Can cocos survive in Lindos,Rhodes in Greece?

[southathens]

2 hours ago, UK_Palms said:

 

All of the UK stations on infoclimate are Met Office ones and interlinked with real-time data, so I assume the ones shown in Greece are also official? 

Thanks for the info! Yes all infoclimate stations are official Greek wmo stations. For example you will notice that for Kasos its WMO id is listed and so on!

[southathens]

3 minutes ago, Victor G. said:

Oh okay then. I saw for example a reading on 15th March at 11 o' clock and the next was on 16th at 5 o' clock in the morning (assuming they use 24h system). I seemed to me that it missed almost a whole day's readings. Any idea why they read the values, but don't post them on the HNMS site?

Now that you mention it, are there any greek forums regarding tropical plants/gardening or climate and such stuff?
I've seen the occasional threads on insomnia.gr, but that's rather a general forum to talk about everything. I don't think it's where the "experts" meet.

Haha I don't know where ''experts'' meet for tropical plants. I think we do not have a dedicated Greek forum for that. I was referring to Greek met forums!

Regarding the luck of daily posting in the HNMS site for some stations many theories have been proposed. To be honest If I need data I email them directly and get all the info I need. The good thing is if you need just a couple of readings you can call them and they will give you the reading for free directly over the phone! If the data are more complex then you go through their sales department. 

Edited March 17, 2022 by Manos33

[southathens]

@Victor G. btw I am continuing in English our discussion on Attica paypays etc in the Athens thread here:

 

[southathens]

6 hours ago, Victor G. said:

One more thing: if the north side of Kasos is so cold resistant, I imagine the south side could be even more, right? I mean the cold winds always come from the north, and they should be somewhat blocked or at least slowed down by the island's surface. Would be really interesting to see a weather station on the south side

I kinda think the opposite when it comes to Kasos. Remember there are no major  land masses immediately north of Kasos and the constant air flow from the Aegean during the winter seems to be sheltering the island so well against cold nights.  Coupled with the protection Karpathos offers Kasos from Turkey, then cold snaps are significantly weakend. Since the north side is the most flat side and as we move south big mountains up to 600m altitude intervene you do not get almost any low altitude location in south Kasos. Only solution would be to put met stations in very small beaches in the south...look at the map, there are not so many beaches in South Kasos. Only those areas might be even more cold resistant.. But I don't know how the Kasos mountains would affect them during the winter. 

Edited March 17, 2022 by Manos33

[southathens]

On 1/24/2022 at 11:21 AM, Manos33 said:

The HNMS station in Kasos also confirms that Kasos dropped to 3C . That is the lowest ever temperature recorded in Kasos from 1989!!!

 

Btw! Just to inform everyone I am expecting confirmation from HNMS of what the exact minimum was during the 24th of January when Kasos shattered its absolute minimum T from 1989.  Unfortunately the HNMS website has this tendency of rounding the METAR values. 

I mean I already know the exact decimals because I have seen the METAR confirmation. I am just waiting the official confirmation from HNMS. I remind everyone that the Kasos NOA station recorded 2.7°C that day. 

Edited March 17, 2022 by Manos33

[southathens]

On 3/15/2022 at 2:29 PM, Alicante said:

Also Manos, since you studied a lot about Greece, do you know the date when Rhodes registered its all time January low record of -4.0°C ? It says 1961-1990 but I wasn't able to find the exact date. 

Found it! The record is in February not January according to my notes.

-4.0°C     9/02/1976: location old Rhodes airport at an altitude of 70m and a few kms inland.

The new coastal airport in Paradisi has never seen an airfrost and the actual city of Rhodes a few kms to the E is even milder according to the NOA station.

Edited March 17, 2022 by Manos33

[Than]

On 3/15/2022 at 12:46 PM, Victor G. said:

These are some sad images

I lost my papayas long ago , but due to whiteflies or something. But they wouldn't have pulled through the cold, that's for sure.

Can you tell where (approximately) in Cyprus this happened and at what temperature? I'm curious to learn about their hardiness/climate needs

Am I the only one who noticed that accidental (?) R in the word "papayas" in Konstaninos's post? 

[Victor G.]

43 minutes ago, ego said:

Am I the only one who noticed that accidental (?) R in the word "papayas" in Konstaninos's post? 

