How do dates grow? Find out where the dates grow

Few of our compatriots saw with their own eyes how the dates grow, but their taste is familiar if not to all, then to the majority. This overseas delicacy can be bought in almost every grocery store. Sweet girls with them drink tea, pieces of dried fruit are added to oatmeal, and the date pulp, which has been ground with nuts, becomes an excellent filling for sweet layered patties. And they are also prepared with salads, compotes, homemade cookies, pies and cakes.

And this is not surprising, because dates are not only very tasty, but also extremely useful product. It contains vitamins, minerals and nutrients that normalize the work of the human body. In addition, these small fruits are credited with a whole list of medicinal and even magical properties.

Where the dates grow

In Russia, we see these sweet dried fruits mainly on the shelves of stores. Date palms (as you can guess, they give us these fruits) grow mainly in hot, arid climate and do not like sharp seasonal temperature changes. Therefore, in our country you can admire the beauty of this peristolic plant only to the south of the Caucasus Mountains. In Sochi they planted whole alleys. Palms there even bear fruit, but the harvest is rather meager: only small, fleshless, fleshless dates pulp grow.

Growing these fruits on an industrial scale for our country is inexpedient.

History of date palms

The birthplace of the date palm - the deserts of Africa and Asia. It is well known that the plant dates were cultivated as far back as the 4th century BC. E. In Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). This culture is also common in Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt. Residents of these countries know how the dates grow, not by hearsay, and already more than 7000 years.

In the diet of Arabs, these fruits since ancient times have been one of the main food products. Their importance for the inhabitants of the east is comparable to the value of bread for the Russians. They eat dates raw, boiled and dried. In addition to the fruit itself, young kidneys and foliage, seeds and even the core of the trunk are used for food. The latter, by the way, is considered a very expensive treat, since the removal of the core leads to the death of the plant.

Tourists visiting the bazaars of the East, note the colorful diversity and abundance of exhibited goods. What is there just is not: decorations, fabrics, dishes, all sorts of spices and goodies. Among the latter are very often offered dates. Where these fruits grow in the wild, it is difficult to say: all palm trees have long been cultivated.

World Leaders in Sales

Technically, date palm trees can be grown in any hot region, but industrial production is possible only in Central Asia.

Dates are very profitable goods. It sells well, and each such tree produces stable, rich crops for 60-80 years. There are about 17 species of date palms. Many of them reach 40 meters in height. It perfectly demonstrates how the dates grow, the photo below.

To date, the main exporter of this valuable product is Saudi Arabia. There they collect more than 800 thousand dates a year. Its share in the market of this product is 20%.

The most delicious dates

The quality of the fruit depends, first of all, on the variety. At the moment, there are many of them. The most delicious is considered to be deglet nur. On these palms are born perfectly soft, sweet and literally melting in the mouth dates. Where they grow, it does not really matter. The main thing is they can be bought and tried.

Unfortunately, in Russia you can eat only dried fruits. Fresh fruit is very whimsical, it is problematic to transport them. In addition, the price of dried fruit is much lower. If you get the opportunity, be sure to try a fresh date. Taste of it can not convey!

Beliefs about dates

As already mentioned, the inhabitants of the East know these fruits for thousands of years. The dates have firmly established themselves in the culture of the Arab world. As a consequence, they began to attribute a whole list of medicinal and magical properties.

The date palms are incredibly fertile, the amount of fruit collected from one tree, sometimes amazes. Therefore, the plant began to attribute the ability to increase procreation. To get pregnant in the near future, women build talismans from the bones of the mentioned fruits and pieces of the trunk. And men, seeking to increase their sexual power, always carry dates.

Where grow palm trees? Where the climate is softer. It's unclear why, only local residents perceived everything the other way around: it was believed that these trees contribute to good natural conditions. Therefore, there is a belief that the area where date palms grows is reliably protected from the weather, and the leaves of the plant protect the dwelling from demons and evil spirits. East is a delicate matter...

The use of dates

These fruits contain an incomparable amount of vitamins and microelements. Here are just some of them:

• Vitamin A (strengthens the eye muscles);

• Vitamin B1 (supports the nervous system);

• Vitamin B2 (effectively burns fats, proteins and carbohydrates, while the body receives the necessary energy);

• Folic acid (involved in the formation of blood cells and amino acids);

• Potassium (transporting oxygen from the lungs to the brain, maintaining blood pressure);

• Calcium and phosphate (protect from osteoporosis, during pregnancy are actively involved in the formation of the musculoskeletal system of the baby). There is an opinion that the balance of all nutrients in the body of an adult can be maintained with the help of a date and a glass of milk a day.

Minerals contained in the fruits we are considering are the main building material for dental tissues. Therefore, from the earliest times, the Bedouins had strong, healthy teeth. And they were preserved until old age. Unlike the peoples of Europe, who did not even see how the dates grow.

Separately, it should be said that the use of delicious dried fruit is not contraindicated for diabetics, since the fructose contained in them is fundamentally different from sugars in other vegetables and fruits.

Dates and diets

For those who constantly follow their forms, adhere to a moderate diet, dates can become best friends. Only 23 calories are contained in one fruit, but it is so sweet that it can easily replace a full-fledged dessert. In addition, the use of dates with a limited diet will help to get missing the body useful substances.

Dates at home

See how the dates grow, you can, even living in a small city apartment. Growing a palm tree from a bone will not be very difficult. So...

The stone should be dried thoroughly, then a little scrape and soak in hot water for several days. It should swell a little. Then it should be laid in a box with wet sawdust, abundantly watered and placed in a warm place. There she should stay about a month, while the sawdust should be regularly wetted.

After a month, the first sprout will appear from the sawdust. It is necessary to transplant the sprouted stone into the pot (not less than 7 cm in height). Ground mixture is prepared from one part of turf, humus, peat and two parts of sand.

In the process of transplantation, in no case can the bone be separated from the sprout, since it is still a nutrient medium for the new plant.

Now you need to be patient, because the plant will take a long time to develop. When the future palm tree reaches 10 cm in height, it should be transplanted into a new pot. It is best to move the sprout together with an earthen lump, so as not to injure the tender roots.

Up to the age of five, the plant is transplanted once a year, then the interval should be increased to 2-3 years. Each time the sod volume in the earth mix is slightly increased. Palm trees older than 15 years should not be transplanted more than once every five years.

When choosing a pot, one should give preference to high forms, since date palms, like most desert plants, have long roots. The plant prefers diffuse lighting, do not place it under direct sunlight or in the penumbra.

Of course, the process of growing a palm tree at home will require a lot of patience. But the result will surpass all expectations. The house will grow a beautiful plant, and its owner will probably know the answer to the question about how the dates grow.