What happened to my C. nuciferas?

Discussion in 'Outdoor Tropicals' started by Nick Bryan, Sep 23, 2021.

  1. Nick Bryan

    Nick Bryan New Member

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    Hi,

    I am relatively new to plants. I started to do this about 3 months and have put considerable effort into learning. I thought once Cocos Nuciferas were sproted (not yet leaves) just the sprout, and over 50% of the sprout covered in green, according to ALL I read on the internet, I thought they were going to start needing lots of sun. Turns out, on a partly cloudy/partly sunny, but mostly sunny afternoon, I put my C. Nuciferas (two) outside from 12:00 pm to almost 5:00 pm. I put them in the clear plastic bag with some water and sealed on a pot to keep them humid and warm, I did everything I read. When I went to bring them back in at about 4:30 pm, they were not as green anymore, they looked like a tanned human...... In that very moment I wondered if I had just caused irreversible damage, I could not understand what I had done wrong... I put them back in their seedling trays where it is warm and humid (28° C - 32°C) and check on them after 4 days. After 4 days they are even more discolored and brown, only the tip remains (1.3cm) remains hardly green, mostly yellow, and the rest is just pure brown, I saw no growth whatsoever in the orange roots or sprout in those 4 days like before this, nothing. I put them back in and once again check on them after 2 days, and this time they are covered in white, and one of them in a bubbling odd substance. I am basically thinking now I killed them. No idea where I failed, I thought they needed plenty of sun according to what I read. The way I found them, and the way they look, this does not give me too much hope.....3 months into the garbage... Ignorance is just..sad. [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] Please let me know if you can see the photos. The 2 first ones show the C Nuciferas before I put them in the sun, the others show them at 4 pm after being in the sun, and the last ones is basically what I found just an hour ago.

    Hope someone can educate me ;( I do not see signs of recovery..​

    Just to add some more information here, I live in a tropical country as you can see on the left (Colombia), BUT, I live over 8,000 feet (8,360) above sea level (Bogota D.C.) I know what this tree needs to sprout, I am just bewildered by how 4 hours of direct sunlight, and sealed with some water in a plastic bag, did this. Again, I based my actions on what I read, the plant probably needed only 1 hour of direct sunlight at that size... I still cannot believe this happened.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 23, 2021
  2. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Welcome, Nick. We can't see any of your photos. Please check out Attach photos and files and post them again in a reply.

    Without seeing what you had, I'm assuming that these little plants fried in the hot sun, not having been given any chance to acclimatize to it. It's sort of like how much sun people can tolerate on their first exposure. If the plants were inside a plastic bag with water at the time, that would have increased the heat and reflection, like the sunburn people get when they're on the water. And maybe used up all the oxygen as well.
     
  3. Nick Bryan

    Nick Bryan New Member

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    Hello there and thank you for your answer. Here are the photos:
    Hope they are now visible.

    Maybe I also did not take into consideration the fact that the sun light is considerably stronger at higher altitudes...? So many mistakes.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 23, 2021
  4. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    It sounds like they have been 'cooked' while sealed in the bag. If it is heat that is required, perhaps placing them on top of a warm appliance like a refrigerator or a seedling heat mat would be better. Still I think it would be risky to seal them in a bag.
     

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