Germination temperature
Warm, humid tropical conditions; no frost at any stage.
Visit deodar-seeds.in Fruit growing guide
Salak is a spiny, clumping palm of the humid tropics. Its seed dies within about two weeks of leaving the fruit, so sow it fresh in moist shade and it sprouts within days.
Warm, humid tropical conditions; no frost at any stage.
Shallow; seed sprouts even on the surface. Growers plant 2-5 seeds per hole about 5 cm (2 in) deep.
Fresh seed: under a week.
Shade. Young palms need heavy shade for about a year.
None. Sow immediately; never dry the seed.
Either. Nursery seedlings go out in the rainy season at a few months old.
Salak seed is recalcitrant: it cannot survive drying or storage. In PROSEA's figures germination fell to 55% one week after the seed was taken from the fruit and to zero after two weeks. Sow on the day the seed arrives, and keep it moist until then.
Not needed. Fresh kernels take up water and sprout readily.
Not needed. Cold harms this tropical palm.
Not needed. Rinse off any remaining flesh and sow straight away into moist mix.
Warm, humid tropical conditions. In cooler climates use a heated, enclosed propagator; the palm has no frost tolerance.
Fresh seed sprouts even when lying on moist soil. Covering lightly keeps it from drying; in plantations 2-5 seeds go into one hole about 5 cm (2 in) deep.
A moist, humus-rich mix. In the field salak needs soil that stays moist for most of the year, with a high water table, but it does not tolerate flooding.
Keep the seeds and mix moist at all times. Even a short dry spell kills the seed.
Germinate and grow seedlings in shade.
Fresh seed sprouts in under a week. Growth after that is slow: the first full leaf, 20-30 cm (8-12 in) long, opens 60-90 days after sowing.
Move nursery seedlings to the field in the rainy season, at a few months old. Plantations space palms from under 2 m to 6 m (6-20 ft) apart.
Plant under shade trees or shade netting. Keep the shade heavy for the first year, then thin it gradually; good feeding reduces the need for shade.
Salak roots are shallow, so water in dry spells and mulch to keep the surface moist. Wear thick gloves: the leaf stalks are covered in long spines.
Cause: the seed dried out or was stored too long. Fix: sow within days of extraction and never let it dry.
Cause: only female or only male palms. Fix: grow several seedlings so both sexes are present, keep some male palms among the females, or hand pollinate by tapping a flowering male spike over the female flowers.
Cause: Mycena fungus covering bunches with white threads. Fix: remove affected bunches and keep the base of the clump open and clean.
Cause: Pestalotia leaf spot, or pink disease, which can kill fruit and plants. Fix: cut out infected parts and reduce crowding.
Cause: crown-boring weevils, root grubs, rats and civets. Fix: inspect clumps regularly, remove infested stems and protect ripening bunches.
Salak suits wet tropical lowlands. Main growing areas receive 1,700-3,100 mm (67-122 in) of rain a year, and in Java yield and quality decline above 500 m. In drier regions it needs shade and regular irrigation.
Palms start flowering 3-4 years after sowing, and fruits ripen 5-7 months after pollination.
Ripe fruit has reddish-brown scales and sweet flesh; unripe fruit is sour and astringent. Each fruit usually holds three seeds.
Seedlings differ from the parent palm in fruit quality, and you cannot tell male from female until they flower, so raise more seedlings than you need. Indonesia alone has many local types, including seedless and both-sexes forms.
Sow salak seed the day it arrives, in moist shade, for quick germination.
Most likely they dried out or were too old. Salak seed loses viability within about two weeks of leaving the fruit and cannot be stored dry.
Usually yes. Most palms are either male or female, so grow several seedlings or hand pollinate. The Bali type carries both sexes on one palm.
Young palms burn in full sun and need heavy shade for about a year. Older palms tolerate more light if they are well fed and watered.