Kent,
I cant seem to keep the fronds on this one long enough to brown out. For the past two Winters it has sat in a window with good southern exposure, then it's outside for the Summer.
This one started with a un-germinated coconut off eBay back in the Summer of 2005, Forgot about it and it literally rolled around in the back of my truck until I noticed it had germinated in September/ October. From there it was potted up and is still kicking.
Not too demanding and they are fun to grow
A couple of things I have found with mine.....
Sand as a soil amendment it not a good choice for areas with damp Winters, last Spring it went into a rapid decline, found that the sand I had used in the mix was holding too much moisture during the Winter months. The roots had not sufficiently developed to support the top growth. It started to die back as the food reserve was depleted, recovered OK with a new mix and serious trimming.
Mine also seems to be a little more tolerant of cooler temps as long as it is in bright light ( usually about 60* - 70*F in front of the window , but the sun does warm the container some) I originally had it in a warmer area but with less light and it stalled out.
I had noticed the other posting you mentioned, glad to see someone having luck with the grocery store ones. I found one locally here about a month or two ago that had germinated in the shrink wrap. It started to grow then just sort of fizzled out. Not sure if I had it too cool or maybe it had used up most of it's reserves trying to push through the plastic?
Anyways.....R.I.P to that one
I have an article here on another germination method, as soon I find it I'll Fwd it .
Wes,
Good luck with yours!! Be sure to give us an update.
~ Steve