Palm family. Homeland - coastal areas of tropical countries. Coconut is the most famous of all palm tree fruit-givers. It grows in one trunk, leaves in the amount of 30-35 pieces only at the apex, they are pinnately dissected, dense, leathery, in nature reach 5-6 m in length, in domestic specimens about 1 m maximum. The fruit is not a nut, as is commonly believed in everyday life, but a dry drupe. The coconut shell is inedible, and only the seed pit (copra) and the "liquid" - endosperm (cloudy water), called coconut milk, are edible.
However, this is not the best palm tree to grow indoors. It can be grown at home for a maximum of three years, since this plant is very photophilous and requires space. She lives longer in winter gardens or greenhouses with appropriate temperature and light regimes. Of the small genus of coconut, only two species are grown in the room:
- Weddel coconut Cocos weddeliana with narrow, drooping leaves green, silvery on the back of the leaf. Miniature palm, suitable for garden in a bottle. In winter, it requires a temperature of at least 18 ° C. Extremely sensitive to root damage, so transplant should be very careful. Does not tolerate overdrying and direct bright sun .
- Coconut coconut Cocos nucifera is a large plant even at a young age. Indoors can grow up to 3 m, although it grows slowly. In a young plant, the leaves are long and narrow, similar to fish tails, in an adult coconut, the leaves are large and pinnate.
How to grow coconut at home
Home-grown life begins with either buying it from a store or growing it from a nut. Grow yourself, albeit for a long time, but interesting! We need a coconut to start with. The most common, which is sold in the fruit department of the store. Choose one that is heavier in weight, has a light dense shell, without dents and cracks - the damaged nut easily rots. Please note: there are three "windows" on the coconut in the form of circles - these are seedling pores, they should not be tight!
So, we chose a nut, now it needs to be soaked in water. In nature, coconuts are often washed into the ocean and travel through the waves, remaining viable, for 3-4 months. Having nailed to the shore and getting into wet sand, they germinate within 1-2 months. Best of all, completely without problems, green coconuts sprout, but we do not sell such. Therefore, we need to soak the coconut in hot water to speed up the process. You can't put it in a thermos, but it is quite possible to put a basin on the battery, and change the water periodically so as not to deteriorate. Two weeks of soaking is enough. The fibers on it are soaked, peeled off, and the ear needs to be peeled off.
Now you need to plant a coconut. To do this, take a large pot, make sure that the holes at the bottom are large and not sealed. We pour the soil: in equal parts, universal peat (for example, soil for palm trees) and well-washed river sand sifted from dust. The coconut must be placed on its side so that it is covered with soil 2/3 of the height. The eyes must be immersed in the substrate (not necessarily all, at least one or two). Now all care lies in maintaining uniform soil moisture and temperature - preferably at least 30 ° C. Therefore, it is best to put a coconut pot for germination in winter, on a battery. The main thing is that the coconut does not rot from excessive dampness and does not dry out too much. As soon as the sprout appears, we remove it from the battery and put it on the window.
Coconut care
Temperature: Coconuts are thermophilic, which means that both outdoors and in the room they need a temperature of 20-23 ° C. However, home conditions differ from natural ones in the absence of fresh air; at temperatures above 24 ° C, coconut palm requires a powerful influx of fresh air. If in summer you can open windows, then at other times of the year there is a problem with ventilation. It is better, of course, to keep the plant in the garden in summer, and from autumn to spring on an insulated but cool balcony, where the temperature does not drop below + 10 ° C. If coconut is kept in rooms all year, then regular ventilation is needed.
Lighting: Bright diffused light, shaded only by the hottest sun. The room is provided with the brightest window while the coconut is small, but when it no longer fits on the window, you will have to put it in the room and provide a very intense illumination. In total, daylight hours 12-14 hours a day, most likely, it will take not one lamp, but at least two to illuminate the crown more evenly. As the palm grows, two lamps may not be enough. Think about it - natural conditions for coconut are a lot of sun!
Watering: In summer (from May to September), watering is plentiful, with the obligatory drying of the upper part of the soil. In autumn and winter - moderate, the earth should dry well, at least 2/3 of the height of the pot, but not dry into dust. From May to August, every two weeks, fertilizing with fertilizer for palm trees or deciduous plants.
Humidity: Coconut loves very humid air, so regular spraying is necessary, especially in summer and winter during the heating season. The leaves are periodically wiped with a moist sponge. If in winter the coconut is next to the battery, you will have to cover it with a screen or a damp sheet (wet in the morning and evening) - dry heat from the battery is the most harmful effect for the coconut.
Transplant: Coconut, like many palm trees, does not like transplants when the roots are disturbing, so they only transplant when the pot is small. But if the soil is covered with a salt coating on top, it must be carefully removed and replaced with fresh. Coconut soil: 1 part of light clay-turf earth, 1 part of leaf, 1 part of sand and several pieces of charcoal. Drainage to the bottom is mandatory, 2-3 cm high. The acidity of the soil is 6.5-6.8, rather slightly acidic.
