Palm?

I was at Sams Club the other day and they had these palm looking plants,about 5 foot tall,I just kinda glanced at them,trying not to let my DH see me looking .All of a sudden I looked down and realized it was growing out of what looked like a coconut on top of the soil.What was it and can I buy one of them(the seed or coconut or what ever it was)????

CC,
Could this have been a coconut tree? How big was the nut?
Does it look like this but bigger?

http://www.hawaii-island.com/flowers/images/coconut.jpg

thats it exactly!!!I loved it!Can I do that?How do I find a fertile coconut???

CC,
What you need is a coconut that has not had it outer husk removed.
Here is a site tha might give you an idea on what to do...remember this site is for the big
time Coconut Tree grower. LOL

http://www.pssc.ttu.edu/agforestry/agforest/coconut.htm

WOW that is very intresting to know about that big coconut seed and would love to try myself someday.

i grew up with coconuts - plants & the nut itself. in the Philippines, to grow a coconut would take about 20 yrs to produce the coconut itself. once the coconut tree produced coconuts, it could go on producing for 100's of yrs. accdg to my grandma. the husk of the coconut we use to as pots of planter for some plants like orchids and other hanging plants. plants grown in coconut husk tribes nicely. the clear liquid inside the coconut is what we call coconut water - good for the bladder. the coconut meat is grinded or shredded, warm water is poured into it to get the coconut milk - mostly use for cooking. or sometimes made into coconut oil. food fried in coconut oil is very tasty, unique flavor all it's own.

coconut meat is dried and is called copra. these copras are exported to the U.S. copras are made into oil, soap and other by products. when my grandfather was alive he used to sell the copras to Proctor & Gamble.

when the copra tree has used up all it's energy, it is cut down. inside the center of the trunk is a soft white stuff called the heart of the palm - a delicacy in the old country. it is mostly use in making egg roll and other delicate dishes.

the coconut leaves are sometimes woven into baskets or use as roof covering. or siding of nipa house [a typical house in the rural areas of the Philippines: mostly made from bamboo & coconut leaves.]

if the coconut is picked young, the meat is soft and nice to eat. once they get matured, they are normally use for cooking. if the coconut is matured and let alone in the husk of shell, a new plant will emerge.

as u can see coconut has many uses - the husk for planting or sometimes made into floor mats. the shells if left intact, we sand them to make coin bank for children to save their money. the coconut shells are also made into charcoals. there are endless uses for coconut. gee this thread brings back lots of fond memories from the old county :)!

Oh my 20 Years!!!

Oh,way cool,I'll never get a coconut but I love the leaves on it.Gotta try it!!

MaVie, I didn't know you were fr the PI. I lived there for 3 yrs under Marcos & his martial law. I went there when I was 21 & wasn't impressed to start with. Told the flight attendent that I could see these burnt fields back in Texas. Really a very pretty country. I went every where I could while I was there. But I don't care if it is suppose to be the tropics, if I went back, I would take my electric blanket!:)

yeah right! electric blanket my foot...LOL. whenever i visit, i am so hot due to the humidity. the burnt fields u see are farmland. farmers burn the rice fields after they harvest rice... so they say, it would enrich the soil. it sounds to me u were there sometime in Oct or Nov. right? that is the only time fields were burned. did u go to the outskirts of Manila where there are huge nurseries of orchids? my friends & relatives owned some, unfortunately i could not bring some orchids back due to customs regulations. vanda's i love with the numerous color and prolific growth. how about the wide varieties of hostas & cannas, ginger plants and numerous fragrant flowers? i hope u had a wonderful time, which i think u had. have u experience the white sand beach and super warm water of the Pacific ocean - so clear u could see underneath ur feet if wading on the blue clear water. am sure u will be visiting the P.I. again!
yes, although i have been a naturalized citizen, am very proud to be a Filipina!