Supermarket coconut in the UK

[brattle_007]

I would like to try germinating a de-husked coconut. According to many people they do work well. Problem is must places that sell coconuts in the UK are supermarkets. The UK supermarkets refrigerate them killing the embryo. It’s about 1 in 30 coconuts that been through the refrigerating process that germinates. I’ve been in Newcastle city centre to buy a few from the fruit market and found out they was unable to get them in all summer.

Edited August 20, 2011 by brattle_007

[peachy]

I tried it a couple of times but no luck so far. They probably have to be very fresh and heaven only knows how long they sit in cold storage.

Peachy

[Trópico]

Success story here: mine is about 3 ft tall and growing. Looks to be of the yellowish/orange variety. Buy many, buy fresh, and make sure you hear water sloshing about inside when you shake it. Accept some fallout and you'll have one growing in less than a year.

[MAUSER]

I do not understand how someone loses time and money in germinating coconuts, when they sell beautiful and cheap cocos in many places, and from the first day you can enjoy them.

[Trópico]

I do not understand how someone loses time and money in germinating coconuts, when they sell beautiful and cheap cocos in many places, and from the first day you can enjoy them.

Supermarket coconut = $2.99

Box store coconut(when and if available) = $15.00

Plus the joy of doing it yourself. For me, I enjoy the thrill of watching seeds sprout. Some people, especially friends in the northern locations can only hope for the nut at the local supermarket. But I agree with you in the why not pick up a good variety of coconut if a good deal comes by.

[paulgila]

I would like to try germinating a de-husked coconut. According to many people they do work well. Problem is must places that sell coconuts in the UK are supermarkets. The UK supermarkets refrigerate them killing the embryo. It’s about 1 in 30 coconuts that been through the refrigerating process that germinates. I’ve been in Newcastle city centre to buy a few from the fruit market and found out they was unable to get them in all summer.

check the beach--you might find one that has washed up on shore!

[richnorm]

Lidl had plants for a fiver when I was over there a couple of weeks ago.

cheers

Richard

[MAUSER]

I do not understand how someone loses time and money in germinating coconuts, when they sell beautiful and cheap cocos in many places, and from the first day you can enjoy them.

Supermarket coconut = $2.99

Box store coconut(when and if available) = $15.00

Plus the joy of doing it yourself. For me, I enjoy the thrill of watching seeds sprout. Some people, especially friends in the northern locations can only hope for the nut at the local supermarket. But I agree with you in the why not pick up a good variety of coconut if a good deal comes by.

Hi

In Spain:

Supermarket coconut = 1 €

Box store coconut (always available, IKEA, etc) = less than € 9 ... No power consumption, time, rot .... and possibility of no germination.

For me also, I enjoy the thrill of watching seeds sprout, but the seeds what I can´t purchased.

Regards

[brattle_007]

I do not understand how someone loses time and money in germinating coconuts, when they sell beautiful and cheap cocos in many places, and from the first day you can enjoy them.

These consumer plants sold in Europe mostly comes from an industrial hot house in Holland. There forced grown making the seedlings stretchy and very unstable when they come out for shipment. These plants are very short lived and very hard to keep alive, because they were forced grown. Its best to germinate your own to have a stable plant.

[markpeters77]

So true brattle - you really do get what you pay for with these coconuts from Holland, they look lovely and lush en-masse, but individually they'll fall over with the slightest knock and die a pretty quick death! Good luck in your search

[MAUSER]

All coconuts finally will die in Europe, they´re disposable products

[wimmie]

All coconuts finally will die in Europe, they´re disposable products

Mauser, since you are living in Murcia, I have a question for you. It has nothing to do with Coconuts. When I was in Spain, I have seen a colourvariety of Phoenix dactylifera. This variety has goldenyellow petioles from the base op the leave until the very tip of the leave (see photo). If you want to see one, go to a small village right between Elche and Allicante airport, Torrelano. If you go through the mainstreet (Av. de Segarra) into the direction of the airport, you will come across the palm on the photo on the right hand site of the street, just opposite a cantina. I hope you can tell me what kind of dactylifera this is and where plants of this size are for sale.

Will you help?

Wim.

