Arjun Tree (Terminalia arjuna): How to Plant and Care for It in Jaipur

The Arjun is a large native shade tree with smooth, pale bark and a broad, spreading crown. In nature it grows along rivers and streams, where its roots help hold the soil together. In Jaipur it needs a well-chosen spot and regular water while young, but with that care it grows into a lasting landmark of shade.

Photo: "अर्जुनाचे झाड Arjun tree (Terminalia arjuna)" by MGB CEE, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)

Quick facts

Scientific name	Terminalia arjuna
Family	Combretaceae
Hindi name	अर्जुन (Arjun); also Kahua or Koha in parts of north India
Height	Up to about 25 m; up to 30 m in forests. Expect less in Jaipur's drier conditions
Lifespan	Long-lived; no reliable published figure
Growth rate	Moderate: slow at first, then about 2 to 3 m in 3 years
Water need	Regular watering for the first 2 to 3 years; moderate once established
Best planting months in Jaipur	July and August (monsoon)
Jaipur suitability	Good, with irrigation in the early years and a moist, low-lying site
Conservation status	Least Concern (IUCN)

Why plant an Arjun in Jaipur?

Arjun is naturally a riverbank tree. It usually grows where rainfall is 750 to 1,900 mm a year, more than Jaipur receives, so it is not a tree to plant on a dry, rocky slope and forget.

Still, it is widely grown in semi-arid north-west India. Citizen-science records show Arjun trees in Jaipur, including Bapu Nagar and Jagatpura, and in Kota and other districts of Rajasthan.

The key is the site. Arjun does best in low-lying spots that hold moisture: near ponds, johads, rainwater-harvesting pits or drains. There it gives deep shade, protects banks from erosion and can help improve alkaline land.

How to plant an Arjun

When to plant

• Best: July to August. Monsoon rain helps the sapling settle and gives it a full season before summer.
• Second choice: February to March, only if you can water it reliably through April to June. This avoids the sapling's first winter frost.
• Avoid October to January (frost risk) and April to June (heat).

Sapling, pit and spacing

• Use a nursery sapling raised from seed, about 1 to 1.5 years old and 60 to 120 cm tall, with one sturdy stem.
• Dig a pit about 60 × 60 × 60 cm. Refill with topsoil, 5 to 10 kg of well-rotted farmyard manure and some neem cake against termites.
• Plant at the same depth as in the nursery bag. Make a basin 1 to 1.2 m wide, with no standing water at the stem.
• Space trees 8 to 10 m apart, at least 8 m from buildings and walls.
• Fit a tree guard, because cattle and goats eat the leaves.

First-year watering in Jaipur

Practical guidelines; adjust to rain and soil moisture.

Season	How often	Amount
July to September	Only if there is no rain for 7 to 10 days	15 to 20 L
October to February	Every 7 to 10 days	About 20 L
March to April	Every 5 to 7 days	20 to 25 L
May to June	Every 3 to 4 days, early morning	25 to 30 L

Drip irrigation works well. Deep waterings in May and June are worth continuing for about the first five years.

Care in the first three years

Monsoon. Weed the basin regularly for the first two years and widen it as the tree grows.

October to November. Lay 7 to 10 cm of mulch. Water every 7 to 10 days in year 1, every 10 to 14 days in year 2, and every 2 to 3 weeks in year 3.

Winter. Frost can leave young stems forked and bushy. For the first two winters, cover the sapling with jute or thatch on cold nights.

Spring. New leaves appear. If frost has forked the stem, prune back to one strong main stem.

Summer. The critical season. Water every 3 to 4 days in year 1, every 5 to 7 days in year 2, and deeply every 7 to 10 days in year 3.

Pests. Powdery mildew, leaf-rolling weevils, caterpillars and white wax scale can appear. They are usually minor; treat only severe damage.

Benefits of the Arjun tree

Shade and cooling

An excellent shade tree, planted along avenues, roadsides and in parks for its shade and drooping crown.

Soil and water

Its roots reduce erosion along stream banks, channels and tank bunds. Arjun is used to reclaim saline and alkaline soils and ravines, and a dense Arjun plantation on sodic soil in India improved the soil.

Wildlife and pollinators

Arjun is a keystone tree of riverside forests in peninsular India. Its small, honey-scented flowers in April and May attract insects, and its leaves feed the tasar silkworm.

Fodder and other uses

Farmers lop the leaves for fodder. The heartwood is very hard and the bark yields tannin. GreenEye's gift trees are never cut or stripped.

Traditional medicine

Arjun bark appears in classical Ayurvedic texts such as the Charaka Samhita. It is traditionally used in Ayurveda as a heart tonic and for wounds, fractures and urinary complaints. This is traditional use only, not medical advice; please consult a qualified doctor.

Cultural significance

The tree shares its name with Arjuna, the Pandava hero of the Mahabharata. Its leaves and flowers have sacred value in India, and astrologers link the tree with the nakshatra Swati. In parts of India, Arjun leaves are counted among the 21 leaves offered to Lord Ganesha during Ganesh Chaturthi puja.

Cautions and safety

• Space. Arjun grows large, often with a buttressed trunk. Keep it at least 8 m from buildings, walls, septic tanks and pipes.
• Shallow roots. Its roots are shallow and spread outwards, so they can lift paving nearby.
• Water. It struggles on dry, rocky, upland sites without irrigation.
• Frost. Protect young plants for their first two winters.
• Bark stripping. Public trees are sometimes illegally stripped for medicine. This injures the tree, so protect the trunk.
• Toxicity. Arjun is not documented as toxic, but there is no reliable safety profile for its raw parts, so do not eat any part. The leaves are a traditional livestock fodder; there is no reliable information for cats and dogs.

Arjun is native to India and is not reported as invasive here.

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