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ionized_gw

MURRAYA koenigii (curry leaf plant/tree)

ionized_gw
18 years ago

Here is some information that I and some of my correspondents have collected about starting Murraya Konegii (curry leaf plant/tree) from seed. Note that I have not tested any of this information. Note also that there are other threads on Gardenweb with some information. Please add anything that might help!

From an Ebay offer:

Family:Rutaceae. Common name: Curry leaf. Native to India. Large shrub to small tree. Pinnate leaves are used in many South Indian curries. Full sun or light shade. Fertilize with palm or citrus fertilizer to promote leaf production. Grows well in containers. Use a well drained potting mix. Can be grown outdoors in Southern California, South Texas and South Florida. Protect from freezing. Cover seeds 1/4 inch. Keep warm (above 75F). Seeds are fragile so handle with care. Seeds are shipped in moist peatmoss/coir mix and should be planted immediately.

From a commercial site:

If these seeds have any soft pulp attatched be sure to remove it and wash the seeds before planting. Wash the seeds with mild soap and water before planting. Be sure to use a well draining soil muixture and plant seeds at 3/4" depth. Requires bright light, warmth and high humidity. Do not keep the soil wet. Allow the soil to dry to 1/2" depth before watering again.

Also:

When the curry plant flowers and fruits, you see berries appearing at the very tips of the branches. The fruits are best plucked when they are half ripe or when fully ripe (See picture attached).

The fruits should never be allowed to dry, because the curry plant seeds in them lose their viability when they shrivel.

Peel the seed out of half ripe or fully ripe fruits by squeezing out the flesh before planting. The fruit around the seed may slow down germination. Seeds are best planted in seed raising mixture. They are planted very shallow and germinate in 10 days depending on temperature and germinate best with warm soil 70 to 80 F.

Comments (105)

  • vidnand
    13 years ago

    Hi Curruman,
    Thanks for the response. I have a 10+ gal plastic pot(self watering one) will this do?

    Vidyaa

  • vidnand
    13 years ago

    Hi All,
    Anybody have any idea whether i can use a 10 gal self watering pot for my plant which is over 31/2 years old.

    Thanks in advance,

    Vidyaa

  • poorni
    13 years ago

    Hi,

    I am new to gardening and have a curry leaf plant that about 10 inches tall that i got from a friend. In the late summer I potted it in a plastic self watering pot and it did not grow much. Then I repotted it in a huge clay pot with mixture of 1 part potting soil, 1 part top soil and 2 parts potting mix with magic grow. I moved it indoors right next to the patio door so that I can let in sunlight without the cold wind (kinda trying to give a glass house effect). It actually started sprouting. I water them whenever I see the soil on top very dry. But lately the leaves that are near the soil are starting to changes to yellow and started falling. I am worried if I am doing something wrong. We have also started putting on heater to keep it warm inside he apartment since it started snowing. I dont know how to take care of the curry leaves plant in this situation and I am worried since I dont want to lose it.

    Please advice me how I can handle this situation in winter.

    Thanks,
    Poorni

  • ionized_gw
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    My, people are passionate about their Curry leaf plants! Poorni, don't panic. Your plant will probably be fine. I suspect that they start to get brown leaves and drop leaves when they get stressed. I wish someone who knows the traits of this plant in its native climate would chime in. I suspect that this is how they respond to the dry season so it is somewhat normal.

    It will be tough to keep it happy in the winter since it is tropical. I don't think that I would put dry heat near them. They don't like dry air very much. Better to put a plastic bag over the plant at night and mist it sometimes. You might consider fluorescent lights.

  • poorni
    13 years ago

    Hi Ionized,

    Thanks for your tips. Yes, I love cooking and it had been like a passion for me to have a curry leaf plant and use it in my cooking. I will put a plastic bag over the plant at night. I do have a regular white light (tube light) and a another night light near it all through the night. Is that not enough? Should I still get a fluorescent light? Also, when I cover it with a plastic bag, should I mist it before everyday? Should I use any food or fertilizer at this time?

    I know its a lot of questions, but I am so worried. I talk to them like they a my children and I couldn't stand to see them like that.

    Thanks a loooooooooooot for your help.

