Coconut Growing Farthest From Equator

[mlovecan]

Google manages to display this piece of summary but the pdf referred to cannot be opened: 

[mlovecan]

This Chinese study compares the cold sensitivity of Hainan Tall with a Green Dwarf. Unfortunately it is not a comparison of Hainan Tall with another tall variety: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11058665/#:~:text=Hainan tall coconut exhibits superior,its global spread and production.

"seedlings grown at 25°C were designated as the control group (CK). In addition, low-temperature treatment groups were established at 8°C for 2 hours (2h), 8 hours (8h), 2 days (2d), and 7 days (7d)" 

[Maltese coconut project]

From which website can they be bought and delivered? 

[MarkC]

Sorry not intending to offend anyone but these coconut growing schemes are just that, schemes. If you can’t plant a coconut in the ground without all the theatrics, and have it grow then it’s not able to grow. What’s next? The furthest north coconut with heating cables & winter green-housing? Oh wait, that’s already happening. 

[mlovecan]

This should go a ways to convince those that absolutely doubt a coconut could potentially survive in Greece. I am experiencing exactly the same changes in climate as that in the link beloe. We had a daytime high of 29 degrees celcius (84 F) here on November 21st and most days have had highs in the 23-25 Celsius since then (73-77 F). The guy that cuts my hair swims in the sea every morning and tells me the sea is currently 24 Celsius: 

https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/local/cyprus-heading-cairo-climate-autumn-vanishes-experts-warn/

Cyprus' latitude ranges between 34°33' and 35°41' North latitude.  My lattitude is 36°5' North.  

 

[Than]

56 minutes ago, mlovecan said:

This should go a ways to convince those that absolutely doubt a coconut could potentially survive in Greece. I am experiencing exactly the same changes in climate as that in the link beloe. We had a daytime high of 29 degrees celcius (84 F) here on November 21st and most days have had highs in the 23-25 Celsius since then (73-77 F). The guy that cuts my hair swims in the sea every morning and tells me the sea is currently 24 Celsius: 

https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/local/cyprus-heading-cairo-climate-autumn-vanishes-experts-warn/

Cyprus' latitude ranges between 34°33' and 35°41' North latitude.  My lattitude is 36°5' North.  

 

Someone has put a cocos in the ground in Terremolinos, Spain 2-3 years ago and it is growing happily. Similar climate to yours I guess. I saw it on a facebook page for palm enthusiasts

[mlovecan]

I just googled Torremolinos Spain Coconut and it came up straight away.

The person who made the post described the climate: "Average january extreme is +2C or 35F, 10a/b marginal Mediterranean climate, but the extremes are -3C"

February is the only month we may see temps as cold as +2. If it happens, it's normally exactly 2 nights right at Valentines and that will be the coldest night. Bananas will start to grow again by the 20th. We used to get lows of +8 degrees a few times in January / February but even that's become unusual. 12-13 degrees is our normal low January / February.

I'm really impressed with that guy's work - he's got some balls and doing something right. I'm curious if those cocos are a tall variety or if they are the bog standard Dutch ones that are on sale all over the place.  My Dutch one, again, did not enjoy our summer heat and grew very little. My Panama Talls had no issues with the heat. amd got little burn whatsover. I still hesutate to put any cocos in the ground but maybe will next year.   

I took this photo last Thursday ( 27 November ) :

 

 

   

[mlovecan]

On 6/2/2025 at 6:53 PM, Maltese coconut project said:

From which website can they be bought and delivered? 

Sorry Jonathan, I never saw this question until today. I had seen them from two growers on Indiamart. When I returned to find them, I couldn't. There are hundreds of vendors on there. I have read China has done some genetic work and now have 3 hybrids - Hainan II and III that have been developed to increase yield yet still retain cold tolerance. 

Good luck with the cocos you planted in your front garden. Seems well placed and grew quite a bit this summer.

 

 

[Maltese coconut project]

I tried to find on China post but it's a problem to buy in small quantities. Having said that, I believe that food ones might be the offspring of these cool tolerant ones. That's why I opt to germinate food ones. It's more practical for me though germination rates are relatively low (I calculate around 4% only and I guess that this low germination rate might be due freight storage temperature issues) I also believe that most of the food ones are very highly likely to be Maypan 

[Than]

On 12/4/2025 at 10:27 PM, mlovecan said:

I had seen them from two growers on Indiamart

You mean those people can send coconuts to the EU in small quantities? 

[mlovecan]

54 minutes ago, Maltese coconut project said:

I tried to find on China post but it's a problem to buy in small quantities. Having said that, I believe that food ones might be the offspring of these cool tolerant ones. That's why I opt to germinate food ones. It's more practical for me though germination rates are relatively low (I calculate around 4% only and I guess that this low germination rate might be due freight storage temperature issues) I also believe that most of the food ones are very highly likely to be Maypan 

That's very interesting Jonathan. I guess that makes sense given their LYD resistance. 

