Coconut Palm in North Carolina Experiment

[ZPalms]

Brought the coconut in for the night since it's a bit chilly outside, it says its about 62 and will be 50 something by morning but it feels much cooler than it actually says, I believe it's about 70 in my room 

 

 

[ZPalms]

Just brought it back outside, it will be in the 80s today but it will be coming back in tonight since it will be chilly again but I don't know how I'm gonna drag this palm in yearly the bigger it gets cause it's already incredibly heavy from all the soil! Plus I bring it to the second story which makes it even worse! I still can't find a good greenhouse with good height on them, most of them are wide but not tall 

[PalmatierMeg]

Eventually you may have to keep it on the first floor. Do you have a hand truck on your property? I use one to move large pots too heavy to pick up. A sturdy wagon will help too.

[ZPalms]

38 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Eventually you may have to keep it on the first floor. Do you have a hand truck on your property? I use one to move large pots too heavy to pick up. A sturdy wagon will help too.

I might have to get one because I'm unsure if I own one, I bring it upstairs because my grow lights and stuff are upstairs so I'll have to figure something out because my room is the brightest place in the house

[NOT A TA]

53 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

Plus I bring it to the second story which makes it even worse!

That's your exercise/workout weightlifting and stair master combined!  It's looking good!

[ZPalms]

22 hours ago, NOT A TA said:

That's your exercise/workout weightlifting and stair master combined!  It's looking good!

Thanks! It definitely is a work out and I'll probably be doing this all the way through until late October since it doesn't stop being warm until then 

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

23 hours ago, ZPalms said:

I might have to get one because I'm unsure if I own one, I bring it upstairs because my grow lights and stuff are upstairs so I'll have to figure something out because my room is the brightest place in the house

Trust me, as someone that grows their palms in pots, you will want this.   Also, they make folding ones as well.  I have two, and when I moved I moved all of my large plants using those, and they worked great.   Make sure the ones you get are sturdy and can handle at least a few hundred pounds.     While they are not cheap, they are very much worth the investment, not only for moving your large plants, but anything else too.  

[ZPalms]

22 hours ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

Trust me, as someone that grows their palms in pots, you will want this.   Also, they make folding ones as well.  I have two, and when I moved I moved all of my large plants using those, and they worked great.   Make sure the ones you get are sturdy and can handle at least a few hundred pounds.     While they are not cheap, they are very much worth the investment, not only for moving your large plants, but anything else too.  

I actually might be lucky and won't have to buy one because I think my grandparents have one that I might be able to use! 

[ZPalms]

Ok so their appears to be a bit of damage on a couple of the leaves which could either be from over watering or it didn't like that I let it sit out on a cool night shortly even though it was in the 60s it still felt cooler but I did bring it in but probably not as soon as I should of! or It could be the potassium problem my palms appear to have but overall I think it still looks good and the new growth seems fine and dark green 

[ZPalms]

Finally a warm humid night, I get a night off from having to lift it 

[palmsOrl]

On 9/6/2021 at 1:02 PM, ZPalms said:

Ok so their appears to be a bit of damage on a couple of the leaves which could either be from over watering or it didn't like that I let it sit out on a cool night shortly even though it was in the 60s it still felt cooler but I did bring it in but probably not as soon as I should of! or It could be the potassium problem my palms appear to have but overall I think it still looks good and the new growth seems fine and dark green 

Your Cocos is looking good though!

[ZPalms]

17 hours ago, palmsOrl said:

Your Cocos is looking good though!

Thanks!!!

[oasis371]

I managed to germinate one from a a fallen fresh seed rescued from a street in Florida.  I planted it less than half way into sandy soil and forgot about it basically in a hot, sunny, southern exposure and from seed planted in July, it germinated and leafed out in December, so not a seed for the impatient.  Am convinced that it was the hot sun on the soil that helped it germinate, otherwise, inside (at "room temp"), they are liable to rot.  Outside Florida,  long, hot summers outdoors may also facilitate germination as long as you remember to bring them in before it cools down. My favorites though are those Golden Malayan dwarfs as they seem to leaf out with pinnate leaves at a more juvenile stage.  

[ZPalms]

18 hours ago, oasis371 said:

I managed to germinate one from a a fallen fresh seed rescued from a street in Florida.  I planted it less than half way into sandy soil and forgot about it basically in a hot, sunny, southern exposure and from seed planted in July, it germinated and leafed out in December, so not a seed for the impatient.  Am convinced that it was the hot sun on the soil that helped it germinate, otherwise, inside (at "room temp"), they are liable to rot.  Outside Florida,  long, hot summers outdoors may also facilitate germination as long as you remember to bring them in before it cools down. My favorites though are those Golden Malayan dwarfs as they seem to leaf out with pinnate leaves at a more juvenile stage.  

