Growing Coconuts

[tim armstrong]

My wife remarked recently that fresh coconut was not so available anymore and they sell around this area for about 10baht each. Coconuts seem to be a fairly disease and trouble-free tree, that doesn't need too much water in the dry season so I wondered if a plantation was worthwhile? and how many years before the first harvest? and what sort of yield you can expect from say 2-3 rai ?

[WatersEdge]

I think this will seem boringly obvious,

but to gather what I've observed on Coconut into one place....

There are immature green coconut with thin soft flesh and a lot of milk,

the drinking kind with the top chopped off and a straw stuck in,

chilled on ice long before serving.

Then there are mature coconut with thick hard flesh,

still a lot of milk,

which are split and drained of liquid,

then the white flesh is ground very fine

squeezed for milk and oil in an auger expeller press

then the flesh is dried in the sun and sold as animal feed.

The oil is separated from the milk by the rapid fermentation.

Coconut Cooking Oil is good, bringing a strong price.

It's also healthy to eat, in spite of the reputation of making you fat.

The separation can be accelerated

by adding a very small amount of HCl acid,

just enough to crack the oil / water emulsion,

leaving the milk water in good fresh unfermented condition,

with the HCl acid to be neutralized with NaOH base,

for a final result of a slightly salty milk.

HCl + NaOH => NaCl + H2O

The finely ground flesh will spoil in terms of hours perhaps minutes rather than days.

It almost immediately ferments to a very strong alcohol odor,

then quickly beyond to an outright rotten foul smell.

It would be most useful if oven dried immediately after pressing the liquid out.

There is no apparent attempt to preserve the ground squeezed flesh in good condition here,

presumably because there is no market for it...

no one in Thailand wants to eat Coconut flesh,

in spite of the fact that it is expensive in a tidy plastic bag on a grocery shelf elsewhere.

It is spread out on tarps over a concrete slab in the sun,

to dry as it spoils, to a moldy bitter smelling rancid powder.

It reportedly still has a high value as animal feed,

although I can't imagine an animal who'd eat the stuff.

The coconut merchant that I pick up Coir each day from,

hauls mature coconut in by the truck and trailer load from the South,

spending about a month processing that amount out to the city market.

There are other similar operations in the same town.

I have no idea how much Coconut is consumed here in total.

Everywhere I look there are coconut trees laden with fruit not being picked,

including my own yard.

I'd suggest if coconut is not available in your area,

that you offer to buy them every day as available,

from the many random sources that have a few to a few hundred,

then flood the local market with the grand surplus.

If that doesn't suffice, then buy a truck and trailer load,

and enter the business with flair.

There are machines made in Thailand for each step of dismantling the coconut to useful products.

If you really want to grow them yourself,

it takes 3 to 5 years to first fruit.

I'm told there are good and bad varieties,

which may explain why so many trees have unpicked fruit in every direction you look.

During the time Coconut is growing,

there is a lot of open field space available for filler crops.

I've seen Cassava growing under Coconut,

even when the Coconut trees were fully grown

This seems a good combination,

as Cassava is a relatively long season crop,

disturbing the soil around the trees only once a year.

Seed is the coconut itself,

which can be bought sprouting from the merchants before they are processed.

The sprouting nuts with the green fronds growing out the top are not as good for eating,

as they have passed their prime

So if you find a type that is especially good to eat,

buy more from the merchant before he tears them apart.

[afarang]

Good post. Maybe the only you could have added is that : The eating coconut palms grow very tall. Who is going to pluck them for the O.P.? The drinking coconuts( known as Ma Plow Hom), the palm is short , so very easy to pick. Some growers use monkeys to pick the eating coconuts.

[slapout]

The magic of genetic modification of seedlings has invaded the coconut species. We planted about 20 seedlings some 12 years ago which have attained their height of about 15 foot. The produce nuts which are sought for the sweet milk and sweet meat. No monkey required to pick, a stout length of bamboo with knife attached will cut the clusters.

The in laws had those good trees that produced good fruit but grew a meter a year (it seemed). They were eventually cut down as no one would even attempt to climb up to the fruit. My suggestion one year to send the nephews (they were acting like monkeys) up to harvest was not approved by their mothers.

