Any suggestions for growing indoor coconuts?

14 years ago

Years ago I killed a potted coconut and have wanted to try one since. But they are expensive!

I immediately transfered that original palm into a slightly larger pot with perlite rich media, and possibly initially overwatered it, as well it had a small spider mite outbreak during its decline.

So... What do they like? I can offer one a south facing room with nearly 18' tall windows (bright!). I tend to pot up rootbound pots but always sensed the coconut would rather be potbound?

Hmmm. And ideas appreciated! Thanks!

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Comments (9)

abostrom
14 years ago
Coconuts need lots and lots of light and heat.

They will not die just because of a few nights of cool weather, but they will languish or die if they have to live in day after day of weather like, say the coastal areas of San Diego where it's never frosty, but never really warm either. Many houses are like that too. If you think about it, you never see mature coconuts in San Diego, even with its mild, but clammy Pacific coastal environment. On the other hand, coconuts do well in Miami, even though it occasionally suffers from some really nasty low temp jags that are lethal to some ultra tropicals.

They don't need great soil. Think about where they come from. Beach sand is NOT rich soil.

One other consideration is that if you are successful, your coconut will be a disposable item, as they really do get quite big. When the thing is just starting to show a trunk, the crown can easily be 20 or 25 feet across, so you might want to be careful what you wish for! Anyhowz, good luck to you! Coconut palms, IMO, are truly beautiful for the way they look and the sound their leaves make when the breezes stroke them.
nadidlab
14 years ago
I've been growing one for a couple years with limited success. Smallish (3 gallon?)rootbound greenouse pot inside a larger bucket type no-drainage pot. Mine is at a westward facing window and gets sun all afternoon. My results have been OK. The plant is getting pretty large with fronds to about 7 feet tall. Its mostly good looking, but does have some yellow spots on the fronds. Not sure if that is from lack of heat or nutrients. I don't think you can over water them, coconuts are very often at or near the waterline. I'd like to hear others' experiences and suggestions as well.

Nad
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I agree, coconut palms are great indoors. Actually they are one of my easier palms. Although, I do actually keep mine too dry. A few weeks ago the leaflets on mine were actually folded over because of how dry it was. But some water was all it needed to look normal again! They are great palms that do well on neglect indoors and out. I have a tall from hawaii and a dwarf from Florida and I agree, the coconut palm from Hawaii does MUCH better than the dwarf I got from Florida. They like being in pots more than dwarfs (like you said, pretty ironic), they are faster growing (thats not much of a surprise) and in my experience, they have much greener looking fronds and are better looking overall. But Dwarfs do have adult leaves at a smaller height so even if they dont like being potted as much as the talls do, they will be able to stay small enough to enjoy as a potted plant for at least 10 years from germination (in climates like mine where summers are warm, but they have to spend time indoors during the cold winters). And I saw some great looking coconut palms indoors at the Orlando International Airport. They have apparently been there since the 1990s. Now they do get more sun and more room for their roots to grow than coconut palms inside the average home would get, but they do not have the benefit of going outside into the warm summer sun unlike coconut palms in an average home. -Alex
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jimhardy
14 years ago
Wow....18'south windows,just think of all the cool stuff you could grow that would live.
Just kidding ya,man if there is any house window that a Coconut would like that would be the one!
Is there anyway you could move it outside in summer? They do love warmth and sun,sounds like you have a great spot.
Have you ever thought of trying Banana plants?They may even fruit with that kind of room.
You might like to check out arctictropicals post's in the Banana forum.He has some Abyssinian "banana"plants that are in a similar setting>BTW-Abyssinians don't produce bananas.

What other kind of stuff are you growing?
tropicalzone7
14 years ago
I bought a coconut as a small just sprouting plant in june and now it is 3 feet tall from the soil line and will be throwing out adult leaves pretty soon. I keep it outside in full sun, but dont water it too much, but dont make the soil get dry either. I brought it in in september because temps werent really warming above 80 too often and it is in a northfacing room, but the room ranges from 65-90 degrees and is usually about 74-83F which is pretty warm. its growing slower than it did outdoors, but only took one month (september to october) to push out a leaf.

I say ideal day temps for these plants would be 80-90 degrees and night temps can probably go down to 65 without ill effects.
If your room doesnt get to 80 degrees then you can try to artifially heat it with grow lights, xmas lights around the trunk, and watering it with warm water. Make sure the humidity stays up too. Anything lower than 50 percent and the leaves may start to brown.

Good luck!
tropicpalms
14 years ago
Jimhardy is sayin ,you could have something like this inside your house haha thats a very nice area w windows. very good spot. ( i bring my bananas in each year for the winter to get a head start on the spring there are sklights)
brooklyngreg
14 years ago
What is the name of that variety that can grow bananas?
How long does it take?
jimhardy
14 years ago
You got it tropicpalms.

Greg
The only way to get bananas outside this far north is to dig up the bananas corm and stem and keep it in your basement over the winter.
If successful,you can plant it in spring and it will pick up where it left off-
tropicpalms
14 years ago
Thats what i do except bring it in like a huge house plant in a bucket to get a huge head start and then they wont haveto start from just the bulb... but much easier just to leave them and the will obviously come back in little shoots in spring.
Loveplants2 8b Virginia Beach, Virginia
14 years ago
Hey Justin,

That banana tree makes me hungry.....I'm thinking maybe I should make a banana pie...or maybe banana pudding!!! LOL
Great Pic...

Laura in VB

Any suggestions for growing indoor coconuts?

Comments (9)

abostrom

nadidlab

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