Well... If I lost my papaya due to some stupid march cold wave, I would probably also call it "paparya!"

But seriously, you pull through the winter and say "phew, that's another year" and then lose it in March?? No fair

[Than]

3 minutes ago, Victor G. said:

Well... If I lost my papaya due to some stupid march cold wave, I would probably also call it "paparya!"

But seriously, you pull through the winter and say "phew, that's another year" and then lose it in March?? No fair

Yes, a crappy March indeed. I hope April will be warm.

[Victor G.]

4 minutes ago, ego said:

Yes, a crappy March indeed. I hope April will be warm.

What are you growing in Zoumberi?

I remember you once saying that you have potted plants but can't remember which.

Do you have any outside? (I mean planted on the ground). And if yes did they survive?

I'm specifically asking you cause we're almost neighbours and I'd like to hear someone's experience from there (since I'm pretty new to growing tropical plants)

Edited March 17, 2022 by Victor G.

[southathens]

14 minutes ago, Victor G. said:

Well... If I lost my papaya due to some stupid march cold wave, I would probably also call it "paparya!"

You seriously cracked me up hehhe

[Than]

11 minutes ago, Victor G. said:

What are you growing in Zoumberi?

I remember you once saying that you have potted plants but can't remember which.

Do you have any outside? (I mean planted on the ground). And if yes did they survive?

I'm specifically asking you cause we're almost neighbours and I'd like to hear someone's experience from there (since I'm pretty new to growing tropical plants)

I'm pretty new too. Well, kinda. I used to grow tropical plants in Bali but of course that was a piece of cake. All I needed was a hose! Dypsis was a weed there and orchids were blooming like there's no tomorrow even when stuck on concrete walls.

I came back to Greece just 9 months ago so my experience of growing tropicals in Greece is very limited. I haven't planted anything on the ground yet. I grow tropical plants in general, not just palms. Everything is indoors, on heat mats and under grow lights. I am currently waiting for several palm seeds to germinate, including some rupicola, cyrtostachys and beccariophoenix alfredii seeds but nothing yet. I have had no luck with dactyliphera so far despite everyone saying they're easy. Only one germinated only to die few days later. Same with about 10 Veitchia Joannis I bought 3 months ago. None germinated. 

So at the moment my only grown up palm is a Kentia. Beyond palms I have plumerias, schefflera actinophyla, hibiscus schizopetalus (which grows like crazy but doesn't want to bloom), delonix regia, alocasia macrorhizos (which I brought all the way from Bali only to find out that they are actually common here too!) and terminalia catappa (which is a true tropical so I don't know how I will keep it happy). I also have some seedlings, like ficus auriculata but it's too early to say. I tried to germinate a cocos and it did sprout but the root rotted a few days later.

 

And you?

Edited March 17, 2022 by ego

[Victor G.]

5 minutes ago, ego said:

I'm pretty new too. Well, kinda. I used to grow tropical plants in Bali but of course that was a piece of cake. All I needed was a hose! Dypsis was a weed there and orchids were blooming like there's no tomorrow even when stuck on concrete walls.

I came back to Greece just 9 months ago so my experience of growing tropicals in Greece is very limited. I haven't planted anything on the ground yet. I grow tropical plants in general, not just palms. Everything is indoors, on heat mats and under grow lights. I am currently waiting for several palm seeds to germinate, including some rupicola, cyrtostachys and beccariophoenix alfredii seeds but nothing yet. I have had no luck with dactyliphera so far despite everyone saying they're easy. Only one germinated only to die few days later. Same with about 10 Veitchia Joannis I bought 3 months ago. None germinated. 

So at the moment my only grown up palm is a Kentia. Beyond palms I have plumerias, schefflera actinophyla, hibiscus schizopetalus (which grows like crazy but doesn't want to bloom), delonix regia, alocasia macrorhizos (which I brought all the way from Bali only to find out that they are actually common here too!) and terminalia catappa (which is a true tropical so I don't know how I will keep it happy). I also have some seedlings, like ficus auriculata but it's too early to say. I tried to germinate a cocos and it did sprout but the root rotted a few days later.

 

And you?

Wow, you lived in Bali!? Man, that must have been awesome (at least nature-wise).

