dwarf coconut growers in california

[mcdoggie]

is there any dwarf coconut growers in california i can buy seeds.

i have seen online sellers and mostly located in florida and won't ship to california.

what are the required documents by california dept. of food and agriculture to ship coconut seedling in california.

any info wil be greatly appreciated.

thanks

[Danilopez89]

Coconuts don't grow in California, so you would not be able to find any seeds to buy here. 

You can try looking again for one online. I bought one from Amazon a few months ago and it is growing well. They also sell them on ebay. 

[Donald Sanders]

I have often wondered why dwarf coconuts have not been tried in S. Cal.    They are beautiful! Easy to protect during the cold months.   I have heard that the dwarf coconuts in Samoa grow in the cool mountains, often cool for a long time.   Perhaps the reason for the dwarf evolution?    Over 25 years ago my good friend (the late) John Tallman grew dwarfs in Ventura Cal, used temp plastic frames for protection, planted of course in an optimal location, and year long vigorous growth.  We both thought that this beautiful palm had a chance with love and care.   John left this planet, I left Cal for another planet, the Big Island.

I have seen many, many dwarf coconuts, different types too here on the Big Island.    I recommend them as a green house palm and I'm sure one of these days one of you fine Cal palm growers will have a wonderful specimen of this really beautiful coconut palm growing in S. Cal.

Good luck, this is a palm that must be tried and will be successful with right grower in the perfect location.    Easy to put up a temp shelter.   Give it a chance.

 

Aloha,    Don

PS:    I can't wait until the next biennial.   Borneo..................WOW!

 

 

 

[Pando]

Coconuts don't grow in California... 

But... some paparazzi keeps finding them in the desert...

 

Edited September 28, 2015 by Pando

[BigFrond]

Coconuts don't grow in California... 

But... some paparazzi keeps finding them in the desert...

 

Hahaha....

[Danilopez89]

Coconuts don't grow in California... 

But... some paparazzi keeps finding them in the desert...

 

Coconuts don't grow in California...

I thought that was pretty funny too. Lol

It would be cool to grow some dwarfs like the one in the top pic tho. Maybe it can be done the way Donald Sanders described it.

[DoomsDave]

Hmm. Dwarf coconuts might be worth a try, if they take the cool. Nothing to lose.

[Josh-O]

I say give it a shot. you could be the next star grower  

[mcdoggie]

doing some reseach where to find these hard to get dwarf coconut palm variety.
i ask one seller in florida and won't ship to california. 
according to him permit from CDFA cost a lot.

i don't want the std. coconut palm tree sometimes available in stores like home depot that grows up to 60 feet.
it poise a danger of hitting somebodies head when it falls if not harvested at the right time

and i don't want to call fireman everytime just to harvest those nuts

 

[Pando]

i don't want the std. coconut palm tree sometimes available in stores like home depot that grows up to 60 feet.
it poise a danger of hitting somebodies head when it falls if not harvested at the right time

and i don't want to call fireman everytime just to harvest those nuts

I'd love to have those problems you're describing...    I hope you know that there has been exactly ONE coconut tree EVER of substantial size (roughly 20 feet of trunk or so) that we know of in California that was actually fruiting (but not mature fruits btw)? And it's no more as it was cut down two weeks after its discovery. You can read all the drama about it here.

I'd say that in Riverside Co, if you're somewhere east of Palm Springs you might have some kind of a chance in an ideal local microclimate, but it'll be a long wait.

 

[Gonzer]

[nachocarl]

[Danilopez89]

Lol!

Why are we crazy about coconuts in California?

You guys are killing me with these memes. 

 

Edited September 30, 2015 by Danilopez89

[mcdoggie]

Hmm. Dwarf coconuts might be worth a try, if they take the cool. Nothing to lose.

lol: like what DoomsDave said might worth trying . . .

first step would be to find a good variety to start with- will look for the dwarf ones more manageable

btw Pando

thanks for the link though contributors in the thread get mix feelings lol: but seems inspiring

[Danilopez89]

I will keep my eyes oped for different varieties of coconuts. I am interested in trying to grow  them too. There must be a way to acquire these cocos right? Maybe a field trip Samoa. 

[raiders36]

I got my dwarf coconut from plantogram.com. 2.5-3ft. $58 plus shipping to San Jose, CA.

