What Is The Absolute Hardiest Coconut Variety?

[Maltese coconut project]

I germinate the food ones from Lidl Supermarket. All the ones which are left alive are the food dehusked ones 

[Than]

Aha. I went to a shop today and they had coconuts from the Ivory Coast. I'll try Lidl tomorrow. 

[Maltese coconut project]

Do you live in Europe? 

[Than]

2 minutes ago, Maltese coconut project said:

Do you live in Europe? 

In Greece. 

[Maltese coconut project]

Ok, so definitely you have access to lidl India coconuts and very similar climate to Malta.  Do you live on mainland Greece or on Southern Islands? 

[Maltese coconut project]

You'll have to buy a quantity of coconuts.. Germination rates are anywhere between 5%-20%.  You'll need storage boxes (for final phase highest possible to permit growth, I found 50 cm highest), aquarium heating cables and thermostats,  litter trays,  cuboid shaped food containers (filled with water and only in beginning phases), thermometers, you'll need to cut slits in the lid for the heating cables and thermostat sensors to pass through. I help the first phases with heat mat and heat pad at the bottom (the problem is that the storage boxes aren't strictly flat based but have wheels so heat pad and heat mat needs an aquarium underneath mat to help heat mat and heat pad make contact with the base of the box) For final phases you'll need pots with gravel and grow light plus timer switches. Here are some photos of my setups :

[Maltese coconut project]

First phases 

[Maltese coconut project]

 Few hours germination 

[Maltese coconut project]

Equipment and method first phases 

[Maltese coconut project]

Early phases of germination 

[Maltese coconut project]

Second phase 

[Maltese coconut project]

Equipment and method phase two. It's ideal if possible to cut separate slits for heating cable and thermostat because if they are too close to each other the thermostat sensor will switch off prematurely due to the higher temperature if closer to the heating cable.. But sometimes it's not possible due to for example limited wire length etc so if you do them in one slit make sure that the tip of the thermostat sensor will be high near to the non heating part of the heating cable (usually there is a marking on the heating cable to show where the heating part starts) to avoid premature switch off and temperature inaccuracies.. Hope this covers everything.. Good luck to anyone trying these methods for germination dehusked store bought coconuts 

[Than]

This is very useful. Tbh I hadn't realized it's this complicated. I already have some of this equipment, like heat mats etc.

I live on the mainland, near Athens, 200 metres from the sea.

[Maltese coconut project]

Hello everyone.. I wish to ask whether we can gather date which coconut cultivars and varieties are most cool tolerant vs most cool sensitive. In my experience of just roughly three varieties, Indian Coconut palms were the most cool tolerant ,, Nicaraguan ones in the middle and Philippines green tall (from Dutch greenhouses) the most cool sensitive.. But I wish to gather more data on other varieties. May I ask for your experiences and opinions regarding other cultivars? Thank you in advance

Edited January 30, 2022 by Maltese coconut project

[Coconut Jared]

On 9/14/2017 at 2:38 PM, Xerarch said:

Also keep in mind that with coconuts it's not always the lowest temp they take that makes the difference, you might say it's their "cool hardiness". A couple weeks with lows in the upper 30's and low 40's can kill a coconut even if it never freezes. 

I hear this a lot, and it is not true. While they likely can’t take california long term cool. Low 40’s and upper 30’s do not damage them. I've had one in the ground in Houston for 6 years. I only take action when it gets below freezing. It has gone through over 100 days below 45 degrees and has never been injured above freezing. I have a post on this tree. 

 

Maybe some varieties can’t handle these cool temps, I don’t know. Mine are Jamaican Maypan, according to the guy I bought them from.

Edited March 16 by Coconut Jared

[kinzyjr]

21 minutes ago, Coconut Jared said:

Maybe some varieties can’t handle these cool temps, I don’t know. Mine are Jamaican Maypan, according to the guy I bought them from.

Jamaican Tall and Maypan are great varieties.  I've added a few Panama Talls and a Fiji Dwarf.  You're really adventurous to have kept them for 6 years in Houston.

[Coconut Jared]

50 minutes ago, kinzyjr said:

Jamaican Tall and Maypan are great varieties.  I've added a few Panama Talls and a Fiji Dwarf.  You're really adventurous to have kept them for 6 years in Houston.

