Palm Tree Pollination and Cultivation in the Coachella Valley
With decades of experience growing and cultivating palm trees in the Coachella Valley, the palm tree experts at Desert Empire Palms provide invaluable insight into the pollination of palm trees and how to harvest their pollen. If you want to cultivate and pollinate your palm trees or gather pollen for storage, there are several methods you can use to do so. Our team is happy to provide helpful information for all your palm tree needs. We have a wide variety of palms for your landscape project at home or the office.
Call Desert Empire Palms for beautiful, healthy palms in the Coachella Valley and answers to all your palm tree questions. We’re here to help!
Male and Female Flowering Palms
As you may already know, there are male and female palm trees, and with many other species, the male palm pollinates the female with pollen each year. A mature male palm yields flowers that produce pollen, while the female palm yields flowers that produce seeds to be pollinated.
Each year there are typically 5-10 flowers on each palm. When the mature male palm flowers, the singular flower has a long, stout spathe that bursts open. The spathe contains the pollen, which is harvested for pollination or for storage to be used later.
Harvesting Pollen for Female Palm Pollination and to Store for Later Use
Palm growers must harvest the male flowers within 24 hours of when the spathe bursts open. One common technique to harvest for pollination is to cut the strands from the newly opened male flower and place 2-3 strands lengthwise between the female flower’s strands. Before placement, growers can shake a portion of the pollen onto the female inflorescence.
To harvest the pollen for storage, you can hang dry the male inflorescence for several days and then harvest the pollen onto paper. (Hang drying helps to prevent mold growth on the pollen.) Once it is dry and, on the paper, use a sieve to extract the pollen into a container that also contains a desiccant. The desiccant will work to prevent any moisture from accumulating in the container that holds the pollen. If you have access to a vacuum sealer, you can also vacuum-seal the pollen into a container for long-term storage.
Desert Empire Palms: Your Source for Palm Trees in the Coachella Valley
Palm tree cultivation is an art form that the team at Desert Empire Palms takes very seriously. We are committed to offering our neighbors and friends in the Coachella Valley a selection of thriving, healthy palms along with endless support in the form of knowledge and experience. We want each palm that goes home with one of our customers to do well, and we offer answers to any questions our customers may have.
When you want the best choice in palm tree varieties, contact the Coachella Valley palm tree sellers at Desert Empire Palms. We have the palms you need and provide delivery and installation upon request.