Bargad (Banyan Tree): Where It Grows in India and How to Plant India's National Tree
Ficus benghalensis
The Bargad, or banyan (Ficus benghalensis), is India's national tree: a huge, long-lived shade tree whose aerial roots become new trunks. Here is how to recognise it, where it grows in India, when and how to plant it, how to care for it in its first three years, and why it needs plenty of open space.
How to plant Bargad
Plant Bargad as a healthy nursery sapling soon after the first soaking monsoon rains, in open land where it can spread very wide for generations.
When to plant
Plant soon after the first soaking monsoon rains, so the roots get a full season before the dry months. In the north-west dry zone, the northern plains and central India that means July to mid-August; in the east and the southern peninsula June to August; on the west coast June to July; in the north-east May to July; and on the east coast July to August, or October to November where the main rains come with the north-east monsoon. These months are a guide: plant when the rains actually arrive in your district, and ask your forest or horticulture office if unsure. In the north-west dry zone, February to early March is a second option, but only with reliable watering through the April to June heat. Avoid planting in the hot months before the monsoon and in mid-winter.
Choosing a sapling
For most people a healthy nursery sapling is the simplest choice: buy one about 1 to 1.5 m tall in a large polybag. Banyan seed is tiny; TNAU notes that only a few seedlings survive to establish, and it needs a fine sandy nursery bed and careful watering. Small stem cuttings root poorly (18 to 20% survival in a Kerala study), while foresters plant out large 8 to 10 ft cuttings in the field, which is a specialised method.
The pit and the spot
- Dig a pit wide enough for the root ball, about 60 × 60 × 60 cm. If you hit a hard kankar layer, check that water drains away before you dig deeper; a deep pit in poorly drained ground just collects water.
- Refill with the dug soil mixed with well-rotted farmyard manure, and plant at the same soil level as in the nursery bag.
- Make a basin 1 to 1.5 m across to catch rainwater (CAZRI's micro-catchment approach).
- Choose the site before the sapling. As a rough rule of thumb, keep it about 20 to 25 m from other large trees and from buildings, walls, borewells, tanks and pipelines. This is our practical guidance, not an engineering standard: check where underground pipes and cables run, and get site-specific advice before planting near any structure.
- Fix a tree guard against goats, cattle and nilgai.
First-year watering (practical guide)
Water the sapling thoroughly after planting. The amounts below are a rough starting point for hot, dry regions, not trial results: check the soil around the root ball before each watering, water when it starts to dry, give sandy soil more frequent checks, water less after rain, and never leave water standing at the stem.
| Season | How often | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Monsoon (Jul to Sep) | Only after 7 to 10 dry days | 10 to 15 L |
| Post-monsoon (Oct to Nov) | Weekly | 15 to 20 L |
| Winter (Dec to Feb) | Every 10 to 14 days, in the morning | 10 to 15 L |
| Spring (Mar) | Weekly | 20 L |
| Summer (Apr to Jun) | Twice a week | 20 to 25 L |
This article was prepared with AI assistance and checked by the GreenEye team against the sources shown in each section.
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