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Tree growing guide
Peepal and banyan seed is dust-fine and needs light, warmth and very gentle watering. Sow it on the surface of a sandy tray, keep it barely moist and move the tiny seedlings on in small groups.
Use seed from moderately ripe, brownish-yellow figs, which gave the best germination in Indian trials. Rub the pulp off in water, wash the seed clean, sun-dry it and store it airtight. Banyan seed stays viable for about two years at room temperature. Each species sets seed only where its own fig wasp lives, so seed from trees grown far outside their range is often empty.
Not needed. The seed is tiny and thin-coated.
Not needed. Peepal and banyan are tropical trees and need no cold period.
Optional. An Indian Forester study of four Ficus species found the highest germination after a 10-minute soak in hot water (60 °C, 140 °F). Drain the seed and mix it with dry sand for sowing.
Keep the tray warm, about 24-28 °C (75-82 °F); peepal seed germinated well at 26 °C (79 °F) in a laboratory study. In India banyan figs ripen mainly from March to May, a warm time to sow; elsewhere use a warm windowsill or heat mat.
Mix the seed with fine sand, powdered brick or charcoal so it spreads thinly, scatter it on the surface and press it in lightly. Do not cover it with soil.
A tray of finely sifted soil with a large proportion of sand, as used in Indian forestry nurseries. A lean mix is better than a rich one: in the laboratory study, a dilute nutrient medium gave much better germination than a full-strength one.
Water frequently but sparingly with a fine spray or mist. Cover the tray with clear plastic or glass to hold humidity, and never let water stand on the surface.
Give bright, indirect light. Peepal seed germinated better in light (about 68%) than in the dark (about 56%).
In warm, light conditions the first seeds sprout within about two weeks; others follow over the next weeks.
The seedlings are too delicate to handle singly at first. Lift them in small bunches with soil attached and replant them, then shade them for the first week.
When the young plants have grown longer roots, separate them and pot each one with its ball of earth into a polythene bag or root trainer. Shade again for a week after this move.
Grow on in bright light once established, water carefully, and protect young trees from livestock and fire when planted out.
Peepal reaches about 20 m with wide branches; banyan exceeds 30 m and spreads by aerial roots that become new trunks. Plant both well away from buildings, walls, paving and drains.
Peepal grows up to about 1,500 m altitude with mean annual temperatures of 16-35 °C and 500-5,000 mm of rain. Banyan needs warmth, ideally above 23 °C, and is not frost-hardy; in cold climates grow either as a container plant or bonsai under glass.
Banyan also roots from large cuttings; Indian forestry nurseries plant stakes of 2.5-3 m (8-10 ft) directly in the field and water them well.
Banyan roots so readily that it is used for air-root and root-over-rock bonsai styles; seedlings are an inexpensive way to start one.
Sow peepal and banyan seed on the surface of a warm, sandy tray for your own sacred fig trees.
No. The seed is dust-fine and germinates better in light. Mix it with fine sand, scatter it on the surface and press it in lightly.
Most often the tray was too cold, too wet or the seed was buried. Seed from trees growing without their pollinating fig wasp can also be empty.
Only as a pot plant or bonsai. In the ground both become very large trees, and banyan roots can damage walls and concrete.
