How to Grow Coconut Palms? Coconut Palm Cultivation Techniques Shared!

The coconut tree, also known as the coconut palm, is a type of arborescent plant. In China, coconut trees are mainly distributed in Hainan, and the coconut tree is a unique local scenery in Hainan, with excellent ornamental value. Besides its ornamental value, the coconut fruit borne on the tree is also an organic fruit, containing many nutrients beneficial to the human body. So what are the coconut palm cultivation techniques for such a valuable plant? Please see the breakdown below.

I. Coconut Palm Propagation Techniques

Seed propagation:

A fully mature coconut will begin to sprout in just over two months, as long as appropriate temperature and moisture conditions are available. Hainan generally adopts the method of germination promotion in a preparatory nursery. Choose a semi-shaded, well-ventilated environment with good drainage, clear weeds and tree roots, plow to a depth of 15—20 cm, open furrows slightly wider than the fruit.

Place the seed coconuts one after another leaning against the bottom of the furrow at a 45° angle, and cover with soil up to one-half to two-thirds of the fruit. When the sprout reaches 10—15 cm, move the sprout to a moderately shaded nursery to plant the coconuts, paying attention to watering, drainage, weeding and fertilizing. Generally after about one year, when the seedling height reaches about 1 m, it can be lifted from the nursery for field planting.

Embryo culture propagation:

Test-tube plantlets from embryo culture of Hainan tall coconut were used as transplanting test material. The results showed that the key to the survival of transplanted coconut embryo-cultured plantlets lies in the quality of the plantlets; plantlets with well-developed root systems and robust growth have a high survival rate. The transplanting survival rates of normal plantlets, few-rooted plantlets, and contaminated plantlets were 86.7%, 29.5%, and 36.4% respectively. The most ideal transplanting substrate is peat : coconut coir : river sand = 2:1:1, and the transplanting effect is best under a culture room environment.

II. Coconut Palm Cultivation Techniques

1. Timely planting:

Coconut palms are generally planted in the rainy season, at a spacing of 6 m×9 m or 7 m×8 m, with 165-180 plants per hectare. The planting holes are 60 cm×70 cm×80 cm, and 20-40 kg of organic fertilizer is applied into each hole. Leaves can also be burned inside the hole to scorch the hole edges, and sand filled in to prevent ants. When lifting seedlings, the fruit seed should be kept, with more soil and less root damage, and planting should be done immediately after digging. The planting depth of coconut seedlings should be such that the rooting portion at the base of the seedling can be fully buried in the soil, achieving “deep planting with shallow earthing up”. Avoid soil falling into the leaf axils. Coconut palms planted appropriately deep grow better than those planted shallow, have higher yields than shallow-planted ones, and are more wind-resistant than shallow-planted ones.

2. Protecting seedlings and earthing up:

Management should be strengthened after planting coconut palms. In the initial period after planting, appropriate shading is needed, and irrigation to retain moisture is required; missing plants should be replanted in time. Coconut palms are cultivated twice a year, that is, one cultivation combined with fertilizing in November-December, and another inter-row cultivation in August-September. As the plant grows, a large number of aerial roots emerge from the stem base, and earthing up is carried out to reinforce the tree body. Short-term crops such as peanuts and beans can be intercropped in the coconut plantation, serving as living mulch and increasing humidity within the plantation, which benefits the growth of young trees.

3. Rational fertilizing:

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. When a coconut palm lacks potassium, the stem is thin, the leaves are short and small, the leaves in the middle of the crown wilt first, the upper leaves extend downward in a cluster, and the lower leaves dry up and hang down from the trunk. When nitrogen is deficient, young leaves lose their green color and luster, old leaves show varying degrees of yellowing, fruit yield decreases, and copra yield drops. Phosphorus deficiency causes poor root development and fruit rot. Chlorine deficiency affects coconut fruit size, copra yield, as well as nitrogen uptake and the plant's use of water. Therefore, when fertilizing, organic fertilizer should be the main component with chemical fertilizer as a supplement, and some table salt should also be applied. Fertilizing can be done each year in April-May and November-December. Opening a fertilizing furrow at a distance of 1.5-2 m from the base of the tree gives better results. If the broadcast method is used, the whole area should be weeded and the soil loosened before fertilizing.

4. Pest and disease control

① Bleeding disease: Coconut bleeding disease is a common disease in coconut-producing areas. When it occurs, cracks appear on the stem, exuding dark brown viscous liquid, which turns black after drying, and the crack tissue rots. Control methods include chiseling out the diseased tissue and applying 10% Bordeaux mixture or coal tar.

② Red palm weevil: The red palm weevil larvae bore into the trunk, which can cause the coconut palm to die. For control, seal the wound with asphalt or mud; in severe cases, cut down and burn to avoid spread.

③ Coconut scale insect: Adults and nymphs of the coconut scale insect suck sap on the undersides of leaves and on the fruit surface. For control, spray pesticides such as ammonium sulfophos, malathion, and dibrom, and natural enemies can also be protected for control.

④ Coconut rhinoceros beetle: Among coconut rhinoceros beetles, the two-spotted rhinoceros beetle is the most serious. After the leaves unfold they appear fan-shaped, or with wavy notches, and it bites the growing point, causing the plant to die. For control, clear organic matter inside and outside the coconut plantation, as well as breeding sites such as compost and manure piles, before March each year; use cow dung or rotting coconut trunks to lure adults to lay eggs for concentrated capture and killing; natural enemies such as Scleroderma wasps and Metarhizium anisopliae can also be used to control rhinoceros beetle larvae.