I would love to have a coconut that goes pinnate earlier but I think golden malayan dwarf is more cold sensitive than the green malayan, If you still have that coconut I wish you the best up there in jersey with your coconut!! ain't nothing cooler than a coconut growing successfully outside the tropics 

[ZPalms]

Heading to Lowes today to get some pvc pipes and plastic tarp for my temporary indoor greenhouse in my room so the coconut can have it's own personal warm chamber through the winter so I don't have to sacrifice my own comforts 

[ZPalms]

This browning is so annoying, I have potassium fertilizer on it's way that I ordered today but I know now know this has nothing to do with the cool night

[ZPalms]

It's being so dramatic for no reason  This browning is only present in 2 leaves but the biggest leaf has the biggest color change

Edited September 12, 2021 by ZPalms

[Reyes Vargas]

4 hours ago, ZPalms said:

It's being so dramatic for no reason  This browning is only present in 2 leaves but the biggest leaf has the biggest color change

Was it in a shady spot and then you moved it to full sun?  That looks like sunburn to me.

[ZPalms]

6 minutes ago, Reyes Vargas said:

Was it in a shady spot and then you moved it to full sun?  That looks like sunburn to me.

Nope, It never receives shade it's in full sun all day! 

[ZPalms]

Unless it's because I move it from inside to out so abruptly in the morning? so it doesn't have time to gradually get used to the sun as it rises?

[ZPalms]

Saturday , September 18th, 7:01PM, 2021. 

Took this today, that leaf damaged itself for who knows why since it hasn't been cold and the leaf hasn't been exposed to the sun when wet so I really don't know but it's still pushing healthy growth and the other leaves look good so I have no idea

[Palmy Pal]

12 hours ago, ZPalms said:

Saturday , September 18th, 7:01PM, 2021. 

Took this today, that leaf damaged itself for who knows why since it hasn't been cold and the leaf hasn't been exposed to the sun when wet so I really don't know but it's still pushing healthy growth and the other leaves look good so I have no idea

Lookin good! It could have been anything really. Could have been anything from just shock burn to a sun glare off of something hitting that exact spot causing it to burn. That’s happened to me before. I wouldn’t worry about it since the new growth is coming in nice. But it is looking great! It should be interesting to see what comes when fall arrives here. I’m going to be keeping mine outside during the daytime to the last second before it gets to 65f days

[ZPalms]

5 hours ago, Palmy Pal said:

Lookin good! It could have been anything really. Could have been anything from just shock burn to a sun glare off of something hitting that exact spot causing it to burn. That’s happened to me before. I wouldn’t worry about it since the new growth is coming in nice. But it is looking great! It should be interesting to see what comes when fall arrives here. I’m going to be keeping mine outside during the daytime to the last second before it gets to 65f days

Thanks!!  I don't feel worried about it since it doesn't seem to be happening to the other leaves and I gave it potassium the other day I just haven't watered it in a week since I wanna make sure it's not getting too much water but I've left it outside a couple nights when it got chilly on accident and it didn't really seem to mind but I'm gonna play it safe this fall especially since the lows for the coming week will be 55F.  It has experience some short time in the high mid 50s but it really didn't seem to mind since it warmed right back up in the day but I'm excited to show my winter protection for it indoors which is kind of massive but it's awesome cause I don't have to give up my personal comforts with temperature and humidity. 

Edited September 19, 2021 by ZPalms

[Palmy Pal]

56 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

Thanks!!  I don't feel worried about it since it doesn't seem to be happening to the other leaves and I gave it potassium the other day I just haven't watered it in a week since I wanna make sure it's not getting too much water but I've left it outside a couple nights when it got chilly on accident and it didn't really seem to mind but I'm gonna play it safe this fall especially since the lows for the coming week will be 55F.  It has experience some short time in the high mid 50s but it really didn't seem to mind since it warmed right back up in the day but I'm excited to show my winter protection for it indoors which is kind of massive but it's awesome cause I don't have to give up my personal comforts with temperature and humidity. 

That’s definitely not a sign of overwatering. In my experience they look perfectly fine and then within a few days just shrivel up and die if they are overwatered and have rot. (Atleast indoors this is the case) outdoors will be just your common frond yellowing as a sign of overwatering. Just let it dry out a bit in between waterings and it shouldn’t get overwatered outside. Indoors is the hard part. Just keep it on the drier side when indoors. I am keeping mine in smaller pots so when winter comes they dry out much easier indoors to help prevent overwatering. 

