Q&A for How to Grow a Coconut Tree

Usually, this means it's not getting enough sunlight. Try moving your tree to a sunnier spot.

Yes, but if you grow it indoors, it will not produce coconuts, and its height will be around 5'.

Coconut fronds turn yellow if the soil is lacking nutrients, but there are some occasions where a pest or fungus could be causing your coconut fronds to turn yellow.

Choose one that is rich in nutrients boron, manganese and magnesium.

If your tree is indoors, or being raised in an area where coconuts do not natively grow, your tree may not produce any fruit for those reasons.

The coconuts have to be brown. This means it is ripe. Green ones are not ripe and can not produce a plant.

While you certainly *could* bury the nut in the soil like how the article says (pointed end down/tree stem end up), you always don't need to. Coconuts can grow just fine laying sideways above-ground (that's how they grow in nature); the stem and roots will break through the sides of the nut like normal. I've actually never planted a coconut by burying it before. Usually we leave the coconuts out in the garden to germinate in a semi-spaced out "pile", then pull them up move them wherever they need to go. (Side note: Placing them too close together during germination will rob you of the space needed to access the dirt below the nut and loosen it from the earth once it's time to plant them.)

Coconut trees must generally grow for about five (5) years before producing any fruit.

AgriFarming's website recommends either 7.5 metres x 7.5 metres (24.6 ft. x 24.6 ft) or 7.5 metres x 10.0 metres (24.6 ft. x 32.8 ft.), though some other places I've looked suggest 10.0 metres x 10.0 metres (32.8 ft. x 32.8 ft) of spacing.

Not for long. Keep the coconut well watered, but not to the point of water-logging the soil. A mix of potting soil, sand and gravel should ensure that the ground can drain off the excess water well enough, while also retaining sufficient water to keep the coconut hydrated.

Assuming that it's your *plant* that's is 5 years old, not the seed, coconuts can only be stored for a few months before becoming inedible (assuming proper storage conditions), and they don't have a dormancy period (delayed germination). Assuming that's the case, then do you perhaps mean that the trunk of the tree has somehow been broken off? As in, there's only a stump left? Because if that's the case, then you'll need to get a new tree.

Yes, though you don't necessarily need to plant the coconut in the soil. Coconuts grow perfectly well above-ground. A lot of the trees you see growing along the coast weren't planted by humans, they simply washed up on shore wherever and grew where they landed. It's just how they evolved to spread their seeds.

If you want the water, try opening it while it's still green as that's when it has the most water. Brown coconuts, on the other hand, are usually more dried up than green/yellow ones.

Likely it means that the coconut tree needs water. If your coconut tree is not getting water, then your falling problem may arise.

It depends on whether you get frost in your area. Some coconuts in Florida can survive a short duration of -3ºC temperatures because like Arizona, it gets warm in the daytime in winter, which seems to protect them. It can't hurt to try but be sure to protect them if it does get frosty.

Yes, you can grow them together. There would be no side effects for the tree. However, be careful of the space, as there should be sufficient space for both the coconut tree and lime tree.

8 feet or 3 meters is the right distance. If planted too close together, the fronds touch and they start to bend the trunks away from each other.

Yes, certainly. This will be the same drill as with the husked ones and will produce about the same result.

1.5 meters is appropriate and ensures prevention of tangled roots.

Yes it will work. It is the same process as with husk. If you want the embryo, it still works.

No. You can grow a coconut in a container as a potted plant and bring it indoors during the winter months. Coconuts do not like temperatures below 50 degrees F. I germinated a coconut I was given from South Florida and kept if for a little over 5 years in Jacksonville. A combination of cold and age eventually killed it.

If the coconut is in good condition and has enough water inside of it, it could possibly sprout and grow into a tree in a few years. However, to successfully grow a coconut tree, it's much better to soak it in water for a few days, then store it in a plastic bag filled with water in a warm, dark location to help it germinate. The most likely outcome of sticking a coconut in the ground is that it will rot and disintegrate in the soil.

The ideal coconut will have a lot of water sloshing around inside of it when you shake it and is still in its husk. To germinate it, leave it in a bucket of water for a few days to soften the outer shell, and then place it in plastic bag filled iwth water and store it in a warm, dark location for up to 3 months. You can plant the coconut when the sprout is as long as your finger and the roots have reached a length of 6 inches (15 cm) to 8 inches (20 cm).

If you're growing a coconut from seed, it can take up to 5 years to fully mature and start producing fruit. However, some coconut trees may not produce fruit for more than 10 or even 20 years. But once they do start fruiting, they'll continue to produce for up to 80 years.

Yes, if the temperature is warm enough, it will be fine. Usually coconuts will grow best when the temperature doesn't fall below 10 C.