Cocos nucifera (Coconut) in Malta

[Maltese coconut project]

I also have many small specimens 

[Aleitalyyy]

your palms too beautiful as always .... it would only take the corner and the house with the right garden in the sun, and I think it grows without too many problems ... a bit like alex of the forum did with his cocos on the border with s.diego ...

in fact he uses a garden surrounded by concrete with a fence and sun all day ... and from what I remember the minimum temperatures reach 8 ° degrees easily .... mortar from what I saw is a good potential, in the point just putting a lot of patience, care and passion.

Edited October 23, 2022 by Aleitalyyy

[Maltese coconut project]

I altered slightly the method. I am using a heating cable buried in gravel between two trays, coconuts on top tray and bottle with water for humidity but no water at the bottom. I changed to water bottle because mosquitos were finding their way inside the vivarium and the humidity was sometimes exceeding the and desired level 

Edited October 23, 2022 by Maltese coconut project

[Aleitalyyy]

yellow qualities are no longer released?

[Maltese coconut project]

They are random.  The yellow and orange ones I had last spring simply died when I took them out.. It's probably because they were kept in artificial conditions whole winter without being acclimatised for outdoors.  

[Maltese coconut project]

But there are some outdoor specimens with either some yellow or orange. Look closely to the previous pictures 

[Maltese coconut project]

This is an update photos taken today 24th October 2022 at midday. Temperature is 35.5 degrees celcius in the sun (96 degrees Fahrenheit) and 25.5 degrees celcius in the shade (78 degrees Fahrenheit). Still they are growing new spears despite being late October. In November I will need to reduce watering to start hardening them for winter for them to produce more abscisic acid. This time I left them all summer south facing. The newly built 4 storey + penthouse help some shielding of North Western winter winds, the most common wind in Malta.  Unfortunately exactly on the Northern side another house has been demolished and the 4 storey +penthouse for the demolished one will surely drag through the cool season. Exact North winds are rare in Malta but when they do it's usually late December, early January but are chill and dry but never freezing (snow doesn't exist in Malta). I ve been giving potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate,  magnesium sulfate and npk 3-11-38 +4, and micronutrients since late September. Hopefully they are more cool Hardy than any other experiment that I did.. Probably I will switch to 3-11-38 +4, Magnesium sulfate, calcium gel instead of calcium nitrate (and remove potassium nitrate too) and micronutrients to reduce Nitrogen and it's leaf softening effect (especially urea type N)in November to prepare for the cool windy season 

Edited October 24, 2022 by Maltese coconut project

[Than]

Sorry if I have missed smth. Did all your cocos die in the winter? Are these all new?

[Maltese coconut project]

Yes the big ones from 2019 and 2020 died. They survived winter 2020-2021 but not winter 2021-2022. It could be due to some of my mistakes such as transferring them under North facing wall between 20th May 2021 - 10th October 2021. They grew fast with large leaves but the waxy cuticle was thinner, leaves larger but more delicate and with fewer larger stomata. When December arrived, the chill winds kept damaging them till they perished. I also might have been overzealous with watering in cooler months. This summer I kept them south facing for maximum sun, thru grew slightly slower but with thicker waxy cuticle, more robust and rigid many but smaller stomata.. Also I used potassium nitrate,  calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate for leaf hardening. I am also using micronutrients and NPK 3-11-38.  I will tail down potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate and keep npk 3-11-38 to avoid nitrates potentially softening leaves.  We'll see how the new experiment performs.. I will also remove underplates in November 

[GottmitAlex]

Keep us apprised! 

[Maltese coconut project]

Yes, I will keep everyone updated with the different experiment this time 

[Than]

1 hour ago, Maltese coconut project said:

Yes, I will keep everyone updated with the different experiment this time 

Please do. I will be in India soon and I will try to bring home a couple of sprouted nuts.

[Maltese coconut project]

Which area? Kerala? Or more North? 

[Aleitalyyy]

I want to try again with a lidl Indian walnut ...

we'll see if I can ...

 

[Than]

1 hour ago, Maltese coconut project said:

Which area? Kerala? Or more North? 

I'll be in Mumbai first and then also in Kerala. Do you think it matters where I get my coconut from?