[ZPalms]

20 minutes ago, Palmy Pal said:

That’s definitely not a sign of overwatering. In my experience they look perfectly fine and then within a few days just shrivel up and die if they are overwatered and have rot. (Atleast indoors this is the case) outdoors will be just your common frond yellowing as a sign of overwatering. Just let it dry out a bit in between waterings and it shouldn’t get overwatered outside. Indoors is the hard part. Just keep it on the drier side when indoors. I am keeping mine in smaller pots so when winter comes they dry out much easier indoors to help prevent overwatering. 

When it comes indoors for the winter I'll probably be able to go weeks without having to water it since the pot retains so much moisture which could be a good thing or bad thing depending how I take care of it, But I'll be monitoring the soil and I'll get one of those little soil moisture checkers so I can tell when it comes to how moist the soil is and when to water! I'm gonna cut back a whole lot in the winter but I'm very confident about what I got in place for it! 

[Palmy Pal]

42 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

When it comes indoors for the winter I'll probably be able to go weeks without having to water it since the pot retains so much moisture which could be a good thing or bad thing depending how I take care of it, But I'll be monitoring the soil and I'll get one of those little soil moisture checkers so I can tell when it comes to how moist the soil is and when to water! I'm gonna cut back a whole lot in the winter but I'm very confident about what I got in place for it! 

Very nice! Maybe in the future a greenhouse would be awesome to have for overwintering it 

[ZPalms]

Just now, Palmy Pal said:

Very nice! Maybe in the future a greenhouse would be awesome to have for overwintering it 

I've been looking around for one but I have been struggling to find a good greenhouse with height that isn't expensive expensive, cause most greenhouses just don't have that height or good width for the spreading of the fronds when they get bigger and I'm feeling like I'm gonna need to find somebody to Collab with me to figure out the logistical stuff of dealing or modifying with this or start doing tik tok and see if other people to help support the coconut cause I do want the coconut to live but I also want it to thrive. 

[Palmy Pal]

54 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

I've been looking around for one but I have been struggling to find a good greenhouse with height that isn't expensive expensive, cause most greenhouses just don't have that height or good width for the spreading of the fronds when they get bigger and I'm feeling like I'm gonna need to find somebody to Collab with me to figure out the logistical stuff of dealing or modifying with this or start doing tik tok and see if other people to help support the coconut cause I do want the coconut to live but I also want it to thrive. 

Yeah building one will be your best bet. But yeah it’s going to be a challenge and a super challenge if your wanting to put it in the ground. I wish you good luck!

[NOT A TA]

3 hours ago, ZPalms said:

I've been looking around for one but I have been struggling to find a good greenhouse with height that isn't expensive expensive, cause most greenhouses just don't have that height or good width for the spreading of the fronds when they get bigger and I'm feeling like I'm gonna need to find somebody to Collab with me to figure out the logistical stuff of dealing or modifying with this or start doing tik tok and see if other people to help support the coconut cause I do want the coconut to live but I also want it to thrive. 

Think outside the box for a solution. Be creative! The coco was free so don't get carried away spending a large percentage of your disposable income on it.

Maybe contact a company that replaces old sliding glass doors (hint check with home depot sub contractors) and see if they'd give you 4 old doors you could make a box out of.

Maybe a company that replaces shower doors?

Maybe a company that installs solar panels, I'm sure there's occasionally ones replaced under warranty.

Window companies replace thermopane store windows during remodeling or that get cracked or BB gun holes that are big enough to build a greenhouse out of.

All the companies just have to dispose of the damaged products which usually costs them money so they'd probably be glad to have you haul them off and put to good use.  All you need is a bud with a pickup truck to get started. Just remember that when you're done with them you may have to pay something to dispose of them.

Oh ya, the browning looks like sunburn, thought I told you not to put in direct sun for the first summer.

 

[ZPalms]

1 minute ago, NOT A TA said:

Think outside the box for a solution. Be creative! The coco was free so don't get carried away spending a large percentage of your disposable income on it.

Maybe contact a company that replaces old sliding glass doors (hint check with home depot sub contractors) and see if they'd give you 4 old doors you could make a box out of.

Maybe a company that replaces shower doors?

Maybe a company that installs solar panels, I'm sure there's occasionally ones replaced under warranty.

Window companies replace thermopane store windows during remodeling or that get cracked or BB gun holes that are big enough to build a greenhouse out of.

All the companies just have to dispose of the damaged products which usually costs them money so they'd probably be glad to have you haul them off and put to good use.  All you need is a bud with a pickup truck to get started. Just remember that when you're done with them you may have to pay something to dispose of them.

Oh ya, the browning looks like sunburn, thought I told you not to put in direct sun for the first summer.

 

Ooh wow thanks! 

