How to Plant Coconut Palms? Detailed Explanation of Planting Methods and Key Technical Points

The coconut palm is a common tree in Hainan, Yunnan and other places, combining ornamental and edible value, especially the juice inside which can be processed into various foods, and it is very popular among people. So how do you plant a coconut palm?

1. Digging holes

Coconut palms are generally planted in the rainy season, at a spacing of 6 m × 9 m or 7 m × 8 m, with 165 to 180 trees planted per hectare. The planting holes are 60 cm × 70 cm × 80 cm, and 20 to 40 kg of organic fertilizer is applied into each hole. Leaves can also be burned inside the hole to scorch the edges of the hole, and sand should be filled in to prevent ants.

2. Transplanting

When lifting the seedlings, the fruit seed should be kept, as much soil as possible should be retained, and the roots should be damaged as little as possible, and they should be dug and planted immediately. The planting depth of coconut seedlings should be such that the rooting part at the base of the seedling can be fully buried in the soil, achieving “deep planting with shallow earthing up”. Do not let soil fall into the leaf axils. Coconut palms planted appropriately deep grow better than those planted shallowly, have higher yields than those planted shallowly, and are more wind-resistant than those planted shallowly.

3. Post-planting management techniques

(1) Shading: Management should be strengthened after planting coconut palms. In the initial period after planting, appropriate shading is needed, and watering is needed to keep moisture. Missing plants should be replanted in time.

(2) Intertillage and earthing up: Coconut palms are cultivated twice a year, that is, one cultivation combined with fertilization from November to December, and another intertillage from August to September. As the plant grows, a large number of aerial roots grow from the stem base, so earthing up is carried out to strengthen the tree body. Short-term crops such as peanuts and beans can be intercropped in the coconut plantation, which serves as live cover and increases the humidity in the plantation, favoring the growth of young trees.

(3) Rational fertilization: Coconut palms need complete fertilizer, with potassium fertilizer being the most needed, followed by nitrogen, phosphorus and chlorine fertilizers, but attention must be paid to balanced fertilization. Fertilization can be carried out each year from April to May and from November to December. Opening fertilization furrows 1.5 to 2 m away from the base of the tree gives better results. If the broadcasting method is used, weeds should be cleared and the soil loosened thoroughly before fertilizing.

(4) Pest and disease control: During the growth period, coconut palms may suffer from diseases and pests such as bleeding disease, red palm weevil, coconut scale, and coconut rhinoceros beetle, so preventive measures should be taken in advance. For bleeding disease, 10% Bordeaux mixture or coal tar can be applied. For the red palm weevil, the wounds can be sealed with asphalt or mud; in severe cases, the tree should be cut down and burned to prevent spread.For coconut scale, pesticides such as ammonium sulfophosphate, malathion and dibrom can be sprayed, and natural enemies can also be protected for control.For the coconut rhinoceros beetle, cow dung or decaying coconut trunks can be used to lure adults to lay eggs for concentrated trapping and killing, and natural enemies such as Scleroderma wasps and Metarhizium anisopliae can also be used to control the rhinoceros beetle larvae.