Care in the first three years

For the first three years, the main jobs are keeping weeds down, keeping cattle and fire away, and watering only in long dry spells. ICRAF says weeding should be practised; weed the basin two or three times in each of the first two monsoons and keep a mulch of dry leaves, kept a hand's width from the stem (rule of thumb).

Leaf drop is normal. ICRAF says teak sheds its leaves for 3–4 months in the later half of the dry season. A bare young tree in winter or spring is resting, not dead.

Watering. Ease off each year. In the second year, water only when the soil is dry deep down in the hot months; by the third year, only in a long drought (practical guidance).

Cold. Teak's wild range ends in southern Rajasthan, and in our assessment cold winters are a risk for young plants further north. In the northern plains, on nights when IMD warns of ground frost or a cold wave, cover a first-winter sapling loosely with jute or a straw hood and remove it in the morning (practical guidance).

Pests. You may see leaves eaten into holes, stripped bare or turned into a lace of veins in the monsoon; the TNAU portal names the teak defoliator (Hyblaea puera) and the leaf skeletoniser (Eutectona machaeralis) as the main leaf pests. If a young plant is badly hit, take clear photos or a sample to your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) or forest department, and do not spray anything without their advice. ICRAF also notes that mistletoe can grow on teak crowns and slow the tree; cutting off the affected branches controls it.

Shaping. As practical guidance, remove only dead, broken or crossing branches with clean cuts.

How fast it grows. ICRAF says early growth is rapid: in plantations an average height of about 13 m at 5 years is "not unusual", and growth slows after roughly 15–20 years. On dry or shallow soil it grows much more slowly.