A friend of mine brought a green coconut back from down south somewhere...how does he grow it?
Do you take the outer shell off and just plant the 'nut'?
I'm at a loss and said I'd ask here.
Coconut?
Melody,I tried for years to get one to grow,both ways,in the shell and out,I never had luck.
I did get this one from the GH,it still has the shell on it.
Here are instructions I copied from this site: http://mgonline.com/coconut.html
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Sprouting palms and growing palms from seed, use fresh seeds and follow the advice for coconuts below
To start a coconut from the seed, it is best to have the outer fibrous husk intact
Get a 3-gallon pot. Use high quality nursery soil mixed with 40% coarse sand. Add drainage rocks to the bottom of the pot
Lay your coconut husk on the ground and see what way it wants to rest. Plant your coconut husk 1/2 way into the soil in the same position
You can leave the pot in the sun or the shade. Water lightly to keep very lightly moist. Partial shade will likely be more successful
Be patient. The first time we started a coconut from seed it took 9 nine months to sprout. It is common for many palms to take many months to sprout. Don't over water as you'll rot them out
Your coconut will first split its husk at the bottom and send down some roots. It may take several months before your coconut also splits the top of the husk pushing up its first fronds. In other words, your coconut will be growing and you won't even know it until it splits the top
After your coconut spouts, your coconut can live in your 3-gallon pot for about 3-6 months. After that, plant it out or in another larger pot or directly into the soil. Incorporate lots of manure. Fertilize properly starting after sprouting 3 fronds
I really appreciated the info regarding the coconut....made me remember a few years ago when a group of us were visiting Tahiti..our guide had the cutest little boy...when we were leaving the little boy Jon turned up with a sprouted coconut in his hands [ a gift for me to take back... I was trying to explain to him that I could not take it] I remember it [ the seed] was huge and green and shining.. but they were all over the islands growing like weeds [ they were kind of elongated so have no idea what type they were] You have really got me interested in trying to grow a one...well we will see..
Thanks for the info. I think he may have had his coconut too long. He got it this Spring and is just now asking how to sprout it. Somehow, I doubt that he has the patience to wait on one anyway.
I'll pass along the information and maybe one of these days, I'll get one myself.