Beginner’s Guide to Growing Date Seeds at Home

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Follow these easy instructions to sprout and plant date seeds

Co-authored by Amy Bobinger, BA Reviewed by Ryan Glynn, CPA

Last Updated: October 10, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Sprouting Seeds
|
• Planting the Sprout
|
• Plant Care
|
• Video
|
• Expert Q&A
|
• Tips
|
• Things You'll Need

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If you live in a sunny climate, sprouting and planting a date seed can be a fun project. Date palms are slow-growing, but if you’re patient, you can have a beautiful palm for your home or garden. We talked to plant specialist and interiorscaper Ryan Glynn, CPA and landscaping expert Jovace Nelson to find out everything you need to know about sprouting and planting a date seed, plus tips on caring for a date palm.

How do you plant a date seed?

1. Wash any remaining fruit from the outside of the date seed.
2. Soak the date seed for 48–72 hours, changing the water once a day.
3. Wrap the seed in a damp paper towel and place it in a sandwich bag.
4. Keep the seed in a warm spot, checking every 2 weeks for mold.
5. Plant the seed in palm or cactus soil once it sprouts.
6. Water the soil thoroughly.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Sprouting Seeds

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1. 
   1
   Buy ripe medjool dates and collect the seeds. Purchase some ripe medjool dates at a grocery store. Use your fingers or a knife to open up the fruit. Then, remove the seeds from the center. Set the seeds aside and either eat or discard the date fruit.

   • You’ll know the dates are ripe if they are slightly wrinkled or leaking a sticky fluid.
   • A home-grown date plant is unlikely to produce fruit. It would need to be planted outdoors in ideal conditions for up to ten years, and you’d need to have both male and female plants for pollination. Additionally, date palms are not true to seed, so the fruit produced by the new tree may not be the same quality as the parent plant.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Ryan Glynn, CPA is a plant specialist, interiorscaper, and the Founder of Chicago Plants, LLC. He specializes in houseplant care, interior plant-scaping, and gardening.

   Jovace Nelson is a landscaping expert and the CEO of VaceTime, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. VaceTime an agricultural building management service.
2. 
   2
   Rinse off the seeds to remove any leftover fruit. Rinse the seeds thoroughly in cool running water. Gently rub your fingers over the seed to remove any excess date flesh. Be careful not to damage the seed coating as you do this.

   • The fruit covering on the outside of the seeds may prevent germination.
   • If the leftover fruit is persistent, rinse the seeds again at the end of the next step, after soaking.
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3. 
   3
   Soak the pits in fresh water for 48–72 hours. Fill a cup or bowl with cool water and place the pits inside to soak. Change the water once a day by dumping out the old water and refilling it with fresh water. This will help prevent the growth of bacteria and mold.

   • Glynn says, “Soaking seeds helps create a moist environment where they can start growing.”
   • Toss out any seeds that float after 48 hours. Viable seeds will absorb water and sink.
4. 
   4
   Fold 2 seeds into a damp paper towel. Run some water over a sheet of paper towel to dampen it. Then lay the paper towel out flat and place 2 date seeds on either end. Fold the paper towel over so it covers both seeds, then fold it in half so the seeds are separated by a layer of paper towel.

   • Nelson recommends wrapping the paper towel in a rubber band to ensure the seeds are fully enclosed.
   • “Be sure to wet the paper towel now and then,” adds Nelson. “Not so much that it’s soaked through, just enough to dampen it.”
5. 
   5
   Place the seeds and paper towel into a plastic bag and seal it. Open up a plastic sandwich bag and tuck the damp, folded paper towel inside. Make sure the seeds are still folded in the paper towel, then seal the bag.
6. 
   6
   Store the bag in a warm, dark place for 6–8 weeks. The seed will germinate best at temperatures between 70 to 75 °F (21 to 24 °C). Find a place in your home that stays warm, such as the top of the refrigerator or a cabinet above your stove.

   • If you’re concerned the temperature in your home won’t be consistently warm enough, place the bag on top of a seedling heat mat.
7. 
   7
   Monitor the seeds for 4–6 weeks until they sprout. Every 2 weeks or so, open the bag up and check for progress. After about 2–4 weeks, you should see tiny roots growing from the seed. fter 4–6 weeks, the seed should sprout a shoot off of the roots. When that happens, it’s time to plant your new date seedling.

   • If you notice any mold growing on the paper towel, replace it with a new, damp paper towel.
8. 
   8
   Try sprouting the seeds in pots if you’d prefer. Prepare one pot for each seed by filling the pots with one part seed-starting compost and one part sand. Lightly water the soil so it’s moist and then plant the seeds so half of each seed is exposed. Cover the exposed part of the seed with sand. Cover the pots with plastic wrap and place them somewhere with indirect sunlight that has a temperature of around 70 °F (21 °C).

