Fastest Growing Shade Tree?

[RY12]

(Keeping with the forum rules, I tried to find an answer in the archives, couldn't, so I apologize if this has been asked before.)

Anyway, what's the generally accepted quickest way to get GOOD shade on an undeveloped parcel? We're in Ubon on an urban plot that probably needs some fertilizer, but I'm willing to pay for the extra water in quenching the plant if it requires a lot (so long as it isn't too expensive).

My first thoughts are banana (I know it's not techinically a tree), I know they shoot up pretty fast and have big leaves. I'm not sure I want something like eucalyptus since the leaves are small and the structure is so airy...

thanks

[GungaDin]

There's a few here ; http://www.aboutthegarden.com.au/pdf/FS29%...e%20Tropics.pdf

I don't know if Mangos grow in your area but it could be worth asking locally.

Mulberry trees are fast growers, and Aroy!

Royal Empress Tree ( Paulownia tomentosa) check out the cons for this one.

http://www.fast-growing-tree.com/

Consider a bamboo grove? There's a species that grows a metre a week. (clumping)

More; http://www.google.com.au/search?source=ig&...earch&meta=

good luck.

Edited September 14, 2008 by GungaDin

[jaideeguy]

I would make two suggestions.....bamboo is the fastest, but make sure to get a clumping variety

and most accatia [sp?] trees grow really fast.

Just thought of another one ..........we call it 'ironwood', has pine like needles and grows in tropics really fast...used as a wind break often and you can train it easily to take on any shape you want, but drops a lot of needles.

[Smithson]

Bamboo is the fastest, but it takes a while to get going. There's several varieties of fast growing tree, although I don't know there names. Might be a good idea to ask the locals? Banana's are also fast growing given the right conditions.

[GungaDin]

Bambusa oldhamii (clumping) fastest!

Bambusa vulgaris (clumping) 2nd fastest!

I like bamboo, but I'd prefer a tree.

If time is no problem plant a couple of Tamarind trees, well apart.

Not fast growing but great shade trees. (Nothing will grow in it's dark shade, & you can eat the fruit. Aroy!)

[jts-khorat]

Have a look here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Red-Berry-Trees-t114037.html . Initially fast growing tree, does not get very high (maybe 3-4 meters) and is quite short-lived (ca 10 years).

A lot of people in Phuket have it to put shade on their Sala and you can see them virtually everywhere here. Very sweet fruits that grow year-round, making it a favorite with children (but it can create a mess). Muntingia calabura in latin, ตะขบ in Thai.

[IsaanAussie]

I thought I would offer a solution here for the impatient amongst us.

It's, near as I can figure called an umbrella tree, and grows within seconds of being planted. Tesco, Carrefour and other major chains have them in stock now, not cheap at a few hundred baht, but they come with a steel stake and you simply drive into into the dirt and run your hand vertically up the trunk. Instant shade of several square metres.

I saw one being demonstrated but did not have the time to observe it's growth rate after planting. I am told that the amount of shade has something to do with the position of the sun?

[Lickey]

I thought I would offer a solution here for the impatient amongst us.

It's, near as I can figure called an umbrella tree, and grows within seconds of being planted. Tesco, Carrefour and other major chains have them in stock now, not cheap at a few hundred baht, but they come with a steel stake and you simply drive into into the dirt and run your hand vertically up the trunk. Instant shade of several square metres.

I saw one being demonstrated but did not have the time to observe it's growth rate after planting. I am told that the amount of shade has something to do with the position of the sun?

That seems opposite to the tree i have, ive watered and manured it for years, but it never grows! its a lavortree..

On a more serious note, banana is a quick growing plant, the larger varieties will grow to 4mtrs in a year and produce fruit, if you let all the suckers grow, these can be used to plant on ect, Clean leaves can be used as a food wrap for cooking and some things will grow in the shade, if you want year round fruiting, they will need water in the dry seaon,

What do you need the shade for?

Cheers, Lickey.

[IsaanAussie]

I thought I would offer a solution here for the impatient amongst us.

It's, near as I can figure called an umbrella tree, and grows within seconds of being planted. Tesco, Carrefour and other major chains have them in stock now, not cheap at a few hundred baht, but they come with a steel stake and you simply drive into into the dirt and run your hand vertically up the trunk. Instant shade of several square metres.

I saw one being demonstrated but did not have the time to observe it's growth rate after planting. I am told that the amount of shade has something to do with the position of the sun?

