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Cocos nucifera (Coconut) in Malta


Maltese coconut project

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I see. The ones I buy from Lidl are from India. But nowadays India have a variety of coconut cultivars and they come at random. Obviously I can't tell which cultivar I have.. I can only say that they come in a variety of colours, green, orange and yellow.. Also some thicker and fatter, others thinner and taller. But height and girth are sometimes related to light levels too 

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Today's update 5th February 2023.  The following days rain is predicted again with some low night time temperatures 

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Heavy rain at the wrong time. Average of 103mm in 24hours on the 9th February 2023 on our archipelago. 

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Edited by Maltese coconut project
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The same in Sicily: cold and rain.  If our cocos plants will be still alive in a few weeks, it will probably be the demonstration that foliar fertilizer is really what makes the difference

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Usually when I had deaths in hardened coconut palms occurred in April not the worst of winter. I am still not sure what causes this phenomenon. We'll see whether the foliar fertilizer solves the April death issue... 

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11 minutes ago, Maltese coconut project said:

Usually when I had deaths in hardened coconut palms occurred in April not the worst of winter. I am still not sure what causes this phenomenon. We'll see whether the foliar fertilizer solves the April death issue... 

Let's wait for May, then...

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Exactly.. And we'll see whether the combination of foliar fertilizer and high surrounding walls make a significant difference 

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I looked up tutiempo which I know is not always 100% correct, but since we are talking about the same station for different years, it is fair to assume it gives the big picture:

 

December 2021 vs 2022 for Luqa:

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It was 3C warmer this last December.

 

January 2022 vs 2023:

 

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January 2023 was also warmer by 1.3 C (with highs 2c above), not only that but there were days in Jan 2022 where the min reached 4c and one day where the max did not even reach 10C, unlike this last January. So yes I am convinced this is not just foliar spray, even if I believe it may help. I did hear reports from last year as being one of the coolest in southern east europe so I am not susprised to see this data.

 

 

Maybe February will be cooler, but for the time being the previous winter was very cold compared to what Malta is getting for 2022/2023.

Just my 2 cents!

 

 

Edited by Cluster
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On 2/1/2023 at 2:09 AM, Aleitalyyy said:

Am I wrong or even the Bermuda Islands have marginal coconut trees?

They THRIVE there in Bermuda, from what I have seen in pics and videos, reaching full maturity with nuts on them, especially the native Jamaican Talls.

John

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Thanks for clarification John.  I thought there was something strange and definitely not temperature being an issue since in madeira they even have slightly lower temperatures and still there are fruiting specimens. Also there was a misleading article on Facebook from the Bermudian magazine but it was taken down 

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I have doubts about the one in the third photo. The leaves are becoming folded and narrower. Probably dying if not already dead... 

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On 1/2/2023 at 11:06, Maltese coconut project said:

 

it seems that the smaller ones inside the black bag are still healthy, while those in the red pots are more run down... I think this happens because the black bag heats up immediately in the sun and keeps more heat than the red pots... try to procure black vases....

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Not really.  Some of the smaller ones are getting brown whilst others are good. I think the best ones were hardened for longer in the summer sun. The one which looks like it's dying has a disadvantage: local loam soil (not well draining) 

Edited by Maltese coconut project
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On 2/1/2023 at 9:33 AM, Aleitalyyy said:

i think the climate is cooler in bermuda compared to the canaries.... i think it's marginal coco there... in the north it has cold america currents

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On 2/1/2023 at 9:33 AM, Aleitalyyy said:

i think the climate is cooler in bermuda compared to the canaries.... i think it's marginal coco there... in the north it has cold america currents

Bermuda has the VERY WARM TROPICAL Gulf Stream that comes up to it straight from the Florida Keys and Miami area, bringing WARM Tropical Waters and coral to it, where coral larvae settled down many centuries ago and produced beautiful fully developed Coral Reefs, just like in the Caribbean Islands.  Coconut Palms DO produce many coconuts in the Bermuda Islands!!!

John

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On 2/3/2023 at 1:32 AM, Maltese coconut project said:

Are the food coconuts labelled by cultivar there? Or just the country of origin? 

I wish they were labeled by variety!!!  Just the country of origin!!!

John

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5 hours ago, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Coconut Palms DO produce many coconuts in the Bermuda Islands!!!

John

Probably the rumor that they do not produce them is due to the fact that they are removed by public gardeners to prevent them from falling on someone's head: apparently the same happens also in Madeira.

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Bermuda, Funchal and Tenerife have very similar monthly temperatures just that Tenerife is drier. All of them have Coconut palms in some of their areas with the ones on Tenerife needing additional watering due to the lower precipitation Screenshot_2023-02-16-09-40-05-248_com.android.chrome.thumb.jpg.fb8d74873ef7f307a60543854c67124b.jpgScreenshot_2023-02-16-09-40-14-292_com.android.chrome.thumb.jpg.5a1dd360ae27fdd98d3d8580fce0457c.jpgScreenshot_2023-02-16-09-40-44-055_com.android.chrome.thumb.jpg.ed9aa9b931b42c1eacb2cbec8a77f32a.jpgScreenshot_2023-02-16-09-41-01-620_com.android.chrome.thumb.jpg.d224357b94c7fbc9d0ab178dc909f8b3.jpgScreenshot_2023-02-16-09-44-30-990_com.android.chrome.thumb.jpg.50bd11ec980e8d2b1508b616390883ae.jpgScreenshot_2023-02-16-09-49-15-340_com.android.chrome.thumb.jpg.430d6547f2060855ef528764ec6a2d4f.jpg

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When are you planning on planting them?

