Rambutan grafted planting material nursery spacing plants per acre N18 budded seedling India
3 Answers
Always plant grafted or budded rambutan, not seedlings, because seedlings are slow, variable, and many turn out to be poor male or low quality types. Good named clones grown in the region perform far better, so buy from a reliable horticulture nursery, a state horticulture department nursery, or research stations that supply true to type grafts. Spacing is usually wide because the trees become large, commonly in the range of around 8 to 10 metres each way, which works out to a fairly low number of trees per acre, but exact spacing depends on your variety, soil and whether you plan to manage canopy size, so confirm locally. Buy a mix that includes a good pollinizer, since fruit set depends on having some hermaphrodite or male flowering trees nearby. Inspect the graft union, choose healthy hardened plants, and keep the bill. Get final spacing and variety advice from your KVK or the nursery agronomist for your conditions.
I bought my first grafts cheap from a roadside seller and half were weak and one was nearly all male flowers with no fruit. Second time I went to a proper research station nursery and the difference was clear. Spend the money on genuine grafts.
We kept ours at wide spacing because the canopy really spreads. If you crowd them you lose light and inside fruiting drops. Leave room to walk and harvest with a ladder.