Editing Nypa fruticans (section)

===Nypa as a Cultivated Plant:===
''Nypa'' may seem to be a particularly difficult palm to accommodate
in the average palm collection, but our experiences with it indicate
that this is not necessarily so. It may never grow into the handsome
giant one sees in the wild but a perfectly acceptable, if smaller,
specimen can be easily achieved.

Fruits with small sprouts which have not been dehydrated are easiest.
They should be planted horizontally in a 150-200 mm container with the
apical end nearest the pot side and the short end facing the centre.
The soil can be a peatmoss/sand mix or a peatmoss/loam mix. Coarse
gravel or sand is not necessary nor desirable. The medium should be
resilient and soft. The pot should be kept continually wet, placed in a
deep saucer-like container or bucket, with the water-level maintained
to immerse the lower 1/3 of the pot. Unless the water becomes foul,
there is no need to change it more than weekly.

The young plant should be given a very light shade at the most. This
encourages faster growth (because of the warmth) and shorter petioles
which are less vulnerable to wind damage. The growth is rapid in a warm
tropical climate.

When well established it can be planted out into a prepared site where
the soil has been loosened to a depth of 1 m and at least 3 x 5 m in an
oval-shaped bed. Plant the palm at one end, facing the shoot towards
the other. Make a small levee to hold in water. Ideally the site should
be only lightly shaded, to give a more compact and sturdy growth. Keep
the plant wet and feed it with any general fertiliser when it looks
deficient. As the procumbent trunk advances more space will have to bc
made. Keep in mind the branching habit when choosing the site.
Alternatively, a specially built up pond-like structure could be made
and filled with a soft, non-compactable mixture of loam and peatmoss or
humus. There is no need to add salt to the water. The ''Nypa'' palm
would make a dramatic feature in ornamental lakes in tropical areas.