[MAUSER]

All coconuts finally will die in Europe, they´re disposable products

Mauser, since you are living in Murcia, I have a question for you. It has nothing to do with Coconuts. When I was in Spain, I have seen a colourvariety of Phoenix dactylifera. This variety has goldenyellow petioles from the base op the leave until the very tip of the leave (see photo). If you want to see one, go to a small village right between Elche and Allicante airport, Torrelano. If you go through the mainstreet (Av. de Segarra) into the direction of the airport, you will come across the palm on the photo on the right hand site of the street, just opposite a cantina. I hope you can tell me what kind of dactylifera this is and where plants of this size are for sale.

Will you help?

Wim.

I answer you by private message

[John in Andalucia]

I've tried both approaches; germinating supermarket coconuts and buying the shade-house farmed variety for 8 Euros in Spain. As Mauser says, they're doomed here (Europe). Here's one I tried valiantly to acclimatise outdoors. Totally hopeless. No resistance to sun or the mildest wind.

[brattle_007]

I've tried both approaches; germinating supermarket coconuts and buying the shade-house farmed variety for 8 Euros in Spain. As Mauser says, they're doomed here (Europe). Here's one I tried valiantly to acclimatise outdoors. Totally hopeless. No resistance to sun or the mildest wind.

The one in the photo looks like a stretchy hothouse one form Holland, very unstable that cannot take reduced photosynthesis at all. Your own germinated one will take room temps 12 to 18*C, with dry sandy soil, 50w LED grow light and soil warming cables to warm the soil above 25*C. Create a mist now and agin. Growth will be slow in winter but it will keep it alive.

Edited August 25, 2011 by brattle_007

[Maxim]

http://myflora.org.ua/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=387

The person from the city of Murmansk grows up 3 years a coconut palm tree of the house

[John in Andalucia]

http://myflora.org.u....php?f=13&t=387

The person from the city of Murmansk grows up 3 years a coconut palm tree of the house

I don't read Russian, but the number of EEK! icons says it all! More proof of the palm nuttiness that extends worldwide!

[Maxim]

He writes that the nut has brought from Malaysia

[Kostas]

I have been growing a coconut i brought with me from Key West for about a year and a half now. It was germinating when i brought it(with the husk on) and potted it outside directly,in plain river sand. Its both sun and extreme wind wind tolerant for me without problems and has seen weather down to 4-5C last winter before bringing it in for the coldest months. I kept it under fluorescent lighting from early December to early March and then brought it outside again,at which point it lost all its leafs to sunburn,except for the emerging leaf and a very small part of its previous leaf. It now has 2 full new leafs and a third one pushing out. It has grown bigger but not as much as i expected. So far,my coconut has been a medium grower for me and the few months indoors under low light are enough to make the leafs sun sensitive when its brought out again. So,slow sun and wind acclimation is a must for the weak and stretchy coconuts sold if they are to have a hope. But better yet,get a tall cultivar to enjoy some more vigor and hardiness. Mine is most probably a Tall variety as the seed is very big and the leafs biggish and undivided so far.

Here it is just after getting outside from its winter home in mid-March

I hope i can grow my Key West coconut to a good size and make it succeed to fruiting and beyond,in my Pyrgos garden. Of course,my own thought is ''I doubt it,but its worth a try''

[basilios]

A few years ago box store coconuts were sold almost everywhere around here, too. I bought one and of course it died after a few months, and I suspect that was the reason stores gradually stopped selling them (probably too many disappointed clients). So these days it's virtually impossible to find a coconut seedling in our market and if you ask me, this is a good thing. All those over-stretched hothouse tropical palms are hopeless in any sort of mediterranean clime and if you want your tropical or subtropical palm to stand a real chance, you should try it from seed. Last month I germinated a supermarket coco and so far it's doing good, working on its first leaf. I'll keep it indoors through winter and I'm really curious how it's going to go....

[wimmie]

I like growing Cocos nucifera, because I think it is a very beautifull palm. In the nineteenseventies I had a yellow one for several years in my appartmenthouse. I had it from baby-stage until it had fully devided leaves. The only problem was that I had to fight spidermites every once and a while.

Now I am growing two young plants again that I obtained from that earlier mentioned Dutch commercial grower (photo's). Those plants are sold as an alternative for flowers. Most people here in Holland know that they won't last long. I intend to keep my two baby's as long as I can. I have one with bronze petioles and one with orange/yellow petioles. Does anyone know the bronze variety? I transformed the orange one to hydroculture. I want to know if a Cocospalm does better on hydroculture. I already have a good result with growing a Livistona rotundifolia that almost noone keeps alive as a containerplant on groundculture.

Wim.