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How To Grow Date Palm Tree From Seed | How To Germinate Date Seeds

You can grow a dates from seed, pit or stone, even from grocery store dates. The date palm tree grown from seed will take 4 to 8 years to bear fruits (Khajoor) after planting the date seed. However, if grown from offshoots, you will get fruits in a shorter time.  I germinated date seeds in a kitchen paper towel in Sydney, Australia. I bought ripe sweet dates from local grocery store and used the seed to grow a date palm tree.

Continue reading below to know the details and tips on date seed germination faster and then planting the sprouted seeds in a pot or ground.

Growing Date Tree From Date Seed


Ripe Dates
Ripe Dates

Can you grow a date palm from a date seed? Yes, you can grow a date tree from date seeds, even from grocery store bought dates (seed germination in a paper towel).  Following are the steps for growing a date palm tree from a date seed, pit or stone from any variety of edible grape seeds like Medjool dates, Ajwa dates (ajwa khajoor), Mazafati dates, Piarom dates, Deglet Noor, Barhi dates, Rabbi dates, Sayer dates, Thoory dates, etc.

Buy good quality fresh dates from a store and take out its seeds. You can take seeds from any variety of date to start a date palm tree.

Remove all the pulp and wash the seeds thoroughly, any pulp left will encourage fungus.

Soak the seeds in water at room temperature for 2 days in shade.

How To Plant Date Seeds: Planting Seeds In Soil

  1. You can directly plant the date seeds in small pots filled with free-draining potting soil. Plant one seed in one container, do not bury them too deep, just plant under a very thin layer of soil, not more than an inch. The date palm seeds may not sprout if they are planted too deep.
  2. Lightly water the soil, cover the pots with plastic wrap and place them in dark place at a warm place. The date seeds ideally sprout at a temperature around 20°C (68°F), but not above 38°C (100°F).
  3. The seeds will take 4-10 weeks to sprout depending on the temperature and age of the seeds.

Date Seed Germination in Paper Towel

The date palm seeds planted as mentioned above will sprout in 2 to 6 weeks. Can you germinate date seeds faster? You can germinate date seeds in a paper towel or tissue paper quite fast.

How do you germinate date palm seeds?

  1. Please note that the date seeds do not need stratification for germination as is needed for many other seeds.
  2. Wash the seeds and soak in water at room temperature for 2 days in shade.
  3. Take a plastic box and place a kitchen towel or tissue paper in it.
  4. Place the soaked date seeds on the paper and cover them with another kitchen towel. Spray some water, close the box and enclose it in a polythene bag. The seeds in the box will remain under a high humid environment needed for germination.
  5. Place the box at a warm and dark place. If temperature outside is less than 20°C (68°F), then place the box indoors even in an AC room.
  6. If you don't want to use a box, then wrap the seeds in a paper towel, spray some water and it in a sandwich bag or Ziploc bag.
Date Seeds in a Damp Paper Sealed in a Box
Date Seeds in a Damp Paper Sealed in a Box

  1. How long does it take for date seed to germinate in the paper towel?  The date seed germination will take from 2 to 4 weeks to sprout, depending on the age of the seeds and the temperature.
  2. Check the seeds every 4-5 days to see if the germination has started. Throw away any seeds that have grown mold on them. You may spray some water if the paper gets dry.

Date Seed Germinated
Date Seed Germinated



Planting the Sprouted Date Seeds

  1. Get a pot with several drainage holes in the bottom.
  2. Fill the pot with a cactus soil mix. You can make the potting soil mix by mixing some river sand or perlite and some cow manure in a general purpose potting mix,.
  3. Place the sprouted seed at the centre of the pot, just below the soil keeping the sprout in the soil.
  4. Water the plant thoroughly until it drains out through the drainage holes.

It is pointed out that only the female date trees will produce fruits, only if they are pollinated by the pollen of the males. The bad thing is that you cannot tell if the tree is male or female until it flowers after several years.

How to grow dates from seeds youtube video