Jackfruit, likely native to tropical India, grows in humid tropical climates. Individual trees grow up to 70 feet tall with a large, spreading canopy. The fruits are large, growing up to 3 feet long, oblong and green with a pebbly exterior that covers the white fragrant flesh. Abundant seeds form in the centre of the fruit. Jackfruit can withstand temperatures as low as -2.78 degrees C when mature, but young saplings are likely to die if the temperature drops below 0 degrees C. Propagation from seed is the easiest and most common method of growing jackfruit trees.

Fill a bowl with lukewarm water. Place the jackfruit seeds into the water and leave them to soak for 24 hours prior to planting. Remove the seeds from the water and place them on a paper towel to dry.

  • Jackfruit, likely native to tropical India, grows in humid tropical climates.
  • Place the jackfruit seeds into the water and leave them to soak for 24 hours prior to planting.

Fill a 4- to 6-inch pot to 1/2 an inch below the lip of the pot with sterile seed starting mix. Use a pot that has drainage holes in the bottom. Make a 1-inch-deep hole in the centre of the pot using your index finger or a pencil.

Place one jackfruit seed into the hole and cover it with 1 inch of soil. Soak the pot with water until the soilless medium is thoroughly and evenly damp.

Place the seedling in an area that is between 24.4 and 30.0 degrees C. Germination takes three to eight weeks. Add water when the top of the planting medium feels dry to the touch. Soak the pot until the medium is evenly damp at each watering.

  • Fill a 4- to 6-inch pot to 1/2 an inch below the lip of the pot with sterile seed starting mix.
  • Soak the pot until the medium is evenly damp at each watering.

Transplant the seedling when it develops four leaves. Select a location that has deep, well-draining soil and that gets at least six hours of sun each day.

Dig a hole that is slightly larger than the pot in which your jackfruit seedling is growing. Slide the seedling out of the pot and place it into the planting hole. Pat down the soil to secure the young tree in the soil.

  • Transplant the seedling when it develops four leaves.
  • Pat down the soil to secure the young tree in the soil.

Soak the area until the soil is damp at least 8 inches down. Place a tomato cage or other protective structure over small trees to protect them from grazing animals or foot traffic.

TIP

Avoid using garden soil or standard potting soil to start seeds, the microbes in the soil are likely to cause the seed to rot before it germinates. Jackfruit trees develop deep tap roots early. Due to the tree's size and the long tap root, growing jackfruit inside is not recommended.