I prefer tropical fruits over palms, I grow mango, papayas (got eaten by whiteflies), banana, dragon fruit and avocado.

I made the rookie mistake of leaving the dragon fruit under the sun; it got burned to death.

My problem is like I've said, that I live in Berlin at the moment, so as you can imagine the plants are left on their own. Every holiday I come and look after them. I also make my family take pictures of them, spray pesticides and fungicides (have bottles with labels to make kt easy for them). Still plants need daily attention, which I cannot provide, so I don't know what to expect. 

After January's cold wave they were fine with minimal damage. I'm waiting to receive pictures after this one now.

I also grow date palms (although they are growing EXTREMELY slow there) from dates I bought myself. One tip is to wash the pit before you plant it to remove this sticky substance. It keeps the pit from sprouting while still in the fruit. Apparently, this helps them to sprout earlier. I didn't do it with mine, but they needed 3 months and everyday watering to finally sprout.

I'm seriously considering planting B. Alfredii. Might I ask where you got the seeds from? (If for some reason you don't want to write here, you can always send me a pm)

 

Anyways, I'm experimenting a lot there. I'll lose some plants for sure, but I'd rather try and fail than not try at all. After some years, I'm hoping to have a very good knowledge about what can grow in the specific area and what not.

[Than]

17 minutes ago, Victor G. said:

Wow, you lived in Bali!? Man, that must have been awesome (at least nature-wise).

I prefer tropical fruits over palms, I grow mango, papayas (got eaten by whiteflies), banana, dragon fruit and avocado.

I made the rookie mistake of leaving the dragon fruit under the sun; it got burned to death.

My problem is like I've said, that I live in Berlin at the moment, so as you can imagine the plants are left on their own. Every holiday I come and look after them. I also make my family take pictures of them, spray pesticides and fungicides (have bottles with labels to make kt easy for them). Still plants need daily attention, which I cannot provide, so I don't know what to expect. 

After January's cold wave they were fine with minimal damage. I'm waiting to receive pictures after this one now.

I also grow date palms (although they are growing EXTREMELY slow there) from dates I bought myself. One tip is to wash the pit before you plant it to remove this sticky substance. It keeps the pit from sprouting while still in the fruit. Apparently, this helps them to sprout earlier. I didn't do it with mine, but they needed 3 months and everyday watering to finally sprout.

I'm seriously considering planting B. Alfredii. Might I ask where you got the seeds from? (If for some reason you don't want to write here, you can always send me a pm)

 

Anyways, I'm experimenting a lot there. I'll lose some plants for sure, but I'd rather try and fail than not try at all. After some years, I'm hoping to have a very good knowledge about what can grow in the specific area and what not.

I spent 3 years in Java and 3 in Bali and yes, nature-wise it was awesome. More than awesome. I can't find a word to describe. Indonesians say that their land is so fertile that if you drop a stick to the ground it will end up a tree. I am surprised parasols don't sprout there. I remember my awe the first time I saw a giant alocasia and a 3m tall cyrtostachys renda...

I got the seeds from rarepalmseeds.com I planted them 3 weeks ago so I guess it's too early. We will see. I planted 10 beccariophonices. If many sprout I'll give you too. I don't have space for more than 2-3 anyway.

I am glad to know that dactyliphera seeds can start sprouting so late, that means I may just need to wait longer. I only planted them 3 weeks ago. I did wash them with a sponge before planting. You said you watered them every day. What medium did you use? Did it dry out so fast?

I hope your trees fare well; let me know if I can help somehow.

Edited March 17, 2022 by ego

[Victor G.]

8 minutes ago, ego said:

I hope your trees fare well; let me know if I can help somehow

Thanks man! I believe sharing experiences is the best medium to help each other.

After all, I make the whole family do gardening whenever the go there

But yeah, the date palm is the seed of patience, you need to give it more time.

I bought from the nursery these very very small plant containers, they are just for seeds. I planted them in the summer and had them under intense sun, that's why they were drying up so fast. If you don't know what I mean, each one has the size of a small yoghurt cup, so it only holds a bit of soil.

Everyone says that dates can't ripen in Greece, however there's a guy near Moraitis with ripe dates every year! I believe there's a lot of confusion in Greece between the date and canary palm.pan widget

[Victor G.]

