How does a coconut germinate?

[Matt in OC]

Forgive me if this has been covered before, but what are the stages of coconut germination?

Say I have a nut with the husk still on, does the bottom of the husk (covered in soil) need to degrade before enough water, oxygen can get to the embryo to send out a tap root? Or does it just need sufficient heat?

The reason I ask is I have one I brought back from Hawaii a year and a half ago. It still sloshes. I've been trying to germinate it on a hot windowsill, halfway covered. I decided to check on it yesterday and the bottom of the husk is soft and starting to fall apart. I pried a bit and was able to remove some of the husk which looked dry inside.

I know a year and a half is a long time, so I should probably give up, but am trying to understand how best to do this in a subtropical environment.

[Coconutman]

Well, I know that it would send the leaves first then later the roots.I had seen sprouted coconuts onto beaches wobbling around without any anchor to the soil.

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

I think the sprout simultaneously sends up a couple of leaf sheaths and the first root down at about the same time, but the leaf sheaths and first leaves grow faster than the roots, which is why newly sprouted coconuts wobble around at the tide line of the beach. I think a year and a half is too long for a coconut to sprout. I am afraid it is no longer viable. 10 months to a year I think is about the max. amount of time that a ripe coconut would remain viable. I have had one coconut I planted take 11 months to sprout, but most sprout in 3-5 months. You get a much better germination rate with them in full sun 10+ hours a day in 90+F weather.

[Jose Maria]

The heat of the sun?Now and then some saltwater spray? Coconuts germinate with no help whatever in these circumstances.Some germinate even on top of some branches...

These pictures are from Playa Zancudo , in Costa Rica ,Pacific coast,, close to where I live.

This information might answer your question.

[mnorell]

I've had coconuts (Maypans) germinate while still hanging on the tree. Jamaican Talls are notoriously late germinators and I doubt that would happen, they will no doubt have fallen from the tree. But still, a year and a half is a long time. But there may be hope if there is some coco-water in there...unless it was picked prematurely, and then I think you are out of luck. It's interesting to see Jose's beautiful photos of the many sprouts on the sun-drenched beach. Here in the Florida Keys I have noticed the most germination in the shade. Especially in dense jungly areas where they land on a layer of leaf-mulch. The eophyll (first leaf) definitely comes first. It pokes through the husk and then shortly thereafter (and this is wildly variable) some roots start pushing out from the lower part of the seed through the husk.I do think the moisture content of the husk has a lot to do with the success of the roots in pushing, though the palm has quite a while to just live on the energy within the seed and only then does it need to be phytosynthesizing and taking up nutrients from the environment. I would suggest you take that fruit and place it in soil (2/3 buried) in a warm (average 80-85F) area, and keep it good and moist. If you're lucky you'll see a sprout emerge before too long.

[Jose Maria]

Some more comments.

The husk itself can stay on the nut, and does not hinder germination.

If the coconut "sloshes" this does not mean it will germinate; if the coconut was harvested to drink the milk, it was probably not ripe.

"Ripe" is a husk turning grey, even if it is still hanging on a coconut-palm. Those are the nuts that will germinate.( if given enough heat..)

If you leave the coconut alone, it will find which way is up, and send the leaves through the husk, .... the roots will find their way down(some time later)

And then you can plant it out in its definite location.

[Matt in OC]

Thanks for the informative replies. I agree that it probably isn't viable after so long. I picked this one up off the ground and it was pretty yellow at the time and turned dark quickly.

What's so amazing to me is that the eophyll is able to push through the husk in the first place. Pretty neat. I can never get enough of baby coconuts sprouting on a beach. So fun!

[Lior_Gal]

Hello There Matt,

Let me "Help" you a little bit, Im a coconut addict as well, I have 8 small palms,

If you want to get your hands on new coconut Seeds with husk and try to germinate

them on your own, you can do so by purchasing some on E-bay,

Hawaiian Tall Coconut:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HAWAIIAN-COCONUT-Cocos-nucifera-Tropical-Palm-Tree-LIVE-SEED-LYD-Disease-Free-/360645637638?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53f827b606

Samoan Dwarf Coconut:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SAMOAN-DWARF-COCONUT-SEED-un-sprouted-/321689520249?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ae6308879

or if you want a shortcut, you can purchase a Sprouted one...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HAWAIIAN-TALL-COCONUT-TREE-Cocos-nucifera-LIVE-SPROUTED-SEED-/141604545645?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20f849e46d

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Best-coconut-tree-seed-sproud-palma-de-cocos-4-enanas-germinadas-/321677105862?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ae5731ac6

If you insist on germinating one on your own, then there are a few things you need to make sure:

1. that the coconut Seed is frash, Uncracked, And intact with lots of water inside.

2. You need to take it and gently place some stones over it in a bucket, than fill it up in water and while

its fully soked and covered with water, place the bucket in a warm place in the yard or near a window

with full sun for 3-4 days, this will start the germiation process.

3. after 3-4 days Take it out of the bucket, and fill in a pot with a rich potting soil.

4. before you plant your coconut seed, let it float in water deep enogh that it will be able to turn over in it,

than see what is its "natural position" in the water, and place it in the pot exactly in the same position

it was while floating in the water (that will indicate which part is the bottom that should be planted and

which part is the top), plant the seed only while 1/3 of it is in the ground and make sure its on a sunny

and humid place, pour water on it once a day (don't overwater it though since it may rot). and just wait

till it will pop out, as others said ...it can take a few months.

good luck.

[Matt in OC]

Thanks for the great info!

[Zeeth]

After a year of no germination, I usually remove the husk from my coconuts and expose the embryo. If it's dead you'll know right away (the smell is pretty awful), but if it's alive you can still germinate it as you would for a store bought huskless coconut.

[Pal Meir]

Here a photo of a huskless coconut bought at a supermarket and sprouting after a couple of days:

[Xolani]

Hi. Please help me. I successfully germinated a coconut seed bought from a Supermarket, after 7 months I decided to plant it on my garden unfortunately the husk detached from the tree. Should I worried that the tree may die. The roots were fairly developed though.