Cocos nucifera (Coconut) in Malta

[Aleitalyyy]

Ligurian coconut from Dutch greenhouse lasted until the beginning of December .... now it's cooked properly ...

[Maltese coconut project]

Cold wind is their second worst enemy after freezing. And Dutch ones are weaker I don't know why 

[GottmitAlex]

9 minutes ago, Maltese coconut project said:

Cold wind is their second worst enemy after freezing. And Dutch ones are weaker I don't know why 

It's because they're greenhouse grown mimicking super tropical conditions. 

In the US, there is the advantage of outdoor Florida grown cocos.

They're a bit more cold hardy (or less cold sensitive) than greenhouse grown tropicals.

[Maltese coconut project]

One can try to germinate dehusked food ones just like I did and continuously am doing. Seen better results like this and one can find those few super genetically gifted ones too 

[Aleitalyyy]

Italiano

Inglese

yes you said really well ... the wind beats them really hard because it is on the seashore near the beach cabins ... you can see the Basjoo banana which is one of the most resistant bananas as it is badly treated ... while in the inner gardens of the town there are 3 meter banana trees with hanging helmets intact without a dry leaf ... unfortunately I had no better places to try coconut outdoors ... I would be curious about an Indian yellow with adult leaves and try at the foot of a house in the middle of the buildings where the sun beats and no wind ..

[Aleitalyyy]

 

Good morning dears What about Dutch coconut, it plays easy at home Today it enjoys a little sunshine after dark and gray days ... Greetings to all from Italy

Edited January 7, 2022 by Aleitalyyy

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On 12/29/2021 at 3:54 PM, Maltese coconut project said:

Cold wind is their second worst enemy after freezing. And Dutch ones are weaker I don't know why 

Probably weaker from being greenhouse grown and not grown outdoors in a more suitable climate.

John

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On 12/29/2021 at 4:07 PM, GottmitAlex said:

It's because they're greenhouse grown mimicking super tropical conditions. 

In the US, there is the advantage of outdoor Florida grown cocos.

They're a bit more cold hardy (or less cold sensitive) than greenhouse grown tropicals.

Hey Alex,

Don't forget our South Texas Coast/RGV grown ones, which would certainly stand a better chance of making it through cooler winters than the Dutch greenhouse grown ones.

John

[GottmitAlex]

Just now, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Hey Alex,

Don't forget our South Texas Coast/RGV grown ones, which would certainly stand a better chance of making it through cooler winters than the Dutch greenhouse grown ones.

John

Oh, definitely. But the neither Cali nor Florida can procure RGV cocos!

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

3 minutes ago, GottmitAlex said:

Oh, definitely. But the neither Cali nor Florida can procure RGV cocos!

Yeah, I wish we could ship them back and forth without any problems.

John

[Aleitalyyy]

my holland coconut i think is now not as delicate as a young holland plant ... in the house where I keep it the minimum temperatures are 17/18 degrees celsius max 20 ° celsius it got cold up to 15 ° celsius in October outside the home ... probably now and a little bit stronger than before ...

[Maltese coconut project]

The bigger the stronger though when I compared them with others of similar age they are more cold sensitive 

[GottmitAlex]

15 hours ago, Maltese coconut project said:

The bigger the stronger though when I compared them with others of similar age they are more cold sensitive 

Actually, in my experience I have found out that the hardier coconuts are not necessarily the tallest ones, but the ones which have a wider/thicker girth on the base of the sprout.

When I have ordered through EBAY, I always ask the seller beforehand to ship the seedling that has the largest diameter on the base. Usually, it not the the tallest coco in their stock.

 

 

 

 

 

[Aleitalyyy]

alex an update of your cuddles as soon as you can

[Maltese coconut project]

True. From the home germinated ones the thicker ones did have better survival chances.. And another thing,  plant growing thick equals ideal amount of light and maximum photosynthesis which equals better build up of food as glucose and sugars which increases survival chances in cooler non freezing episodes. 

[GottmitAlex]

9 hours ago, Aleitalyyy said:

alex an update of your cuddles as soon as you can

 

[ando.wsu]

9 minutes ago, GottmitAlex said:

 

I just love all of your coconuts.  I broke down and put mine indoors a couple weeks back.  Hoping this gives it a leg up in life for this springs perfect growing conditions in AZ. 

[Maltese coconut project]

Beautiful, your current temperature is warmer than ours here, they all look quite beautiful even though there are some night time low temperatures 

[GottmitAlex]

Here's the afternoon pic. Without the sun glare.