41 minutes ago, Victor G. said:

Thanks man! I believe sharing experiences is the best medium to help each other.

After all, I make the whole family do gardening whenever the go there

But yeah, the date palm is the seed of patience, you need to give it more time.

I bought from the nursery these very very small plant containers, they are just for seeds. I planted them in the summer and had them under intense sun, that's why they were drying up so fast. If you don't know what I mean, each one has the size of a small yoghurt cup, so it only holds a bit of soil.

Everyone says that dates can't ripen in Greece, however there's a guy near Moraitis with ripe dates every year! I believe there's a lot of confusion in Greece between the date and canary palm.

 

[Than]

8 hours ago, Victor G. said:

Thanks man! I believe sharing experiences is the best medium to help each other.

After all, I make the whole family do gardening whenever the go there

But yeah, the date palm is the seed of patience, you need to give it more time.

I bought from the nursery these very very small plant containers, they are just for seeds. I planted them in the summer and had them under intense sun, that's why they were drying up so fast. If you don't know what I mean, each one has the size of a small yoghurt cup, so it only holds a bit of soil.

Everyone says that dates can't ripen in Greece, however there's a guy near Moraitis with ripe dates every year! I believe there's a lot of confusion in Greece between the date and canary palm.pan widget

True. A few years back I was confused too. Do you mean that guy near Moraitis has edible fruit?

Dactyliphera needs at least two trees, a male and a female one to produce fruit. Then fruit is rarely edible anyway. Perhaps that's what people mean. 

[Victor G.]

52 minutes ago, ego said:

Dactyliphera needs at least two trees, a male and a female one to produce fruit.

Exactly. So this guy has probabaly both. His female tree bears fruit and they ripen too.

A few meters driving down the road, you can find another dactylifera with fruit that ripen.

I'm saying this, bacause most people claim that dates cannot ripen in Greece because of the climate (maybe not enough heat for many months, maybe not enough sunshine, maybe not enough desert-like). But these guys proved them wrong. I was excited to see this, cause I love dates and was hoping someday to have my own.

That said, there are ways to boost your production (like hand pollination) which are not very know in Greece.

[Than]

30 minutes ago, Victor G. said:

Exactly. So this guy has probabaly both. His female tree bears fruit and they ripen too.

A few meters driving down the road, you can find another dactylifera with fruit that ripen.

I'm saying this, bacause most people claim that dates cannot ripen in Greece because of the climate (maybe not enough heat for many months, maybe not enough sunshine, maybe not enough desert-like). But these guys proved them wrong. I was excited to see this, cause I love dates and was hoping someday to have my own.

That said, there are ways to boost your production (like hand pollination) which are not very know in Greece.

But even then the chances of the fruit being edible are very slim I've heard. 

[Victor G.]

6 minutes ago, ego said:

But even then the chances of the fruit being edible are very slim I've heard. 

Hmm, I've done a long reasearch on the topic and I've asked for opinions here on PT too and this is what I have so far:

Many plants and trees follow the rule "if it can grow, it will give fruit". However, the date palm doesn't follow that rule. It's very easy to grow (can even withstand -6C and snow) but will only give edible fruit under very specific circumstances.

So far, I've gathered the following needs in order to produce fruit:

• Needs abudant sun (around 3000 annual sunshine hours is good)
• Needs TONS of water (was very surprised cause you picture it as a desert plant, but commercial growers water it like crazy)
• Needs around 8 months of warm weather in order for the dates to ripen (min temp above 10C, max temp above 18C)
• Needs dry climate for good quality dates (this will be a problem in our area, but it might only affect the quality and not the production)
• And finally, some people claim you should hand pollinate to start your yield as early as possible

You can imagine that not many places in the world meet all of these conditions. For example, date palms grow without problems in the UK, but there's no way they will ever produce fruit there.
But as long as you give the date palm these conditions, your're almost guaranteed to get edible fruit every year.

That said, remember that many people confuse Phoenix Canariensis (not date palm) with Phoenix Dactylifera (date palm). I've seen threads or posts on Facebook where people ask what they are doing wrong and why they're not getting dates, when in fact the have the Canary Palm (Canariensis) which only has small yellow fruit that never grow any bigger.