    Regards,
    Poorni

  • ionized_gw
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Unless it is humid in the room with the plant, I would mist it. I don't know what you mean by "tube light". I would use a fluorescent light during the day and somewhat before and after the sun goes down to increase the apparent day length. With fertilizer, the general rule is not to fertilize when the plant is not actively growing. I would stick with that. When you see new leaves, fertilize a little.

    I have older plants (~ 7 5 yrs). drop all their leaves in the winter and they come back as it warms up.

  • mikeseq
    13 years ago

    I would really like to attempt growing them indoors..I was successful once before using seeds but had to move. If anybody can spare seeds I'll be happy to defray costs. Apparently its quite easy: You pull out the pulpy fruit(with seeds in the middle)seeds, press them down them in between thick paper towels(folded a few times) and simply mail them off.
    If you would consider doing that for me, I would be SO Grateful.

  • merrybookwyrm
    13 years ago

    When are murraya koenigi seeds on the tree in the US? In August and September? Thank you!

  • ionized_gw
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I would just leave the fruit on the seed to prevent drying out.

    When it the fruit on the bush? That would depend on the growth zone and, probably, how hard the winter was. I wish I kept records. SOTP, I would say that in 9A it is more like June or earlier through September.

  • merrybookwyrm
    13 years ago

    Thank you!

  • nilaa
    12 years ago

    Can some one send me some curry leaf plant seeds.the Seeds i had didn't germinate.

    Thanks!

  • ashita
    12 years ago

    I just went out into my garden, armed with a pair of scissors to prune my 3 year-old ugly curry leaf plant (ugly because in the winter it dropped lots of leaves, and some of the others went brown, and the new growth on the top is spindly and just looks ridiculous) when I noticed it has 5 clumps of flower buds on it!!!

    Anything I should be doing to ensure the flowers don't just drop off? I'm excited!

    Ashita

  • doc_dough
    12 years ago

    I purchased a seedling curry leaf plant one year ago which spent the first 6 months in a 4" pot, then transitioned directly to an 8" pot. It grows in a west-facing window where it gets lots of sun. We are half a mile from the beach where it is too cool to grow it outside. After one year it is 25" tall, 3/8" dia at the base, and putting out branches that sport ~23 leaves each. It is growing at about 1/4" per day in a very rapidly draining soil mix containing lots of wood fiber and is watered when it begins to wilt with 15 oz of water containing 0.5t/gal 20-20-20 non-urea orchid fertilizer. I add 1/4t of chelated iron twice a year during active growth.

    Can anybody provide some guidance on when and how I should prune it and which branches to take for cooking? I am inclined to wait for next spring then cut it back to about 20" to get some lateral growth and move it to a 12" pot. I have been hesitant to harvest leaves for the kitchen until I am taking less than 1% of the top growth (my approximation to "insignificant loss of leaf area").

    Doc

  • gbkmkuna
    12 years ago

    Hello,
    We have a problem with one of our curry plants.
    It is about 5 ft tall.Indoors, exposure to southern sun.
    For the past one week I have noticed that the leaves are falling, the tips of the limbs are droopy and it looks sick.
    It was dry. I watered it.
    I water only when it is dry.
    The potting soil was changed about 3 months ago.
    I very much appreciate your help and advice.
    Thanks
    GBKMKUNA

  • gbkmkuna
    12 years ago

    Hello,
    I am not sure where I should look for the response.
    I did log on to the site and I do not see any posted response.
    Is there a special place I should look for the response
    Appreciate your hlep
    Thanks
    Gbkmkuna

  • kvenkat
    12 years ago

    DocDough,
    Your plant sounds like it is in great shape. During the growing season, you can pinch out the growing tips to produce branching. You don't have to do this more than once or twice. Harvest the older leaves first, the ones toward the bottom of the stem. Just snip off a branch with scissors and then strip off the leaves for use in cooking.

    gbkmkuna,
    Can't really tell what is wrong without more information. Have you changed anything else besides the soil? How often do you water? Have you checked for pests? At 5 ft, you must have had the plant for some time. Even healthy plants will shed all their leaves in winter and take a rest, especially if you live in a cold climate area.