This might sound strange, but they seem quite resilient. Defoliated every year, even a pulled spear, and always comes back. Other palms over the past 6 years have gone through the same weather and many have come down with fungal infections after freeze damage or being covered up to long and just cant recover. There have been multiple times where my winter protection was subpar because I wasn't home. Took over 2 months straight over 100 degrees and never skipped a beat. I have another one in a small pot with a soil mix that ended up not being great and rotted other palms. 6 years potted and still alive, it is fairly small but you would expect that. Many recoveries after being beat up and in extreme conditions. Got down to 15 degrees a few  years ago. I am going to try harder this next winter to get it through without losing all the leaves. Going to build a pvc greenhouse around the tree with a heater on freezing nights. This coco has proven to be really tough.

[Xerarch]

On 3/15/2024 at 9:04 PM, Coconut Jared said:

I hear this a lot, and it is not true. While they likely can’t take california long term cool. Low 40’s and upper 30’s do not damage them. I've had one in the ground in Houston for 6 years. I only take action when it gets below freezing. It has gone through over 100 days below 45 degrees and has never been injured above freezing. I have a post on this tree. 

 

Maybe some varieties can’t handle these cool temps, I don’t know. Mine are Jamaican Maypan, according to the guy I bought them from.

100 days in a row below 45? Because it's the duration of coolness that will kill them, not intermittent.  Now, my statement above about a couple weeks of cool temps, maybe that's not spot on for the duration, but the point still stands that they don't like coolness over prolonged periods, else they'd be all over Catalina Island.  Clearly Houston averages warmer than that, I'll be curious to follow how yours does long term. 

Mine here in Corpus took cold damage in the 50's/mid-upper 40's this past year during that monster cooldown we had right at the end of October, we'd been having summertime temps, 90 degrees and it fell hard all at once down to the 40's for a low and 50's for a high, with very high winds.  Boy my coconuts spotted up during that system, not terribly, but very noticeable for me, who watches them closely.  I protected them, as high as I could reasonably reach during the cold snap in January and have not done any other protection, they are currently growing and look good, minus the tops of the fronds I lost in the freeze that I couldn't protect. 

Another note on the cool hardiness, at least on mine.  The Panama tall is clearly more tolerant of cool temps than the unknown beach sprout, beach sprout spots up more in the winter.   

[Coconut Jared]

4 minutes ago, Xerarch said:

100 days in a row below 45? Because it's the duration of coolness that will kill them, not intermittent.  Now, my statement above about a couple weeks of cool temps, maybe that's not spot on for the duration, but the point still stands that they don't like coolness over prolonged periods, else they'd be all over Catalina Island.  Clearly Houston averages warmer than that, I'll be curious to follow how yours does long term. 

Mine here in Corpus took cold damage in the 50's/mid-upper 40's this past year during that monster cooldown we had right at the end of October, we'd been having summertime temps, 90 degrees and it fell hard all at once down to the 40's for a low and 50's for a high, with very high winds.  Boy my coconuts spotted up during that system, not terribly, but very noticeable for me, who watches them closely.  I protected them, as high as I could reasonably reach during the cold snap in January and have not done any other protection, they are currently growing and look good, minus the tops of the fronds I lost in the freeze that I couldn't protect. 

Another note on the cool hardiness, at least on mine.  The Panama tall is clearly more tolerant of cool temps than the unknown beach sprout, beach sprout spots up more in the winter.   

You very well could be right on it being different for different kinds of coconut varieties. I can only speak to my (allegedly) Jamaican Maypan. Temps in the 40’s and high 30’s don’t seem to bother it. I agree with you that long cool winters like they have on the west coast will likely not be good for them. Houston will get into that range for a couple weeks at a time but then warms up in the 80’s normally.

[FlaPalmLover]

There is really no reason to zone push a coconut if you're somewhere where a beccariophoenix alfredii can thrive, in my opinion. Having seen them in person, they are quite similar and stately palms. They do grow very slowly and don't have coconuts, but they're a pretty solid alternative. There's places where you can buy them that have already grown them to a decent size.