That seems opposite to the tree i have, ive watered and manured it for years, but it never grows! its a lavortree..

On a more serious note, banana is a quick growing plant, the larger varieties will grow to 4mtrs in a year and produce fruit, if you let all the suckers grow, these can be used to plant on ect, Clean leaves can be used as a food wrap for cooking and some things will grow in the shade, if you want year round fruiting, they will need water in the dry seaon,

What do you need the shade for?

Cheers, Lickey.

Your Lavor Tree is a complete waste of time Lickey. You could fertilise that for years and it will not grow any bigger. They seem able to gobble up as much sh-t as you can give them. And there are potential problems in the root system of these trees, they can completely clog up your land. The reason they do not grow is most of the nutrients are expelled through the root system, just like a drainage system from a septic tank, same symptoms.

Our farm has a high clay content in the soil and it will only absorb a certain amount of water, white, grey or black. Be it septic tank or Lavor Tree the result would be the same. Pay some Nong 200baht to pump it out, grub out the tree, and plant an umbella tree in its stead. Cool shade, no sh-t

Isaanaussie

[Beardog]

Have a look here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Red-Berry-Trees-t114037.html . Initially fast growing tree, does not get very high (maybe 3-4 meters) and is quite short-lived (ca 10 years).

A lot of people in Phuket have it to put shade on their Sala and you can see them virtually everywhere here. Very sweet fruits that grow year-round, making it a favorite with children (but it can create a mess). Muntingia calabura in latin, ตะขบ in Thai.

Agree 100% have 7 growing now ranging from 3 -5 meters within 2 months enough shade to chill out on a hot day for 2 .

6 months big enough shade for 6 people to be comfortable. 1 year huge lots of shade & awesome fruit..even my dog loves the Taw kobe berries. We got another 5 starts & more on the way. out of the 35 different type of trees this one has the hugest canopy & grows quickly. If you prune it , the mass will even thicken.

[GungaDin]

Beardog,

post a pic please?

[RY12]

Have a look here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Red-Berry-Trees-t114037.html . Initially fast growing tree, does not get very high (maybe 3-4 meters) and is quite short-lived (ca 10 years).

A lot of people in Phuket have it to put shade on their Sala and you can see them virtually everywhere here. Very sweet fruits that grow year-round, making it a favorite with children (but it can create a mess). Muntingia calabura in latin, ตะขบ in Thai.

Agree 100% have 7 growing now ranging from 3 -5 meters within 2 months enough shade to chill out on a hot day for 2 .

6 months big enough shade for 6 people to be comfortable. 1 year huge lots of shade & awesome fruit..even my dog loves the Taw kobe berries. We got another 5 starts & more on the way. out of the 35 different type of trees this one has the hugest canopy & grows quickly. If you prune it , the mass will even thicken.

Wow, 2 months?! how big were they when you bought them and how much did they cost? I wonder too, how messy are those berries? I don't want it to stain or kill the lawn below the tree.

you guys that mention bamboo- my understanding is that yes it's fast growing, but it has to get established after several years before it can start shooting up those massive shoots... moreover the shade really isn't that good is it? cuz it's just a vertical spire unlike a tree's canopy.

If I want instant shade, do thai nurseries sell full grown bananas or other plants in pots? in the US, such potted large plants are really expensive, which i think is b-s considering the dude just put water in a bucket of dirt to get the product... maybe thais are more reasonable?

[GungaDin]

Instant shade. $49.95

[Lickey]

Forget bamboo if you are planting in a garden for personal shade, when the leaves drop of older sticks, its an absolute mess, an difficult to clean off grass,

Whatever you decide to plant, dont forget that ALL fruit trees are prone to insects, red biting ants love tamarind,red berry,kanoon,mango, the list goes on!!!

Not really possible to buy ready grown banana plants here, as they grow so quick, we sell culms at between 6/9bht, 6bht culm will fruit in 6 months ata height of 2mtrs, 9bht culm will fruit in 9/10 months at a height of 3/4 mtrs, and all the time replacement culms will grow round the mother plant.

Hope this helps, Lickey.

[GungaDin]

ALL trees attract insects except the Neem tree.

Too slow though.

[RY12]

Forget bamboo if you are planting in a garden for personal shade, when the leaves drop of older sticks, its an absolute mess, an difficult to clean off grass,

Whatever you decide to plant, dont forget that ALL fruit trees are prone to insects, red biting ants love tamarind,red berry,kanoon,mango, the list goes on!!!

