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Date Palm Tree

Date Palm Tree

Palms are flowering evergreen plants. They are angiosperms that belong to the
Arecaceae family. The date palm has a commanding presence. It has regal fronds, a thick
trunk, and large bunches of sweet fruit, making it a stately addition to your garden. The
date palm can grow up to 80 feet high and 40 feet wide, bearing large, sprawling, green
fronds at its peak. Late winter to early spring when flowering, this tree produces bunches
of pale yellow flowers that turn into its famous clusters of dates. Palm trees grow from the
top. New growth occurs on the top, with the oldest leaves at the bottom. This happens since the
minerals and nutrients travel upwards from the old leaves.


Though slow-growing, these palms give large rewards to those who are patient and
diligent in caring for them. Pollination takes place at 95 degrees (35 C.) and fruits need dry, hot
temperatures with warm nights. Date palm trees can live for 100 years. Some spread out
adventitious surface roots that anchor the plant and help it gather surface water. Take care when
planting date palms to choose a location with plenty of space both vertically and horizontally. Most
date palm production in is in southern California and Arizona. Florida has many palm trees too, but
the dates grow during the rainy season and generally get moldy and rot before they can mature is
why Florida’s humidity can be a struggle for the fruit. More recently, gardeners are growing date
palms in Southern Nevada, Louisiana, and Texas.
Introduction
Mr. John Doe

Head Director

Description

Optimal Time/Temperature for Germination:
The Senegal date palm tree has multiple slender trunks with feathery fronds. With a maximum height of about 25-35 feet, it will produce dates and showy white flowers. Hardiness Zones 9B–11, the Senegal date palm is cold hardy, unfortunately, it is considered invasive in South Florida. The charming Pygmy date palm can reach a maximum height of about 12 ft. and are single-stemmed but often planted in clumps. Cold hardy in Zone 10A, they are widely grown in zone 9 as well, with cold protection or in containers to move indoors for the winter. An excellent cold-hardy option is the Pindo palm with feather-like fronds and hardy down to about 10°F in Zone 8A (intolerant of salt spray). They are slow-growing and reach a final height of about 15-20 feet. Palms that can handle North Florida’s winter chill include windmill, needle, sabal, and Sylvester (called wild date) palms.
Optimal Soil Conditions:
You will need a male and female tree for fruit production. Select a location with full sun where soils are well-draining. Date palms can grow in sand, loam, or even clay soil. The tree is tolerant of drought but needs plenty of water when flowering and fruiting. Plant the trees in spring or fall for best results. Dig the hole twice as deep and wide as the actual root base to loosen the soil. Fill the bottom of the hole with soil so the plant is sitting high and roots are barely covered. Press soil around the roots and water well to compact the soil around them. Young trees do best with supplemental irrigation for several months until they are established. You may also need to stake them for straight date palm growing.
Seed Planting Depth, Spacing and Procedure:
Palms produce low growths off the trunk base called offsets, or pups. These new trees are called suckers or offshoots. These offshoots are a clone of the parent tree. Offsets are divided away from the parent plant and started in a prepared bed or pot of sand mixed with some topsoil. Take care when separating the offset to preserve the leafy green top and acquire some root. Use a root saw to divide the young plant from the parent. Offsets need the same good date palm tree care as an adult. Date palm offsets will not be mature and ready to produce fruit for up to 12 years. The plant can grow in a pot for a few years but should be planted in a bed outdoors for best results.
Best Companion Plants and Plants that Hinder:
Some pairing premiers for palms include Bromeliads, Cordylines, Crotons, Orchids, Caladiums, Canna plants, and Tropical Hibiscus. Take your pick of unique shaped leaves, choices of colors, and leaf sizes to create your own tropical haven. If you want to plant food around your palm trees, try: tamarillo trees, arugula, bell peppers, chilis taro, cassava, or eggplants.

