Ross, Thank you 'so-much' for these posts, I have really learned a lot from them. I have just one Coconut Palm (Cuban Giant AFAIR) I live in SW Florida.
25 years ago (Shortly after building) a friend brought us a Nut like you see in first photo (except it had green fronds) and suggested we just set it (no digging or fertilizing) about ten feet up from the canal and ignore.
Wow, did it ever sprout! (30'+) There have been far more big Coconuts falling over past 20 years than I could ever consume and of course now stretching out over the water, some just float away.
30+ years ago I had an Air Charter Service and recall a LI Tourist (not one of my pax) severely cutting his hand/arm with machete (coconut opening) at Southern Cross Club and he had to be evacuated from Little Cayman Island to Grand Cayman for Medical. Makes me cringe just watching Richie, but of course he's no 'LI Tourist', I like your method much better
I would just take a small electric chain saw (they can be dangerous too) and slice the tops off. I never saved the liquid and loved the 'meat'. It's a real treat raw or toasted slightly (sliced thin and a few minutes under broiler). I shall save the Coconut Milk next time. Our local Rum Distillery (
"Wicked Dolphin") brews a wicked Coconut Rum and that's all I've tasted and it's fabulous.
Most interesting for me was during Hurricane Charlie (surprise hit on Friday the 13th of August 2004), was watching that Giant Coconut Palm 'weather' the 100 MPH+ winds which clocked from North through East and out of the South and SW over an hour's time. Home is about 100' North of Palm Tree and concern was that those coconuts would become missiles, but no, they drop faster than they can accelerate so they pretty much land under tree (as did the huge Mahogany limbs, etc.). It's when the winds pick up debris off the ground that it gets accelerated and can drive a cane through a telephone pole.
It was those (also 40+ feet tall) Bamboo Trees (you can see behind on photo from dock) that laid across our patio's flat-roofed screen structure which saved it from being ripped off and blown away, absolutely no structural damage to our home, but some of the Beautiful trees (not Palm, Bamboo or Live Oak) like Mahogany and Italian Cypress made a mess and then died from injuries. Norfolk Island Pines were a real surprise to me in how well they held up.
Just took these photos and almost Winter Sun was wrong angle except from dock and I didn't feel like launching a boat or kayak for better views.
The last photo shows one little green nut (it rattled) with larger ones that 'slosh' along with some 'nuts' from the two (also much taller than usual) Christmas Palms seen beneath the Coconut. They seem to shed red nut cover on their own.
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But thank you again for your research and sharing your knowledge with us.
Have Wonderful Holidays to all.
Art
P.S. Is your Facebook restricted to logged-on now?
(Also it's a pet peeve on this site how large images open on most posts and that's why I selected "Small" while emailing them from iPhone to PC.) Also saves some of TIGHAR's Server Space!