Amla Tree: How to Grow and Maintain, Tips

Amla, or Phyllanthus emblica, is frequently referred to as Indian gooseberry. Small, spherical, yellowish-green berries are found on amla trees. Because of the significant medicinal qualities of the berries, they are commonly employed in pharmaceutical compositions. The amla is referred to by various names in classical Ayurveda, including sour, nurse, immortality, and mother.

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Amla has five distinct flavours: pungent, acidic, sweet, bitter, and sour. In addition to this, it promotes greater physical and mental wellness. This is the basis for its “Divyaushadhi” designation as a divine remedy. In Sanskrit, amla is referred to as “Amalaki”, which translates to “nectar of life.”

Amla tree: Quick facts

Botanical name	Phyllanthus emblica
Kingdom	Plantae
Order	Malpighiales
Family	Phyllanthaceae
Genus	Phyllanthus
Varieties available	9 varieties
Also known as	Indian gooseberry, Embelic, Amlika, Aonla, etc.
Height	8 to 18 metres
Climate	Tropical environment
Sun exposure	Full sun
Ideal temperature	46 – 48 degrees Celsius
Soil type	Well-drained, loamy to light heavy soil
Soil pH	6.5 to 9.5

Amla tree: Physical description

The Amla tree is a small to medium-sized tree with spreading branches and a crooked trunk. The bark is greyish-green and peels off in flakes. The leaves are simple, subsessile, and tightly spaced along the branchlets, which are glabrous or finely glandular, 10–20 cm long, and typically deciduous. The leaves are pinnate-looking and light green.

Greenish-yellow, axillary fascicle-borne flowers give birth to globose fruit. The fruits have a depressed globose shape, are fleshy, obscurely six-lobed, and measure 1-2.5 cm in diameter. They have six trigonous seeds inside. When unripe, they are green; when grown, they are light yellow or brick red.

Where to plant amla tree in house?

Under Vastu, amla tree is believed to be fulfilling one’s desires. Thus, vastu recommends planting an amla tree in either the North or the East direction to maximise benefits from it. Also, recommended is worshipping the amla tree if you plant one in the garden as they denote prosperity and good luck.

How to grow amla plant at home?

You can grow amla plant at home by choosing a container which is both deep and wide so that the plant can grow well. Next, choose the spot where you can place it as it need good amount of sunlight for growth. Moisten the soil inside the pot and once the amla seeds germinate, place it inside the pot. Note that you may need to keep on changing pots to allow it to grow big. Remember that an amla plants starts giving fruits after 7-8 years of planting them.

Source: Pinterest

How to plant amla seeds?

In May and June, excavate 1 cubic metre pits spaced 4.5 m apart.
Leave exposed to sunlight for 15 to 20 days.
Before planting the grafted seedlings, each hole should be filled with surface soil blended with 15 kg of farmyard manure and 0.5 kg of phosphorus.

Irrigation

In the summer, young plants need to be watered at intervals of 15 days until they are well-established. In the summer, biweekly watering is recommended for plants that bear fruit. Following the monsoon, trees should receive roughly 25 to 30 litres of water per day by drip watering from October through December.

Harvesting and yield

After two years after planting, amla trees begin to give fruit.
The fruits are picked in February when they turn from bright green to a drab greenish-yellow colour.
Since the full fruits are firm and will not drop when lightly touched, vigorous shaking is necessary.
Long bamboo poles with hooks can also be used to pick fruit.
A mature tree that is 10 years old or older will produce 50–70 kg of fruit.
The fruit weighs 60–70 g on average, and 1 kg has roughly 15-20 fruits in it.
A properly cared for tree can produce for up to 70 years.

Amla tree: How to care for it?

Training and pruning

At the end of December, cut off any dead, diseased, or weak suckers, leaving only 4-5 well-shaped, wide-angle branches at the height of 0.75 m or less from the ground.

Mulching and Intercropping

At the base of the tree, up to 15-20 cm from the trunk, the crop should be mulched with paddy straw or wheat straw during the summer.
Green gram, black gram, cowpea, and horse gram are intercrops that can be produced for up to 8 years.

Disease and Pest

Major insect: Bark Eating Caterpillar (Inderbella tetronis)
Major disease: Rust (Ravenellia emblicae)

Control procedures

Endosulphon 0.05% or Monocrotophos 0.03% injected in holes and filled with dirt work well to protect trees against caterpillars that eat the bark.
Rust can be controlled by applying Indofil M-45 at 0.3% twice—once in early September and again 15 days later.

Amla tree: What are the benefits?

Source: Pinterest

Hypertension and diabetes: Amla has long been used as a natural therapy to manage or control diabetes. Stress-related disorders are the primary cause of diabetes. Vitamin C is abundant in amla. It is an effective antioxidant that will aid in counteracting the production of free radicals and the symptoms of oxidative stress. Regular intake of goods containing amla can lower your risk of developing diabetes. The fibres in amla can assist in absorbing extra sugar in the body to maintain normal blood sugar levels through a different process. Amla can thus aid in the proper treatment of diabetes if you include them in your diabetes diet plan.
Digestion: Amla berries have an adequate amount of soluble dietary fibre. The fibre plays a part in controlling bowel motions, which may aid with irritable bowel syndrome relief. Amla aids in a good number of important minerals being absorbed because of its greater vitamin C content. As a result, it works well with various health supplements.
Weight loss: A slow metabolism could be the cause of fat buildup. Unwanted fat might occur as a result of irregular eating patterns. Amla aids in the removal of toxins from the body and aids in preventing the production of fat. For weight loss, it is typically advised to consume raw amla, amla candies, and amla powder with lukewarm water.
Better eyesight: Vitamin A, which is known to improve eye health, is abundant in amla. Additionally, it can lower the risk of age-related macular degeneration and conjunctivitis.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Amla can aid in the body’s natural detoxification process during the menstrual cycle and helps to keep hormone levels balanced, both of which will increase a woman’s fertility.

Amla tree: Is it toxic?

Amla is not toxic, but excess amounts of it should not be consumed. The following are some precautions that should be taken when consuming amla:

Consuming amla products can raise the risk of bleeding for some allergic persons.
Amla should be consumed by diabetics with caution because it can significantly lower blood sugar levels when consumed.
A high dosage of amla juice may cause skin dryness.
Amla should not be consumed if you are coughing or have worsened Kapha issues.
Amla is not advised before, during, or following surgery since it may increase the risk of bleeding.

FAQs

When should amla be avoided?

If you have been diagnosed with low blood sugar levels, are breastfeeding, or are pregnant, you should not eat amla. Due to the potential for increased bleeding risk, amla is also not advised before, during, or after surgery.

Can people with heart conditions eat amla?

Amla's vitamin C content is excellent for the wellness of your heart. For patients who have high amounts of harmful cholesterol, eating amla can be beneficial.

Got any questions or point of view on our article? We would love to hear from you. Write to our Editor-in-Chief Jhumur Ghosh at [email protected]

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