Planning a fresh Langra orchard in Bihar. Should I use grafted plants or seedlings, and what spacing per acre? I want good trees that bear early.
2 Answers
Always use grafted (veneer or softwood grafted) Langra plants from a certified nursery, never seedlings, because seedlings are not true to type and take much longer to bear. Grafts start fruiting in about 3 to 4 years versus 6 to 8 for seedlings. For a traditional orchard, normal spacing is about 10 by 10 metres (roughly 40 trees per acre). For higher early returns, medium to high density at around 5 by 5 metres (about 160 plants per acre) with regular pruning is increasingly used, but it needs disciplined canopy management or trees crowd later. Plant at the start of the monsoon in pits enriched with FYM, ensure drainage, and stake young plants. Keep the graft union above soil and remove rootstock sprouts below the union regularly.
Grafted plants bore for me in the 4th year. A neighbour planted seedlings and is still waiting after 7 years. Spend on good grafts, it pays off.