How dates grow, what date palms look like

The date palm is a valuable fruit crop used by humans as a high-value food product; dried fruits are on sale. To see how dates grow and annually bring a bountiful harvest of 60-80 kg of fruits throughout the entire development period of 60-80 years, it will turn out in their natural habitat. Trees bear fruit in the 4th year of growth.

How dates grow

In the wild, dates can grow on trees and bushes.

Date palm in the wild

The plant develops rapidly in the climatic conditions of the tropics, in the deserts of warm countries.

In which countries

North Africa and the countries of the Middle East have a natural environment for the development and fruiting of dates. The settlers of modern Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt have been cultivating plants of the Palm family for more than 6 thousand years. At the same time, Indians dispute the claims of Africans, considering their ancestors to be pioneers in the cultivation of dates.

The current list of countries where finger dates grow includes Iraq, Bahrain, Algeria, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Tunisia and Syria. Palm trees are found in the USA, Egypt, California, Mexico and Australia. Saudi Arabia is the undisputed leader in the export of dates grown on its own lands.

Distribution in the wild

Palm trees thrive on sand, clay and heavy soils with moderate salinity. Plants withstand long periods of drought, but some species require stable water use. The need is easily met by periodic river floods and groundwater.

Dates are propagated by seed. Pollinated by the wind. It takes 200 days for the fruit to ripen. What ripe dates look like on a tree - the texture of freshly harvested hard dates is dry and fibrous, with a brownish tint.

Where do dates grow in Russia?

Date shrubs need a humid climate for growth and fruiting. In the subtropical regions of the Caucasus, as well as the adjoining subtropics of Iran, the summer period is sultry and dry. In winter, Mediterranean cyclones pass from the north side, and Iranian cyclones in the southeast. The cultivation of date palms to the south of the Caucasus Mountains is producing good results.

Growing up in the countries of the former USSR

In the post-Soviet period, many experiments have been carried out to acclimatize finger dates in the USSR. However, the successful growth and fruiting of the palm was noted in the dry subtropics of the south of Turkmenistan. The abundance of fruits in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is imported from southern countries. In the Black Sea subtropics, palm trees grow poorly and quickly die in conditions of high humidity.

The Canary date is more resistant to excessive moisture, it is widely cultivated as an ornamental shrub in the Krasnodar Territory, Abkhazia and Georgia.

Ripening dates in Adler

Some specimens of Canary palms grow in the south of Crimea and in Azerbaijan (Baku, Lankaran). Planting date palms in the open lands of Ukraine is unsuccessful, even with winter shelter.

Date palm fruit description

At home, the oldest date culture grows with a columnar trunk up to 2.5 m high, the bark of a palm tree is covered with the remains of petioles. For the full development of crowns, dates are periodically turned in different directions towards the light. Plant leaves are green, feathery, up to 2-6 m long, curved in an arc. Up to twelve new leaves grow on a palm tree per year.

Young palms in nature create dense and impenetrable thickets with thorny, strong and sticking out in different directions leaves. Inflorescences - up to a meter long, with male and female ears. The calyx of flowers is small, has a yellow color, cup-shaped. In inflorescences, 3 petals each.

Dates at the ripening stage

Male varieties of plants are equipped with 6 stamens, female - 3 pistils and 6 modified stamens. The number of staminate flowers reaches 12,000, pollinating calyxes are collected in 6-9 inflorescences, pistillate flowers (female) numbering 2,500 form fruits - dates. Dates on a tree form 100-250 kg of berries 2.5-4 cm in size.

How dates are harvested

The bulk of dates is harvested by cutting off the entire cluster bearing fruit. In North Africa, where palm trees are native, fruit pickers use forked sticks or ropes to climb the palm tree and cut the bunches, carefully lowering the branches to the helpers below.

Residents of California and Saudi Arabia, where date palms grow on artificial plantations, harvest using mechanized means: harvesting saddles, retractable ladders, mobile lifts. The harvest period lasts from August to November.

Canary date palm

All dates on one bunch and branches on a palm ripen at different times, you have to return to one plant more than once.

Types and varieties of date palms

What dates look like at different stages of maturity:

• Kimri. Within 17 weeks after pollination, white berries turn green, quickly gain volume and contain 85% moisture. The taste is bitter and tart, due to the high tannin content.
• Khalal. For more than 6 weeks, the inhabitants of the tropics watch the ripening dates grow, then harvest the first harvest of hard yellow-red fruits with a bitter taste.
• Rutab - fruit ripens 5-7 weeks after Halal, the tips darken, the water level drops to 35%, the weight decreases, the skin hardens, the pulp becomes soft and sugar.
• Tamr (Tamer) - the fruits dry up, coarse and darken, reach full maturity. The moisture content of dates is 20%. Sweet berries are fully ready for harvest 3 weeks after Rutab.

Dates are also classified by moisture content:

• dry, or solid - humidity 18% (Turi, Zahedi, Sokari);
• semi-hard, or semi-soft - 18-23%;
• soft - moisture> 23% (Mazfati, Kabkab, Hasui, Barhi, Anbara, Khadravi, Majkhul).

The hard fruits last for years, but are used primarily by the Bedouins. Dates are laid out on the ground and dried in the sun or buried in the sand, increasing the shelf life to 2 years.

Hard and soft varieties of dates

Pressed berries serve as the "bread of the desert" - "ajue". Soft and semi-hard varieties are sold in sets.

