How to plant the Ashoka tree

Plant a nursery-raised Sita Ashok sapling at the start of the monsoon, in moist, well-drained soil with some shade, and be ready to water it through its first dry seasons.

When to plant

Vikaspedia's cultivation guidance transplants two-month-old seedlings during the monsoon, in June or July. As a guide: June–July in the southern peninsula and on the west coast, and July–August in the northern plains, central India and the north-west, once the rains have properly wetted the soil in your district. These months are a guide, not a rule: go by when the rains actually arrive where you are. As our rule of thumb, avoid the hot, dry months of April to June, and in the north avoid planting in December and January.

Choosing a sapling

Ask for Saraca asoca or "Sita Ashok" by name, and check that the leaves are compound, with pairs of leaflets; many nurseries label the Mast tree "Ashoka". Vikaspedia says seed is the best way to raise new plants: seed soaked in water for 12 hours germinates in about 15 days, and seedlings are raised in polybags filled with equal parts of soil, sand and farmyard manure. An ICAR-DMAPR paper notes that the seed loses viability quickly, so sow it fresh. Never dig up wild plants.

Pit, spacing and protection

• Pit: Vikaspedia's plantation guidance uses 45 × 45 × 45 cm pits refilled with topsoil mixed with well-rotted farmyard manure; treat that as a rule of thumb for a garden tree. Plant at the depth the sapling stood in its bag and shape a basin to hold rainwater.
• Spacing: Vikaspedia gives 3 × 3 m for a medicinal plantation. For a single garden tree, about 5–6 m clear around it is our rough starting point. This is only a rough starting point, not a safe distance from a house, wall, pipe or power line; ask your local forest or horticulture office if space is tight.
• Shade: Vikaspedia advises partial shade and frequent watering for young plants for the first one or two years, from December to May. In hot, dry regions, a shade net or the light shade of taller trees helps (practical guidance).
• Guard: put up a sturdy tree guard where goats, cattle or trampling are likely (practical guidance).

First-year watering (rough starting point)

Check the soil a few centimetres down near the roots before you water. Water deeply when the root zone is drying, skip watering after rain, and never let water stand around the stem. None of our sources gives a home watering schedule, so the intervals below are only a rough starting point, not trial results; humid regions need much less.

Season	Rough interval (check the soil first)
Monsoon	Usually none; only in a long dry break
Post-monsoon and winter	About once a week in dry areas
Spring and summer (Mar–Jun)	About every 2–3 days in hot, dry places; less where the air is humid