Amaltas Tree (Cassia fistula): How to Grow and Care for It in Jaipur
Cassia fistula
Amaltas, the golden shower tree, flowers through Jaipur's hottest weeks, copes with drought once established and is not browsed by goats. Learn when to plant it, how to protect young plants from frost, its traditional uses, and why the pod pulp should not be eaten.
Care in the first three years
Winter (Dec–Feb): in the first two winters, cover the sapling at night when IMD issues a cold-wave or frost warning. Jute sacking or a straw hood on three sticks, open on the south side, is enough; take it off in the morning. If the top does get burnt, don't pull the plant out. Frost-hit Amaltas seedlings often sprout again from the base, so wait until March and keep the strongest new shoot.
Summer (Apr–Jun): this is the real test in year 1. Water every 4–5 days, early morning or evening, and keep 8–10 cm of dry grass or leaf mulch on the basin, clear of the stem. In year 2, water every 10–14 days. By year 3, water only in a long dry spell.
Monsoon (Jul–Sep): weed the basin twice in year 1 and make sure rainwater drains away.
Pests: ICRAF notes that Amaltas is very susceptible to scale insects and fungi. Scrape scale off young stems by hand. Green caterpillars on the leaves are usually the common emigrant butterfly; a healthy tree regrows, so there is no need to spray.
Pruning: in year 2 or 3, remove low side branches to lift the crown, and cut out root suckers if you want a single tree.
Patience: a young Amaltas can take several years to flower well. We found no reliable figure for the age of first flowering.
This article was prepared with AI assistance. Please check important details against the sources shown in each section.
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