Growing Instructions

Crop Maintenance

In areas where production is possible, thin fruit by one-half. This increases the size of fruit and ensures a crop the next year. Tie the ripening clusters to an adjacent branch for support and use netting to protect the fruit from birds. As the fronds begin to die off, prune close to the trunk. Do this at least twice a year. Remove dead and dying foliage, but don’t remove too many healthy fronds because that will affect the quality of the dates.
Moisture Requirements & Solutions:
Once trees are established, you will rarely need to water them. Date palms prefer dry soil and excess moisture can inhibit growth.
Weeding Needs & Solutions:
Keep weeds and turf away from the base in a radius of five feet (1.5 m.).
Feeding Needs/Optimal Natural Fertilizers:
Palms are susceptible to a number of nutrient deficiencies, especially magnesium deficiency. Manure makes an excellent fertilizer in early spring. You can also use a palm tree fertilizer high in potassium. You can give fertilizer during the late winter to prep the tree for its fruit production in the coming months.
Pests, Diseases & Solutions:
The trees are long-lived, produce a heavy crop, and have relatively few pests and diseases that bother them. Watch for pests and diseases and deal with them quickly if they arise: White Scale are tiny sap suckers who will feed on foliage as well as fruit. Although not terminal to the tree, they do affect the overall health and quality of the fruit. Coat any scale you find in horticultural oil. This smothers them by clogging their breathing pores. You know if you have white scale because the leaves will be covered in a sticky substance and little bumps appear on the fronds and stems. Date Palm spider mites feed on the dates and wreck the quality of your yield. These mites are so common that if you have fruit dropping off prematurely, it’s likely that date mites are to blame. Each year at the beginning of spring, dust the tree with a product containing sulfur. Obviously, when the tree gets beyond your reach, you might need to use an extender or ladder to get the job done. When mites are present, spray all branches with a strong blast of water to knock the mites off the tree. You can also spray trees with neem oil or insecticidal soap to control them. Alternate treatments so the mites don’t develop a resistance to one or the other. With Black Scorch Disease, your palm will look like it’s been set on fire and is all blackened from the flames. The trunk and buds may rot, and the buds will fall off before setting properly. Proper sanitation is the best way to prevent this disease. Wash your tools between uses and be careful not to cut or damage the tree when working around it. When you prune, apply natural copper based fungicide to the pruning wounds. Bayoud Disease is a fungal disease that spreads fast once it establishes itself. The foliage on the tree will lighten or turn white. Any exposed roots turn red. This affects both the quality and the number of fruits you’ll get. It is best to remove the tree and burn it to stop the disease from spreading. There is no cure.
When to Harvest/Number of days to maturity:
It can take anywhere from 3 to 8 years before dates are produced. An important factor- when the fruit is coming in, remove about two-thirds of it while it is still green. This may sound counterintuitive, but it will allow the remaining fruit to grow larger and have a better airflow, ensuring a healthy crop. This also prevents the tree from producing a very heavy crop one year, then a very light crop the next year. Harvesting depends on the variety you plant on when you see dates forming. Immature dates are green and smooth. As they mature, they turn dark and start to wrinkle.
How to Harvest:
Once your fruit is ripe, simply cut off the fruit bunch and bag the fruit to protect them from moisture and other elements. You may need to expose them to heat to allow them to further ripen. However, avoid direct sun as this can burn the fruit. To harvest, you’ll remove batches of the fruits by cutting them away. You may need to use a ladder for the higher fruits. Wrap mesh netting around a strand of dates that are a nice, deep purple color. Cut the strand from the trunk and place it on the ground. Repeat until all the ripe dates are harvested. Store on a tray lined with baking paper. The dates will store like this for a couple of weeks. Keep them in a cool dark place and enjoy your harvest.
Optimal Storage temperature and conditions:
They’re sweet, store well, and can be used in savory dishes and desserts. To dry the dates, put them in a food dehydrator for 24 hours at 150°F. Turn them every few hours.
Optimal Preserving Procedures:
Seed Saving:
Propagating by seed is also possible, but may produce a hybrid tree from cross-pollination. Here’s how: Remove the seeds from ripe dates. Soak the seeds for at least 24 hours, discarding any that float to the top. Place each remaining seed in its own container of well-draining soil such as a sandy mix. Press the seeds into the soil so they are about half covered. Keep moist and warm. Placing them in a spot with indirect sunlight is best. You may want to place a plastic bag on top of the container to keep in more moisture. Once the seed has sprouted a couple of inches, remove the bag (if used) and move to a larger container. Keep the palm in indirect sunlight until the end of its first summer, then slowly get it accustomed to more sunlight. By its second year, you should be able to plant it in the ground.

Harvest and Storage

Notes

Some date palms have both male and female flowers and will self-pollinate so always check when you get the tree.

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