Curry Leaves form an essential ingredient of South Indian Cuisine. It is also used in Srilankan dishes. The leaves are used for seasoning and flavoring dishes and curries. The leaves are valued for its medicinal uses. It can reduce the “bad” Cholesterol in your body, regulated blood pressure and is an excellent anti-diabetic. Curry Leaves are really expensive in the US where you will find it at Indian Grocery Stores. This year, I started growing Curry Leaves on my Patio and it is the wisest gardening decision I have made.
Stem Cuttings and Root Suckers are used for propagating the plant though you can also plant the seeds or the whole fresh fruit. Some Indian Grocery Stores sell Curry Leaves Plant for around $15 per plant. It is ridiculously expensive! Try getting a plant from a friend or relative and you can grow it in a container.
One of my relatives gave me a small Curry Leaves Plant which we planted in a 12″ Container. The whole winter we kept the container inside our house near a window and watered it sparingly (once in a week). By Spring, new leaves started coming out on the plant and by the end of April, we moved it onto our Patio. Curry Leaf Plants thrive in hot weather. Unlike other plants, it doesn’t require frequent watering. You can water it every other day. During the whole summer, our plant grew significantly and produced new branches and lot of leaves. We started using the leaves in our daily cooking. New plants/root suckers (formed on the root) started showing up in the container. You need to carefully transfer these new root suckers to different containers so that they grow well. If they stand in the same container, they may not get enough sun light. I gave a few of these propagated plants(root suckers) to my friends and they are now thriving in containers.
Tips for Growing Curry Leaves in Containers
- Use a container which is atleast 10-12″ in diameter so that the roots can grow deep.
- Do not allow the soil to be waterlogged or else the plant will die of root decay.
- Water the plant every other day in summer. Ensure that the plant receives adequate sunlight.
- Once the plant produce leaves which are mature, trim the plant regularly so that new branches can grow.
- Carefully transfer all new root suckers (plants which sprout from the roots) to different containers.
- In winter, transfer the pot to a warm frost-free place inside your house.
- If you wish, you may remove the leaves before moving the plant indoors. Any leaves remaining on the plant may fall in winter.
- The plants may become dormant in winter and will not produce any new leaves.
- Water sparingly in winter (once a week) and ensure that the container is kept in a warm place inside your house.