Reply to a query on Gmelina Arborea

Name of the plant - Gmelina arborea (Tamil : Kumil, Kumul)

Here is the query from Mr.Anonymous.

Respected Mr. Vishnu Sankar,

I'm Anonymous, totally new to the field of agriculture, having 21 acres land in AP which I found is suitable for growing most varieties of teak. But my constraint is that my waiting period is max. 8-10 years.I have adequate irrigation facilities. Could you be kind enough to pls guide which variety or approach is best suited for my needs? Could you also pls guide as to the number of trees possible per acre for the variety suited for my query?

I have read your messages regarding kumil, east indian rose wood etc. In response to your messages on kumil, 1 of the respondents "xxxxx farms" mentioned that his each 8 year old kumil or gummadi tree(gmelina arborea) was offered Rs. 8000/- per tree. Sir is that possible & true?

Sir, your guidance will be most precious & invaluable for me.
Kindly guide & oblige.
Regards,
Abhema
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My reply to our beloved anonymous tree grower:

Dear Sir,

You can select either Gmelina Arborea (kumil in Tamil, gummadi in Telugu) or Melia Dubia (Konda Vepa in Telugu, Malai Vembu in Tamil) for your conditions, since you want to wait for 10 years only.

Under well irrigated conditions a decent value of timber can be had from both the varieties on 10th year.

Out of 500 Kumil trees of 8 year old trees in our farm only about 100 attained 75cm girth, and only 10 attained above 90.

Spacing for both Kumil and Melia Dubia:

If planted in field bunds and borders: Min 2m to max 3m is enough.
For bulk planting: min spacing 3m x 3m to a max of 4m x 4m is needed.

Please bear in mind that climatic conditions of your area, your soil and water quality will determine the correct spacing.

So, analyze, plant and prosper.

Thanking u,

Vishnu Sankar