How to grow Haritaki
If you are interested in growing the plant Terminalia chebula then we have some information for you here.
It is possible to grow the plants from the seed but the time to harvest is going to be 10-20 years. The plant is frost resistant and so can grow in many places around the world including North America.
Here is a great article that the following information about cultivation of haritaki and is taken from: http://www.banajata.org/harida.htm
Cultivation :
The tree is a strong light demander. It requires direct overhead light and cannot tolerate shade of cramped situation. The young plants, however appreciate a certain amount of shade and benefit by side protection from the hot sun. It is frost hardy and drought-resistant to a considerable extent. T. Chebula tree growing in isolation produces a fine crown and yield a good crop.
Soil type and climate :
It can be grown on wide range of soils from loam to lateritic soils with moderate fertility. The plant attains the best development on loose, well-drained soil. Average temperature ranging from 10-480C is suitable for its growth. In moist regions the tree grows well.
Propagation :
Natural regeneration :
The tree propagates by natural regeneration in some localities but it is affected adversely to a great extent when rats, squirrels and rodents destroy the seed. The seeds germinate better if it is covered up with the earth or debris than, if it is lying in the open. Germination takes up in the rainy season. For natural regeneration, good drainage is considered essential and shelter from the side is desirable. Growth is generally poor at the times of rains and the seedling is often killed by heavy and continuous rain. Manipulation of canopy by creating small gaps facilities regeneration, and this is supplemented by sowing seeds in gaps.
Artificial regeneration :
The tree can be successfully raised in the field by:
1.Direct sowing of seeds.
2.Transplanting the seedlings, and
3.Planting root and shoot cuttings.
Generally the germinating velocity of the seeds is low because of the hard seed cover, which requires pretreatment. Fermentation of the seeds gives best germination results. If only a few seeds become buried under earth and debris, the chance of germination becomes better but other shade bearing species under a dense canopy defy the chance of survival of the seedlings. Seeds are clipped without damaging the embryo and then are soaked in cold water for 36 hours and are then sown in the nursery beds under shade. Germination commences in 15 days and is completed in 3-4 weeks giving 80% germination.
Vegetative propagation :
Vegetative propagation has been found advantageous over seed propagation as the former technique reduces the juvenile period and subsequently facilitates early maturing. Experiments have been carried out to evolve and standardize the vegetative method of propagation mainly to overcome slow growth, phenotypic variation and late fruiting. Desirable traits are bigger fruit size with small stone.
Harvesting technique :
Collection time and procedure :
January to March is the best period for fruit collection. Fruit should be collected in the first half of January from the ground as soon as they have fallen. The best time for collection of the fruit for optimum tannin content is January. Collection prior to or after January will yield inferior quality of Harra. A good sample contains 32 % tannin, range of which usually varies from 12 to 49%
Harra freshly collected and dried immediately have yellowish colour and fetch a better price. The fruits when allowed to lie on the ground have darker colour with sometimes mould attack. Tannin content in such decaying fruits is also very low. Mould attack also sometimes occurs on the tree and this is mentioned as the major cause of poor quality of myrobalans.