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Amla is full of medicinal properties. Its taste is sour and slightly sweet. Many types of dishes and chutneys are made from it. Vitamin C is found in abundance in it. It is low in calories and contains nutrients like carbs, fiber, copper, manganese, potassium, vitamin B5 and 6. Therefore it is very beneficial for health. It is also used to make hair strong and skin glowing. Many people like to drink its juice on an empty stomach in the morning. But instead of buying Amla from the market, you can grow it naturally at home.

If you also use Amla in the kitchen or for skin and hair care, then you can grow it in a pot on the terrace or in the courtyard. It requires more space. It is very easy to grow, but it takes time. Let us know how to plant Amla in a pot and its care tips.

growing gooseberry plant from seed

To grow Amla from seeds, extract fresh seeds from large and ripe Amla. To soften the seeds, soak them in water for 24 hours or dry them in the sun. Now break it and take out the seeds from inside. Now take both vermicompost and cocopeat in equal quantity and mix it and moisten it lightly. Take a pot with drainage hole and fill it with soil mixer. Plant the seeds about 1 cm deep. Now add water to it. It is important to maintain moisture in it until germination occurs. Keep it in a semi shade area i.e. a place where the plant gets both sunlight and shade. Some seeds will germinate in 25 to 30 days. Compared to other plants, Amla seeds take more time to germinate.

Amla plant needs such a soil in which water does not stagnate for long and the soil should be rich in nutrients. For this, take equal quantity of garden soil, vermicompost or cow dung manure and sand. Also add a handful of Neemkhali powder to it, it will work as a natural anti-fungal. Fill this mixture in an 8 inch pot. Remove the seedlings carefully with the help of a fork so that the roots are not damaged. Plant it in a pot. Water well and keep it at a place where the plant gets 3 to 4 hours of morning sunlight. Water only when the top soil feels dry to the touch. Excessive watering can cause the plant to rot.

After 2 months the plant will start growing. After a month, keep the plant at a place where it can get sunlight throughout the day. Because Amla plant needs sunlight for proper growth. It may take more than a year for it to grow properly. If this plant grown from seeds is grown in the ground, it will yield fruits after 7 to 8 years. Leg plant in pot does not bear fruits, but if grafting or air layering technique is used, then Amla can start appearing in it within 2 to 3 years.

grafting technique

The months of August to November are best for grafting on a one year old plant. This is a technique in which the rootstock of a plant grown from seed is cut from the middle and the scion of a large fruit-bearing tree is attached to it. If there is any Amla tree near your house, then you can take its cutting. Now cut 2 to 3 inches above the rootstock. Use clean cutters. Now take a 4 to 5 inch piece of branch and remove the leaves from it. Cut the scion diagonally from front to back so that it fits snugly into the cut of the rootstock. Stick the cutting into the rootstock and tie it tightly with grafting tape or cellotape so that it becomes waterproof.

Now cover it with transparent polythene and tie it loosely. Keep it in a semi-shaded place. Water it only when the top soil looks dry. New branches and leaves will appear in a few days or months. Keep it at such a place that it gets 2 to 3 hours of sunlight in the morning. Because its leaves are delicate, it should not be kept in strong sunlight. After flowering, the plant should be fertilized by giving organic compost. After flowering, water should be given less. After a few months of flowering, gooseberries will start appearing in it.

air layering

When the plant starts growing a lot of Amla, you can make a new plant by air layering. For this, February to March and June to September are suitable. For this, make two round cuts at a distance of half an inch on the branch with the blade. Remove the middle skin. Scrape off a white layer of branch and peel it a little. Take onion juice and apply it on the cut. You can also use rooting hormone powder, aloe vera gel or turmeric. Mix 50% vermicompost and 50% normal soil and moisten it thoroughly. Apply this wet soil tightly on the cut area and cover it with polythene and tie it tightly from both the sides.

Keep it in shade after air layering. It may take four to five weeks or more for roots to appear. It may take 4 to 5 weeks or more for rooting to occur. In this, roots will become visible inside the polythene. Now cut it with a sharp cutter. Remove the polythene and plant the new plant in a small pot filled with a mixture of 50% soil and 50% sand. Cut the leaves of the plant in half so that it needs less nutrients. Water it well. Till new growth occurs, keep it in a place where the plant can get both sunlight and shade. Now it can start bearing fruits in 2 to 3 years.