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Cocos nucifera (Coconut) in Malta


Maltese coconut project

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3 minutes ago, gurugu said:

 

 

That Beccariophoenix alffredii was trasplanted to today´s place just summer 2021. It has suffered quite a lot, as well as all my palms have, after being trasplanted. I even lost Rhopalotylis sapida and baueri (which was about to flower, a real pity), Brahea armata, Trithrinax acanthcoma, all of them with about a meter of clear trunk already. They all are still in bad shape, though they became setting new leaves even that summer, and have set new more leaves this summer.

I know of other Spanish palm enthusiasts that are growing Beccariophenix, and their palms are in much better shape and taller than mine. Palms here don´t suffer from drought, except this year, which has been very dry, because all along the north coast of Spain, where I am, receives 1.200 litres of rain a year. Being July the driest month with 56 litres, and November the wettest with 150 litres. All these palms are in a very windy place, so they suffer a lot too, until the garden develops in 3/4 years´ time.

All the coastline is supposed to be a 10a USDA zone. But summers are very mild. Averages for July and August are only 20º/21ºC, (24ºc max/ 17ºC min), so nothing to do with Malta. Winters are very mild too, with averages for January and February between 9/10 degrees (13º/14ºC max/ 6º/7ºC min). Since it is a very mountainous region, you can find a lot of different microclimates. All in all it is considered a warm temperate oceanic climate. Wet subtropical in terms of winter temperatures, but not in summer.

Esperemos que se recupere pronto!

 

 

 

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5 year high 42.2C/108F (07/06/2018)--5 year low 4.6C/40.3F (1/19/2023)--Lowest recent/current winter: 4.6C/40.3F (1/19/2023)

 

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I believe that in my area it will be less cold than last winter and probably will be similar to winter 2020-2021. It's because summer wasn't extremely hot this year but mostly mid 30s degrees celcius mid 90s degrees Fahrenheit. When summer 2021 was hotter than usual often playing between 40-43 degrees celcius (104-109 degrees Fahrenheit) winter was colder 

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@guruguwinter is like mine in liguria... but summer we are also at 30 degrees... I don't understand what part of Spain are you in? I understand you are in the mountains/backcountry?

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21 minutes ago, GottmitAlex said:

Esperemos que se recupere pronto!

 

 

 

21 minutes ago, GottmitAlex said:

Esperemos que se recupere pronto!

 

 

 

 

18 minutes ago, Maltese coconut project said:

I see. Makes it very different from Malaga and other southern Spain areas 

 

12 minutes ago, Aleitalyyy said:

@guruguwinter is like mine in liguria... but summer we are also at 30 degrees... I don't understand what part of Spain are you in? I understand you are in the mountains/backcountry?

 

11 minutes ago, Maltese coconut project said:

Maybe high altitude? 

I am in Cantabria, not too far from the coast. Climate at high altitude (800 metres altitude and upwards) is rather cold, some 8A/8B zone or so, for instance Burgos, Vitoria, Salamanca, etc all of them on a high plateau,  but near the coast it is a 10A zone, from the french border to the portuguese border.

As you say climate here has nothing to do with Málaga´s, which is a mediterranean climate and rather dry. This coast is called "the green Spain",. All the rest of Spain is quite dry , warmer along the mediterranean coast, but colder farther inland.

Besides, we only "enjoy" 1.800 hours of sunshine a year, which is very little compared to other places in Spain with up to 3.000 hours.

Gracias Gotmitex. Eso espero yo también. Calculo que para el año que viene ya habrán superado el estrés del trasplante. De hecho, es curioso que una Archontophoenix C. Ilawarra ha sacado 5 hojas nuevas este año y va por la sexta, mientras que en el otro terreno que tenía antes solo sacaba 2/3 al año. También es verdad que estaba plantada al norte y ahora la he plantado al sur.

¡Enhorabuena por tus cocoteros! Tiene mucho mérito lo que estás consiguiendo. And maltese coconut project  too e anche Aleitayyy con la sua palma da cocco.

Un saludo.

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@guruguthank you dear for the compliments ... yes I am a lover of tropical plants but even more a lover of challenges ... coconut is a challenge ... anyway now I understand you are at an altitude of 800 meters from the sea... I also have the mountains nearby and usually at 800 meters in January there is snow... even if in recent years the snow shows up less and less.. . our coconuts have to stay in the vase for now...

