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04 December 2011
There are about 780 described coconut varieties around the world. The Coconut Palm is often called the 'Tree of Life' for its versatility and usefulness. Not only is coconut juice beneficial for your health, but almost all parts of the plant have a purpose, with the water being a refreshingly nutritious drink and the oil is used as skin moisturizer, cooking, and can be used to drive your car.
Most gardeners only know the tall variety of Coconut. There is however a dwarf variety of coconut available which is more suitable for backyards and smaller production. Dwarf Coconuts are generally self pollinating, high yielding and easy to harvest. They mature earlier than tall Coconuts, meaning many will fruit within 4 years in an ideal climate and reach full production height by 6 years. At 6 years often the coconuts are still touching the ground, making them ve
ry easy to harvest.
Eventually Dwarf Cconuts will reach heights from 5m to 12m but will grow at a much slower pace then Tall Coconuts.Tall Coconuts reach heights of 30m and higher. The Dwarf Coconut makes it possible to grow this very healthy and useful tree in your backyard. Coconut Palms grow best in tropical conditions, but can be tried as far south as Coffs Harbour in Coastal locations (with protection from frost, cold winds, draughts etc). Coconuts grow well in Bundaberg and we would love to hear from anyone who is growing them succesfully further south. There is a very healthy, fruit bearing, coconut palm in Goodna, Ipswich (1 hour west of Brisbane).
Are falling Coconuts more dangerous than shark attacks? This appears to be a myth thought up by insurance companies to extract higher public liability premiums from wealthy coconut owners. Most claims are for cars which are damaged by fallen coconuts, rather than actual human injury!
Can you use Coconut water intravenously? Yes! Coconut water is a suitable blood plasma extender and has traditionally been used when commercial solutions have run out.
If you would like to grow your own coconut palms in your backyard, you can read up about their best growing conditions in our Coconut Growing Guide. You can buy Dwarf coconut palms online in our plant store here: Buy Dwarf Coconut Palms
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