The date palm is not so often seen in a private house or apartment, but such an exotic houseplant looks beautiful and prestigious. The date palm, as a houseplant, requires some care, this is the only way it will become a worthy decoration of any interior. Dates are very useful for the human body, read more about their beneficial properties here.
For the first five years, the date palm will not delight the owners of the house, its beauty will only appear after 5-7 years, provided it is properly cared for.
Experienced growers give the following recommendations for caring for a home date palm:
1. Periodically, the plant needs to be turned over, changing its position of relative sunlight, so that the sun’s rays evenly fall on all the leaves. If sunlight does not hit the leaves, they develop unevenly, stretch out and become brittle.
2. It is impossible for the plant to be in a draft; when ventilating the room in the autumn-winter period, the palm tree must be removed away from the windows.
3. At the stage of planting the plant, it is important to ensure good drainage, since stagnation of water is extremely undesirable for the date palm. For irrigation, it is recommended to use settled soft water, it should be about 20 degrees.
4. The date palm needs good hydration, so its leaves should be sprayed daily. Once a week, you can organize a shower, but before the procedure, the pot of soil must be carefully covered with foil.
5. To prevent dust from collecting on the leaves, they should be regularly wiped with a damp sponge.
6. For good growth of the date palm, it is necessary to apply mineral and organic fertilizers to the soil. In the summer – twice a month, in the winter – once.
Sometimes beginner growers want to see a palm tree more lush, for this they shorten the top so that the plant grows wide. This cannot be done, if you cut off the top of the date palm, it may soon die.
After transplanting, the date palm often begins to hurt. To avoid such a nuisance, you need to know how to transplant it correctly. A young plant up to 4–5 years old should be replanted every year, and an adult palm tree should be transplanted every two to three years. This procedure is carried out in the spring. Also, experts recommend renewing the soil every year, for this you need to remove the top layer and fill the vacant space with new soil. It is necessary to transplant the plant when the roots no longer fit in the pot.