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8 hours ago, Aleitalyyy said:

@guruguthank you dear for the compliments ... yes I am a lover of tropical plants but even more a lover of challenges ... coconut is a challenge ... anyway now I understand you are at an altitude of 800 meters from the sea... I also have the mountains nearby and usually at 800 meters in January there is snow... even if in recent years the snow shows up less and less.. . our coconuts have to stay in the vase for now...

 

8 hours ago, Aleitalyyy said:

cabbage it's very cold there now ... now I understand why alfredii is a bit in pain ...

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I have expressed myself badly. I am not at 800 metres altitude, but at about 50 metres. 

High mountains and the high plateau are at 30/40 km away in a beeline from the coast, farther inland. There, it is rather cold and it snows every winter. Not here. Here it seldom snows, and if it does, it is only for a few hours and usually doesn't get thick enough to remain long. 

The lowest temperature so far has been 9/10 degrees Celsius. Next week will go down to 6/7ºC.

Perdón GottmitAlex. He escrito tu alias erróneamente. Ha debido de ser un lapsus. 

Saludos. 

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A fairly warm day for a December. I am also surprised to see new spears emerging. Hopefully the experiment will work even better than 2020-2021 winter. 

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good morning guys I proceeded to give some old multivitamin supplement tablets that I no longer use ... I opened the caps and put them on the ground ... I have 2 boxes ...

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I noticed that it needs water more and more... if the earth dries out a little it stops growing (I mark the leaf with a marker) so now every 4/5 days the earth is dry! probably the pot is full of roots or almost?

these plants have a hellish thirst...

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A beautiful, warm, sunny pleasant day for a December with mid day temperatures in 20-21 degrees celcius range. Coconut palms still showing new spear growth. Hopefully both the foliar feeding and soil fertiliser will help this year. Also till now they have retained a beautiful green colour 🌴🌴🌴. Also Bobo the bunny enjoying himself downstairs near the Howea forsteriana, Chamaedorea elegans, Dypsis lutescens, Phoenix canariensis, Cycas revoluta and other tropical species. Also I have arranged them south facing as much as possible.  On the 21st December (Solstice) the sun arrives roughly 70-80 cm only (till the black line mark on the brick) 

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Edited by Maltese coconut project
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the temperatures in the room are not very hot we are about 17/18 degrees and even less at night ... yes the condominium heating is on. ... but I keep it low because of the condo fees.

however I see in the photos that small garden where there is a banana tree ... the cocos grow 100% listen to me ... the happy bunny is beautiful

 

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Is there time when sun comes in from glass door or window and maybe temperature rises at least 21 degrees celcius? 

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yes the sun comes in in the morning but for a maximum of 2 hours maybe not even... I don't think it affects the temperature much also because the rays don't envelop the whole plant and the pot... now it's been cloudy for 2 days with a temperature of 10 degrees outside... it snowed on the distant hills...

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I see. Still I will be cautious when watering and temperatures are below 21 degrees celcius. Always insert your finger 2 inches deep to feel the moisture before watering 

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I notice from the sign on the leaf... it doesn't grow anymore it freezes... so I give it a drink and it starts growing again by 1cm a day.... I'll put you an old photo so you can see the sun as it enters through the window.. .

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Always remove any water that gathers in underplate at those temperatures. That's one of the reasons I lost mine last year outside.. Overzealous watering 

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absolutely ... I've never had the underplate, I let it drip and dry .... the vase is raised off the ground on a trolley with wheels without underplate ...

 

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Till now they seem to be retaining their green colour. Possibly the foliar fertilizer, higher potassium and magnesium, hardening etc is helping more than I was thinking. We'll see what will happen this winter..

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Warm night for a December,  almost no difference between day and night time temperatures 

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Edited by Maltese coconut project
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4 hours ago, Maltese coconut project said:

Warm night for a December,  almost no difference between day and night time temperatures 

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Looking good.  I can no longer get unhusked grocery store coconuts to sprout.  I think the System here is doing something really bad to them now like radiating them when they are imported, which kills the seed eye of the nut, and is very bad for the consumers to consume radiated fruits and vegetables!!!

