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P E R M A C U LT U R E )

Salak Palm: A Guide for

Tropical Permaculture
(/blog/2017/7/11/salak-
palm-a-guide-for-the-
tropical-permaculture)
P E R M A C U LT U R E ( / B LO G / C AT E G O R Y/ P E R M A C U LT U R E ) , A G R O F O R E S T R Y
( / B LO G / C AT E G O R Y/ A G R O F O R E S T R Y )

Scott Gallant
Salak palm or snake fruit (Salacca
edulis or Salacca zalacca) is a high
value understory species for tropical
agroforestry plantings. Salak palm is
native to southeast Asia, where it is
commercially cultivated in
Indonesia, Malaysia, and Java, in
their wet tropical lowland climates.
At higher elevations the "Bali" variety
can be grown. It produces a
delicious fruit, eaten out of hand, with a taste similar to strawberry with an
apple-like texture. The fruit transports well and can be stored at room
temperature for a week with little degradation in quality. 

This guide has been created based on the experience of growing a small
number of plants, 30 palms, at Rancho Mastatal Sustainability Education
Center in Costa Rica. It was created with the support of Peter Kring of Finca La
Isla, a fruit farm in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, that has been growing and selling
Salak fruit for over 20 years.

This short guide provides advice on propagation, planting and establishment,

pruning and pollination management, and more.
 Agroforestry Establishment
Propagation
Salak palms are individually male or female and you need to have both
for fruit production. There is no way to know if a seedling salak will be
male or female until it flowers, some 3-4 years after planting.
Salak palm is easily started from seed. Seeds should be placed sideways
and half buried in a well drained potting mix.
Asexual propagation, usually to increase female plants, is done through
sucker removal. Soil should be mounded up around the base of the
sucker. This allows the sucker to form its own root system. Then use a
saw to partially sever the connection to the mother plant.  This process
should be repeated every few weeks over a two month period, until the
plants are separated and the sucker has it's own root system. The sucker
can be removed and placed in the nursery for further establishment.

Mulching Opening Young Female Flowers Removing Old Flowers Avoiding Spines

Establishment
Once plants in the nursery have reached at least 40 cm in height they are
ready to go in the ground. They should be planted at the beginning of
the rainy season. The soil around the palm should be heavily top-dressed
with biochar, manure, compost, etc and then mulched. Salak feeder roots
will come up into this mulch.
Salak can be supported by additional species such as Musa sp, Gliricida
sepium (and other legumes), and Tithonia diversifolia. All of these fast
growing plants provide shade for the young palms and can all be
pruned/chopped aggressively for mulch.

Guilding
These palms are traditional understory species in their native forest
habitat of SE Asia. The leaves reach 5 meters into the air, but they are not
a dense plant if pruned properly. 
They are best planted under a canopy of fruit, nut, or timber species
which are low maintenance and let through about 50% of the sun's light.
This is a similar setting to shade grown coffee and cacao.
The spikey nature of Salak discourages overstory species whose fruit
falls to the ground upon harvest or must be maneuvered around easily
for harvest.
 Layout and Spacing
Salak are dioecious, meaning each individual plant either produces
female flowers or male flowers, although there are some varieties of
Salak which are known to be self fertile. In order to balance pollination
and production it is recommended to have 3 female plants for every 1
male plant in an orchard.
Individual palms should be planted 2.5 meters apart. 
This 3:1 ratio and 2.5 meter spacing can be achieved in a number of ways.
One can plant at 5 meters apart, divide suckers from sexed females and
plant these in-between at 2.5 meters. Or one can plant out at the final
spacing and thin out males, replacing them with divided female suckers.
Salak are best planted in the same vicinity because of there pollination
needs. 

Management
Pruning
During years 1 to 3 the palm should be minimally pruned. Only remove
outer leaves that are dying. You want to encourage as much
photosynthesis as possible while the plant is approaching sexual
maturity.
Once the plants reach full size, 3 plus meters tall, and begin flowering
you should remove all outer leaves. Leave 4 to 5 leaves, as part of the
original mother plant. Remove any leaves that interfere with walking
paths.
Don't let suckers develop unless you need them for propagation.
If flowers emerge between an outer leaf and the palm trunk, remove the
leaf in order to expose the flower for pollination.
Cut leaves should be chopped into smaller pieces and placed in a pile
that doesn't interfere with access or management.
The best tools for this job include loppers, a sharp machete and a
pruning saw with a long blade or handle.

Male Flowers Male Flowers with Pollen Open Female Flowers Hand Pollination

Pollination
Salak plants are either female or male and are pollinated by a number of
native pollinators, including stingless bees. But these pollinators are
 inefficient, with only 10 to 15 % of flowers producing fruit. By hand
pollinating Salak, you can easily achieve close to 100% pollination.
Female flowers are coned shaped and covered with a dense fiber sheath.
As they develop over many months slowly remove their outer sheath.
This will allow you to completely see the flower as it approaches
maturity. Once removed from these sheaths the cone takes one to four
weeks to open. Once open the flower reveals a deep pink color which is
ready to receive the male flower.
The male flower needs little management. When pollen is available the
flower also opens up and reveals a pink interior, although in a much
subtler way. Usually the pollen granules are easily visible though and
stingless bees are often indicators of a ready flower.
The male should be removed with clipperss and brought to the female
plant, where it is used to "dust" the open female flower. This is best done
in dry weather, which allows the pollen to fall out of the male flower with
ease. It is wise to check your salak grove for receptive female flowers
ever other day.
Within a few days the flower will harden up if it was successfully
pollinated. If not it will become soft and should be removed. All dead
flowers, male and female, should be regularly removed to encourage
more flowering.

Harvest
Plants will begin to flower at three to four years of age.
To determine if the fruit is ready to harvest, try one from a bunch and see
if the seed color has turned from white to brown or light brown. See color
is the best way to betermine if a fruit is ready to pick. It is best to try fruit
from the base of the bunch. If the individual fruits fall off of the bunch,
they are likely ready.
Pests, such as aguti, can compete for ripe fruit.
The fruit does not ripen off of the plant.

Young Fruit Developing Fruit Ready for Harvest Harvested Fruit

Time Commitment
We budget one minute per plant, 2 to 3 days per week, in order to meet
all of our pollination, flower management, and pruning requirements.
 In addition to this, time should be set aside a few times per year to
provide mulch, prune support species, and add amendments (limestone,
foliar sprays, manure, compost, etc).

Overall salak is a crop that gives back when you give it the attention it needs.
If you are consistent about pollination, regularly prune the spare leaves, and
give a little fertility, then they will reward you with one of the best tropical
fruits you will ever taste.

Need Help Siting Your Salak?

The team at Porvenir Design is ready to come to your site and put stakes in
the ground. Write us at info@porvenirdesign.com for more information.

TA G G E D : PA L M S ( / B LO G / TA G / PA L M S ) , P L A N T S ( / B LO G / TA G / P L A N T S ) , P E R M A …

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