SEX & THE DATE
DATES ARE AMAZING BECAUSE THEY CAN HAVE TWO KINDS OF SEX AT THE SAME TIME, ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION (CLONING OF OFFSHOOTS AT THE BASE OF THE PALM), AND SEXUAL REPRODUCTION (THE DATES!) AT THE TOP OF THE PALM.
ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION
DATE PALMS PUT OUT OFFSHOOTS AT THE BASE WHICH ARE EXACT CLONES OF THE "MOTHER" PALM THEY CAME FROM. SO A FEMALE MEDJOOL HAS OFFSHOOTS AT THE BASE WHICH WILL BE FEMALE MEDJOOLS. THESE OFFSHOOTS ARE PRIZED BECAUSE THEY CAN BE TAKEN OFF AND PLANTED, AND WILL PRODUCE DELICIOUS MEDJOOL DATES. REMOVING THE OFFSHOOTS REQUIRES THE EXPERIENCE OF A VETERAN "PALMERO", WHO MUST CUT BETWEEN THE OFFSHOOT AND THE MOTHER PALM WITHOUT HURTING EITHER.
SEXUAL REPRODUCTION
DATE PALMS ARE EITHER MALE OR FEMALE. MALE PALMS HAVE FLOWERS WITH POLLEN, AND ANY MALE PALM CAN POLLINATE ANY VARIETY OF FEMALE PALMS. THE POLLEN FROM ONE MALE CAN POLLINATE UP TO 50 FEMALE PALMS. FEMALE PALMS PUT OUT FLOWERS IN THE SPRING THAT BECOME OUR DELICIOUS DATES. IN NATURE THEY ARE POLLINATED BY THE WIND, BUT AS FARMERS WE WANT TO GUARANTEE GOOD POLLINATION, SO WE POLLINATE EACH BUNCH OF FLOWERS BY HAND. BY FALL THESE POLLINATED FEMALE FLOWERS HAVE MATURED INTO OUR DELICIOUS DATES AND ARE HARVESTED FOR YOU TO ENJOY.
ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION
DATE PALMS PUT OUT OFFSHOOTS AT THE BASE WHICH ARE EXACT CLONES OF THE "MOTHER" PALM THEY CAME FROM. SO A FEMALE MEDJOOL HAS OFFSHOOTS AT THE BASE WHICH WILL BE FEMALE MEDJOOLS. THESE OFFSHOOTS ARE PRIZED BECAUSE THEY CAN BE TAKEN OFF AND PLANTED, AND WILL PRODUCE DELICIOUS MEDJOOL DATES. REMOVING THE OFFSHOOTS REQUIRES THE EXPERIENCE OF A VETERAN "PALMERO", WHO MUST CUT BETWEEN THE OFFSHOOT AND THE MOTHER PALM WITHOUT HURTING EITHER.
SEXUAL REPRODUCTION
DATE PALMS ARE EITHER MALE OR FEMALE. MALE PALMS HAVE FLOWERS WITH POLLEN, AND ANY MALE PALM CAN POLLINATE ANY VARIETY OF FEMALE PALMS. THE POLLEN FROM ONE MALE CAN POLLINATE UP TO 50 FEMALE PALMS. FEMALE PALMS PUT OUT FLOWERS IN THE SPRING THAT BECOME OUR DELICIOUS DATES. IN NATURE THEY ARE POLLINATED BY THE WIND, BUT AS FARMERS WE WANT TO GUARANTEE GOOD POLLINATION, SO WE POLLINATE EACH BUNCH OF FLOWERS BY HAND. BY FALL THESE POLLINATED FEMALE FLOWERS HAVE MATURED INTO OUR DELICIOUS DATES AND ARE HARVESTED FOR YOU TO ENJOY.