Canarian date: growing from seeds at home and care

Today, growing palms can be practiced at home, and if such a desire arises, it is worth paying attention to the benefits of the Canarian date. The plant creates a cheerful atmosphere and comfort in the room, it cleans the air of dust and impurities, creating a comfortable microclimate in the house. Before planting a palm tree, you should learn about the features of its cultivation.

Benefits and characteristics of the palm tree

Canarian date belongs to the Arekov family. The palm tree has a short columnar trunk and bluish green leaves, due to which the plant is characterized by lightness and airiness.It forms inflorescences of female and male type, the former have a creamy tint, the latter have an orange-yellow color. In nature, the tree is able to reach a height of 20 m and form a trunk up to 1 m. The fruits form small, have an oval shape and are orange in color.

Unpretentiousness is considered to be the advantage of the Canary date, for good growth it is important for it to provide a bright room and regular watering. Palm benefits include:

good survival rate;
the ability to purify the air;
property of showing good growth at temperatures from +10 to +18 ^{C, which makes it possible to grow on a loggia.}

The plant is capable of reaching large sizes, so you should think in advance about the future location of its placement. At home, a palm tree can grow up to 1.4 m, so it is better to place it near the wall where there is not a large degree of activity of people and animals.

Varieties

Today, there are several types of Canarian dates on the market for horticultural crops, differing in appearance and growth properties. One of the most popular is Luxor, which is grown from seeds. A young plant grows as a bush, later it can form a trunk.

Designed for landscaping offices and planting at home, the palm tree can grow up to 2 m.

Growing a date from a seed

Many plant lovers have experience growing dates from the pit. Of great importance is the correct choice of soil, pre-sowing processing of the material, compliance with growing conditions. Growing a date from the pit is a lengthy process, averaging 3 months.

Seed selection for planting

The seed for planting is taken only from those fruits that have not been heat treated. Withered or dried dates are suitable for these purposes. Planting several seeds at the same time will help increase the chances of getting seedlings.

Seed preparation

Before planting, it is important to properly prepare the bone, for which its surface is thoroughly cleaned of pulp. Poorly carried out removal will lead to the appearance of mold and adversely affect the germination of the shoot. Next, the bone is placed in cold water for 48 hours, periodically it is required to change the liquid to a new one. After 2 days, a second cleaning procedure is carried out to remove the remnants of the pulp.

Experienced gardeners advise resorting to some tricks that speed up the emergence of sprouts. The most popular include:

put the seed in hot water for 10 minutes, which will allow seedlings to appear in a couple of weeks;
perform a puncture in the surface of the bone or grind off the base with sandpaper, which will help moisture get inside.

Properly selected soil and irrigation regime will help ensure the quality of seed germination.

Required soil composition

For successful germination of sprouts and further growth, light and loose soil is required for dates. The palm tree has a weak and fragile root system, so heavy soil is not suitable for these purposes. An easier option is to purchase a substrate for date varieties in a specialized store, but you can prepare the ground yourself from sawdust, humus, peat and sand.

Fitting technology

For planting, take a small volume container, just choose 0.3-0.5 liters. A shallow hole is formed in the ground, into which the stone is placed vertically and gently sprinkled with earth.Next, the landing site is moistened and the container is removed to a warm place for germination. A drainage hole must be provided to remove excess moisture.

It can take quite a lot of time from the moment of planting to the appearance of a sprout, so you should not worry, but you should periodically water the ground as the soil dries. First, a simple leaf will appear, later an arrow will form from 2-3 plates.

Optimal conditions for good tree growth

You can grow Canarian dates at home, following certain growing rules. Experts advise choosing seeds for these purposes, since there are much more chances for germination. For good growth, it is necessary to provide the plant with proper care.

Illumination

It is recommended to place the Canarian date on the south side, if there is insufficient light, the plant will slow down in development.In summer, it is permissible to take the palm tree out into the open air, to the territory of the personal plot, gradually accustoming it to the sun. The plant tolerates gusts of wind and precipitation well, is not afraid of direct sunlight and precipitation.