How to care for a date palm at home

Is it possible to grow from a seed

A seed palm will grow in 5-6 months, but an exotic plant will not bear fruit under indoor conditions.The stem of a date in its natural environment reaches a growth of 1 m in 4 years, the next 2-3 years after planting it will have enough space on the windowsill. An exotic plant will be an excellent decor for your living room, bedroom or kitchen. It will also serve as a good gift for relatives, friends or employees.

How to grow a date palm from seed

The date will be obtained from a stone that has not undergone heat treatment; fresh fruits, dried fruits from the store will be ideal. Often, for the sake of experiment, people stick a seed into a flower pot, and it takes root. At home, the sprout appears within six months. The best time to plant a palm tree is February-March.

The procedure for growing a palm tree is quite simple, it is enough to adhere to a number of recommendations:

1. The bones should be cleaned and washed, preventing the decay process. In the washed state, the seeds are allowed to rest for a day until the next stage - soaking.
2. Date stone is very hard, polishing with sandpaper will help speed up the germination process, it can also be boiled in hot water.
   

   Date palm in indoor conditions

3. The maximum effect is given by soaking with cotton wool. A wad of cotton wool is moistened abundantly with water, placed in a plate, a bone is laid, and covered with an additional layer of moistened cotton wool on top. Gauze, sawdust, hydrogel will be a good alternative to cotton wool.
4. An abundance of heat is required for germination. It is convenient to place the container with cotton on the battery. It remains to monitor the moisture level daily, add water.
5. A well-swollen bone is ready for transplantation.

Date palm transplant rules

Palms up to 4-5 years old are transplanted annually, adult plants - after 2-3 years. Perform the procedure in the spring. Then, once a year / six months, the top layer of soil is removed, the vacated area is covered with new soil. For transplanting, a pot 3-4 cm larger in diameter is used. The bush is carefully transferred into a new container, the voids are filled with soil. When choosing a ready-made soil mixture, the option "For palms" is suitable. Having decided to prepare the soil yourself, you should adhere to the following proportions:

• 2 parts of light clay-sod soil;
• 2 parts of humus-sheet composition;
• 1 part peat;
• 1 part of rotted manure;
• 1 part sand;
• a small amount of charcoal.

Date Robelini

What kind of soil should be obtained: loose, soft, moisture, - and breathable. At the bottom of the pot, a drainage layer should be organized to prevent stagnation of water as much as possible. The planting container should not be wide, but high, providing a comfortable placement for long roots.

Care Tips

In order for the house to be decorated with an adult indoor date tree, caring for it throughout the years requires taking into account important points:

1. The palm tree is afraid of drafts. When airing the room in autumn or winter, you should protect the plant from cold air currents.
2. For the care of a palm tree, settled, soft, chlorine-free water with a temperature of 20 ° C is suitable.
3. Leaves need daily spraying, wiping with damp sponges. So the palm tree will be protected from pests, it will take on a well-groomed appearance. Weekly culture is exposed to a real soul, covering the ground with a film.
4. Trimming or breaking off the top of the palm tree is inadmissible. The death of the plant is inevitable.
5. Palm trees are fed with miners and organic matter: every 2 weeks during the warm period and once a month - in the winter. Treats for palms and deciduous plants. Fertilizers should preferably be added to wet soil, diluted.

How to care for a decorative date at home

A date palm from a stone can decorate the interior or completely destroy coziness and comfort.If the plant is sick, it looks rather unsightly: the foliage turns yellow, darkens, falls off, the trunks become soft, a putrid smell is formed. Diseases appear with improper care or attack by pests.

Watering mode

Having planted a palm tree from a stone, while the plant germinates, watering is required rare, on the verge of complete drying out of the soil. As a young bush forms, it is important to control the topsoil (2-3 cm), watering is carried out as it dries.

Any water remaining in the pan of the pot should be drained off immediately. In winter, the life cycle of the plant slows down, moisture is minimized. Stagnation of moisture will lead to the death of the root system, the date will die.

Illumination requirements

It is preferable to plant a palm tree in a well-lit place, constantly turning the stem towards the sun, all the leaves will participate in the process of photosynthesis. Without light, the leaves stretch, develop unevenly and become fragile.

Placing dates by the battery in winter threatens to overheat. Marble floor or window sill negatively affects the sensitive root system of the palm tree. Decorative stands of the required height will solve the problem. In summer, the best place is outdoors without drafts. In a hot period, the plant has to be shaded for a short time, preventing the appearance of sunburn.

Why do the leaves of the date palm darken

If the leaves darken, curl into a tube and fall off, small brown plaques appear on the surface, these are the first symptoms of the appearance of unexpected guests. The date palm is vulnerable to mealybugs, thyroid glands, spider mites. Resist pathogens with a soap solution (it is better to use a simple laundry soap for washing), garlic juice or Actellika.

The date palm dries

Pale yellow-green shades of a palm tree indicate an excess of light or damage from a red spider mite. The need to reduce watering is indicated by brown spots on the leaves. In case of insufficient moisture in the soil, the plant will drop its leaves, too dry air will cause the tips of the leaves to dry out. The softening of the trunk and darkening of the leaves are the results of over-watering. The problem is usually accompanied by an unpleasant odor.

The benefits and harms of dates

Dates are a sweet and healthy treat that can replace candy or sugar. Fruits contain B vitamins, carotene (provitamin A) and vitamin K. Of the mineral components, fruits are especially rich in potassium, contain calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron.

It also retains low levels of sodium, zinc, copper and manganese. The calorie content of dates reaches 280-340 kcal per 100 grams of product, depending on the variety.