Soil
Select nursery area in a well drained plot with friable, sandy loam/loam soils are best suited for coconut nursery due to the relative ease in removing the seedlings from the nursery. In Laterite soils, sand has to be applied to the nursery beds. Heavy clayey soils and waterlogged soils are to be avoided. The ideal soil pH ranges from 5.5 to 7.0 and the seedlings are tolerant to a pH range from 4.5 to 8.5. Under irrigation, coconut seedlings tolerate saline and alkaline soils.
Nursery Structures
Nursery can be raised in the interspaces of the coconut plantation. The nursery area is to be provided with shade using 50-75% shade net if the nursery area is an open space. About 120 m2 areas required to sow 1000 nuts in flat or raised beds whereas larger area of 200 m2 would be required to maintain 1000 poly bag coconut seedlings.
Time of sowing
Sowing of seed nuts with commencement of the rainy season will reduce the frequency of irrigation required for getting good germination. Generally seed nuts are harvested during April May and planted in June in the west coast region, whereas sowing is done in October-November in East Coast region. However seed nuts can be sown throughout the year under favourable climatic conditions and good irrigation facilities.
Nursery bed preparation
Prepare beds of 1- 1.5 m width and of convenient length with 75 cm space between beds. In areas where drainage is poor, prepare raised beds (10-20 cm height). The seed beds should be drenched with Chlorpyriphos @0.05% before sowing of seed nuts, in areas having termite problem. To prevent bud rot in seedlings, the nursery can be drenched with 1% Bordeaux mixture, in bud rot endemic areas.
Nursery BedĀ 
Nursery Preparation
Methods of Planting Seed Nuts
Nursery Bed - Top Position Vissible
Spacing Size -30 to 30 cmĀ 
- Before planting, examine seed nuts and discard those without nut water and rotten kernels.
- Some seed nuts, even though they are without nut water, may germinate. Such seed nuts may be soaked in water for 24-36 hours prior to sowing.
- Plant seed nuts in beds, at a spacing of 30 x 30 cm, either horizontally or vertically in deep trenches with 20-25 cm depth.
- The nuts may be planted either horizontally with the widest of the segments at the top or vertically with stalk-end up.
- The seedlings raised by following vertical planting suffer more from drought and are less robust than those from flat or horizontal method and seedlings obtained by this method are less likely to be damaged at transplanting because the attachment between shoot and nut is much better protected by the husk.
- With horizontal planting rate of germination and subsequent growth of seedlings will be faster compared to vertical planning. Notching hastens the germination of vertically planted nuts.
- Cover with soil so that top portion of husk alone is visible as it helps to prevent possible infection of the collar region of the emerging seedlings. Five rows of nuts may be planted in each bed accommodating 50 nuts per row.
Management of Nursery
Irrigation Management
Water Source - A perennial source of water is required for maintenance of coconut palms and irrigation is essential for obtaining good coconut yield. Sprinkler / Micro Jet Sprinkler / Hose Iirrigation Systems are well suited for irrigating coconut nurseries.
After sowing the seed nuts should be irrigated thoroughly to saturation levels. The seed beds should be irrigated regularly to ensure that the soil is moist. During summer months, the beds may be irrigated on alternate days. About 10 mm of water should be applied for every irrigation.
Irrigation Channel
Irrigation After PlanningĀ 
Mulching
The seed beds can be covered with suitable mulch after the cessation of monsoon rain. Coconut leaves, straw or green leaves are used. This is done to conserve moisture and to check weed growth.
Provide protective fencing to the nursery if it is located in open area. Keep the nursery beds free of weeds by periodic weeding. Provide shade to the nursery by raising Sesbania or Leucaena on the sides of beds.
Weeding
The Nursery should be kept free of weeds to allow good growth of thr seedlings.
Germination of Seedlings
Seed nuts of tall varieties begin germination within 60-130 days after sowing and seed nuts of dwarf varieties usually germinate 30-95 days after sowing. Generally germination is recorded till the fifth month of sowing and a good seed lot will have 80-90% germination. Seed nuts that do not germinate within 5 months can be removed from the nursery and used for production of copra.
Fertilizer application: Chemical fertilizers need not be applied to the seedlings in the nursery since the seedlings are usually nourished by the endosperm. Moreover application of chemical fertilizers can mask the true genetic potential of seedlings.
Poly bag seedling production (Source: Coconut Cultivation Practices, CPCRI, 2007). Poly bag nursery can be adopted for
- Producing more vigorous seedling with better root system.
- Better establishment and early bearing.
- Reduced transplanting shock as no root damageĀ easier weeding, watering and elimination of unwanted seedlings.
In order to produce poly bag seedlings, the seed nuts are initially sown very closely and allowed to germinate in a pre nursery bed till the sprouts are 8-10 cm long. The germinated seedlings are picked out from the nursery once 80% of the nuts have germinated or 5 months from sowing, whichever is earlier.
Germinated seeds are transplanted in poly bags (500 gauge thickness) of size 60*45 cm for bigger nuts and 45 *45 cm for smaller nuts. Polybags of the first size require 13-16 kg of top soil to fill two thirds of the bag. The bottom of the bag is provided with 8-10 holes for draining the excess water. Ā The germinated nuts are placed in half filled poly bags with the sprout positioned upwards in the centre of the bag and sufficient potting mixture is added to fill two-third portion and the sides slightly pressed to keep the nut firm.
The commonly used potting media are top soil mixed with sand in 3:1 ratio or 3:1:1 ratio of top soil, sand and FYM/vermicompost. Red earth, sand and FYM/vermicompost in 1:1:1 ratio can also be used. Fertilizers can also be applied in poly bags@ 20g ammonium sulphate and 25 g Muriate of potash per bag after 2 months of germination and 45g ammonium sulphate and 45 g Muriate of potash per bag after 4 months of germination. Seedlings should be irrigated after fertilization.
The disadvantages include difficulty for transportation and higher cost of seedling production. Spray the seedlings with 1% Bordeaux or any other Copper Fungicides to prevent pest and disease attack.
