Rambutan (N18, Bud) Fruit Plant

Rambutan – the spiny fruit with a soft heart which can be grown as an ornamental tree in our garden.

Rambutan N 18

The most popular Indian variety, N 18 is highly adaptable and is far superior to the existing varieties. Large delicious fruits with an aril percentage of 44, rich crunchy luscious pulp, and sugar content of 20º Brix make N 18 unique among rambutan varieties. A high amount of carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, and anti-oxidants.

Rambutan fruits are highly nutritious, being rich in carbohydrates, vitamins, calcium, magnesium and potassium.

Rambutan grows well in a warm tropical climate. Lands prone to waterlogging are not good for growing Rambutan. Slightly sloped lands are ideal. Budding is the best method for producing high-quality Rambutan planting materials. Buddings produce fruits after 2 or 3 years with optimum production occurring after 6 or 8 years if managed well.

• The ideal spacing between two saplings is 40 ft, which can vary from place to place depending upon the weather condition.
• In one acre of land, up to 35 saplings could be planted.
• The pits (1m sq.) should be filled with topsoil mixed with 3 pots of well decomposed cow-dung manure or compost and 1 kg each of rock phosphate. Then place the plant with the bud union above the soil level.
• A handful of compost or dried cow-dung manure and rock phosphate mixed with soil should be sprinkled around the planting hole. Additional fertilizers can be given after 6 months, but only after the new flush of leaves are emerged and matured.
• Proper irrigation is essential during the dry season. Keep the orchard clean by periodic removal of weeds. Dried branches and water suckers should be removed regularly.

Planting & Care:
Choose a fertile growing medium, such as topsoil mixed with compost or manure. The added nutrients help speed up germination and seedling growth. Plant rambutan trees at least 33 feet apart & horizontally with the flat side facing down. This helps the plant grow straight and establish a strong root system. The roots spread considerably and need plenty of room to grow. If the trees are too close together, they may not produce a high yield of fruit. Keep the plant in a sunny location and never let the soil dry out. Germination takes nine to 25 days. When seedlings reach about 12 inches, they are ready to transplant to a yard or a greenhouse.  After a fruit harvest, apply 2.2 pounds of ammonium sulfate and 2.2 pounds of a 12-24-12 fertilizer per tree to the soil.

Climate & Soil:
Rambutan is adapted to a warm tropical climate. The tree grows well up to 700 meters above sea-level. It requires around 22–30°C temperatures for optimum growth. It is very sensitive to low temperature and the growth of the plant is severely affected at a temperature less than 100°C. The plant requires good rainfall of 200-500 cm well distributed throughout the year but a short spell of the day period is essential for the initiation of floral bud function. The heavy rainfall during the maturity period causes the cracking of fruits