I'll try and look into these and see what I might be able to do, I just really want it to thrive and live cause I don't wanna have to restart from scratch cause I love all the progress it has made and I want to give it all the space it needs to spread out and be to it's fullest potential in a way.

I don't think you told me to keep it out of the sun? I think you told me to keep the roebelelii Outside in shade where it's warm 

[NOT A TA]

On 6/13/2021 at 10:08 PM, NOT A TA said:

No need to add soil now,  just get it out of direct sunlight to a place you can just leave it alone other than watering. Then be patient, ahahaha.

 

[ZPalms]

20 minutes ago, NOT A TA said:

 

omg, either I misread it and thought you said get it out in the sunlight or I completely forget  I feel embarrassed haha 

Should I move it somewhere else? or Should I just leave it since it's already been in the sun? 

Edited September 20, 2021 by ZPalms

[NOT A TA]

The sun is lower in the sky now so the chance of burning again has passed.

Can't make recommendations for all types of cocos because I've only grown a couple kinds, however I grow a lot of the Green Malayan Dwarfs (for a backyard nursery). They seem to do best when kept in a well lit place but not direct sun through the first summer. They get a nice dark color and seem to grow faster while not getting burned.  Here, outside, just before the winter solstice I move them out into an open area that will get full sun and put the pots close together. Then during the following season the new fronds slowly become acclimated to full sun as the sun rises a bit higher each day till the summer solstice meanwhile the 1st years fronds are drying up giving their nutrients back to the plant without being burnt up from the sun because the pots are close so the lower fronds are mostly shaded. The following winter solstice I spread them out so they get full sun and are ready to sell after that knowing the new owners are likely to plant them in full sun and they'll be fully acclimated so no worries about burning wherever they plant them.

Edit: When you put it inside don't be afraid to put it in a full sun window. The glass changes the UV light as it passes through so no burn worries. This is the reason some peoples plants burn easily when they put them outside in the spring. Even though the plant may have been in a window inside and got full sun the direct outdoor light UV rays can burn it in less hours when they put it outside.

 

[ZPalms]

Well at least we know what happens if you put a green Malayan in full soon from a sprout to what it is now 

2 hours ago, NOT A TA said:

When you put it inside don't be afraid to put it in a full sun window. The glass changes the UV light as it passes through so no burn worries. This is the reason some peoples plants burn easily when they put them outside in the spring. Even though the plant may have been in a window inside and got full sun the direct outdoor light UV rays can burn it in less hours when they put it outside.

When spring comes back around I'll have to acclimate it back into to full sun right? even though it was getting full sun from the window? It will be getting as much south west facing sun as I can give it and then artificial light to make up for any lack of sun because the tree line will hog it all.

[NOT A TA]

10 hours ago, ZPalms said:

When spring comes back around I'll have to acclimate it back into to full sun right?

Yes, and it usually takes longer than people typically think. This is why I do my changes around the winter solstice. This way as new leaves develop they do so while the sun is getting stronger and the days longer, slowly.

Pic below is coconuts with Dypsis lutescens seedlings also being acclimated to full sun. The Cocos and Dypsis are all two + years old. By using the Dypsis below the cocos they help keep the low old fronds of the cocos from burning while the newer tall leaves of the Cocos filter the light to the Dypsis so they don't burn up. In a couple months, just before the solstice, I'll separate all of them and the Dypsis will be put where they have unfiltered sun so that as the sun gets stronger and days longer the Dypsis will become acclimated to full sun as new fronds grow.  Probably put some small seedlings of Phoenix roebelenii or something under the Coconuts at that time.

[ZPalms]

I might start leaving the coconut in early because I haven't got a dolly yet and the coconut is just too much for me to bare to bring up and down every single morning and night, it's painful to have to walk down the stairs with it and I don't know how many gallons this pot is but it really makes me wanna tumble down the stairs 

Edited September 26, 2021 by ZPalms

[amh]

On 9/5/2021 at 9:08 AM, ZPalms said:

Thanks! It definitely is a work out and I'll probably be doing this all the way through until late October since it doesn't stop being warm until then 

It'll be great for your hamstrings, triceps, and deltoids.

[ZPalms]

8 hours ago, amh said:

It'll be great for your hamstrings, triceps, and deltoids.

Lets see if I don't collapse or trip up on myself 

[amh]

7 hours ago, ZPalms said:

Lets see if I don't collapse or trip up on myself 

That's why your using the rear muscles, bruh.

[ZPalms]

Tuesday, October 5th, 10:20AM, 2021. 

Everything is still healthy, even with the sun burn it's still all good! 

Also ignore the background in the 2nd picture, It's a mess!