, they gotta be grown basically on the surface of the sun with a ton of irrigation and as close to no overhead rain as possible.

Edited by ahosey01
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, ahosey01 said:

The trick is if you eat them, what is the flavor and texture like?

To get dates like you get in the store, they gotta be grown basically on the surface of the sun with a ton of irrigation and as close to no overhead rain as possible.

If you're judging the flavor of Dates by the ones you can buy at any grocery store.. you might hit up a specialty store like the one in Scottsdale that sells our prized Black Sphinx. Reminds me, need to get some this year..

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

If you're judging the flavor of Dates by the ones you can buy at any grocery store.. you might hit up a specialty store like the one in Scottsdale that sells our prized Black Sphinx. Reminds me, need to get some this year..

Their rare date varieties are good but I didn’t feel like their medjools were worth the money.

Have you ever read the stories of all the black Sphinx cultivars growing around Arcadia and how they all got there?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, ahosey01 said:

Their rare date varieties are good but I didn’t feel like their medjools were worth the money.

Have you ever read the stories of all the black Sphinx cultivars growing around Arcadia and how they all got there?

Yep.. Have spoken w/ those involved in saving/ propagating them at rare fruit sale events also. Black Sphinx is the only variety planted there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, ahosey01 said:

The trick is if you eat them, what is the flavor and texture like?

To get dates like you get in the store, they gotta be grown basically on the surface of the sun with a ton of irrigation and as close to no overhead rain as possible.

Well I didn’t pick any off the ground by they were pretty squishy when stepped on. They are well irrigated. We get no rain here between mid-April and late October. The photo is from wintertime. 

Jim in Los Altos, CA  SF Bay Area 37.34N- 122.13W- 190' above sea level

zone 10a/9b

sunset zone 16

300+ palms, 90+ species in the ground

Las Palmas Design

Facebook Page

Las Palmas Design & Associates

Elegant Homes and Gardens

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

To ahosey01,

Back in the 80s the USDA advertised for sale its experimental productive date palm orchard in Kawaihae, Big Island.  I think I still have the printed announcement filed away somewhere.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...