In nature, the date palm is grown as a commercial tree. The fruits serve as a source of food for humans and animals, while the stem and leaves are used for building houses and everyday objects. In our country, the date palm is primarily cultivated as a houseplant.
How to care for a date palm as a houseplant?
A date palm as a houseplant requires a sunny location, regular watering without waterlogging, fertilization, no cuts, repotting every 4-5 years and frost-free wintering in a bucket at around 15 degrees Celsius.
Growing a date palm as a houseplant
Date palms are grown as houseplants in large pots or containers. You can even plant old and large specimens in a protected outdoor location. However, it can't get colder than -6 degrees.
In unprotected locations, it is better to keep a date palm as a potted plant.
Move outside in summer
The date palm doesn't like it in the room all year round. She likes to move outside to the terrace or balcony in the summer.
Choose a sunny location where the palm tree gets as little rainwater as possible. Make sure that no waterlogging can develop in the pot.
What care does the date palm need as an ornamental plant?
- Pouring
- fertilize
- do not cut
- repot every four to five years
- overwinter frost-free in the pot
Date palms need a lot of water, but they should not be waterlogged. Always only water when the surface of the substrate has dried. If you keep them indoors, you should regularly spray the leaves with water.
A date palm is not cut. At most, you may cut brown leaves when they are completely dry.
Since palm trees grow quite slowly, you only need to repot date palms every four to five years. The move to a larger pot becomes necessary when the roots grow out of the bottom of the planter or the date palm pushes out of the top of the pot.
Overwintering date palms properly in a pot
In winter you should keep a date palm cooler. Temperatures around 15 degrees are ideal. Choose a location where the plant is bright.
Watere less during wintering and do not apply fertilizer from October to early March.
Tip
Date palms can be propagated from seeds, although this requires a lot of patience. If the date palm produces shoots, these are separated in spring and used to grow new plants.