Since you're soon growing your own, you can check out this thread I opened some months ago, asking for help and opinions:

 

 

[Than]

Sounds like our conditions here are not too far from those. We do get warm weather 8 months per year, plenty of sunshine and the climate is quite dry, and as for water you can just provide that from a tap. 

How old are your trees?

Edited March 18, 2022 by ego

[Than]

On a different topic, Kasos will get maxima of 9 C for three days in a row this week. Minima of 3C and strong winds. Doesn't look like any Cocos would grow there 

Edited March 18, 2022 by ego

[Victor G.]

14 minutes ago, ego said:

Sounds like our conditions here are not too far from those. We do get warm weather 8 months per year, plenty of sunshine and the climate is quite dry, and as for water you can just provide that from a tap. 

How old are your trees?

I'm continuing here, so we don't spam the coconut thread with date palms:

 

13 minutes ago, ego said:

On a different topic, Kasos will get maxima of 9 C for three days in a row this week. Minima of 3C and strong winds. Doesn't look like any Cocos would grow there 

Yeah, let's see if it really hits such low temperatures

[southathens]

1 hour ago, ego said:

On a different topic, Kasos will get maxima of 9 C for three days in a row this week. Minima of 3C and strong winds. Doesn't look like any Cocos would grow there 

Hmm, I  think it is not likely Kasos will go as low as 3C looking at the models today. That would mean approaching its all time record low twice in year.

But then again you never know with this unseasonable weather we keep getting in Greece. Let's keep a close eye on its T's

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by Manos33

[Victor G.]

10 minutes ago, Manos33 said:

Hmm, I  think it is not likely Kasos will go as low as 3C looking at the models today. That would mean approaching its all time record low twice in year.

But then again you never know with this unseasonable weather we keep getting in Greece. Let's keep a close eye on its T's

 

Wait what? 3C? I read a minimum of 7C in the beginning, I think ego changed it afterwards.

3C is way to low, even with this cold blast incoming. I'd be amazed if it really hits this temperature. (In this scenario, I propose we detach Greece from the Balkans and move it southwards into the Atlantic )

Edited March 18, 2022 by Victor G.

[Than]

27 minutes ago, Victor G. said:

Wait what? 3C? I read a minimum of 7C in the beginning, I think ego changed it afterwards.

3C is way to low, even with this cold blast incoming. I'd be amazed if it really hits this temperature. (In this scenario, I propose we detach Greece from the Balkans and move it southwards into the Atlantic )

Yeah I changed it after looking at more sources like meteo.gr. Perhaps 3C is an exaggeration but even 5C would be too low for a nucifera. Well again, the maxima are the problem. I am totally in for moving Greece to the Indian ocean.

We should arrange a palm society trip to Kasos one day by the way. We will ceremonially plant a cocos at some public building, a school the town hall etc, under the passionate applaud of the entire town, and then chip in every month for its care. It should be cheap to pay someone to water it and fertilize once a month. Oh and cover it with fleece in the winter..

[southathens]

33 minutes ago, Victor G. said:

Wait what? 3C? I read a minimum of 7C in the beginning, I think ego changed it afterwards.

3C is way to low, even with this cold blast incoming. I'd be amazed if it really hits this temperature. (In this scenario, I propose we detach Greece from the Balkans and move it southwards into the Atlantic )

Hahaha. Yes probably ego saw an updated forecast for Kasos which gives lower minimums. But in any case lets watch and see how it will play out!

Edited March 18, 2022 by Manos33

[southathens]

5 minutes ago, ego said:

We should arrange a palm society trip to Kasos one day by the way. We will ceremonially plant a cocos at some public building, a school the town hall etc, under the passionate applaud of the entire town, and then chip in every month for its care. It should be cheap to pay someone to water it and fertilize once a month. Oh and cover it with fleece in the winter..

 

Count me in!!! Let's go and plant some cocos in Kasos!!!! But no covering! Leave it unprotected to see if it will manage to survive!

Edited March 18, 2022 by Manos33

[Victor G.]

12 minutes ago, ego said:

We should arrange a palm society trip to Kasos one day by the way. We will ceremonially plant a cocos at some public building, a school the town hall etc, under the passionate applaud of the entire town, and then chip in every month for its care. It should be cheap to pay someone to water it and fertilize once a month. Oh and cover it with fleece in the winter..