[tim armstrong]

Thanks Watersedge,slapout and afarang. Good info. Maybe the monkey coming to visit us is an omen ? Not boring at all - yes it is a versatile fruit with many possibilities. Slap, I've heard of the 15' variety - Kampaeng Phet have an ag. research station which just may know about them. Regards.

[afarang]

The magic of genetic modification of seedlings has invaded the coconut species. We planted about 20 seedlings some 12 years ago which have attained their height of about 15 foot. The produce nuts which are sought for the sweet milk and sweet meat. No monkey required to pick, a stout length of bamboo with knife attached will cut the clusters.

The in laws had those good trees that produced good fruit but grew a meter a year (it seemed). They were eventually cut down as no one would even attempt to climb up to the fruit. My suggestion one year to send the nephews (they were acting like monkeys) up to harvest was not approved by their mothers.

Not Genetic modification. You are growing Ma Plow Hom.Drinking coconuts.As I said in my earlier post, these never very tall ,and are ,therefore easy to pick

[WatersEdge]

I was told yesterday by a friend who purchased a small truckload of 4,000 coconut

that the bulk price was B17.80 each at the coconut farm.

I think she said Saraburi, but it was not clear on the telephone.

She said the preferred place is south of Bangkok,

Mahachai is one place name that holds in memory.

At that rate it will be worthwhile for small amounts to be harvested from local trees.

So it seems to me that a little banner on the roadside advertizing to buy coconut

would probably yield good results.

If you entered the business,

it would seem good to have a loaner long pole with the hook knife,

enabling the people to cut their few coconut and bring them in,

without everyone needing to make their own knife.

My neighbor was in the top of a coconut probably 15 meters above the ground a month ago,

so it is definitely possible to do it the old fashioned way.

Edited December 7, 2010 by WatersEdge

[oldestswinger]

Coconuts seem to be a fairly disease and trouble-free tree.

OP's above note isn't actually correct. There is some sort of grub - the coconut grub(?) - that will eat the tree from the inside, gradually killing it. One by one the palm fronds will die.

[afarang]

I have seen the results of this grub. The palm dies.I cannot guarantee the veracity of this, but Thais tell me the grub comes from Pigs.So,if pigs are kept near the palms, there seems to be a good chance of infection.I have never seen palms get infected ,where there are no pigs nearby.Anybody Know for sure?

[Nawtier]

Those bugs you can bbq and eat....i tried them a few months ago when I found them in a coconut tree at our place.....no pigs either.

[drtreelove]

Coconuts seem to be a fairly disease and trouble-free tree.

OP's above note isn't actually correct. There is some sort of grub - the coconut grub(?) - that will eat the tree from the inside, gradually killing it. One by one the palm fronds will die.

This is very true, and not the only pest. There are three primary beetle pests of coconut palms a rhinoceros beetle, the red palm weevil and coconut hispid or hispine beeltle. It is a serious consideration for starting a commercial operation, pest control is not easy. I have some information on chemical and biological controls if anyone is interested. don

[afarang]

Do the pests all get themselves inside or do they attack from outside the palm?Any early warning, apart from dying fronds?

[drtreelove]

Do the pests all get themselves inside or do they attack from outside the palm?Any early warning, apart from dying fronds?

Not really any early warning unless you are monitoring your trees very regularly and notice first signs of feeding and dieback of fronds. If so, you may be able to save trees that are not yet infested. Sanitation (removing and disposing of infested trees and other refuse in area where the insects harbor) and preventive treatment is best. Hispid beetle may have better prospects for control after first damage is noticed, as the feeding is more superficial than with the boring grubs of the larger beetles. They all fly to the tree and lay eggs, which when hatched, the larvae do the major damage.

There is some good information available on the web: search for these names: Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (red palm weevil), Oryctes rhinoceros (coconut rhinoseros beetle), and Brontispa longissima (coconut hispid beetle).

Control is difficult because they feed deep in the crevices and bore into the tissues, therefore not exposed to contact sprays. Systemic pesticide has been proven the most effective from the research that I've read, but then you have the possibility of chemical residue in the fruit. Although some information says that this does not occur. For ornamental palms I would definitely use the systemic insectide 'imidicloprid' by Bayer .