   • The seeds should sprout after 3–8 weeks.
   • Place the pots on a germination mat if you’re having trouble finding a spot that’s 70 °F (21 °C).
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Section 2 of 3:

Planting the Sprouted Seed

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1. 
   1
   Fill a small planter a little more than halfway with potting soil. To estimate the soil amount, fill the pot until it reaches a little over halfway. Use a palm or cactus mix, which usually includes a good mix of soil, sand, vermiculite, perlite, and peat moss to regulate the soil’s moisture and drainage. Don’t pack the soil down, since it needs to be loose for proper drainage.

   • Choose a small pot—around 3–4 in (7.6–10.2 cm)—but keep in mind that you’ll need to transplant to a larger pot as the plant grows.
   • Be sure to choose a pot with lots of drainage holes in the bottom, since date palms need to dry out between waterings.
   • If you want to make your own mix, try a 1:1 blend of peat moss and perlite.
2. 
   2
   Hold the sprouted seed just below the rim of the pot. Hold the seedling with the leafy or sprouted end facing up. Place it so the point where the sprout emerges sits about 1 in (2.5 cm) below the edge of the pot. That way, when you fill the pot with soil, the sprout will be planted about 1 in (2.5 cm) deep, and the tender new root won’t be damaged by pushing it down into the soil.

   • Use a separate pot for each sprouted seed.
3. 
   3
   Fill the rest of the pot up with lightly packed soil. Hold the seed and sprout in place while you add the rest of the soil, filling it to the point where the sprout emerges. Pat the soil down just enough so the sprout has enough support to stand up, but don’t compact it too much.
4. 
   4
   Water the plant thoroughly. After being planted, the sprout will need a good drink. Pour water over the soil until it trickles out through the drainage holes at the bottom. Let the soil absorb and drain the water, then water the plant again until the soil is fully moistened.
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Section 3 of 3:

Caring for Your Date Plant

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1. 
   1
   Place the pot in bright, indirect sunlight, then transition to full sun. Glynn says, “Start your plant in an area with indirect light, since full sun can be a little too harsh for seedlings that are just starting to develop. Then, day by day, gradually move it until it’s in full sun.”
2. 
   2
   Water the plant whenever the first 2 in (5.1 cm) of soil feels dry. Check the soil daily by sticking your pointer finger into the dirt up to the second knuckle. If the dirt feels moist, then the plant still has enough moisture and you should wait to water it. If the soil feels dry, pour some water over evenly over the dirt’s surface.

   • It’s better to water plants when they need it, rather than on a set schedule. Generally speaking, though, date palm plants will need to be watered about once a week.
3. 
   3
   Transplant the date palm into larger pots as it grows. Once you notice that the plant is outgrowing its current pot or growing roots out of the bottom of the pot, you’ll need to move it to a bigger pot. Continue this throughout the plant’s life as it grows. Always water the plant well before and after transplanting it into a new pot.

   • Once the plant has grown to tree size, you can move the large pot outdoors onto a deck or porch. Make sure to keep it in a spot with maximum sun exposure.
   • If necessary, you can also keep it indoors in a large pot near a sunny window. However, keep in mind that this will severely hinder its growth.
4. 
   4
   Plant the date palm in the ground if you live in a warm enough climate. If you live in an area that doesn’t get frost in the winters, you can move your date palm plant outdoors and plant it in the ground. You’ll need to choose a sunny spot and dig a hole large enough to hold the plant’s roots. Take the plant out of its pot and set it in the hole, then fill it in with soil.

   • Keep in mind that over time, date palms can reach heights of 50 feet (15 m). Choose a spot that will give the tree plenty of room to grow!
   • Date palms grow best in hot, dry weather. If your area drops below 20 °F (−7 °C), it’s best to keep your date in a pot so you can bring it indoors when needed.
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Expert Q&A

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• Question

  How long does it take to grow date palm?

  

  Maggie Moran
  Home & Garden Specialist

  Maggie Moran is a Professional Gardener in Pennsylvania.

  

  Maggie Moran

  Home & Garden Specialist

  Expert Answer

  From a date palm seed, it can take several weeks to see the sprout above the soil.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
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• Question

  How long does it take for a date tree to produce fruit?

  

  Maggie Moran
  Home & Garden Specialist

  Maggie Moran is a Professional Gardener in Pennsylvania.

  

  Maggie Moran

  Home & Garden Specialist

  Expert Answer

  It can take from 4-8 years to see fruit and up to 10 years for a bountiful harvest.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
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• Question

  Do dates grow in the United States?

  

  Maggie Moran
  Home & Garden Specialist

  Maggie Moran is a Professional Gardener in Pennsylvania.

  

  Maggie Moran

  Home & Garden Specialist

  Expert Answer

  Yes. California is the main growing state in the US for dates, although any place that is overly dry would work.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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Video

Things You'll Need

• Dates
• Water
• Dish for soaking
• Paper towel
• Plastic bag
• Pot or container with drainage holes
• Potting soil

Tips

• Date palms require both male and female plants for pollination to occur, so you’re not likely to get fruit if you only have one plant.
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