Man, I would be in too! It'd be amazing if it would grow, even more if it bore coconuts. Maybe plant a pineapple next to it (easy plant) and make some h*ll of a Pina Colada!

But the south islands have big drought problems every summer. I've spent some summers in Naxos and we always used water in moderation, because there's not much of it.
I can imagine Kasos (being slight bigger than a rock) will have even less water deposits.

And I'm given to understand that coconuts needs tons of water, right? What do you guys think, would that be a problem?

Edited March 18, 2022 by Victor G.

[Than]

1 hour ago, Manos33 said:

 

Count me in!!! Let's go and plant some cocos in Kasos!!!! But no covering! Leave it unprotected to see if it will manage to survive!

Come on, seedlings are vulnerable. It will need protection the first few winters. If it makes it to say, year 4, then OK

[Than]

1 hour ago, Victor G. said:

Man, I would be in too! It'd be amazing if it would grow, even more if it bore coconuts. Maybe plant a pineapple next to it (easy plant) and make some h*ll of a Pina Colada!

But the south islands have big drought problems every summer. I've spent some summers in Naxos and we always used water in moderation, because there's not much of it.
I can imagine Kasos (being slight bigger than a rock) will have even less water deposits.

And I'm given to understand that coconuts needs tons of water, right? What do you guys think, would that be a problem?

Pina Colada? So you take it for granted that not only it will survive but it will also bear fruit??? Highly unlikely

Water may not be abundant in Kasos but it's just one tree we are talking about, not a plantation. Besides given that they grow on the beaches, could sea water be used?

Btw we will have to plant it in May and preferably an Indian variety.

Edited March 18, 2022 by ego

[Victor G.]

23 minutes ago, ego said:

Pina Colada? So you take it for granted that not only it will survive but it will also bear fruit??? Highly unlikely

Let a man have his dreams! I'm picturing a beach bar in Kasos under the coconuts, where you order a pina colada and they say "gimme a sec", kick the coconut palm, and take the milk from a freshly cut one!

25 minutes ago, ego said:

Water may not be abundant in Kasos but it's just one tree we are talking about, not a plantation.

True, but the rule in gardening is that you never plant one speciment (especially if they haven't been proven to grow in the area) - you plant several.

This is for two reasons:
1) Like humans or animals, plants have different DNA (even from the same species) which makes them very slightly different in fruit taste, cold hardiness, flowering, etc. Is it not unheard of, that someone had 10 or more plants of the exact same species, then a cold wave kicked in and some of them died, but some not. The survivors aren't "better" plants, it's just that their genetics allow them to survive in slightly colder temperatures (we're talking about a very small difference it T though).

This is why you should always buy plants from registered nurseries; they breed specific species to produce the "best" plants possible. And if they manage to find a good species, they cross it (male with female) with each other; to keep the genetics the same.

2) External danger. Imagine doing through all this trouble and planting a coconut, only to have a dog walk all over it or dig it out and kill it. Or some child in the summer kicks his ball on it and breaks the stem. Or somebody empties their bucket of chlorine (previously used in house cleaning) in its soil and kills it.
You might say I have a wild imagination, but I've been gardening for about 7 years now and I've lost plants for the dumbest reasons on earth.

 

In my opinion, if somebody were to start a project like that in Kasos, it would be best to plant from the beginning 5-6 coconuts. Preferably in different locations too (don't forget, microclimates do wonders). This way, even if you lose some due to stupid reasons, you always have the others as a backup.

That's what I mean when saying they could draw a lot of water. And if some sudden drought comes and water becomes even less, I can easily imagine the locals objecting to watering the coconuts.

[Victor G.]

42 minutes ago, ego said:

Besides given that they grow on the beaches, could sea water be used?

They tolerate some water salinity for sure. But, to my knowledge, they still need the occasional clean water.
You see them everywhere on the Carribbean beaches, but don't forget, it rains a lot year-round there.

Plus, I definitely remember reading this a few years ago: Coconuts NEED extreme humidity. It had to do with the trunk.
Something about high humidity helps its old & small trunk break and allows it to become thicker. They need 70%-80% humidity or so.

