Ancient Palms

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4/25/16

Ancient Palms

Palm trees have been with us for a long time.  It has been estimated that palms have been growing in our world for 80 million years.  Palms also were mentioned 20 times in the Bible.  The coconut and date palm have been food sources since man discovered them.  No doubt without palms man’s early development would not have occurred as quickly as they did, or as successfully.  There are thousands of species of palms and all are important. Early building in the Middle East was done with the use of palms.  Although mainly thought of as large grass members, they are monocots. This means one seed leaf, a major division of the plant kingdom.  Palms can be cold sensitive, and yet some palms can grow in quite cool areas even below freezing with the help of greenhouses and malls.  Many of us have seen palms today in areas where they would not have grown naturally.  Palms like all plants need nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and also seem to require extra manganese and magnesium.  Newly planted palms need frequent watering until they become established.  For a lush, tropical look in your garden, you cannot choose any plant more suitable than a palm tree.  Palms are easy to grow and play a huge role in the world.