 

 

[Maltese coconut project]

From my experience with Indian,  Nicaraguan, South East Asian and Dutch greenhouse coconut varieties (I didn't have access to other varieties by nation yet) Indian coconut palms seem to be the most cool tolerant for a Mediterranean winter climate. These 4 are Indian varieties 

[Maltese coconut project]

Nicaraguan ones (biggest three). Their colour doesn't look as beautiful as the Indian ones but they survived winter 2020 - 2021 in the same area 

[Maltese coconut project]

South East Asian ones 

[Maltese coconut project]

And the last ones which probably are already dead,, Dutch greenhouse ones 

[Maltese coconut project]

Our current weather (Too celcius, bottom Fahrenheit) 

[Maltese coconut project]

Top Celcius I meant (correcting spelling mistake) 

[Aleitalyyy]

19 hours ago, Maltese coconut project said:

Dalla mia esperienza con varietà di cocco in serra indiane, nicaraguensi, del sud-est asiatico e olandesi (non avevo ancora accesso ad altre varietà per nazione), le palme da cocco indiane sembrano essere le più resistenti al freddo per un clima invernale mediterraneo. Queste 4 sono varietà indiane 

hi dear for march i hope you have a freshly sprouted indian orange variety with a leaf to send and sell to me ...

[Aleitalyyy]

On 1/12/2022 at 1:06 PM, Maltese coconut project said:

and amazing how the Dutch ones are burned and the Indian ones are almost normal in health ... this makes me understand what a huge difference the right palm or cultivar makes ... also work in my part with an Indian it could of 3/4 years always kept inside and out in the summer ... with an adult Indian it could as well by myself ... with a bit of shelter ...

[Maltese coconut project]

I am astounded how variants of the same species have such different hardiness 

[Aleitalyyy]

hi guys also my frost resistant coconut (beccariophoenix alfredii) seems like staying indoors has done him good ... after putting in a taller pot with sandy earth mixture it seems to me to push hard now ... had a bit of a decline last October ...

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On 1/10/2022 at 2:35 PM, GottmitAlex said:

Actually, in my experience I have found out that the hardier coconuts are not necessarily the tallest ones, but the ones which have a wider/thicker girth on the base of the sprout.

When I have ordered through EBAY, I always ask the seller beforehand to ship the seedling that has the largest diameter on the base. Usually, it not the the tallest coco in their stock.

 

 

 

 

 

Very good idea, Alex!!!

[Maltese coconut project]

Update of the few Coconut varieties by country that I have. The Indian ones persist to be the most cool resistant and still in nice condition 

[Maltese coconut project]

Nicaraguan Green variety, quite good looking 

Edited January 23, 2022 by Maltese coconut project

[Maltese coconut project]

Nicaraguan orange type, not too good looking but rather battered 

Edited January 23, 2022 by Maltese coconut project

[Maltese coconut project]

Indian varieties, the best looking so far 

Edited January 23, 2022 by Maltese coconut project

[Maltese coconut project]

Not sure about the origin of these two.  They could be from South East Asia or from Ivory Coast but the supermarket staff selling it weren't sure 

[Maltese coconut project]

And one particular Indian specimen with yellowish and dwarfish characteristics 

[Maltese coconut project]

Our current climate, celcius top, Fahrenheit bottom 

[Maltese coconut project]

Here is and interesting article about coconut genetics carried out by plant evolutionary biologist Professor Kenneth M. Olsen, Professor Bee F. Gunn and Professor Luc Baudouin regarding coconut genetics.. According to their study, there were two major genetically differentiated coconut tree populations, one in Indian and the Indian ocean basin and the other in the South Pacific basin. The two were dispersed in different parts of the tropical world by travelling humans. The chart shows that the Indian type was dispersed on both sides of tropical Africa and on the Atlantic side of tropical American continents, and the South Pacific type was dispersed on the west coast of tropical America. In Madagascar and nearby areas they found a mixture of both population genetics.  Possibly the Indian type might be more cool tolerant than the Pacific type.  In my experiment, Indian type were most Hardy, Nicaraguan types which are probably a mixture due to East and west tropical American coasts being connected by the Panama canal showed medium cool resistance and the Philippines green variety which are from South Pacific were the most cool sensitive with all of them probably dying in December.  This could also be a lead why Florida, Jamaican and Eastern Mexican coconut varieties are said to be more cool tolerant, possibly due to being on Indian ancestry. Here is a link to the article https://source.wustl.edu/2011/06/deep-history-of-coconuts-decoded/

[Aleitalyyy]

hello you have almost the same climate that we have here in alassio north of italy ... now we have peaks of even 16 degrees ... the palms are beautiful as always ... winter is almost over .

[Maltese coconut project]

At the moment yes. But temperatures will rebound earlier here than there and summer is hotter here 

Edited January 29, 2022 by Maltese coconut project