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Growing
If you plan to grow coconuts, better have patience, seven years of
patience before you can expect to see any coconuts. The coconut palm,
Cocos nucifera, is considered a "three generation tree," supporting a
farmer, his children, and his grandchildren. Some trees, which can grow
to a height of 60 to 100 feet, even survive all three generations. Cocos
nucifera, nucifera meaning nut-bearing, has only one species that
includes both the tall and the dwarf coconut tree, but many varieties
exist within the species.
Though the coconut is commonly considered a nut, botanically it is
classified as a drupe and is the largest of all fruit seeds. The coconut
consists of the thin, strong outer layer or skin called the epicarp, the
thick fibrous layer called mesocarp, and the dark brown hard shell
called the endocarp that encases the coconut flesh. Just beneath the
endocarp is the testa, the thin deep brown layer that clings to the
white coconut meat.
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The
coconut palm is a striking tree with a tall slender trunk that keeps its
same diameter from the base to the top. Beautiful, lacy fronds, about 25
to 35 of them, form an umbrella-like structure at the tree's zenith. The
tree grows taller by forming new fronds that sprout from the top of the
tree as the lower fronds die off.
Coconuts grow from the center of the fronds, close to the trunk. Unique
to the coconut palm, each tree blooms thirteen times a year and produces
all stages of growth at the same time, from tiny new green nuts to fully
ripened brown nuts that are ready to fall from the tree.
Coconuts are persnickity about where they live. They cannot survive cold
climates, and do poorly in temperate zones. Coconuts require the hot,
humid weather of the tropical regions that stretch 25 degrees north to
25 degrees south of the equator all around the globe. There the sun
shines steadily with plenty of rainfall to nurture the slow-growing
coconut palm.
To begin the growing process, purchase a coconut with its husk
completely intact. Just like sprouting any seeds and legumes, the
coconut must be soaked in water, only longer, two or three days.
Next, prepare a pot that is large enough and deep enough for the coconut
by putting big pieces of gravel or stones in the bottom to allow for
good drainage. Add about two inches of sandy soil, then set the coconut
on the soil with the pointed or bud end up. Add more soil until it
covers about half the coconut. Then set the pot in a warm place such as
a sunny window, near a warm oven, or on a radiator.
The next step requires patience and diligence. Pour warm water over the
coconut husk every day, making sure it does not dry out. The sprouting
process is very slow, sometimes taking six months or longer. Until the
sprout appears, the coconut is receiving its nourishment from the white
meat inside. The coconut water within provides the nut with all of its
moisture requirements.
For a sprout to appear it must first pierce through one of the soft
spots, often called eyes, of the coconut's hard inner shell and finally
emerge from the large fibrous outer shell. When white roots begin to
grow out, in about a year, the coconut can be planted in a large tub.
Coconuts
planted at home are unlikely to thrive or produce a coconut. Today the
nuts are a highly cultivated crop, where once they were a source of
survival for natives of the tropics, providing the family's support with
only a few trees.
Since commercially planted coconut palms are grown for maximum yield,
some farmers use commercial fertilizer while others use a different
method. With intercropping, an effective method of fertilization and
land use, the farmer plants banana trees or other large crops among the
coconut trees. After producing its crop, the banana trees are left to
disintegrate, producing ideal compost to fertilize the soil.
Coconuts come in many varieties. Some are grown for their higher oil
content, while others are favored for their higher sugar content. Many
growers prefer the dwarf varieties. Though they lack the dramatic
appearance of the tall trees, they are far easier to harvest. The
dwarfs, which have a shorter lifespan, about 40 to 60 years, are also
less vulnerable to a yellowing disease that kills many of the tall
trees.
In agriculture, nothing is without its challenges. With all its
advantages, the dwarf coconut palm also faces destruction from rodents.
The creatures climb up the tree trunks and form communities under the
protection of the feathery fronds, often putting a considerable dent in
a farmer's crop. The farmers have tried to outwit the rats by putting
metal bands around the tree trunks, but these have no effect on the rats
that are already colonized in the trees.
(Purchase Coconuts They Will Grow If
You Plant Them Properly)
How a farmer harvests the coconuts is a matter of choice. On the
average, trees produce about 60 mature coconuts a year, though some will
produce two or three times as many. The easiest method of harvesting and
one that assures fully ripened coconuts, is to simply allow the ripe
nuts to fall to the ground.
Alternatively, the farmer employs nimble skilled men to literally climb
up to the top of the tree with a machete and cut the ripe nuts down.
Still another method, one that requires considerable skill, is to attach
a machete to a long bamboo pole and reach for the ripe nuts while
standing on the ground. This last method often fails to provide accuracy
and frequently brings down unripe nuts as well. In some countries,
farmers have been able to train monkeys to gather the ripe coconuts.
Before the farmer sends his coconuts to market, he removes the thick,
fibrous outer husks, making the coconuts easier for the consumer to
open. The exception is young coconuts, which reach market with their
outer husk partly cut away. To remove the husk, the farmer pounds the
coconut against a spiked wooden post that is firmly secured in the
ground.
(Purchase Coconuts They Will Grow If
You Plant Them Properly)
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