  • doc_dough
    11 years ago

    My now ~2 yr old curry leave tree is in a 3 gal pot and has produced it's first seed (with more still on the tree). It blossomed early this spring (still winter really but it sits in a west-facing window) and I manually pollinated it with a small camel's hair brush. The single cluster of flowers was the only new growth until late April when it began to shoot from nodes below the berries. I was worried that I would not have any viable seed when the berries turned black and began to get wrinkled. Those small berries had no real seed inside - just pin-head sized nubs. This week one of the larger berries (~4mm dia) began to get wrinkled and I picked it. It contained a much larger seed, one that appears to be viable with a green outer covering. I washed it off with water and immediately planted it in some sandy soil.

    Yesterday I noticed that there is a new blossom cluster developing at the tip of one of the main branches and a shoot emerging from the soil at the base of the trunk. Does anyone have any guidance on how to remove the new shoot from the root and does this plant bloom throughout the summer?

  • ummh
    11 years ago

    Hi doc.dough,
    If you have seeds on your plant I doubt it's gonna give out suckers. Watch closely if it's just another branch that's shooting from the very bottom of the trunk. Although if it really has a sucker, let it grow some more before taking it apart from its mother plant. It's no rocket science all you have to do is loosen the soil around the baby plant n make sure don't rip off the roots completely. Some rootlets will break n that's ok n that's why it's very important for the baby plant to become a considerable size before removing it so it can live by itself even with a little bit of root damage. Make sure you severe the main root that attaches the mother plant to the baby very carefully. Plant it in a well draining soil n you have a new plant. You will also find lots of info on the web with step by step guidance.
    About the bloom, you will typically get it same time every year or some times even twice every year. I have heard some people say it has multiple blooms, however I would like to know if you have any mature seeds that you can spare? I have been looking for the seeds. I can send SASE or can try to trade something of your choice . Plz let me know. Happy gardening.

  • nabz
    11 years ago

    Hello dear CURRY PLANT lovers,

    I am one sad owner of a dead curry plant. I bought it from a store and paid a lot of money for it. It eventually died. I had it outdoors and then it rained so much and was cold, so I bought it in. But soon, I see that it got all yellow and shed all its leaves. I still have its dark brown stem with no leaves standing there as a reminder of what "could've" been :( I am in Fremont, CA, very near Decoto Road/Fremont Blvd. Is there any kind hearted soul out there who could spare me some seeds/sucklings ???? I dont have ANY fancy seeds/plants to trade :(

  • nctropics
    10 years ago

    Hello,

    I had a similar issue several years ago. You could try leaving the stem as is in well drained soil and see if it comes back to life when it gets warmer. I gave up on it as I had many other things going on in life... Anyway, I just bought one plant about 3 inches tall on eBay (~$12 shipped) that's doing good. I am also trying to root fresh stems that I happened to get at an Asian grocery store ($1). So far one of the stems is showing signs of new leaf growth. I am not sure if its rooted yet. I am trying to read online if its better to trim the new growth to encourage the cutting to root better or leave it alone.

    Thanks

  • shaanp
    10 years ago

    I have lots of curry leaf plants. If you live in Southern California, contact me at:
    johnpetersusa@yahoo.com

    This post was edited by shaanp on Fri, Jul 5, 13 at 0:17

  • learnorchids
    10 years ago

    I live in fremont, and have a 6-8 feet curry leaf tree. Have lots of seeds sometimes. NabZ (or anyone else), if you want some (free) let me know. I sometimes have seedlings too, that I can give you (for free). Let me know.

  • shaanp
    10 years ago

    My Curry leaf plants with full of seeds.

  • shaanp
    10 years ago

    Curry leaf plants grown from seeds.

    This post was edited by shaanp on Sun, Jul 7, 13 at 16:30

  • deepthisai
    10 years ago

    I have a curry leaf plant that is around 15" now. It is actively growing leaves now but there is only a single thin stem from where the leaves are all emerging. Is this the right time to pinch the main stem of the curry leaf plant so as to help it to start branching out? Please help. Thanks!

