Soil Type
Date palms can grow and be productive in different types of soil in both hot arid and semi-arid regions. The trees can adapt from a very sandy to a heavy clay soil however it is better when soil has good balance between water retention and drainage. Sandy soils are common in most date palm plantations. Date palms can tolerate salinity levels up to 3000 ppm soluble salts but for ideal growing conditions no more than 1000 ppm should be present.
Temperatures
Date palm trees can grow in arid and semi-arid regions characterized by long and hot summers with almost no (very low) rainfall and very low relative humidity during the ripening period. Exceptionally high temperatures (over 50 °C) can be tolerated by a date palm for several days if it is irrigated. During winter, temperature below 0 °C is also tolerated but below 7 °C the palms cannot grow. Growth reaches an optimum at about 32°C and will continue at a stable rate until temperature reaches 38 to /40 °C when it starts decreasing.
Water Requirements
For Date Palms to be commercially productive, water should not be a constraint. In fact, abundant water is very important for the quality and quantity of the date crop. The roots of the trees should never be left to dry out. Most date trees are therefore grown under irrigation. In some areas, no additional irrigation is needed because the water table is close to the surface. In cases where not enough irrigation or rainfall is available, palms are likely to be irrigated once or twice a week. Usually, irrigation requirements are lower during winter, when irrigation may be once a month. Newly established plantations require more attention to their water needs in order to ensure successful establishment of the trees.
Nutrition Requirements
Soil should be subjected to analysis for nutrient availability in order to develop an appropriate fertilization plan. In general, date palm trees respond favorably to application of fertilizer. Additional organic material should preferably be added to desert soils lacking humus. Manure should be applied once a year or every other year. Synthetic or other commercial types of fertilizers have not been used extensively in date palm growing.
Harvesting Period
Dates are usually harvested from late August until mid-November depending on variety, climate and desired ripening stage of the fruit.
Harvesting Methods
Hand picking
