Curry Leaf Tree Growth Cycles (Murraya koenigii)
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Mike Adams
Posted on: February 11, 2003

I purchased a curry leaf tree seedling (Murraya koenigii) from you last spring. It has grown quite nicely during the summer months but since the late fall (I am located in Montreal, QC, Canada) it seems to have become dormant... it still looks healthy just not growing.

My questions are:

Could I use a grow light, to trick it into thinking it’s still summer and have it continuously growing all year round?

Since the plant is grown out of doors in southern India, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Indonesia it is quite at home in a truly tropical climate. The days and nights would each be 12 hours with almost no twilight. It could probably be tricked into continuous growth if you also keep the day temperature very warm and humidity high. Probably at around 80 degrees Fahrenheit would be a good day temperature to try for and 10 to 20 Fahrenheit degrees cooler at night. Make sur you have a muffin fan to keep air movement up to avoid fungus and bacterial infections.

What type of fertilizer do you recommend for this type of plant?

Since you are going to use it for cooking use an organic fertilizer such as fish fertilizer.

At what point would it be prudent to begin propagation?

As soon as it starts new growth, usually in the spring, anytime, if you can trick it into continuous growth. But we must warn you, we have not had success rooting cuttings; we have only managed to grow it from seeds, and the seeds must be very fresh.

Back to Growing Herbs | Q & A Index

Copyright © 1997-2024 Otto Richter and Sons Limited. All rights reserved.