[Coconut Jared]

14 minutes ago, FlaPalmLover said:

There is really no reason to zone push a coconut if you're somewhere where a beccariophoenix alfredii can thrive, in my opinion. Having seen them in person, they are quite similar and stately palms. They do grow very slowly and don't have coconuts, but they're a pretty solid alternative. There's places where you can buy them that have already grown them to a decent size.

I have to disagree. They look nothing like a coconut when semi mature. And I’ve had two, the slowest growing trees of all time. 3 years in the ground, mine were like 8” tall. An inch a year of growth. And still died in a moderate freeze.  Could have protected it to keep it alive, but if it has to be protected from cold weather, why not just have the real thing? The Alfredo died 4 years ago and my coconut tree is still fine.

Edited March 17 by Coconut Jared

[Xerarch]

11 minutes ago, Coconut Jared said:

You very well could be right on it being different for different kinds of coconut varieties. I can only speak to my (allegedly) Jamaican Maypan. Temps in the 40’s and high 30’s don’t seem to bother it. I agree with you that long cool winters like they have on the west coast will likely not be good for them. Houston will get into that range for a couple weeks at a time but then warms up in the 80’s normally.

Just to clarify about mine being damaged in the 40's, it was the sudden, very sharp onset of those temps that did it.  Normally mine doesn't get damaged in the 40's as part of normal winter temps, but like I say, my one will spot up more than the other, even during a normal winter

[Xerarch]

3 minutes ago, Coconut Jared said:

slowest growing trees of all time. 

That's the kicker for me about Beccariophoenix, you baby the things along for years and it doesn't grow much, then on a bad year it up and dies anyway.  I haven't grown one, that just seems to be the likely outcome.  I live in this weird twilight zone of a climate where on an only average year I can grow almost anything, coconut, royal, bottle, whatever, and they can do well for years on end.  But on a bad year I can lose them all, including things hardier than those.  At least coconuts and royals grow so fast you can really enjoy them for as long as they last, but Beccariophoenix and the like will still break your heart while not giving you the payoff in fast growth.

[Coconut Jared]

1 minute ago, Xerarch said:

That's the kicker for me about Beccariophoenix, you baby the things along for years and it doesn't grow much, then on a bad year it up and dies anyway.  I haven't grown one, that just seems to be the likely outcome.  I live in this weird twilight zone of a climate where on an only average year I can grow almost anything, coconut, royal, bottle, whatever, and they can do well for years on end.  But on a bad year I can lose them all, including things hardier than those.  At least coconuts and royals grow so fast you can really enjoy them for as long as they last, but Beccariophoenix and the like will still break your heart while not giving you the payoff in fast growth.

Yes exactly 

[FlaPalmLover]

1 hour ago, Xerarch said:

That's the kicker for me about Beccariophoenix, you baby the things along for years and it doesn't grow much, then on a bad year it up and dies anyway.  I haven't grown one, that just seems to be the likely outcome.  I live in this weird twilight zone of a climate where on an only average year I can grow almost anything, coconut, royal, bottle, whatever, and they can do well for years on end.  But on a bad year I can lose them all, including things hardier than those.  At least coconuts and royals grow so fast you can really enjoy them for as long as they last, but Beccariophoenix and the like will still break your heart while not giving you the payoff in fast growth.

That is a fair concern, and I understand that perspective. I'd say it depends on your climate. Coconuts definitely have a unique appeal.

[FlaPalmLover]

2 hours ago, Xerarch said:

That's the kicker for me about Beccariophoenix, you baby the things along for years and it doesn't grow much, then on a bad year it up and dies anyway.  I haven't grown one, that just seems to be the likely outcome.  I live in this weird twilight zone of a climate where on an only average year I can grow almost anything, coconut, royal, bottle, whatever, and they can do well for years on end.  But on a bad year I can lose them all, including things hardier than those.  At least coconuts and royals grow so fast you can really enjoy them for as long as they last, but Beccariophoenix and the like will still break your heart while not giving you the payoff in fast growth.

On a certain level, if you're in such a marginal climate, it kind of seems worth the money to enjoy a marginal palm for X number of years before a rough year comes along where you probably lose it. With strategic planting and the ability to potentially protect them in bad weather, it may be the smarter play overall. It's almost like buying an appliance. The real concern with a beccariophoenix is, understandably, you may have to wait 20-30 years to even see a decent trunk. You're waiting a generation to see a palm with a sizable trunk on it.