There are many local controls that I have heard of being used, but none that I have been able to verify effectiveness. Sand dumped down the frond bases is one common control measure that I have heard of; it somehow interferes with movement of the insects. An expat organic farmer friend of mine is using wood vinegar but I don't believe frequently enough as he is losing trees one after another. I have recommended adding neem oil extract to the solution and spraying weekly until control is achieved, but that frequency is very intensive and difficult for most farmers to achieve.

For the hispid beetle there is an established biological control with a parasitoid mini-wasp. There was a big program with this method in Samui and the south. Acquiring the wasps for realease on an individual farm would be a challenge, but not impossible. And the challenge of control includes if you have neighbors with palms with no control.

BTW yes I have seen infestations where there are no pigs anywhere near the farm. But the presence of piles of manures of any kiind, foliage and wood waste residues, and even compost is mentioned in the research as harboring sites for these beetles. Sanitation is regarded as most important control measure.

Edited December 7, 2010 by drtreelove

[afarang]

Fascinating. thank you .So, Neem , which is an amazing tree, so many wonderful uses, could be a saviour here? The beetles may live in compost, any animal manure? So, if the soil is too "good", you may have problems? I mean too well fertilised.

[drtreelove]

Fascinating. thank you .So, Neem , which is an amazing tree, so many wonderful uses, could be a saviour here? The beetles may live in compost, any animal manure? So, if the soil is too "good", you may have problems? I mean too well fertilised.

Not exactly; I don't think it has to do with soil fertility, just piles of manure or other loose organic matter in the proximity of the trees, that are not managed, spread, turned, covered, etc.

I don't know if neem is the answer, just my best shot, because of it's long-standing reputation and demonstrated effectiveness for other pests if used properly and with a correct formulation. I'm always looking for least toxic, effective treatments that are cost effective and practical for the given plant problem. I have been trying to find out more on proven case histories with neem, for specific pests and plants. I haven't found any reports of use of neem for the coconut pest problems. I don't have my own coconut palms, so I have to depend on others to trial the products. Claims are easy to come by, but research on specifics and first hand experiences from farmers who have used it consistently and according to label directions are more difficult to find. Many people try products, but don't really follow the prescribed mixing rates and application schedules, and then give up and try something else. But neem oil from the seed, and the refined products with primary active ingredient azadiractin seems to be the way to go, more effective than infusions from the leaves. Like most organic botanical pesticides, there is little residual control, so repeated applications are needed. Depending on the target pest and it's life cycle, it may be necessary to spray botanicals like neem every week or 10 days to gain control. And that is problematic due to time and money needed for this kind of operation.

[drtreelove]

I should mention: I asked our guy who works for us part time, but also works as foreman for a large commercial orchard operation, primarily mangoes, but they have some substantial land in coconuts too. He says they use cockroach spray, cypermethrin, as a spray/drench, once a month or so. This is a pyrethroid (synthetic pyrethrum) that is considered least toxic to mammals and less environmental impact than old school pesticides, but not acceptible in the 'organic' model. It has more residual effectiveness and may act as a preventive barrier to insect pest invasion, but cannot readily contact and kill grubs already burrowed in and feeding. Pyrethroids are generally not systemic and coconut shells are not consumed, so the chemical would not gain significant entry into the consumed portion of the fruit. Not organic, but I would consider this as a least toxic approach. Preventive is the key word here, don't expect to kill the pest where it is feeding, except with systemics. The chemical is relatively inexpensive and with less frequent spray applications needed it may be a more cost effective approach for the non organic farmer.

As far as frying up some duang maprao, okay as you cull the infested trees, so maybe part of a control program, but you have to disect the heart of the tree to get them, so not practical for saving an infected tree as far as I know.

Edited December 8, 2010 by drtreelove

[tim armstrong]

Coconuts seem to be a fairly disease and trouble-free tree.

OP's above note isn't actually correct. There is some sort of grub - the coconut grub(?) - that will eat the tree from the inside, gradually killing it. One by one the palm fronds will die.

This is very true, and not the only pest. There are three primary beetle pests of coconut palms a rhinoceros beetle, the red palm weevil and coconut hispid or hispine beeltle. It is a serious consideration for starting a commercial operation, pest control is not easy. I have some information on chemical and biological controls if anyone is interested. don

Thanks Don, when we are a bit nearer to a decision about the variety I will contact you about the bugs. I thought I was maybe a bit hopeful about the diseases and bugs. Regards.

[drtreelove]

from 'Green Fingers'