We just had a trip to Jamaica cancelled by Hurricance Melissa. I do love Jamaica but obtaining cool-hardy germinated Maypan's at source (the Coconut Industry Board Hrybrid Seed Garden is in St. Elizabeth, close to Black River) was one of my planned trip's prioroties. Unfortunately Hurricance Melissa has completey destroyed the place. 

 

[mlovecan]

16 minutes ago, Than said:

You mean those people can send coconuts to the EU in small quantities? 

They are charging about 1-5 USD per seedling. In a country like India, convincing somebody to sell you a couple for say 50 USD each should not be an issue. I priced DHL to send to Athens and it was peanuts. 

If you mean will the EU allow the importation, that's no issue. It's one of the few fruits you can impport with no phytosanitaty requirements:  https://food.ec.europa.eu/plants/plant-health-and-biosecurity/trade-plants-plant-products-non-eu-countries_en

[Navarro]

On 4/12/2025 at 20:46, Than said:

Alguien puso un coco en la tierra en Terremolinos, España, hace 2 o 3 años y está creciendo felizmente. Supongo que el clima es similar al tuyo. Lo vi en una página de Facebook para entusiastas de las palmeras

Este es ,las fotos me las paso un amigo que vive ahí 

[Than]

2 hours ago, Navarro said:

Este es ,las fotos me las paso un amigo que vive ahí 

We are going to be looking closely at this little fella!

[gurugu]

2 hours ago, Navarro said:

Este es ,las fotos me las paso un amigo que vive ahí 

Hola Navarro.

¿Dónde está exactamente ese cocotero?

Estuve en Torremolinos hace un mes y no sabía de su existencia. Una pena.

Sí estuve en el Molino del Inca, pero no está tan bonito como en anteriores veces.

[Navarro]

5 hours ago, gurugu said:

Hola Navarro.

¿Dónde está exactamente ese cocotero?

Estuve en Torremolinos hace un mes y no sabía de su existencia. Una pena.

Sí estuve en el Molino del Inca, pero no está tan bonito como en ocasiones anteriores.

En chiringuito los leones

[Than]

On 12/7/2025 at 8:08 PM, mlovecan said:

They are charging about 1-5 USD per seedling. In a country like India, convincing somebody to sell you a couple for say 50 USD each should not be an issue. I priced DHL to send to Athens and it was peanuts. 

If you mean will the EU allow the importation, that's no issue. It's one of the few fruits you can impport with no phytosanitaty requirements:  https://food.ec.europa.eu/plants/plant-health-and-biosecurity/trade-plants-plant-products-non-eu-countries_en

This person sells Malaysian dwarf seedlings for a bit less than 3 euro each. So, to sum up, which is the most cold-tolerant variety supposedly, other than Hainan? What variety should I look for?

[Janni]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/TCJi5e4gxqah162z9

[Than]

1 hour ago, Janni said:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/TCJi5e4gxqah162z9

Super palmy place! Impressing tourists 1 - 0 making shade for summer heat 

[mlovecan]

10 hours ago, Than said:

This person sells Malaysian dwarf seedlings for a bit less than 3 euro each. So, to sum up, which is the most cold-tolerant variety supposedly, other than Hainan? What variety should I look for?

If you have a Praktiker near you, the ones they sell are Malayan dwarfs.  They don't seem to fit the bill. - especially in terms of sun tolerance. 

In India, the West Coast Tall (also refered to as Tiptur Tall) is not only considered the most cold-hardy but also puts up with drought and low humidity.  Dwarfs are likely the least cold sensitive.  I'm guessing all talls are similar in cold tolerance. The West Coast Tall is said to be more tolerant of varied conditions than other Indian Talls. 

The Maypans (F1 hybrid Jamaican Tall x Malayan dwarf) have proven to be more cold tolerant than a plain Jamaican tall.  As the talls and dwarfs all likely originated in Malaysia an F1 hybrid from India would likely compare with an F1 hybrid from Jamaica.  

For now, I'm pleased to have pure talls as they seem to hold far more promise in my climate. The photo I showed was taken 10 days ago. We're approaching mid-December and they still look flawless and have never left full afternoon sun -  ensuring the warmest winter possible.  

My earliest attempts with dwarfs never made it to Christmas. If I can now get a dwarf though the entire winter, these talls should be dead simple. My year-round temps have definitely gone up in the last 23 years. Each dead cocos has contributed to my knowledge as well.

Of course, many thanks for @Axel Amsterdam for steering me towards the talls.

[Than]

9 hours ago, mlovecan said:

If you have a Praktiker near you, the ones they sell are Malayan dwarfs.  They don't seem to fit the bill. - especially in terms of sun tolerance. 

