Saturday, February 18, 2012

How To Grow Indian Curry Leaf Trees In Perth, Western Australia


Curry leaf trees are available and grows very well in Perth, Western Australia. They are a fast-growing deciduous shrub or small tree with deep roots. Curry leaves are usually sold at vegetables area in Asian stores. Some Asian stores sell curry leaves plants. And many Indians and Asians in Perth grow curry leaves at home.

The curry leaf is an aromatic leaf used in Indian cooking. Curry leaf tree's scientific name is Murraya Koenigii. Curry leaves are used in almost all the dishes in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in India. In Tamil language it is pronounced 'kariveppilai' and in Malayalam as 'kariveppila'.

I have my own curry leaf tree which is around 3 metres in height and is planted on the ground. If you want to plant curry leaf tree and don't want it to grow so large, just plant it in a pot. They grow very well in Perth weather. My curry leaves remain green and full of leaves thoughout the year including during winter.

Below is the photo of my curry leaf tree in Perth. Look at the quality and density of the leaves. I told you that curry leaves grows well in Perth! If you are migrating to Perth from India or maybe Malaysia, I'm sure having a curry leaf tree will be good.

These are curry leaves from my tree

Curry leaf tree can be propagated in three ways; from seeds, from stem cuttings and from the shoots that grow from the network of roots. If you see a new tiny curry leaf tree sprouting out from the ground, let it grow and mature to dark green leaves instead of light green. When they have grown a little, they should have grown roots on their own. You can dig the new tree from the ground with soil intact so that the new root system is not damaged. Then plant it in a new pot and don't forget to water and keep the soil moist always. If you are planning to plant in the heat of summer, make sure the plant is placed in non-direct sunlight.

If you're planning to grow curry leaf tree from seed, this is how the curry leaf fruit looks like. My curry leaf tree produces fruits around 1cm in size.

These are fruits on my curry leaf tree, the dark ones are ripe

I'm sure that now you will want to plant curry leaf tree in your home garden in Perth. I am currently cultivating curry leaf trees to sell. Follow this blog RSS and you'll know when I have the plants in stock. Just add this blog URL address to your RSS reader.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Growing Tropical Plants in Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital city of Western Australia. The city is not as big or as populated as other bigger Australia cities like Sydney or Melbourne. But Perth is a wonderful and less hectic city to live in.

Perth is lucky to have a sub-tropical climate or Mediterranean climate. Due to this climate, a lot of tropical plants and trees are able to adapt and grow here successfully.

Perth is located along Swan River
Asians from various countries have brought in tropical vegetables, tropical herbs and tropical fruit trees when they came to settle in Australia. They brought these plants as they need them to cook food which are culturally specific to their home country. Over time, these tropical plants and trees became more widely accepted and used by Australians.

Bananas are a huge favorite in Australia. Bananas are usually grown commercially in the northern part of Australia. In Perth, it is also common to find bananas growing and fruiting in someones backyard.

Asians use a lot of curry leaves for flavoring in their cooking. Curry leaves have also made it's way to many households in Perth. They are commonly planted in pots and grows very well in Perth.

Generally, Australians are not very keen on very spicy food. But Asians in Perth love spicy food and they plant red chilies in their garden to add spiciness to their cooking.

If you love mangoes, they are grown in Australia as well. Mangoes are also grown commercially, so you will see a lot of Australian mangoes in supermarkets. You will also find that a number of people in Perth plant mango trees in their garden.

There are other common fruits in Asian like papaya, guava, jackfruit, wax jambu (jambu air), soursop, longan, mangosteen, sapodilla (chiku) and many more grown in Australia. You can also find many tropical Asian vegetables sold fresh in the markets. If all these plants and fruits can be grown commercially here, you should be able to grow them in your own garden in Perth, Western Australia too!