  • SortaOrganic
    10 years ago

    We had been looking for a Curry Leaf Tree for some time, but could not find anything locally. Since we both like to grow things, we decided to try them from seed. After much internet searching we found what we considered a good deal from Royal Palm Enterprises in Hawaii. We got 50 fresh seeds and 2 day air shipping for less than $25.00. The seeds even had most of the pulp removed, and were wrapped in a wet paper towel. 50 seeds were a lot more than we needed, but having no idea what kind of germination we would get, that's what we decided on. We washed the seeds in dish soap as recommended in previous posts, after removing the rest of the pulp. We ended up with 58 seeds that were planted in solo cups on Aug. 19. At day 19, 16 of them have sprouted with most of them appearing between day 16 and day 19. Average day time temps here in Maryland have been in the mid 80's. We have had a couple of unusually cool nights, so we have taken them back inside at sundown, and placed them back out the next morning.We got busy with the garden and had not had the motivation to disassemble our grow light stand from our spring planting, so they have been under the lights when we bring them in.

    In one of the previous posts someone mentioned a few of their starts had multiple shoots. Two of ours so far have two shoots. My only question at this time is, how big should the stems be before we cut one of them off? Any other suggestions would be appreciated. This is uncharted territory for us. Thanks!

  • SortaOrganic
    10 years ago

    Here is a follow up at day 67. 42 of the 58 seeds sprouted. A much higher germination rate than we anticipated. One of them expired with no noticeable decline when it was about an inch tall. For reasons unknown, I didn't toss it, and was rewarded about a week later with a new shoot! 14 of the 42 have multiple shoots [ 2 or 3], and most of them are between 3 1/2" to 4 1/2" inches tall. They are inside now, and get 12 hrs a day under the lights. Each rack has 6 32W T-8 bulbs. We have them in our laundry room, so I added a small humidifier that keeps the humidity at around 42% even with the heat on. It puts about 1 1/2 gal a day. Watering has been from the bottom only, and is done about every 12 days. I have been keeping a VERY close watch out for bugs. I did spray 2 of them with insecticidal soap about 10 days ago as a preventative measure, with no apparent adverse reactions. If those two still look good in another week, I'll spray the rest of them. So far we have been very pleased with how things are going! It's amazing how fragrant they are to be so small. Hopefully my next update will also be a positive one.

  • redape
    10 years ago

    Hi - I live near Sydney, Australia and have had success with growing curry leaf plants from seed. I live in a temperate zone, maybe on a par with Los Angeles. I planted berries from an existing plant in peat pots, in the middle of winter - they took 5 long months to sprout (I almost gave up and threw them out). I now have new berries and am about to plant them out in summer this time. Hopefully, the process will be a little quicker!

    On the offchance that someone living on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia reads this and would like some seeds, feel free to contact me on redape24@hotmail.com.

  • shaanp
    10 years ago

    Curry leaf plants in San Bernardino, California.

  • KarenPA_6b
    10 years ago

    Is there anyone with extra curry leaf plants seedlings willing to sell me a couple of seedling plants? My husband loves curry and I would love to grow this tree.

  • shivanikundra
    9 years ago

    Hi, I live in New Jersey...Anyone willing to share curry leaf plant seedling or seeds...thanks

  • meisocal
    9 years ago

    shaanp - I see you have your curry tree planted outdoors. How big do you wait for you plant to be before moving it to the planter. I currently on have one mature tree in a pot and was hoping to be able to transfer it to a planter. Does it need any special care during the winter? I remember when the tree was smaller, I would have to bring it in during cold winter nights?

  • Craig1111
    9 years ago

    Hi I have just bought some small plants on ebay. Unfortunately, there were no care instructions with the plants. Can anyone tell me where to place them (on windowsill at the moment), how often to water, how often to feed them and what with. Also as they out grow their current pots what compost/soil should I use?

    Here is a link that might be useful: plant

  • shaanp
    9 years ago

    If you live in Southern California email me at
    Johnpetersusa@yahoo.com

  • vidnand
    9 years ago

    Hi friends,
    We recently move to Los Angeles area(Torrance, CA). As I had to move back to India earlier, I gave away all my curry plants. Now I am looking for one. It would be great if someone can pass one to me or give me a link from where I can get one.

    Thnx in advance.

    Vidyaa

  • mansi21c80
    8 years ago

    Hi

    Last year i bought a small curry leave plant. It didn't grow. And died in winter as i was visiting india for a longer period of time. Like 2 months.

    This year also i bought a small plant, and repotting it but leaves are drying and i dont see any growth.

