Coconut Cultivars in India

[Moose]

Check out all these Coconut cultivars cultivated in India. All the trees are are loaded with nuts !

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

I am not sure which one is what I call the Indian Tall from northern India, but it is most likely the MOST COLD HARDY coconut palm in the world, probably being hardy down to 25F, which makes it almost as cold hardy as the queen palm. The Mexican Tall from the Gulf Coast of Mexico, is likely the second most cold hardy variety, being hardy to about 26F. I think these two varieties can withstand extended periods (for a couple of weeks) of chilly weather, even chilly damp weather with highs only in the 40's and low 50's and lows in the mid to upper 30's, as there are some mature Mexican Tall coconut palms in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas that withstood the 2004 snowstorm there and the 2011 freeze in which temps dipped into the 20's and stayed below freezing for 24 hours, and they have withstood a few winters with extended chilly weather in the 40's and 50's.

[Josh-O]

Dang!! Those puppies are seed mongers

[Brian Bruning]

I'd like to get some coconuts from the deserts of Oman, Yemen, the Red Sea area or Persian Gulf.  Can anyone help me?  I want to try those cultivars in the SoCal desert in Palm Springs. 

[Mandrew968]

On 6/17/2015, 9:13:17, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

I am not sure which one is what I call the Indian Tall from northern India, but it is most likely the MOST COLD HARDY coconut palm in the world, probably being hardy down to 25F, which makes it almost as cold hardy as the queen palm. The Mexican Tall from the Gulf Coast of Mexico, is likely the second most cold hardy variety, being hardy to about 26F. I think these two varieties can withstand extended periods (for a couple of weeks) of chilly weather, even chilly damp weather with highs only in the 40's and low 50's and lows in the mid to upper 30's, as there are some mature Mexican Tall coconut palms in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas that withstood the 2004 snowstorm there and the 2011 freeze in which temps dipped into the 20's and stayed below freezing for 24 hours, and they have withstood a few winters with extended chilly weather in the 40's and 50's.

I seriously doubt 25F. I would love for it to be true, but that just doesn't sound right...

[John Case]

2 hours ago, Mandrew968 said:

I seriously doubt 25F. I would love for it to be true, but that just doesn't sound right...

I doubt the entire post. If what he is saying was true, we would have plantations here in CA......to this point, I just cannot find them and even with the reduced price of gasoline, I am not incented to look.....

I would have to see some photographic evidence to give this any credence at all.....

[Mandrew968]

I agree with you.

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

There is a mature Mexican Tall about 35 to 40ft. tall in overall height in the country on the north side of Edinburg, north of McAllen in the Rio Grande Valley.  I have personally stood under this palm, and it has survived the 2011 freeze in which temps dipped into the 20's in that area and stayed below freezing for over 24 hours.  There were two mature Mexican Talls that were 40 to 45ft. tall in Brownsville that survived the 2004 Christmas snowstorm (the first measurable snowfall in Brownsville in 105 years) and they survived the 2011 freeze.  They were at the Flamingo Motel on Central Ave. in Brownsville, but looked like they had gotten Lethal Yellowing the last time I saw them over a year ago.  If the pure (non hybridized) Mexican Tall can survive and grow to such tall heights after being exposed to these conditions, then I would venture to say the pure Indian Tall from north central India, a continental land mass, should be at least slightly more cold hardy!

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

John Case, the reason you guys cannot successfully grow coconut palms in southern California (with the rare exception of a few in very protected microclimates) is even though your coastal areas typically don't ever see a frost much less a freeze, and the Rio Grande Valley can have frosts and inland areas a freeze or two most winters, is that you just don't have enough daily heat for them for about 3 to 4 straight months.  The Rio Grande Valley on the other hand has normal high temps around 70+F and normal lows of around 50+F in January.  In December and January there, it is not unusual to have some days around 80+F even in the middle of winter.  Also, your coolest time of the year, which is winter, coincides with your wet season, so even though your coastal areas don't freeze, most coconut palms, especially tall varieties can take a few brief light freezes much easier than they can take long periods of chilly damp weather.

[Xenon]

It was within the 80s a few days in Brownsville after the Christmas snow in 2004. Also January 2005 had an average temp. of 66.7F with an absolute low of 44F. 

The 2011 freeze in early February was followed by tropical weather for the latter half of the month (temp did not drop below 60F). 

From what I saw, the "Mexican Tall" type coconuts looked just as bad as the Malayans after the 2011 freeze...

Before and after