Grow a Sandalwood Tree

Sandalwood is highly valued for its aromatic scent, which is used in incense and perfume. Tropical Indian Sandalwood and temperate dryland Australian sandalwood are two varieties that are commonly grown. If you are hoping to bring some of the exotic scent of sandalwood into your backyard, you’ll need to make sure there is a viable host species. Sandalwood doesn’t grow without a host plant. Once established, sandalwood is a sensuous and potentially profitable tree to grow.

Steps

Selecting the Site

1. Pick an appropriate climate. Sandalwood does best in places with lots of sun, moderate rainfall and fairly dry weather. They prefer a temperature range of 12-30 celsius. In terms of altitude, they can handle anything between 360 and 1350 meters but prefer moderate altitudes of between 600 and 1050 meters.
2. Choose red ferrogenuous loam with adequate drainage. You’ll want to avoid any soil that has experienced waterlogging, which sandalwood does not tolerate. If you are planting in a sandy soil, you’ll want to make sure the water doesn’t drain too quickly.
   • Sandalwood tolerates rocky ground and gravelly soil.
3. Plant sandalwood beside a suitable host species. Since sandalwood cannot survive without a nitrogen fixing host species, you’ll need to ensure the host species is well established. You may be able to find a site with already established, suitable host species such as long-lived wattles or casuarinas.
   • If you need to plant a host species, you should space them between the sandalwood trees at intervals of 1.6-2 meters.
   • Cajanus cajan is another good host species for sandalwood trees.
   • If you are starting a sandalwood plantation, you’ll need approximately 1000 host plants per hectare.
   • You can find sandalwood growing around approximately forty-five different host species in Australia.

Planting the Sandalwood

1. Prepare the seeds. Soak the sandalwood seeds for twenty-four hours. Then, let them dry under the full force of the sun. After one day in the sun, you should see a crack developing in the seed. At this point, it is ready for germination.
2. Mix the potting soil. You’ll need some red earth, cattle manure and sand. In a wheelbarrow or other container, mix two parts red earth to one-part manure and one-part sand. Fill the panting tray with this mixture.
   • If you plan to sow the seeds directly outdoors, you can fill the planting hole with this mixture before sowing the seeds.
3. Germinate the sandalwood. You can germinate the sandalwood in a small container, such as a recycled carton or a planting tray. Fill it with the prepared potting mix. Place the seeds ¾’’ to 1’’ below the surface of the soil. Give a bit of water everyday but avoid waterlogging the soil, since the sandalwood tree prefers dry conditions. You should see the seeds begin to sprout within four to eight weeks.
4. Put the sandalwood seedling in the ground. When the seedlings are around one month old, you’ll need to transplant them. Dig a planting hole that is 30 by 3 centimeters. Plant the sandalwood seedling. You can space the sandalwood plants between 2.5 and 4 meters apart.
   • Avoid planting sandalwood in protected forest areas.
   • In India, the best time to transplant sandalwood is between May and October.
5. Plant the sandalwood seedlings close to the host plants. You’ll need to plant the sandalwood seedlings within one meter of the host plants. Unless the tree fixes onto the host species within the first two years, it will die. So you want to plant sandalwood trees close to the host species.
   • The host plants should be at least one-meter-tall prior to direct sowing of sandalwood.
6. Weed thoroughly during the first year. You’ll need to remove any weeds that are competing for moisture around the sandalwood tree, especially during the first year. You should also make sure the host species does not take too much light away from the young sandalwood tree. If it starts to grow above the sandalwood, you could tip the host species to the side or prune it.
   • Remove any weeds that climb up the sandalwood.

Sources and Citations

See also

• Grow an Ohia Tree
• Plant Sycamore Tree Seeds
• Grow Crabapple Trees
• Grow Nutmeg
• Grow a Jacaranda Tree
• Plant an Avocado Tree
• Grow Pine Trees
• Prune a Cherry Tree
• Prune a Crepe Myrtle
• Trim Oak Trees

Read more ...