John

John

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It could be simply transportation. I have noticed that the ones brought from India are much more successful than the ones brought from Ivory Coast here 

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8 hours ago, Maltese coconut project said:

It could be simply transportation. I have noticed that the ones brought from India are much more successful than the ones brought from Ivory Coast here 

But the ones sold here now, come from Mexico, just across the border from here.

John

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Also the season could be affecting them m. In winter I use the heating boxes, yet during warmer months and with the heating switched off I have more that germinate.. Of course I also discard more than I manage to germinate.. Some just grow white mould like material on them, some will have their contents leaking out of the "eye" of the coconut, some just don't germinate and some will have their embryo die prematurely either by shooting away the embryo or simply it will rot 

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1 hour ago, Maltese coconut project said:

Also the season could be affecting them m. In winter I use the heating boxes, yet during warmer months and with the heating switched off I have more that germinate.. Of course I also discard more than I manage to germinate.. Some just grow white mould like material on them, some will have their contents leaking out of the "eye" of the coconut, some just don't germinate and some will have their embryo die prematurely either by shooting away the embryo or simply it will rot 

What percentage would you say germinate and survive out of every 10 you try?

John

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Percentage roughly between 2%-20%, with the warm month favouring the higher percentages (probably due to transit time having unfavourable temperature conditions in winter) also the technique makes difference. The trick is to keep temperature between 80-84 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity but not excess humidity that promotes fungus.  Too much warm risks embryo popping off the nut 

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Personally I prefer these setups where you need 2 transparent storage boxes, 4 trays, aquarium gravel, aquarium heating cable, thermostat for heating cable, 2 thermometers, 2 bottles with cap, a few small pots where coconuts fit vertically.  Cut slits in the storage box lids to pass heating cable and thermostat sensor.  Don't keep thermostat sensor close to heating part of the heating cable otherwise you'll have false cutoffs. Fold heating cable neatly in one of the trays and cover heating cable with gravel.. Then put second tray on top of the gravel. Then put bottles with water on top of second tray. Set temperature, make sure temperature reaches desired range.. Then put coconuts lying horizontally with the non symmetrical (usually biggest) coconut "circle" (mouth of the nut kind of) down and the eyes top. This is because the embryo germinates from the "mouth" resembling part.. Therefore the coconut water touches inside of the embryo and supplies it with nutrients easier in this position.  The second box the concept is exactly the same except that you'll use it for the already germinated and developing embryo and once the embryo shows signs that it's going to develop a shoot or root put vertical. At this point the haustorium (inner embryo part) has developed significantly to reach the coconut water better. The change from horizontal to vertical germination at a certain stage of embryonic development helps better handling and reducing risk of breaking off the plant from the nut in horizontal germination (remember that they're dehusked). Also dehusked coconut are more prone to cracking with temperature shock and vertical germination makes it easier to cover the nut with substrate but still keeping the "bowl" of the lower part of the trunk exposed.. The 4th picture is showing the initial nut position of the nuts in the first setup with the "mouth" downwards and "eyes" on top 

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This is the thermostat and how it's passed through the slit in the lid of the storage box. I happened to be lucky to have one germinate today as well. I am keeping the first setup at 27 (80 Fahrenheit) degrees celsius but the second setup at 24 (75 Fahrenheit) degrees celcius to slow their growth till the chill season passes (otherwise they grow quick enough to get unfit for box still during chill period 

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Currently I am keeping water bottles closed with cap because it was getting too much humid inside boxes 

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Note and zoom on the upper left most coconut in the first setup with blue bottle. Note on the previous photo taken last Thursday 8th November that I posted earlier today and note on the later photo taken a few hours ago that it has the tiny white embryo slightly visible 

Edited by Maltese coconut project
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5 hours ago, Maltese coconut project said:

Percentage roughly between 2%-20%, with the warm month favouring the higher percentages (probably due to transit time having unfavourable temperature conditions in winter) also the technique makes difference. The trick is to keep temperature between 80-84 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity but not excess humidity that promotes fungus.  Too much warm risks embryo popping off the nut 

Oh, okay.  Back when I was in high school in the 1980's, I was able to sprout the grocery store unhusked nuts by just planting them sideaways in a 3 gal. or 5 gal. pot with potting soil, buried just above the eyes, and setting them out in full sun in hot sunny weather with high temps in the 90'sF everyday, and watering them 2 or 3 times per day.  Back then, I could get the grocery store unhusked nuts to sprout under such conditions in about a month and a half.

John

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