(A?)synchronization of male and female specimens

[Phoenikakias]

I have observed following event in several occasions. Namely the male plant blooms at an earlier time than the female and by the time the female inflorescence seems receptive, the male plant has already stopped producing new inflorescences and the already existing seem/are desiccated. Nevertheless female plant does set fruits with viable seeds. This observation applies on Chamaedorea (glaucifolia, oblongata), Guihaia argyrata and Phoenix spp. I do not know how to explain it. In current case I have two dacties a male and female growing together. The male has produced two inflorescences, which now have entered the decline stage. The female plant is pushing right now the inflorescence.  I am quite curious, whether the female  inflorescence will get pollinated, as the male plant does not look like it will produce new flowers and no other male dacty blooms nearby. 

It may be of importance here, what I had read once, that namely date farmers used to place in the crown of female plants dried male inflorescences. Sorry, I can not remember the source, but  I am certain that this was the given information.

[kinzyjr]

@Phoenikakias All of my male dactylifera flowered pretty early this year (January) and the female that is a solitary specimen is setting fruit now.  Time will tell if it produces viable seeds, but it appears this happens frequently with dactylifera. 

[Phoenikakias]

2 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

@Phoenikakias All of my male dactylifera flowered pretty early this year (January) and the female that is a solitary specimen is setting fruit now.  Time will tell if it produces viable seeds, but it appears this happens frequently with dactylifera. 

Has it rained once during the blooming of the dacties? Ever occurred to you, that the male by blooming first initiates the blooming of the female?

Edited May 30, 2021 by Phoenikakias

[manuel2021]

If you want store some pollen, dry it under a fluorescent tube overnight and add rice to the pollen.

To use it later on, its dodgy how pollen works, sometimes it does not float in the air at all, and sometimes pollination take place we dont know how, but during windy days, dry days are the most fertile.

I do not have pollen for my young dactylifera now, I tried with an old male spathe dried out cause sometimes some tiny pollen grain can stay and be used.

Edited May 30, 2021 by manuel2021

[manuel2021]

4 hours ago, Phoenikakias said:

Has it rained once during the blooming of the dacties? Ever occurred to you, that the male by blooming first initiates the blooming of the female?

I believe a lot in that  or by producing ethylene gas or by the pollen itself the male triggers the female to produce flowers....and maybe some female triggering males too...we see it every days...lol

This guy of the cayenne pepper using a machinr on trunk of datepalm to find a synchronization ( I dont remember the machine name) and he said datepalm dont see, can't hear, but they do feel, if you cut one front of the tree he was losing synchronization with his machine, if I find the article back on his huge blog I will post it.

I found one using in 2016  like microwave heat to the lower trunk to kill all red weevil, at 60 degrees celcius 45 mn. He was killing all red weevil and the crown was safe. And the advantage from other methods was that you do not have to remove the trunk in case of serious infection and loss of the tree, once heated it's safe, 

Maybe a black plastic around the trunk the hotter days for 2 hours will raise the temp for 10-20 degrees celcius more? Near the 60 celcius degrees needed to get rid of them...

 

Edited May 30, 2021 by manuel2021

[Phoenikakias]

My exactly identical impression about the interaction of the sexes in the matter of blooming was expressed to M G-B two months ago. She is a biologist with a considerable research on the biodiversity of Phoenix dactylifera.

[kinzyjr]

15 hours ago, Phoenikakias said:

Has it rained once during the blooming of the dacties? Ever occurred to you, that the male by blooming first initiates the blooming of the female?

Rain has been spotty this spring.  We'll get a deluge for about a week, then no rain at all for a few weeks.  It's certainly possible that the males basically signal the females.  I have multiple species of Phoenix on the property, but only 2 (dactylifera and roebellenii) are mature and flowering at this point.  It's also possible they don't care which species flowers male first, it still signals the females of all of the species to produce.