Not really possible to buy ready grown banana plants here, as they grow so quick, we sell culms at between 6/9bht, 6bht culm will fruit in 6 months ata height of 2mtrs, 9bht culm will fruit in 9/10 months at a height of 3/4 mtrs, and all the time replacement culms will grow round the mother plant.

Hope this helps, Lickey.

oi, I forgot about biting ants, are repellants effective/inexpensive? my land will be surrounded by perimeter wall, so they'd have to go over that or under its foundation.

9 baht for a banana culm?! that's really cheap- is it in a pot with soil? i could cover my land with those for like 300 baht and 6 months apparently?

[Lickey]

MMM , no, they come as taken of the mother plant, they will survive 2/3 days like this, for longer periods, we put 10 or so in a plastic sack and add water, ok for up to 7 days then,

Best to prepare holes before buying, 18in deep, 12in dia about 2.5 3 mtrs apart, You can read up on banana care on the www, but dont let it scare you, sometimes there is too much detail..

Cheers Lickey.

[rice555]

ALL trees attract insects except the Neem tree.

Too slow though.

Hello GungaDin, you for got the mot dang.

rice555

[Beardog]

Beardog,

post a pic please?

Here is 5 shots of 4 trees. the others are still shoots that grow at an amazing clip.

The red berries I have heard on a previous post will eat up your paint on your cars trucks or bike if the birds eat the berries 7 crap on your ride.( but bird crap of any sort will eat up a paint job if not washed off immediately. My trees are away from my bike & it is under a roof so I do not have the problem. Besides we gobble up the fruit pretty quick as they are delicious before the birds get em. the ones on the perimeter they can have or the passeres by.

The area under the lawn is only slightly effected & I wouldn't consider it to be that big of a concern RY. It is minimal damage from the filtered light. They usually come from the mountains & sometimes around a lake or river as well.

the nurseries usually do not carry them although we were able to get 1 tree from a nursery. The first 3 (one died) we got from a man down the road for 100,200 &500 baht for the big one. Now all are big except the last pic. posted.

The second picture shows plastic around a branch. To grow from the tree bare back with a rock or blade the bark & rough up the wood 8" or so close to the base of the tree. If you use a heavy guage plastic(not the type in Photo- but like the thickness of a 12 pack of 1.25 liter coca cola plastic packing) all you do is wrap the bared wood with coconut husks & tie on with twine or not & wrap the plastic tight but allow water to be fed into the branch every day till you see lots of roots growing through the coco-husk 4-6 weeks & cut at the base close to the tree. Put in a pot for 2-3 weeks & you got instant Taw Kobe. Gotta be the easiest tree I have ever worked with. I have heard the trees last 5- 20+ years depending on the soil wind floods etc.

The nursery that we got the replacement for the one that died is probably 30 meters high- might be 25 m. & has been there for 40 years. The owner bought in 87 -so it is at least 21 years + as he said it was very large when he bought the property.

If you are anywhere around the Pattaya area I can turn you on to some starts & you can see the way they look.

The first pic is 7& 1/2 months pruned twice

The 2nd pic is 7 months pruned 3 times & shows the method we used to regrow new sapplings

The 3rd pic isthe same tree that we used to regrow at 10 months.

The 4th pisc is 6 & 1/2 months pruned once

the 5th one is 1 &1/2 months - started in a pot for 3 weeks.

Good soil mixed with Quai key is all no other fertalizer used

By the way Gungadin.Where did you get the bamboo from . Naam is looking for this variety & all I can come up with is the spindely thin stalk variety?

Edited September 18, 2008 by Beardog

[Beardog]

Beardog,

post a pic please?

Here is 5 shots of 4 trees. the others are still shoots that grow at an amazing clip.

The red berries I have heard on a previous post will eat up your paint on your cars trucks or bike if the birds eat the berries 7 crap on your ride.( but bird crap of any sort will eat up a paint job if not washed off immediately. My trees are away from my bike & it is under a roof so I do not have the problem. Besides we gobble up the fruit pretty quick as they are delicious before the birds get em. the ones on the perimeter they can have or the passeres by.

