Curry Leaf Tree Highlight - Growing in Zone 9B

Curry leaf tree (Murraya koenigii) is an absolute rockstar in the garden or food forest located in a subtropical climate like Phoenix, Arizona. Native to India, they can create microclimates for other plants and provide sun and cold protection once established. While this tree produces abundant aromatic leaves, it does not get the attention it should. In this video, I share how and why to grow this easy and amazing edible tree if you are in a 9B climate or warmer.

[@-ssch]

They smell amazing and we use daily… great health benefits their leaves are.. Eating few leaves on daily on empty stomach controls/delays the new growth or gray hair…

[@rajeshlparab]

From Sacramento, California. We also have 9B climate. After some deliberation, I planted the tree in the ground in early spring. Hoping for the best :)

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

Your tree should do great! You can always drape some frost fabric above it if needed but curry plants are quite hardy in our zone.

[@marisaphoenix1893]

Thank you for the inspiration 🙏🏼 I’m going to give it a go in zone 9B in Southern Australia.

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

You are welcome! If you can plant it in full sun near a block wall or put some retaining block near it, I think it will do well for you with the extra radiant heat.

[@marisaphoenix1893]

@@EnlightenmentGarden I don’t have walls, but sheltered positions behind other established trees might be worth trying 😊

[@GrowsTheCoastSD]

I'm so glad I came across your video. There's a nursery in Vista ,CA that sells curry trees and the berries are really good! I kept the seeds in the hot car too long and when I planted them they never grew. Ill have to go back and see if i can get a few more berries and plant the seeds fresh.

[@neurocognitive]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING NATASHA !!🦃

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

Happy Thanksgiving!

[@ranasammani7745]

Beautiful tree!!!! It is a really slow grower and I wish I purchased an older tree.

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

Thanks! I think it depends on the location. I've had really great results with growth near a block wall where it gets lots of heat. I've rarely seen large curry leaf trees for sale because they grow very slowly in containers. Once in the ground, they shot off with growth for me.

[@paulsmith1411]

Great to know, Will be looking for one of these

[@Im-just-Stardust]

Ohhh my god lol 9B. You are so lucky, I live in 3b and its frustrating sometimes

[@LG-gw6xw]

I’m very happy not to live in a 9B zone but I am envious of you having a Curry leaf tree. That would be fun to have. Have you ever used the leaves to infuse oil? I wonder if that would work?

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

You can grow Curry Leaf tree in a container if in a more marginal climate and keep it inside before frost comes. They'll stay small in container culture. I've never tried extracting the oils from the leaves but it's wonderful to cook to add some aromatic spice to dishes.

[@paulm965]

Takes the PHX summer in stride and won't collapse w/ light frost? Sold. Thanks for the review.

[@thegr8stm8]

Happy Thanksgiving 🍻

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

Happy Thanksgiving!

[@ElleV99]

Love the video! Is there such a thing as water-hogging trees that rob other vegetation of water, or do trees generally share water resources out here in desert climates? Hope this makes sense. Big thank you!

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

Glad you liked it! Any tree that gets huge like mulberry, sissoo, tipu, jamun, mesquite, and ficus will hog water and compete for resources with other plants in the same area and will win. Their roots travel 100s of feet once mature. That's why I decided to remove my mature mulberry trees (discussed in my 7-year tour video). Such trees are best planted far away from other vegetation. My experience is if interplanted with smaller plants, the smaller plants will struggle to grow /slowly die. The Curry Leaf tree does not have an invasive root structure and is well suited for a backyard garden.

[@edibletropicaltrees]

I'm growing some Curry trees from seeds, so mine are a lot smaller than your. Like they say, the best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago.

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

Very nice! In container culture, they barely grow but once I planted them in the ground, they really took off. Not sure if you have the space but would highly recommend planting at least one in the ground in spring.

[@edibletropicaltrees]

@@EnlightenmentGarden I'm actually on a stand size house lot, but still have some room to plant more trees. I also have a church a block away that says I can plant as many trees there as I want. I get half the fruit and the rest goes to food boxes twice a month. They have an acre irrigated lot I'm planting on.

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

@@edibletropicaltrees That's fantastic! Might be a nice addition in both locations especially if you enjoy cooking. Curry Leaf can really take severe pruning once established as well so you can keep it as small as desired. I've chopped it back as much as 90% in spring and it comes back stronger.

[@daveaz9962]

So I can keep this trained as a bush? Was thinking of planting a Curry in my front yard but don’t necessarily want another tree. My front yard gets hit by the western sun. I’m taking out a bougainvillea in my front yard and replacing it with a Barbados Cherry to also keep as a large bush. Trying to think of things that maybe an HOA might not mind. Any other ideas that might work?

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

Yes; those would be my top picks for an edible shrub/hedge that an HOA would not notice that thrives in the heat. Surinam cherry would also work but grows slowly in my experience.

[@daveaz9962]

@@EnlightenmentGarden Thanks again, Natasha.

[@micachi1693]

My curry leaf loses its leaves but comes back when it warms up

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

Thanks for sharing your experience. How low do your temperatures get where you are growing? Microclimate likely plays a role as mine are all planted near a wall where they get radiant heat during winter.

[@anon567]

We live in Sunnyvale, CA. I recently got a plant from an Indian store and it is doing good currently. It is November now, should I move the pot indoors? When should I plant it in ground? Should I wait for one more summer and winter to pass or should I plant in 2025 May?

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

Hi--I used to live in Mt. View before I moved to Arizona. I personally would let it get as much sun as possible outdoors and only bring it inside on nights when the lows get very cold like below 36. After your last frost is done, it would be a good time to plant in spring. You could plant now but would need to be prepared to cold protect it with frost cloth and possibly a heat source (if your area dips below 30 degrees). Hope that helps!

[@anon567]

@EnlightenmentGarden Thank you for responding. I certainly don't want to plant it now, but was wondering if I should wait until it outgrows the pot. Pot is around 10 gallons I think.

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

@@anon567 They grow faster once planted in the ground so I would go for planting in spring 2025. No need to wait for it to fully root a 10-gallon pot first

[@mihirmudholkar1908]

Hi Do you have baby plants or seeds that you can share? I am also in Phoenix metro :) will greatly appreciate it.

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

Sorry; I have no seeds or plants available but check in with Summerwinds Nursey and/or Villardi Gardens for starts later this year.