Uses of Coconut Trees

Coconut is a fruit of the coconut palm tree, its trunk is one to two feet in diameter. It has no branches but carries a crown leaves of about 70 to 100 feet above the ground, its leaves is like a feather and with many segments, leaves are usually 10 to 20 feet long. The coconut fruit hang at the bases of the leaves in clusters of about 10 to 15. Several clusters ripen during the year. A tree may produce 200 coconuts a year, but the average is just around 40. Coconut tree grows wild on tropical seacoasts, and is cultivated in moist, frost-free climates, it is abundant in Southeast Asian countries.

How Coconut Tree Grow? Ever wonder how coconut trees can easily increase in numbers? When coconut ripen, they fall from the tree and are frequently washed out to the sea. Some may drift for months before they are cast up by the waves onto the shore. After 4 to 5 months, the seed sprouts and a new tree begins to grow. In about 6 years the tree will begin to bear coconut and it will reach its full bearing time at 20 years. Coconut tree is very strong and it can resist strong typhoons, coconut tree does not also need a lot of maintenance unlike the mango tree which needs a lot of care and fertilizers.

Description of the Coconut Fruit:

The coconut has a smooth greenish covering. Within the outer shell is a fibrous husk one to two inches. The inner shell is brown and hard. When the coconut is still young it contains a large amount of fluid or juice, during this stage the coconut meat is ideal to be eaten alone or can be use for salad or can be added with milk for a nutritional drink. When the coconut mature most fluid is absorbed and its flesh thickens and hardens.

Uses of Coconut Trees :

• Coconut milk from the mature coconut is used to make Virgin Coconut Oil, VCO can help prevent and treat minor ailments.
• Coconut oil is also used as hairdressing and as massage oil.

• Coconut meat is shredded or flaked for use in baked goods or candies.
• The dried meat, called copra, contains over 60% oil. This oil is used in making soap, cooking fat, margarine, cosmetics, lubricants, and many other products.
• Coconut cake, the solid material left after the oil is removed from the copra, is used in making cattle feed and fertilizer.
• The coconut juice is a nutritious refreshing drink especially for those people with kidney problems. Coconut juice is highly alkaline.
• Fiber from the coconut husk is used to make mats, brushes, cordage and packaging material for plant, and in some countries, coconut husk is used as floor polisher.
• The shell is used for ladles and cups, and is polished and ornamented into souvenirs, accessories and decorative objects.

• Young leaf shoots may be eaten as salad
• The sap, a sweetish fluid called toddy, is fermented into an alcoholic beverage or into vinegar.
• The leaves of the tree are used to thatch roofs and to make hats, baskets, and fans.
• The trunk is used for canoes, posts, rafters, and fences.
• The ribs of the leaves are used for spears, arrows, and torches.