How to Choose a Good Durian Seedling in Indonesia
Let’s say you’ve been in Asia for a while, have tried different durian varieties, and know exactly which variety—or perhaps several—you want to have in your garden. For example, in Indonesia, the “Bawor” variety (also known as Monthong Banyumas—a short-leafed local variation of the popular Monthong) has proven itself well. Many gardeners note that it begins bearing fruit earlier than other durian varieties.
When buying a grafted durian seedling, you first need to decide how old a tree you are going to plant. Many people think that if they purchase 2-3-year-old seedlings, they’ll be able to harvest earlier accordingly. This is a common misconception. Our family also spent significant money at the beginning of our durian saga, buying 2-meters tall trees. Later on, we were buying only young trees that had just been grafted. Despite planting both the mature and young durians simultaneously, the first tree to bloom in our garden was the one from the small seedling.
The thing is, durian has a taproot system. А main root growing vertically, with lateral roots branching off from it. The better developed the main root, the sooner you’ll get fragrant spiky fruits.
In Indonesia, young seedlings are sold in polybags, while 2-3-year-old durian trees come in two types:
- Dug up from open ground (dongkelan)—you choose a durian at the nursery plantation, it’s dug up together with a soil clump, kept in quarantine for 1-2 weeks, then delivered to you.
- In 20-100 liter planterbags.
Dug-up durians lose up to 60% of their root system. This means it will take years for them to adapt to your garden. Large trees from bags have a different nuance: due to the narrow space of the planterbag, their roots grew crowded together, the main root curved and deformed. After planting in open ground, their roots begin to interfere with themselves as they grow. Therefore, such trees often die or develop very slowly and are more susceptible to diseases. Transporting these giants to your garden is also a special task.
Young 50-70 cm seedlings’ taproot is still straight. Because of this, after being planted in open ground, they adapt very quickly, catch up with, and even outpace their older siblings in a matter of several months. And even a child can handle planting these delicate baby durians! Moreover, in case of failure, losing a small tree is completely unnoticeable for the budget.
However, if you want large trees to appear in your garden right away, rather than thin little stalks, prefer those, who dug up from the ground. Despite the long adaptation period, their roots form correctly, and in 3-4 years, they’ll reward you with their fruits.
Let’s clarify separately about buying saplings in online stores. Theoretically, it’s possible to receive a good sapling if you see that the store specializes only in durians and ships goods in the original polybag without reducing the amount of soil (full media), having previously made a wooden crate. In most stores, however, you can get a wild ungrafted seedling rather than a varietal tree. Or sellers reduce the amount of soil when packaging, which damages the fragile roots of the durian.
To avoid wasting money, it’s better to visit an offline nursery and choose a tree you like. The best option is to purchase a certified seedling with a passport, but this is still rare in Indonesia.