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Also known as the ‘Pacific Tall,’ the Panama Tall Coconut is a delicious coconut cultivar that was all the rage in the 1970s and 1980s before Lethal Yellowing Disease showed up to the party.
And while the Panama Tall does offer slightly better resistance to Lethal Yellowing compared to the Jamaican Tall, many coconut enthusiasts are still planting Panama Talls to this day due to the palm tree’s overall beautiful shape and remarkably delicious coconut water.
That said, this grow guide will cover everything that you need to know about Panama Tall Coconuts:
Table of Contents
- Panama Tall Coconut Palm Tree Growth Habit & Fruit Production
- Panama Tall Coconut Palm Season (And When To Pick)
- Panama Tall Coconut Palm Disease Resistance
- Conclusion
Panama Tall Coconut Palm Tree Growth Habit & Fruit Production
The Panama Tall Coconut is considered a tall palm tree that will eventually grow to between 80 – 100 feet tall, with a canopy spread ranging between 30 – 40 feet.
Additionally, the tree’s annual growth rate can range anywhere between 1 – 2.5 feet.
When I spoke to several friends who are growing Panama Talls, they’ve all mentioned that they tend to grow slightly faster than their Jamaican counterparts. This also holds true when compared to the Maypan, which is derived in part from the Panama Tall.
However, in Florida, we don’t see many Panama Talls reach their full size due to tropical storms and hurricanes.
The palm tree itself features a swollen trunk base that quickly transitions to a large and somewhat-crooked trunk with a canopy that’s not always comprised of a full crown of palm fronds. I have noticed that the canopy’s crown tends to be fuller in the warmer and more humid months of the year.
However, during the rest of the year, the Panama Tall tends to have a more umbrella/half-circle-shaped canopy.
Contrast this with the Jamaican Tall, whose canopy tends to have a more filled-out and ‘crown-shaped’ appearance more consistently throughout the year. What’s particularly funny to me is that the Maypan looks closer in resemblance to the Jamaican Tall than the Panama Tall!
Another interesting tidbit about the Panama Tall is that the huge fronds tend to have a fewer number of leaflets.
Furthermore, the palm’s petioles can either be bronze or green, depending on the sub-cultivar.
From a fruit production perspective, Panama Talls usually begin producing coconuts once the palm tree is around 6 – 8 years old or has approximately 6 – 9 feet of grey wood.
And once they start producing, they just won’t stop! One can expect an annual production of anywhere between 100 – 200 coconuts, similar to that of the Maypan.
Panama Tall Coconut Palm Season (And When To Pick)
Unlike traditional fruit trees, coconuts do not have a single defined season.
Instead, coconut palms produce all-year round. Although there are clear seasonal variations in overall fruit yield that fluctuate with climatic conditions.
In Florida, you can expect a Panama Tall’s overall yield to follow a pattern similar to this:
However, when exactly we harvest our coconuts—and subsequently what to look for—will ultimately depend on our end goal. For homeowners, this typically translates to either wanting coconut water or coconut copra (meat).
If you want the best coconut water, here are some of my best harvesting tips:
- You need to harvest the coconuts before they fall naturally. This should be done 6 – 7 months after flowering.
- Depending on the sub-cultivar, Panama Tall Coconuts should be smooth and either green or bronze.
- While the coconuts can be harvested when they are beginning to darken and become wrinklier, the water inside will be saltier and tangier, which can be overwhelming for some.
- Slap the coconut (seriously!).
- If you feel some vibrations and hear water sloshing around, that indicates that the inner shell hasn’t formed yet, and you’ll be able to open up the fruit without a machete.
- Note: Any coconut in the ‘Drinking Coconut’ stage can be opened without the need for a machete.
- The fruit feels heavy for its size.
The most popular question that I get specifically asked about Panama Tall Coconuts is: “Why would you ever want to grow a tall variety?”
And while it’s true that taller varieties can be harder to manage in the landscape, I have found that, generally speaking, the taller coconut cultivars tend to have noticeably sweeter coconut water compared to their more dwarfish counterparts, especially when compared to a cultivar like Malayan Dwarf.
Again, any homegrown coconut water is going to taste great, but Panama Tall is just on a slightly higher level of sweetness.
That said, from my experience, the only exception to this “rule” is the Niu Leka (Fiji Dwarf). Personally, the Fiji Dwarf is my favorite cultivar for coconut water, with Panama Tall being a very close second.
On the other hand, if you are growing coconuts for their meat, here are some of my best harvesting tips:
- The coconut should be harvested 11 – 12 months after flowering.
- At this stage, there will still be some salty/tangy water present. However, there will be substantially more copra formation (the white part we eat) compared to the jelly-like and tender copra found in the ‘Drinking Coconuts’ stage.
- From a color perspective, Panama Tall Coconuts should be brown and wrinkly.
- Knock on the coconut with your fist (seriously!).
- There should be a woody and hollow sound, indicating that the inner shell has hardened. You should also hear little to no water sloshing around in the fruit (due to the development of a thicker copra).
- At this stage, you’ll 100% need a machete to de-husk the coconut.
- Fun fact: If you allow the coconut to germinate, upon opening the nut, you’ll be greeted with a sprouted coconut that has a mildly sweet and earthy flavor with a fibrous, sponge-like texture (it’s VERY good!).
Regardless of when we decide to harvest, my go-to method for harvesting coconuts is by using a pole saw. However, please exercise great caution, as harvesting coconuts can be very dangerous.
In fact, coconuts kill more people than sharks every year.
Panama Tall Coconut Palm Disease Resistance
The main disease impacting coconut palms across Florida is Lethal Yellowing (LY). In a nutshell, LY is a disease that causes yellowing of leaves, premature fruit drop, and eventual death of the tree.
Once a coconut palm is infected with the disease, it cannot be cured.
Unfortunately, Panama Tall Coconut Palms are known to have low resistance to Lethal Yellowing.
Therefore, if you want a lot of coconut trees and want to mitigate the risk of the trees developing LY, I would highly recommend looking into more resistant varieties such as the Fiji Dwarf.
Conclusion
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Thank you for reading! 🙂
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