In India, the West Coast Tall (also refered to as Tiptur Tall) is not only considered the most cold-hardy but also puts up with drought and low humidity.  Dwarfs are likely the least cold sensitive.  I'm guessing all talls are similar in cold tolerance. The West Coast Tall is said to be more tolerant of varied conditions than other Indian Talls. 

The Maypans (F1 hybrid Jamaican Tall x Malayan dwarf) have proven to be more cold tolerant than a plain Jamaican tall.  As the talls and dwarfs all likely originated in Malaysia an F1 hybrid from India would likely compare with an F1 hybrid from Jamaica.  

For now, I'm pleased to have pure talls as they seem to hold far more promise in my climate. The photo I showed was taken 10 days ago. We're approaching mid-December and they still look flawless and have never left full afternoon sun -  ensuring the warmest winter possible.  

My earliest attempts with dwarfs never made it to Christmas. If I can now get a dwarf though the entire winter, these talls should be dead simple. My year-round temps have definitely gone up in the last 23 years. Each dead cocos has contributed to my knowledge as well.

Of course, many thanks for @Axel Amsterdam for steering me towards the talls.

Finally, a cohesive explanation! Thanks a lot. I may buy a couple of talls in spring then if shipping and customs are not too dear. Not that there's any chance but just for the thrill!

[mlovecan]

1 hour ago, Than said:

Finally, a cohesive explanation! Thanks a lot. I may buy a couple of talls in spring then if shipping and customs are not too dear. Not that there's any chance but just for the thrill!

No customs charges are applicable. If VAT - charged on both purchase price and shipping are not paid up front that is all you would need to pay for importation. 

[Than]

48 minutes ago, mlovecan said:

No customs charges are applicable. If VAT - charged on both purchase price and shipping are not paid up front that is all you would need to pay for importation. 

Have you bought from them already?

[mlovecan]

I have bought from Florida. I had planned to send some to a colleague of mine in India and get them from him in Amsterdam. His wife's father passed away and they're staying in India longer than originally planned. So it will have to be next year.  When I bought coconuts from Florida it was through Etsy. The seller didn't fill the form out correctly and I had to pay Elta about 30 euros for the VAT and Etsy refunded what I paid the seller. If the seller is registered for VAT (eg. Temu collects the VAT and provides VAT info on the declaration), the package spends a couple hours in customs and there's no charge when you receive it. Otherwise, it's a couple of days and you pay when you receve the package. From Florida to my house took exactly 10 days including Athens to here which took 4.

[Than]

1 hour ago, mlovecan said:

I have bought from Florida. I had planned to send some to a colleague of mine in India and get them from him in Amsterdam. His wife's father passed away and they're staying in India longer than originally planned. So it will have to be next year.  When I bought coconuts from Florida it was through Etsy. The seller didn't fill the form out correctly and I had to pay Elta about 30 euros for the VAT and Etsy refunded what I paid the seller. If the seller is registered for VAT (eg. Temu collects the VAT and provides VAT info on the declaration), the package spends a couple hours in customs and there's no charge when you receive it. Otherwise, it's a couple of days and you pay when you receve the package. From Florida to my house took exactly 10 days including Athens to here which took 4.

Aha, that's interesting! Still, it must've been a little fortune to have a coconut sent from the US. Was it a seedling or just the fruit? 

Btw, interesting you said coconuts don't need any paperwork to be sent abroad from India, cos when I was there and tried to bring a coconut with me, it was confiscated at the airport. Oh well.. it wouldn't have survived in my 9B anyway.

[kylecawazafla]

Here's a new coconut I found on Google Maps at 33.79 degrees north in Long Beach, CA 

[mlovecan]

On 12/8/2025 at 11:54 AM, Than said:

We are going to be looking closely at this little fella!

I am honestly amazed by this coconut. The highs and lows it's experiencing right now are as cold as my coldest month. When they first started discovering established coconuts in inland California, one theory was intense summer heat enabled the coconut to store sufficient sugar to get through the winter.  As the Mediterranean region experiences similar intense heat as inland California, maybe the theory of storage of sugar in intense heat is a vilid one. Otherwise, that is one tough coconut. This is the forecast for that area for the next 10 days - I would guess the next 2 1/2 months will be colder:

 

   

[mlovecan]

One more Cyprian cocos planted by a little old Asian lady. Ten years in the ground - purchased at Ikea. 35 degrees North lattitude.

[mlovecan]

From Google streetview 

[Zeeth]

That Cyprus coconut looks really nice! If it's survived 10 years already it might end up being a long-term survivor. 

[mlovecan]

I got asked about the location from another guy on here also living in Paphos. Let's hope he goes to have a word with her and reports back a few of her secrets. I didn't really believe it myself until I found the thing on streetview.