In winter, the illumination drops, which can adversely affect the condition of the palm tree. To avoid such a situation, it is required to lower the temperature and, if possible, organize artificial lighting.

Temperature conditions

Canarian date is able to grow at high temperatures, but the optimal growing conditions for it are indoors +20… +25 C. To transfer the winter period to a tropical plant will help reduce the indicator to +8 … +14 ^C.

Ventilation

Ensuring periodic ventilation is one of the important conditions for growing Canarian dates. Stagnant and stale air will adversely affect plant growth.Temperature fluctuations should not be allowed, so offices should not be placed near doorways, which, when opened, risk a direct breath of cold air.

Irrigation and irrigation regime

Natural qualities allow the palm tree to tolerate dry air, but there will be a problem of drying the tips of the leaf plates. Optimal humidity for a date is 50%, to increase the indicator, a fountain or an aquarium is placed in the premises.

Positively affects the condition of the plant spraying on hot days with boiled water. Such actions are carried out only in the summer, in winter this should not be done.

In summer, the plant requires abundant watering, but there should be no stagnant moisture. In winter, moistening is carried out in a smaller volume, controlling the absence of drying of the soil near the root system.For irrigation use only warm soft water, cold or hard leads to brown spots on the leaves.

Feeding

Top dressing is carried out during the period of active growth 1 time every 14 days. In winter, the frequency is increased to 1 time every month. For these purposes, complex mineral and organic fertilizers are used, which alternate sequentially.

When and how to transplant correctly

As the plants grow in the container, increase the layer of soil. A palm tree should be transplanted only when the root system tightly braided the entire clod of earth. Observe the following plant transplant rules:

young - no more than 1 or 2 times a year;
adults - 1 time in 3 or 5 years.

Large-sized provide replacement of the top layer of soil. In connection with this feature, when transplanting a plant, pots of sufficient capacity should be selected in advance for the plant to grow for several years.

Does the date palm grown at home bear fruit

At home, fruiting from a palm tree should not be expected. Date flowering is observed only in natural conditions, and the return of the crop is possible only when the growth reaches 15 m.

Methods of reproduction

The Canarian date is propagated only by seeds. For these purposes, only fruits that have not been cooked are suitable. The palm tree is slow growing, compound pinnate leaves can only be expected in the 4th year.

Possible problems and solutions

You can immediately understand the appearance of problems with a palm tree by the appearance of the plant. There are few causes of plant disease, all of them are associated with violations of the rules of cultivation or the harmful effects of pests and microorganisms.

Pests and diseases - their control

Canary dates are susceptible to scale insects and mealybugs. Excessive dryness of the air increases the risk of ticks. To exclude plant diseases, preventive measures are taken to prevent their occurrence. It is enough to periodically inspect the plant. At the first sign of a problem, the leaves are washed with water and treated with targeted chemicals.

The most commonly used for pest control is Aktara, Akarin, Intra-Vir.

Leaves turn yellow or darken

Yellowing of the lower leaves is considered normal in some cases. Over time, old leaf plates die off, and a change in color is the first sign of the beginning of the process. If yellowness has covered a significant part of the crown, then with a high degree of probability this is due to insufficient lighting and moisture of the plant.

The appearance of a dark color of the tips of the leaves and their drying indicates excessive dryness of the air.At the same time, the humidity is increased, and the plant is sprayed with warm water. The appearance of a significant size of dark spots on the leaves can be associated with both waterlogging and excessive watering, in some cases the plant reacts to hypothermia or transportation.

Palm stopped growing

There can be many reasons for the lack of palm growth. One of them is the temperature regime, insufficiently high temperature can cause a slowdown or stop the growth of the plant. The horse system stops developing at +16 ^{C, which automatically deprives the shoots of opportunities for further growth.}

The problem of inhibition of plant growth may be associated with a lack of trace elements in the soil. One of the most common causes of stunted palm growth is iron and manganese deficiency in the soil. An increase in soil acidity above 7 pH also adversely affects the development of the plant.