Amaltas Tree (Cassia fistula): How to Grow and Care for It in Jaipur

When to plant

Plant in July or August. In Jaipur the monsoon usually sets in during the last week of June, and July and August are the wettest months. A sapling planted then has the whole rainy season to root before the dry months and its first winter.

Avoid planting from October onwards. A late plant meets frost before it has settled.

Choosing a sapling

For dry areas, ICFRE recommends container plants: seedlings moved into bags in their first rains and planted out in their second rains. So ask the nursery for a polybag sapling about a year old.

To raise your own, collect ripe black pods in March–April. The seed coat is very hard; soaking seed in boiling water for about five minutes gave around 75% germination in one trial, though results vary and some seed waits a year to sprout.

Pit, spacing and protection

• Pit: 45–60 cm each way, refilled with the dug soil mixed with well-rotted farmyard manure. If you hit kankar, break through it.
• Site: full sun. Amaltas tolerates some shade but flowers best in the open. Never plant in a low spot that floods.
• Spacing: 5–6 m apart in a row or along a lane.
• Distance from buildings: the roots are fairly shallow and the tree throws up root suckers, so keep it 4–5 m from walls, paving and pipes.
• Guard: goats and cattle ignore it, but a light guard still protects the stem from trampling, nilgai and people bending it.

First-year watering (practical advice)

Check the soil before you water, and never leave water standing at the base.

Season	How often	Amount
Monsoon (Jul–Sep)	Only after 10 days without rain	10 L
Post-monsoon (Oct–Nov)	Weekly	10–15 L
Winter (Dec–Feb)	Every 2 weeks, mid-morning	10 L
Spring (Mar)	Weekly	15 L
Summer (Apr–Jun)	Every 4–5 days	15–20 L