Planting

With the pre-monsoon showers, stump planting is done in crowbar holes during AprilMay (four to six weeks before the onset of regular monsoons). The site must be cleared of stubble or other competing vegetation, if any. If containerized planting stock (polybags, root trainer) is used, then optimal time of planting may be after the onset of southwest monsoon in June-July. They are usually planted in pits of size 30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm. Spacing recommended for monospecific woodlot is 2 m x 2 m. However, if intercrops are proposed to be raised, then row-to-row distance can be altered. For one or two row strip plantings at farm boundaries, a closer plant-to-plant spacing of 1 m could be employed initially and later thinned to attain better size.