How to plant chandan

Plant chandan as a nursery seedling together with a host plant, at the start of the monsoon, in a sunny, well-drained spot where water never stands.

When to plant

As a guide, plant in July or August in Rajasthan, Gujarat and central India, and in June or July in the southern peninsula, once the monsoon has properly wetted the soil. These months are a guide, not a rule from a source: go by when the rains actually arrive in your district. Avoid the hot, dry months of April to June, and do not plant in winter where there is frost.

Choosing a seedling

Buy a container-grown seedling that already has its first host growing beside it. ICFRE-IWST raises seedlings with a small host such as arhar (Cajanus cajan) or touch-me-not (Mimosa pudica), and treats a seedling about 6 months old and 30–50 cm tall as good planting stock. Ask about the seed source, since the ICFRE article on Rajasthan and Gujarat warns that some private nurseries sold seedlings of unknown origin.

The host plant

The ICFRE scientists writing in Wood is Good explain that the nursery host supports the plant for 1–2 years, an intermediate host for another 3–4 years, and a long-term host after that. Hosts they report doing well in Rajasthan include ber (Ziziphus mauritiana), kumat (Acacia senegal), babool (Acacia nilotica), khejri (Prosopis cineraria), amla and casuarina; ICFRE-IWST also names karanj (Pongamia pinnata) and Malabar neem (Melia dubia) among more than 150 recorded hosts. Keep the host pruned so that it never shades the sandalwood (practical guidance).

Pit, spacing and protection

• Pit: ICFRE-IWST uses pits of about 50 cm each way; treat that as a rule of thumb. Refill with the dug soil and well-rotted compost, and plant at the depth the seedling stood in its container.
• Host position: in the same pit or a separate pit close by; for a single garden tree, about 1–2 m between sandalwood and host is our rule of thumb, so their roots can meet.
• Spacing: ICFRE-IWST uses 4 × 4 m for plantations, or 6 × 3 m with amla in between. These are a rough starting point for growing room, not a safe distance from a house, wall, pipe or borewell; ask your local forest or horticulture office if space is tight.
• Guard, fire and shade: ICRAF notes that livestock eat the leaves and that fire and hot sun can kill young plants; a sturdy guard, cleared dry grass and light shade in the first summer are practical guidance.

First-year watering (rough starting point)

Check the soil a few centimetres down near the roots, water deeply when the root zone is drying, skip watering after rain, and never let water stand at the stem. The ICFRE article on Rajasthan and Gujarat says irrigation matters most there in summer and winter, and that drip is better than flooding. Any interval is only a rough starting point, not trial results: in a hot, dry area, perhaps about once a week in summer and every two to three weeks in winter. Water the host too.