But growers more commonly raise them from suckers cut from a parent plant. Trees begin to flower and bear fruit about four years after planting. Pollen influences the size, shape, and ripening time of the fruit. Pollination can occur naturally by means of wind. But growers usually pollinate trees by tying a male flower cluster to a female cluster.
Paper bags placed above the ripening fruit help prevent damage from rain.
Netting or porous cloth placed over the clusters protect the fruit from insects and birds. Workers harvest the clusters of dates by hand. They treat the dates with carbon bisulfide fumes to kill insects. They then put the dates in a warm place to ripen further and dry. This additional ripening increases the sugar content and reduces acidity.