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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On 2/16/2023 at 12:27 AM, Palermogreen said:

Probably the rumor that they do not produce them is due to the fact that they are removed by public gardeners to prevent them from falling on someone's head: apparently the same happens also in Madeira.

Unfortunately, but it makes them look so ugly.  They look 10 times better with their full natural crowns on them, and full of nuts too.   They should just put up signs warning people to beware of the occasional falling coconut.

John

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36 minutes ago, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Unfortunately, but it makes them look so ugly.  They look 10 times better with their full natural crowns on them, and full of nuts too.   They should just put up signs warning people to beware of the occasional falling coconut.

John

I think one year they caused 150 deaths, as a business I would not plant them in pedestrian areas, its a lawsuit waiting to happen, although I would just hack off inflorescence rather than 75% of the crown

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Lucas

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4 minutes ago, Little Tex said:

I think one year they caused 150 deaths, as a business I would not plant them in pedestrian areas, its a lawsuit waiting to happen, although I would just hack off inflorescence rather than 75% of the crown

Hmmm.  I seem to recall reading somewhere a few years ago that there has never been a real bona fide documented death from a falling coconut.  What I read indicated that it is a huge myth that has been perpetrated for many decades.

John

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1 minute ago, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Hmmm.  I seem to recall reading somewhere a few years ago that there has never been a real bona fide documented death from a falling coconut.  What I read indicated that it is a huge myth that has been perpetrated for many decades.

John

Aside from that and judging by the decisions I see people make from behind the wheel of an automobile daily, perhaps we could use a bit of natural selection.

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Lakeland, FL

USDA Zone 1990: 9a  2012: 9b  2023: 10a | Sunset Zone: 26 | Record Low: 20F/-6.67C (Jan. 1985, Dec.1962) | Record Low USDA Zone: 9a

30-Year Avg. Low: 30F | 30-year Min: 24F

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I am not sure about the correct timing regarding planting them regarding whether before summer or after summer. I wish to try 3 on the ground, one in the front of the house which receives more sun but exposed on the east and northern side (protected from westerly winds) and maybe 2 in the backyard which by summer will be protected from East,, west and north with the south exposed (much better protection from wind but reduced sunshine hours till they get tall enough) 

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5 hours ago, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Hmmm.  I seem to recall reading somewhere a few years ago that there has never been a real bona fide documented death from a falling coconut.  What I read indicated that it is a huge myth that has been perpetrated for many decades.

John

It seems that it is not just a legend, although these are rare cases and from what I have read, the victims were often infants or small children.  Hail probably caused more deaths (sometimes there can be hailstorms with grains of the size of a plum or even bigger: I myself saw one as a boy).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_by_coconut

However, a coconut that falls from a height of several meters can also cause material damage (to vehicles for example), which is why if I were a public administrator I would prefer to avoid its use in pedestrian areas or with vehicle traffic or I would plant only dwarf varieties and I would have the fruit removed to avoid damage and legal consequences.

In any case, I don't think this will ever be a problem that directly affects me or my Maltese friend;-)...

Edited by Palermogreen
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Because till now no one ever succeeded growing a coconut palm to maturity in the Mediterranean. But we still need to see what happens in the near future... 

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4 hours ago, Maltese coconut project said:

Because till now no one ever succeeded growing a coconut palm to maturity in the Mediterranean. But we still need to see what happens in the near future... 

Those few specimens of coconut grown in southern California (particularly the famous one of Huntington Beach, which lived for thirty years) appear to have never produced fruit.

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Some small corrections: 1) regarding the famous one was actually in Newport beach not in Huntington beach if I am 2) regarding the coconut palms in california never fruiting here's the big surprise:

 

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/46003-is-this-a-coconut-or-am-i-dreaming/?page=7#comment-709209

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4 hours ago, Maltese coconut project said:

Some small corrections: 1) regarding the famous one was actually in Newport beach not in Huntington beach if I am 2) regarding the coconut palms in california never fruiting here's the big surprise:

 

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/46003-is-this-a-coconut-or-am-i-dreaming/?page=7#comment-709209

You're right, Newport Beach,  not Huntington Beach.

This is really a big surprise: a California Cocos healthy and fruiting. I'd like to know where exactly it is.

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9 hours ago, Palermogreen said:

Those few specimens of coconut grown in southern California (particularly the famous one of Huntington Beach, which lived for thirty years) appear to have never produced fruit.

A couple of them in perfect inland microclimates, supposedly did produce fruit with mature trunks in California, but the fruit I think were only medium sized.

John

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6 hours ago, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

A couple of them in perfect inland microclimates, supposedly did produce fruit with mature trunks in California, but the fruit I think were only medium sized.

John

I suppose they're located in Coachella Valley, the desertic area just north of the mexican border that experiences high daytime temperatures all year-round, right?  The problem in that area is that every some years occurs a break-in of freezing air from the north with temperatures that can reach -10 degrees Celsius, which kills any Cocos.  However, between one episode of anomalous cold and another it is possible to grow your own coconut tree in your garden (and then replace it with another one...).

Edited by Palermogreen
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Update 23rd February 2023. There is a significant number of dead coconut specimens with some that I also suspect that are hovering near death due to the leaf narrowing. I decided to take some photos with comparison to my hand to give an idea regarding their size. I am astounded though that I have some small specimens which for now look quite strong 

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Edited by Maltese coconut project
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