The area under the lawn is only slightly effected & I wouldn't consider it to be that big of a concern RY. It is minimal damage from the filtered light. They usually come from the mountains & sometimes around a lake or river as well.

the nurseries usually do not carry them although we were able to get 1 tree from a nursery. The first 3 (one died) we got from a man down the road for 100,200 &500 baht for the big one. Now all are big except the last pic. posted.

The second picture shows plastic around a branch. To grow from the tree bare back with a rock or blade the bark & rough up the wood 8" or so close to the base of the tree. If you use a heavy guage plastic(not the type in Photo- but like the thickness of a 12 pack of 1.25 liter coca cola plastic packing) all you do is wrap the bared wood with coconut husks & tie on with twine or not & wrap the plastic tight but allow water to be fed into the branch every day till you see lots of roots growing through the coco-husk 4-6 weeks & cut at the base close to the tree. Put in a pot for 2-3 weeks & you got instant Taw Kobe. Gotta be the easiest tree I have ever worked with. I have heard the trees last 5- 20+ years depending on the soil wind floods etc.

The nursery that we got the replacement for the one that died is probably 30 meters high- might be 25 m. & has been there for 40 years. The owner bought in 87 -so it is at least 21 years + as he said it was very large when he bought the property.

If you are anywhere around the Pattaya area I can turn you on to some starts & you can see the way they look.

The first pic is 7& 1/2 months pruned twice

The 2nd pic is 7 months pruned 3 times & shows the method we used to regrow new sapplings

The 3rd pic is the same tree that we used to regrow at 10 months.

The 4th pisc is 6 & 1/2 months pruned once

the 5th one is 1 &1/2 months - started in a pot for 3 weeks.

Good soil mixed with Quai key is all no other fertalizer used

By the way Gungadin.Where did you get the bamboo from . Naam is looking for this variety & all I can come up with is the spindely thin stalk variety?

This is the 3rd. pic 10 months old - pruned once. Internet funky.

Remember to get accelerated growth prune some of the branches when first planted.

This is the one we had 2 large plastic loungers under till I noticed the Chinese plastic was getting beaten by the sun! As you can tell once a week when you mow your lawn you need to rake leaves or mulch them in with the mower Gotta go .....the little woman just got 10 more banana plants to grow!

[GungaDin]

Great pix, Beardog, thank you.

Do you prune the lower branches to get clearance early on so that you can get a table underneath it with a couple of chairs and a beer or 3?

Muntingia calabura hmmm. http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/fruit%20pages/panama.htm

I might buy a couple and see if I can grow them in v. large pots.

cheers.

gd

Edited September 18, 2008 by GungaDin

[GungaDin]

Bamboo pics were culled from an Aussie seller's site.... v. expensive.

I suggest contacting the Royal Thai Forestry Dept for leads in Thailand.

I think, head office is near Chatuchack.

Just use the botanical names, they should help.

FWIW I recall seeing a lot of bamboo products on the bus route to Poipet, mostly ladders etc.

Edited September 18, 2008 by GungaDin

[Beardog]

Great pix, Beardog, thank you.

Do you prune the lower branches to get clearance early on so that you can get a table underneath it with a couple of chairs and a beer or 3?

Muntingia calabura hmmm. http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/fruit%20pages/panama.htm

I might buy a couple and see if I can grow them in v. large pots.

cheers.

gd

Yes we did the same method on the lower branches to get more trees as well. If you don't clear the lower branches they hang in your face. there are plenty of branches for shade. It also makes it hel_l tomow the lawn if you leave the low lying branches in the way.

Enjoy. Every 3 days you can feast on the berries for 3-4 days in between new berries. & they only need to be 1/2- 3/4 red to be sweet.

[jts-khorat]

Forget bamboo if you are planting in a garden for personal shade, when the leaves drop of older sticks, its an absolute mess, an difficult to clean off grass,

Whatever you decide to plant, dont forget that ALL fruit trees are prone to insects, red biting ants love tamarind,red berry,kanoon,mango, the list goes on!!!

Not really possible to buy ready grown banana plants here, as they grow so quick, we sell culms at between 6/9bht, 6bht culm will fruit in 6 months ata height of 2mtrs, 9bht culm will fruit in 9/10 months at a height of 3/4 mtrs, and all the time replacement culms will grow round the mother plant.

Hope this helps, Lickey.

oi, I forgot about biting ants, are repellants effective/inexpensive? my land will be surrounded by perimeter wall, so they'd have to go over that or under its foundation.