[Maltese coconut project]

Those are exactly the ones I use.  They are good quality coconuts 

Edited October 25, 2022 by Maltese coconut project

[Maltese coconut project]

The Northern the more cool resistant.. But in general, there are two genetically distinct populations, the Indian and the south Pacific ones and of the two most data shows that the Indian population is slightly more cool tolerant (note that African and tropical Atlantic ones are of Indian ancestry and on the western side of the tropical New world they are mostly Pacific according to a study carried out by Bee F. Gunn, Luc Baudouin, Kenneth M. Olsen) 

[Than]

22 minutes ago, Maltese coconut project said:

The Northern the more cool resistant.. But in general, there are two genetically distinct populations, the Indian and the south Pacific ones and of the two most data shows that the Indian population is slightly more cool tolerant (note that African and tropical Atlantic ones are of Indian ancestry and on the western side of the tropical New world they are mostly Pacific according to a study carried out by Bee F. Gunn, Luc Baudouin, Kenneth M. Olsen) 

I will try to get some from Mumbai then. Or even Madhya Pradesh as I'll go there too. 

Is there any non-anecdotal evidence that Indian coconuts are more resilient?

[Maltese coconut project]

I read an article last summer that they're even growing coconut trees in Rajasthan which is a desert climate with some short cool night time temperatures in January 

[Than]

46 minutes ago, Maltese coconut project said:

I read an article last summer that they're even growing coconut trees in Rajasthan which is a desert climate with some short cool night time temperatures in January 

I read that too and I was surprised. I was in Rajasthan in March and it was boiling. 30+ every day. So I imagine winter there is very short even if some days get chilly. 

[Maltese coconut project]

And probably daytime temperatures rebound in the 20s celcius /70s Fahrenheit 

[Than]

1 hour ago, Maltese coconut project said:

And probably daytime temperatures rebound in the 20s celcius /70s Fahrenheit 

Average winter high is 25C...

[Aleitalyyy]

last days of summer here in Liguria ... in less than a week the cool weather enters ... the coconut threw me a new spear ...

very satisfied....

[Maltese coconut project]

Here in Malta the cool weather starts one month after usually. I will continue the hardening process.. Beginning November I will remove underplates and reduce Nitrogen fertiliser, focus more on Potassium and magnesium for leaf hardening.. Hopefully this time it will work out better plus this was the first summer I let them always South facing.. Hope that one will also help 

[Aleitalyyy]

dear jhon discussion that you will succeed i'm sure ... try to dare cover from the wind if they need it ... i leave you the link of a guy from an inland where he grows palm trees and says that the hawaiian one is more robust in the cold .. unfortunately we in europe have no chance to find those qualities, but i wrote on istagram to a page of cocos researchers in hawai if they can send me a sprout ... now let's see the answer ....

[Aleitalyyy]

 

[Maltese coconut project]

The Indian types are supposed to be some of the most cool resistant. Hopefully the change in technique including the always South facing, using potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate, magnesium sulfate and reducing Nitrogen and reducing watering close to the cool season, will be a turning point to succeed

[Aleitalyyy]

but the type of Dutch palmette sold by lidl, like the one I have, what kind of cultivar are they? where do you get the hot Dutch greenhouses from?

 

[Maltese coconut project]

Once I had a conversation with an individual who contacted a Dutch greenhouse keeper who informed him that they are Philippines green tall coconut raised in Costa Rica.. I am quoting what he told me and not quoting written recorded data 

[Aleitalyyy]

good morning dear, now I'm forced to put the big beast in the house ...

[Maltese coconut project]

So far so good everything is going well. The hostile temperatures begin in December here. I hope that the new hardening techniques work and hopefully will be a less harsh winter 

[Aleitalyyy]

all ahead, these beautiful palms ... I found the orange quality here in Italy, but it costs really too much ... no no I can't pay that much ...

https://www.amazon.it/gp/aw/d/B0BHKWLWT1/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=A1SR8VW3CD4HPY&psc=1

[Aleitalyyy]

hello dear have the pineapples you had in pots survived last winter?

mine has always lived out for 2 years ... today it's like this ...

[Maltese coconut project]

Although this is not related with the title topic, yes they did survive and the oldest two even fruited a grenade size pineapple each 

[Aleitalyyy]

excellent mine is huge with all the children around ... but it has not yet produced fruit

[Aleitalyyy]

I found this post interesting because that's what I also think that if you plant the coconut in the same way as the tajuana boy I think it grows without problems ... you have the same winter temperatures with mortar and tajuana .... give it a read which is interesting ..

[Maltese coconut project]

I will hope I will succeed this time. And there are a number of variables during this new experiment including hardening all summer in the sun, fertilizing with additional potassium, magnesium etc we'll cross fingers 

[Maltese coconut project]

Give them lots of sun and keep at least two pineapples to stimulate fruiting 

[Maltese coconut project]

In the meantime here is an update of my current Cocos and some other tropical species on the rooftop. Yesterday it rained quite heavily marking 33.5mm average across the Maltese islands 

Edited November 13, 2022 by Maltese coconut project

[Than]

Doesn't that wall affect the readings of the thermometer?