SOIL
Neem grows on most kinds of soils. It does well on black cotton soil and even on compact clays or
laterite crusts. It comes up in moderately saline and alkali soils. It thrives better than most other
species on dry, stony shallow soils where vegetation is scarce. Soils prone to inundation are not
conductive for its growth. It comes up on well-drained loams but is less successful on silty sands and
almost a failure on silty flats and in clayey depressions where soils aeration and percolation are
impeded. It has been known to come up even on the roofs of old and abandoned houses where it is
safe from animal damage. The growth of neem appears to be related closely to the amount to
available moisture in the soil. On well-drained soils most of the rainfall is absorbed and penetrates to
about 3-4 metres during wet season. These soils dry out relatively slowly during the long dry season
thus enabling longer proportion of the profile moisture to be available for prolonged periods. On the
slit and clay flats, little of rainfall is absorbed into the soil. These are often fairly dry in the subsoil
though saturated and marshy superficially. In theses areas evaporation loss between the rainfall
events is high. These therefore, rapidly bake dry after the rainy season so that very little moisture is
available to deep-rooted plants. Neem does best where drainage is good and the subsoil water level
is fairly high, but it can persist even under very adverse soil conditions.
Neem grows on most kinds of soils. It does well on black cotton soil and even on compact clays or
laterite crusts. It comes up in moderately saline and alkali soils. It thrives better than most other
species on dry, stony shallow soils where vegetation is scarce. Soils prone to inundation are not
conductive for its growth. It comes up on well-drained loams but is less successful on silty sands and
almost a failure on silty flats and in clayey depressions where soils aeration and percolation are
impeded. It has been known to come up even on the roofs of old and abandoned houses where it is
safe from animal damage. The growth of neem appears to be related closely to the amount to
available moisture in the soil. On well-drained soils most of the rainfall is absorbed and penetrates to
about 3-4 metres during wet season. These soils dry out relatively slowly during the long dry season
thus enabling longer proportion of the profile moisture to be available for prolonged periods. On the
slit and clay flats, little of rainfall is absorbed into the soil. These are often fairly dry in the subsoil
though saturated and marshy superficially. In theses areas evaporation loss between the rainfall
events is high. These therefore, rapidly bake dry after the rainy season so that very little moisture is
available to deep-rooted plants. Neem does best where drainage is good and the subsoil water level
is fairly high, but it can persist even under very adverse soil conditions.
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PHENOLOGY
Only in dry localities does the tree become almost leafless for a brief period; otherwise it remains
evergreen, the new leaves appearing in March-April, before all the old ones are shed. It is in full
foliage branches & leaves of tree/plants in summer when most other trees are leafless. The panicles
of small, honey-scented flowers appear from March to May and the fruits ripen from June to August.
Only in dry localities does the tree become almost leafless for a brief period; otherwise it remains
evergreen, the new leaves appearing in March-April, before all the old ones are shed. It is in full
foliage branches & leaves of tree/plants in summer when most other trees are leafless. The panicles
of small, honey-scented flowers appear from March to May and the fruits ripen from June to August.