    I live in NJ. And summer is the only time when we can actually feel the green sunny time.

    I really want to grow curry leave plant. Need advise on how to take care a curry leave plant.

    Also any one willing to share curry leave seeds?


    Thank You

  • curryleaf
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I wonder whether you are repotting the plants too soon. The plant looks too small for the pot size so next time, don't transplant until you can see the roots at the bottom of the pot you bought them in.

    The seeds on my plant are still not mature so I don't expect seeds until late August or September.

  • mansi21c80
    8 years ago
    Hi curryleaf

    Thank you for the information.
    I hope this plant will live.
  • doc_dough
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I have started many seeds by multiple methods and the best procedure I have found is to pick them when they are fully black but still juicy, wash off the skin and pulp and remove the whitish membrane around the seed if it is still attached (the root will emerge whether you take it off or not). In this photo the scale is graduated in units of 1/64" and you can see the whitish membrane on the seed on the right. These are large seeds (at ~1/4" diameter) but otherwise typical. In the right photo, what looks like it might be the beginnings of a root under the white membrane is not. It is just part of the membrane, the root will emerge where the seed splits as you can see from the photo further down the page.

    Then put them into a small plastic cup (polypropylene 5 oz for me)
    with a piece of paper towel on the bottom and enough water in it to keep
    the seeds half covered (i.e., don't let them dry out but don't drown
    them). A piece of wet paper towel on top of the seeds works well too. I
    keep them in a warm window (they don't care whether they are in full
    light or dark so long as they are wet and warm). They routinely put out
    roots in two weeks and a green shoot in a couple more. When they have
    about 1 cm of root and a green shoot, transplant to peat or sandy loam
    and keep them moist and humid. The photo below shows a collection of seeds of various sizes and varying maturity at the stage when the roots have emerged but the shoots have not. In this batch I think the four at the bottom never did sprout but the rest did.

    I have had a few develop mold but the
    success rate is about 70%. Sometimes the seeds are double so you wind up
    with two shoots. If that happens, clip off one of them so they don't
    compete. They will develop a deep tap root if allowed, or will wind the
    roots around in the bottom of the pot if not. I feed them daily with
    urea-free orchid fertilizer; just enough to keep them moist. A
    west-facing window seems to be the best light here in southern
    California. The ones I have inside do better than the ones outside
    because it is warmer, but outside pots do OK if they stay wet and get
    plenty of sun and heat. The ones that are stuck in the shade don't do as
    well.

    They start putting out blossoms in the second or third year and there
    seem to be two different blooming periods, one in the spring and one in
    mid summer. I find the pollen to be very irritating and with a
    distinctive smell. If you pinch off the blossom they will put out
    multiple shoots just below where you pinch.

    I prune mine back to a stump in the winter and it puts out a lot of
    new shoots. Also, if you leave it pot-bound it will start shooting from
    the roots (which you can pull off and transplant if you are careful). I
    like to leave some of the root shoots to fill in the bottom of the pot.
    They also produce very tender tip shoots which are just fine for the
    kitchen.

  • doc_dough
    8 years ago

    How do you send a PM?


  • kb_ven
    8 years ago

    I am from south carolina and looking for curry leaf plant seeds. Please send me some seeds. Thanks.

  • shyflowers
    8 years ago

    I have 5 little trees (3 - 4 foot) that I take outside in the summer and back inside in the winter. I like Indian food so I use the leaves. They are not making seeds yet this year, but it's gotten really really hot here so the probably will. The seeds I originally got I ordered online from somewhere in Hawaii, they all grew too.

  • shaanp
    8 years ago


  • shaanp
    8 years ago


  • shaanp
    8 years ago


  • kb_ven
    8 years ago

    Hi shaanp!..... do u have any curry leaves seeds!

  • sachin patel
    8 years ago

    hi i will pay any amount of mony for a desent curryleaf plants..732-794-0115.thanks

  • shyflowers
    8 years ago

    Mine are too big to send hon, order some of the seeds from that place in Hawaii (Google curry leaf seeds). Unless you can find someplace near you that has them, better to grow them from seed.

  • sachin patel
    8 years ago

    i ask fedex about big plants shiping,they do it for you.if you really instrated you can call me732-794-0115