You can do it with a grocery store nut BUT, I doubt youll be able to do it in the winter time. you could use a regular nut in the winter but I dont think youll succeed with a grocery store nut since it needs to be really warm and when ive done it thats been with sunlight. id think any other way would cause rot.

heres a good thread
http://palmtalk.org/cgi-bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=1;t=3526;

I tried it twice with no luck. winter 2006 with 2 coconuts in room with furnace - no luck. summer 2007 planted 2 outside in full sun, the bugs some how found their way into the coconut, actually it cracked open somehow and it smelled like someone buried a dirty sweatsock in cow manure on top of a dead fish for three weeks and then threw it into my backyard.

I tried it twice with no luck. winter 2006 with 2 coconuts in room with furnace - no luck. summer 2007 planted 2 outside in full sun, the bugs some how found their way into the coconut, actually it cracked open somehow and it smelled like someone buried a dirty sweatsock in cow manure on top of a dead fish for three weeks and then threw it into my backyard.

Yeah that's about what i thought but... i'll probaly try it anyways what the heck you never know i am having
ct surgery this winter so i'll need somthing to do anyways
lol !!

2 things;
1. sorry about the double post above.
b. I should have made it clear, I say "YES" try it, people have germinated them before and it never hurts to try.

Good luck, mine hasnÂt sprouted. It was one of those wrapped in plastic with some of the husk still onÂ.it probably had been refrigeratedÂ.the kiss of death.

I've done it- I had to find a suitable coconut (an almost spherical coconut full of 'milk' and a soft main 'eye'. It's very hard to grow a coconut palm- I've tried 3 times without success! Don't let this put you off though, there's a person in Chicago who has a 10 year old coconut and it is still growing!
Good Luck
James

Thanks james that gives me motivation !

I bought a coconut from a supermarket in Montreal Canada 3 weeks ago and didn't know whether I should eat it or try growing it. After almost a week I removed it from its plastic wrapping and gave it a shake listening to all its milk swishing around inside. I thought to myself.."how can I get this thing to grow without a husk???" First thing I did was soak it in very hot water everyday for 2 weeks. I would then remove it from sitting in water for up to 3 hours a day and place it inside a sealed plastic bag (to trick it into thinking the plastic bag was its husk) with lots of air inside. I then sat it with its 3 eyes pointed up inside the bag and mounted onto a coffee cup into a corner of the room. Everyday I would continue the hot water procedure and then put it back into its bag sitting on the coffee cup. After about a week of doing this 1 of the 3 flat eyes suddenly swelled up and popped out like a nipple. After a couple days of putting it into the hot water bath..suddenly (today) the nipple wood gave way and behind it was a white sprout like a potato's eye sprout. This is where the story ends because I'm going to plant it and watch what happens..but so far my "grocery store" coconut is showing promise. The idea is to trick it into believing that it has its husk by placing it into a sealed tight plastic bag and letting the humidity increase around it and kick it into action. I will keep you all posted! :-)

Does anyone know where to contact the james guy? It would be cool to talk to him.

Good luck with your coconut, keep it away from temps below 40. I think temps in the 90+ would help germinate it quicker, and keep it moist.

US Marine, message sent to fellow UK palm grower 'James' as hopefully the James I have in mind is aka Rhizophora!!

If not I've made a complete and utter (coco)NUT of myself...LOL!!

Gill, aka Greenclaws.

Hi,
I'm here! :P

Hey, when you grew a coconut palm from seed, did it have the husk on? Also do you know if it was stored in a cool place? Also the guy who has a coco palm in chicago, did he grow it from seed, and does he leave it outside?

I was able to successfully germinate from a grocery store coconut. My coconut palm is now 4 years old and growing in the ground. It did take a hit from some cold weather we got this past winter even though I wrapped it in sheets, but it has now snapped back and is doing fine.

I just bought a new malayan so i guess i will try to grow one again too.

Usmarine,
It had no husk on it was like a normal coconut. It had viable pores (they weren't woody but they had a soft papery covering)and was full of coconut water. I didn't know if it was stored in a cool place they were doing buy one get one free so I ate one and grew the healthiest one :)
I think he grew it from a seed brought up from Florida. He has very tall ceilings and keeps it out in summer.
Sorry about the late reply!
James

I did one from the grocery store several years ago, I'm in SE Florida though, temps are warm most of the year, just put the nut half buried in soil in the greenhouse, germinated in about 3 months, and I'm a rookie.