[Cubbie Boy]

For all the online searching I've done for cold-tolerant Coconut Palms, I've never seen anything about someone making a sustained and serious, scientific effort, to make it happen. And one thing that I think needs to be tried, is not just a dwarf coconut, but a miniature, Coconut Palm. No, not just full-size nuts on a short tree, but a short and narrow tree with small leaves and small fruit. I've never seen anything about actual breeding to produce cold-tolerant varieties, and I don't know why that is. It seems to me, that a miniature, Coconut Palm, would be a perfect candidate to live in a cold frame or throw plastic over during winter.

[GottmitAlex]

On 9/27/2015, 10:10:16, Danilopez89 said:

Coconuts don't grow in California, so you would not be able to find any seeds to buy here. 

You can try looking again for one online. I bought one from Amazon a few months ago and it is growing well. They also sell them on ebay. 

Well, I assume what the OP meant was "commercial growers" in California. That's a tough one. However, Coconuts do and can grow in California. (Not everwhere, but they don't grow everywhere in Florida either. No comparison though. But in before any smart Alec does the "I declare" Foghorn pronouncement )

 

Edited November 1, 2018 by GottmitAlex

[GottmitAlex]

Kinda late to edit the previous post..

It's not a dwarf, however,:

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/25082-updates-on-coconut-palms-in-california/&page=5#comment-869388

[PalmatierMeg]

12 hours ago, Cubbie Boy said:

For all the online searching I've done for cold-tolerant Coconut Palms, I've never seen anything about someone making a sustained and serious, scientific effort, to make it happen. And one thing that I think needs to be tried, is not just a dwarf coconut, but a miniature, Coconut Palm. No, not just full-size nuts on a short tree, but a short and narrow tree with small leaves and small fruit. I've never seen anything about actual breeding to produce cold-tolerant varieties, and I don't know why that is. It seems to me, that a miniature, Coconut Palm, would be a perfect candidate to live in a cold frame or throw plastic over during winter.

We've had the "breed a cold-tolerant coconut palm" numerous times before - whatever "cold-tolerant" means: to 30 degrees? 20? 15? And how do you deal with a coconut's usually overlooked "coolness sensitivity" to long periods of chilly temps that kill them more slowly but just as inevitably? Or sensitivity to cold winter rain? That they won't fruit at all below a certain temperature range? All those issues almost certainly involve many, many genes that must be dealt with. Research would cost millions, probably billions of $$ and someone has to pay for it. Consensus here was that the coconut palm's "tropicalness" is so hard-wired that you have little to no genetics to work with, i.e., they are what they are. The desperate scramble to find a coconut variety with even a degree or two more hardiness gets almost comical. 
"How about the Himalayans......? Wait! Mauna Loa.......? Wait!....!" A degree or two won't cut it.

Other people have tried to hybridize coconuts with closely related genera with no confirmed success that I'm aware of. The relationships appear not to be close enough to hybridize this monotypic palm. And one success does not equal a palm revolution. Finally, I don't see any incentive to attempt to breed "miniature coconuts" with miniature seeds just to please the rare enthusiastic collector. Above all, coconuts are valuable agricultural resources in tropical climates and tiny coconuts with tiny seeds make no economic sense. And you still have a cold-sensitive, cool-sensitive, cold rain-sensitive palm that must be protected and heated during inclement weather. Coconut palms make lousy long term houseplants: they need high heat and lots of sun and houses are dark and cold in winter.

Beccariophoenix alfredii makes an awesome coconut substiture. If you want "miniature" try Lytocaryum/Syagrus hoehnii or weddellanium. They actually prefer a mediterranean climate

[Cubbie Boy]

1 hour ago, PalmatierMeg said:

We've had the "breed a cold-tolerant coconut palm" numerous times before - whatever "cold-tolerant" means: to 30 degrees? 20? 15? And how do you deal with a coconut's usually overlooked "coolness sensitivity" to long periods of chilly temps that kill them more slowly but just as inevitably? Or sensitivity to cold winter rain? That they won't fruit at all below a certain temperature range? All those issues almost certainly involve many, many genes that must be dealt with. Research would cost millions, probably billions of $$ and someone has to pay for it. Consensus here was that the coconut palm's "tropicalness" is so hard-wired that you have little to no genetics to work with, i.e., they are what they are. The desperate scramble to find a coconut variety with even a degree or two more hardiness gets almost comical. 
"How about the Himalayans......? Wait! Mauna Loa.......? Wait!....!" A degree or two won't cut it.