That's another thing we have to factor in. The most humidity is held by the air when it's temperature is 25-30C, which is exactly how a day in the tropics is.
And Kasos, being an island, has high humidity all year for sure, but what about these blasts of cold and dry air that come from the north?

I guess the only way of finding out is really doing the experiment

[southathens]

27 minutes ago, Victor G. said:

And Kasos, being an island, has high humidity all year for sure, but what about these blasts of cold and dry air that come from the north?

I guess the only way of finding out is really doing the experiment

Yeah and never have a year like 2022 with 4 major cold snaps in the SE Dodecanese Islands in one winter. Which has like never happened so far. Or at least I don't remember a similar year affecting so much the Dodecanese. 

But let's see how low Kasos will go in this one. In the last one Kasos fared relatively well, never dropping below 6-7C from HNMS/NOA stations. 

Edited March 18, 2022 by Manos33

[Than]

So, since April is round the corner, we must start preparing. We need to get some Indian coconuts and sprout them. Thankfully they sprout fast. Then we choose the 3 most rigorous ones and take them to Kasos

Victor check at the Lidls in Berlin. They must have Indian coconuts. Here they import African ones. 

It rains a lot in the Caribbean perhaps but from my experience in Java and Bali it doesn't rain at all for 5 months. Kind of like in Greece. No rain from May to October there too unless it's a La Niña year. Of course air humidity remained high even then. 

So, we need a South facing wall near the sea in Kasos

[Than]

Btw near the sea doesn't always guarantee humidity. My house here is 400m from the sea but on some days, especially when southern winds blow, humidity can be as low as 30%.

[Victor G.]

4 minutes ago, Manos33 said:

Which has like never happened so far. Or at least I don't remember a similar year affecting so much the Dodecanese. 

Yeah basically I can't remember a March like that anywhere in Greece (at least Athens and the south).
Temps already started dropping in Attica and are expected to move between 2C and 7C for the next 5 days (according to ECMWF, GSF and METEOBLUE models).

By the way I was occasionally looking the WS in Malaga, Spain and what is going on there? Is it the new tropics or what?
They've been having almost only above 10C in the past three months and high temps very good (17C, sometimes even 20C).

I get it, it's warm but THAT warm? Or are they just very lucky as UK_Palms suggested?

[Victor G.]

3 minutes ago, ego said:

Victor check at the Lidls in Berlin. They must have Indian coconuts. Here they import African ones. 

Man, they were selling 1m coconuts in IKEA for 10 euros in December!
Terrible quality though, plant must have been living on fertilizers and constant LED illumination for all its life.

As soon as I bought it it started declining... Long story short, it isn't with us anymore
I generally avoid buying cheap plants; they have been fertilized and injected with stuff to look good on the shelf, real junkies!

6 minutes ago, ego said:

but from my experience in Java and Bali it doesn't rain at all for 5 months. Kind of like in Greece.

Oh wow, didn't know that! I though tropics = neverending rain.

[Than]

1 minute ago, Victor G. said:

Oh wow, didn't know that! I though tropics = neverending rain.

No, not everywhere. Some tropical areas have equatorial climate, that is almost daily rains. Some have monsoon climate with distinct dry and rain seasons. Bali has the latter while just north in Borneo the climate is equatorial. I was there during the driest month (June) and it was raining heavily every night. 

When I said get Indian coconuts I meant the nuts. Not plants. Don't trust those. 

[southathens]

3 minutes ago, ego said:

So, since April is round the corner, we must start preparing. We need to get some Indian coconuts and sprout them. Thankfully they sprout fast. Then we choose the 3 most rigorous ones and take them to Kasos

Victor check at the Lidls in Berlin. They must have Indian coconuts. Here they import African ones. 

It rains a lot in the Caribbean perhaps but from my experience in Java and Bali it doesn't rain at all for 5 months. Kind of like in Greece. No rain from May to October there too unless it's a La Niña year. Of course air humidity remained high even then. 

So, we need a South facing wall near the sea in Kasos

 

But most importantly we will need the cooperation of a local person who lives in Fri. I think if we find a person who is a winter inhabitant in the Kasos capital , which is by far the best location on the island with a low altitude next to the sea and obviously the most cold resistant area in Kasos then we are increasing our chances.  Ideally we would need someone who lives at the west tip of Fri which is closest to the airport where the mildest HNMS station is located...