The Phoenix dactylifera, or date palm, has a striking appearance. At the summit of the tree, its arching, gray-green, waxy fronds can grow up to 10 feet long, creating a towering crown. Usually in spring, panicles of pale yellow blooms open. And they make way for the dates, which are edible rectangular fruits that start off green and usually turn brown as they ripen. The palm grows slowly, typically gaining a few feet a year. You can plant it in the autumn or spring.
Date Palm Tree Overview
| Common Name | Date palm |
| Botanical Name | Phoenix dactylifera |
| Family | Arecaceae |
| Plant Type | Tree |
| Size | 50–80 ft. tall, 20–40 ft. wide |
| Sun Exposure | Full sun |
| Soil Type | Sandy, loamy, well-drained |
| Soil pH | Acidic, neutral, alkaline |
| Bloom Time | Spring |
| Hardiness Zones | 8–11 (USDA) |
| Native Area | Africa, Middle East |
How to Plant Date Palms
When to Plant
Date palms can be planted in the fall or in the early spring. Choose a day that won’t be too windy to plant if you’re moving a tree rather than beginning from seed. If not, the tree’s fronds may get damaged during the transport.
Selecting a Planting Site
Choose a location that will allow the tree to grow to its full height. It should have strong soil drainage and lots of sun. Make sure that when a baby palm grows, it won’t be overshadowed by surrounding plants. For young palms, container growing is an additional option.
Spacing, Depth, and Support
Create a hole that is slightly deeper and twice as wide as the root ball of the palm. Additionally, while deciding where to plant a mature palm in relation to other plants and structures, remember to account for its 20–40 foot spread. Although a baby palm won’t usually require a support structure, you may wish to shield it from severe winds before its roots take hold.
Date Palm Tree Care
Light Requirements
The date palm requires lots of sunlight to thrive in its ideal dry, hot climate. Although it can withstand some shade, it thrives in full sun, which is at least six hours of direct sunlight each day on most days.
Soil
The most crucial thing to take into account when deciding where to grow your date palm is well-draining soil. This palm can withstand salinity and grows well in loamy or sandy soils. It favors a slightly acidic pH in soil over an alkaline pH.
Watering
The date palm can withstand droughts, particularly when it has established itself. However, it needs consistent precipitation during the flowering and fruiting seasons in order to yield a robust crop. Additionally, young trees will require more water than older ones. Keep the soil from ever getting damp, but don’t let it completely dry up either.
Temperature and Environment
These trees do best in warm, dry, sunny weather. In actuality, pollination requires temperatures of about 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The date palm can withstand lows of 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold weather, however, can harm the fronds or perhaps kill the tree. The fruit of the date palm thrives in dry heat as well. A surplus of moisture and humidity can cause rotting.
Fertilization
A great way to fertilize your date palm is with manure. It is advised to use specialized fertilizer for palm trees if you would rather use packaged fertilizer. In late winter or early spring, fertilizer should be applied according to the directions on the label to get the tree ready for the upcoming months of flower and fruit production.
Pollination
Only the female plants of date palms bear fruit; the male and female trees are distinct from one another. It is suggested that there should be one male plant for every six female ones. The wind is the means of pollination.
Types of Date Palms
Date palm plants come in a variety of varieties and yield delicious fruits. These are a handful of the most well-liked ones:
‘Barhi’: The fruit from this variety is firm and flavorful, and it is best consumed right off the tree.
‘Deglet Noor’: This type produces golden fruit with a flavor reminiscent of honey.
‘Fard’: This tree yields the fruit that most of us are familiar with—a date with a dark brown skin.
‘Dayri’: An elongated fruit that transforms from red to brown to black is produced by this cultivar.
Date Palm vs. Palm Tree
The palm family includes date palms. Thus, like coconut trees, all date palms are palm trees, but not all palm trees are date palms. The majority of plants in this family are endemic to tropical and subtropical regions and have enormous, evergreen fronds that resemble feathers. They produce dates, coconuts, heart of palm, and palm oil, among other foods.
Harvesting Dates
Not every bunch of fruit will ripen at the same time; fruit ripens from late summer to early fall. A young tree’s first harvest should yield about 20 pounds of dates; mature trees can provide hundreds of pounds of dates.
Using a sharp knife, chop off the cluster of fruits after they are mushy and brown, rather than green. They keep well for up to a month at room temperature or up to six months in the refrigerator when kept in an airtight container. They can also be kept frozen for a year or longer. Consume them uncooked, in baked dishes, smoothies, and other recipes. Just take cautious not to consume the interior pit.
How to Grow Date Palms in Pots?
A young date palm can be grow in a container. This enables you to relocate it to an area shielded from severe winds and ideal lighting conditions. Choose a container that is only marginally bigger than the root ball of the palm. The best kind of container is one made of unglazed clay, like a terracotta pot, which will let excess moisture escape through its wall and have drainage holes in it. In the container, use a palm potting soil that drains well.
Pruning
Pruning this tree usually consists of just pulling out any diseased or damaged fronds. In order for the tree to focus its energy on the main trunk, you may also wish to prune off any suckers that start to sprout around the base of the trunk.
In order to improve airflow around the maturing fruits and prevent them from rotting, you should thin out the unripe bunches as your tree starts to bear more fruit. Fruit size can also be increased by thinning the bunches.
Propagating Date Palms
The suckers, or offshoots, that develop at the base of date palm trunks provide a simple way for the plants to multiply. These branches are copies of the original plant. By propagating this technique, you can obtain a new fruit-bearing plant faster than if you were to cultivate it from seed and also save money on a new plant. How to do it is as follows:
- Find a thriving offshoot. when much of the parent plant’s roots should remain attached when you carefully detach it from it. This is frequently best done by hand.
- Plant the branch in a container with palm soil inside, or directly into the permanent garden spot. Just cover its roots with the earth and gently press it down.
- Make sure the soil is evenly moistened without staying too soggy.
- Until the new tree’s roots take hold, keep it out of direct sunshine. It may also require the addition of supports to support its straight growth once it is firmly planted in the ground.
How to Grow Date Palms From Seed?
Another method for growing more date palms is to start your palm from seed. Here’s how to do it:
- Take the seeds out of the ripe dates.
- After letting the seeds float to the top, soak them in water for at least 24 hours.
- Put every last seed into a little container with seed starting mix in it. Make sure the seeds are partially covered by the dirt by pressing them down.
- The containers should be placed in an area with strong, indirect sunlight. To assist maintain moisture, you might also wish to put a plastic bag on top of the containers. Maintain a mildly damp and warm soil. In about a month, germination should occur.
Overwintering
If date palms are planted in a location that experiences cold temperatures, they require extra attention. Use fabric to cover the tree in case of an impending cold snap to keep it safe. If at all possible, move container date palms indoors.