Other people have tried to hybridize coconuts with closely related genera with no confirmed success that I'm aware of. The relationships appear not to be close enough to hybridize this monotypic palm. And one success does not equal a palm revolution. Finally, I don't see any incentive to attempt to breed "miniature coconuts" with miniature seeds just to please the rare enthusiastic collector. Above all, coconuts are valuable agricultural resources in tropical climates and tiny coconuts with tiny seeds make no economic sense. And you still have a cold-sensitive, cool-sensitive, cold rain-sensitive palm that must be protected and heated during inclement weather. Coconut palms make lousy long term houseplants: they need high heat and lots of sun and houses are dark and cold in winter.

Beccariophoenix alfredii makes an awesome coconut substiture. If you want "miniature" try Lytocaryum/Syagrus hoehnii or weddellanium. They actually prefer a mediterranean climate

I'm thinking that a Coconut that could survive in coastal, Southern California, would be a reasonable goal. I don't know if you're saying that it can't be done or it shouldn't be done or you don't want to do it yourself. And I don't know that it can't be done, all I know is that I don't have the money or space to buy hundreds of varieties of Coconut  palms to begin experimenting with myself. Coffee is grown in Santa Barbara County, so why not Coconuts?  But whatever it takes to accomplish this, I've seen no evidence of it being tried. The techniques of Luther Burbank could be tried in a marginal climate, if someone had the time and money for such a project. At the very least, I'd like to see the documentation of attempts.

[PalmatierMeg]

"Can't be done?"   I don't know

"Shouldn't be done?"   Not my decision

"Do it myself?"    Why would I?

Someone who tries this needs to be a multi-bilionaire with a high tolerance for repeated failure who loves coconut palms so much he/she is willing to fund development to provide coconut palms to the clamoring masses of heat-deprived coastal Cali. Elon Musk, where are you?

I would love to spend someone else's money on such a venture and if I weren't visually impaired I would get a palm nerd's charge out of reviewing the documentation. But I doubt the uber rich will open their checkbooks to fund any dream of mine or yours. It would be far cheaper to move coconut lovers to a climate suitable for growing their dream palm even at the sacrifice of some of their personal comfort in the face of swelter. Of course, after they've been surrounded by coconut palms for a while, a 55F day and a Rhopalostylis might look pretty good. People always want what they can't have but if they get it, they yearn for something else.

I love Lepidorrhachis mooreana. I'm waiting for someone to breed one that can grow in coastal FL.

[Cubbie Boy]

On 10/31/2018, 5:17:16, GottmitAlex said:

Kinda late to edit the previous post..

It's not a dwarf, however,:

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/25082-updates-on-coconut-palms-in-california/&page=5#comment-869388

Thanks for the link to the old thread. Yep, lots of people don't like talking about growing coconut palms out of the tropics. Oh well, new people will always come along and ask the same old questions again. And because I don't know any better, I still hold out hope that a relatively cold-tolerant Coconut Palm will be developed some day. 

[Kim]

I should think the time required to genetically select from generations of coconuts would be a hugely limiting factor. Admittedly, I know very little about coconuts. However, those on my property in Leilani Estates have been growing for more than 9 years now (they were already there when I bought the place) with no trunk yet and no hint of fruit. (at roughly 750 - 800 ft. elevation, lowest temps about 60F) There are fruiting coconuts in the neighborhood (no idea if the fruit is good) but I wonder how long it takes to get to that stage? 20 years? Wouldn't that set up a barrier to breeding?

A locally well-known palm enthusiast in Southern California experimented with Cyrtostachys renda in a similar vein. He had hundreds of young palms and exposed them to cooler and cooler temperatures, gradually selecting the survivors of each level of lower temperatures with the intent to breed them... until he hit the wall at the next lower temp and they all died.  He also had a fruiting coconut inside his pool house. The nuts were the size of walnuts when they still have the outer skin on. Nothing to eat.  And not the most attractive specimen. It had to come out when it began pushing on the roof.

[rprimbs]

The "Corona coconut" would be a good one to collect coconuts from -- to try to grow hardy coconuts from -- if it starts to fruit soon.

[Raymundo]

I want to buy one please.