9 baht for a banana culm?! that's really cheap- is it in a pot with soil? i could cover my land with those for like 300 baht and 6 months apparently?

As I see you are in Ubon; no problem getting them from a local farmer who has too many of them or is clearing his plantation. Also bamboo cuttings are really easy to create, hack a piece off, cut off the leaves and put it into the ground, it should sprut within a few days/weeks.

One drawback: you have plants, so you will have (maybe lots of) ants. Ask Lickey, his banana/fruit plantation worked like the perfect ant magnet.

[jts-khorat]

Great pix, Beardog, thank you.

Do you prune the lower branches to get clearance early on so that you can get a table underneath it with a couple of chairs and a beer or 3?

Muntingia calabura hmmm. http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/fruit%20pages/panama.htm

I might buy a couple and see if I can grow them in v. large pots.

cheers.

gd

Yes we did the same method on the lower branches to get more trees as well. If you don't clear the lower branches they hang in your face. there are plenty of branches for shade. It also makes it hel_l tomow the lawn if you leave the low lying branches in the way.

Enjoy. Every 3 days you can feast on the berries for 3-4 days in between new berries. & they only need to be 1/2- 3/4 red to be sweet.

Lower branches can be pruned, no problem; Takob is one hardy tree and will survive even serious mis-handling! Not without reason they are seen as invasive weeds in many ecosystems in the region.

As growing it form seed did not work for me, I simply pulled out a 3m-high young one from a river bank; even though the roots left where less then half my arms length the tree pulled through without additional help and without much visible problems, eg it even kept most of its leaves before re-rooting. I do not know many other trees who would have handled such treatment without simply dieing off.

I am hoever surprised to hear that you could get cuttings to root; I have read that this is one thing this tree will not do, root easily from cuttings.

[Beardog]

Great pix, Beardog, thank you.

Do you prune the lower branches to get clearance early on so that you can get a table underneath it with a couple of chairs and a beer or 3?

Muntingia calabura hmmm. http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/fruit%20pages/panama.htm

I might buy a couple and see if I can grow them in v. large pots.

cheers.

gd

Yes we did the same method on the lower branches to get more trees as well. If you don't clear the lower branches they hang in your face. there are plenty of branches for shade. It also makes it hel_l tomow the lawn if you leave the low lying branches in the way.

Enjoy. Every 3 days you can feast on the berries for 3-4 days in between new berries. & they only need to be 1/2- 3/4 red to be sweet.

Lower branches can be pruned, no problem; Takob is one hardy tree and will survive even serious mis-handling! Not without reason they are seen as invasive weeds in many ecosystems in the region.

As growing it form seed did not work for me, I simply pulled out a 3m-high young one from a river bank; even though the roots left where less then half my arms length the tree pulled through without additional help and without much visible problems, eg it even kept most of its leaves before re-rooting. I do not know many other trees who would have handled such treatment without simply dieing off.

I am hoever surprised to hear that you could get cuttings to root; I have read that this is one thing this tree will not do, root easily from cuttings.

We got the idea from our local Pu ye ban's wife here. she was doing this growing method on a lot of different varieties.

I can't believe how easy it is to grow from this method. We also were able to use some of the shallow roots that sprung up new saplings & got them to grow as well. It seems the only 2 things that grow as well are Plumeria (frangapani) & weeds.

I wish the weeds were NOT the easiest to have around! maybe the right kind of weeds in northern California would be alright

Edited September 20, 2008 by Beardog

[aries27]

The Indian almond tree (terminalia catappa) is an umbrella like tree and grows easy in the tropics, like here in the PHlippines and should be the same in LOS, even in beaches. Should be the best choice.

[Beardog]

The Indian almond tree (terminalia catappa) is an umbrella like tree and grows easy in the tropics, like here in the PHlippines and should be the same in LOS, even in beaches. Should be the best choice.

Looks like a great shade tree. Do you think it would produce almonds in Thailand? how long does this tree take to grow into the size in the picture. I like it!

[GungaDin]

A bit more info http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/Nuts/Indian%20almond.htm

[Beardog]

A bit more info http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/Nuts/Indian%20almond.htm

Thanks GungadDin,

My girl says they have a tree or 2 that looks like that around the corner from where we are. Those will look real nice on the perimeter & one large one in the yard of the new house we are going to be building soon. Looks like a great place for a stone table & some lounge chairs.

Try posting the question about palms in this forum. I think the farming forum might yield some answers.