Ever wondered what it took to build those impressive teak park benches in Britain? Well, it all starts with growing a humble teak tree. The reason those benches survived through almost a century might be due to skillful craftsmanship or simply to superior-grade teak trees that matured beautifully.
So, how long does a teak tree take to grow?
Teak tree grows half an inch per day. But it takes decades for one mature tropical tree to be ready for harvest.
However, teak plantations don’t just wait for the trees to transform from a single seedling to a tall tree. And they don’t just grow everywhere. The cultivation techniques it entails are just as long and meticulous as the time it takes for one teak tree to grow and mature. It’s a very long journey.
Below, we will talk about all things teak: its origins, uses, and the years it takes to grow. We will also give you a general peek at the teak plantation process, from preparing the plot to selecting the seedlings to the harvest requirements of this amazing tree.
What Is Teak Tree?
Tall and deciduous, teak (Tectona grandis) is a tropical hardwood tree that belongs to the mint family, Lamiaceae. It’s native to south and southeast Asia, mainly Bangladesh, India, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, and Myanmar. It can grow up to 150 ft and live for 100 years.
The harvested hardwood from a teak tree typically has straight, closed grains. It has a golden brown hue that develops into a beautiful silver-gray patina or even darker.
Teak is one of the most expensive hardwoods on the market, but it can last for many decades.
Hardness
In the Janka Hardness Scale, teak wood is rated between 1,000 to 1,555 pounds. It’s tougher than mahogany, cheddar, chestnut, and white pine but softer than bamboo.
Durability
While teak isn’t at the highest end of the Janka Hardness scale, its durability lies in its water-resistant properties.
Teak contains natural oils and rubber that protect it from extreme weather conditions. This makes the wood suitable for use in boat decks and outdoor furniture pieces. It can withstand repeated exposure to elements without breaking.
Teak’s natural oils also work as a preservative. It protects the teak wood from pests like termites, and bugs, and even prevents mold and mildew growth. The wood’s inherent resilience eliminates the need for chemical treatments, making it an eco-friendly material.
Uses
Due to its durability and water-resistance properties, teak is used in various applications, including:
Furniture Pieces
Teak is exceptionally robust and solid wood. It can handle a lot of weight without breaking. Because of its protective natural oil content, it can survive through constant exposure to water damage and rotting.
The water-resistant properties of teak make it an excellent material for boat decks, outdoor shower flooring, shower benches, bath mats, and outdoor furniture pieces. Over time, teak develops a gorgeous natural silver patina that complements a range of home designs.
Flooring
When it comes to flooring, teak dominates a lot of high-end settings due to its exceptional durability and natural moisture and rot-resistant properties. It resists all elements, which makes them a great material for both indoor and outdoor use.
It’s also easy to install. The wood is cut into planks, sanded down, and then installed.
Kitchen Utensils
Teak has been a tried-and-tested material for kitchen utensils such as due to its hardness. It can defy splitting and cracking even when used for a long time.
The wood makes durable and pretty-looking cutting boards. Its natural oil has antimicrobial properties that keep germs and microbes from spreading. Plus, the hardness of the wood won’t dull your knife blades and it barely gets any scratches.
Cost
Teak is expensive. It’s considered a premium hardwood and because it’s hard to source, there is a high price markup when you buy them as furniture pieces or in slabs. The cheapest teak you can get are the engineered variants, but they are mixed with less solid exotic teak wood.
How Long Do Teak Trees Take To Grow?
Teak trees are often grown on commercial plantations. It is one of the faster-growing tropical hardwoods. Teak can grow half an inch per day, however, it takes 20 to 25 years to mature and be ready for harvest.
Requirements for Growing Teak Trees
From soil and climate considerations to sustainability practices, the cultivation of this tropical tree entails a thorough understanding of what it needs. Here are some considerations that tea tree plantations must consider:
Soil and Climatic Requirements
Good soil quality produces healthy, good-quality teak.
Teak trees thrive on well-drained alluvial soils. It should be a fertile soil that is rich in calcium, warm, and fairly moist with pH levels ranging from 6.5 to 7.5. Anything below those ranges will slow down growth. The soil type has to be of sandy texture.
When it comes to the climate, it should be warm, tropical, and moist with a 3 to 5-month dry season. And even as a tree, teak is tough and can withstand extreme weather conditions.
It demands a lot of sunlight for better growth and development. But it still needs some shade, with minimum and maximum temperatures between 63°F to 102°F. In the rainfall, it can grow between the altitude of around 1,200 to 2,500mm.
Land Preparation
Baby trees and grasses are removed from the plantation area. It requires regular weeding even after the teak seeds are planted. Weeding may be done three times within the first year, then twice the second, and once the third. This stage of planting teak is crucial because it sets the stage for the optimal growth of the teak trees.
Seed Selection
Teak nursery seedlings should be sourced from genetically superior plus trees. The careful selection of seeds helps with better yield.
For a better germination rate, the seeds need to be soaked for 12 hours and dry for another 12 hours. The germination usually takes 2 weeks.
Spacing and Layout
The ideal spacing in a teak plantation is 2 x 2 m. This can accommodate 2,500 teak plants per acre. The area must also be thoroughly plowed and dug 45 x 45 x 45 cm pits in the spacing. A mixture of soil and farm yard manure is then filled into the pits. Digging pits may be unnecessary for stump planting.
Plant Disease Control
Young teak is extremely vulnerable to pests and plant diseases. Teak defoliator (Hyblaea puera) and skeletonizer (Eutectona machaeralis) are major threats. They can infest your teak from nursery seedlings to grown-ups.
Regular pest monitoring in nurseries and young teak trees is a must. This is particularly crucial during the rainy seasons. One of the pest controls used in teak plantations to mitigate the problem is spraying chemicals such as monocrotophos or endosulfan 0.05-0.075%. Another formulation used is Neemazal 1%.
The chemicals are sprayed at 10 to 12-day intervals. To control the teak defoliator, a virus-based formulation or biocide is also used.
Apart from defoliator and skeletonizer, pink disease fungus can also cause bark flaking on teak trees. Olivea tectonae and Uncinula tectonae which cause a powdery mildew can affect the leaves.
Implementing appropriate plant disease control techniques can help prevent these pests and diseases from affecting the growth of teak trees. Teak wood plantation owners even invest money in forestry engineers to detect and treat teak plant diseases before they get worse.
Sustainability
Teak trees used to come from unethical sources. In Southeast Asia, some manufacturers still illegally cut such trees from the forests and then sell them for a fraction of the usual price. Fortunately, now, teak is considered a sustainable hardwood, although the chemicals used in pest and disease control still make it not all that green.
Some plantations continue to adopt agroforestry systems to promote biodiversity in teak wood plantations and to lessen their harmful impacts on the environment. Organic products made from fresh leaf extracts are used, including Azadirachta indica and Calotropis procera.
Harvesting Techniques
Harvesting involves selecting the best trees to cut. Once a teak tree matures, it needs to be marked and have a serial number. The report will then be sent to the regional forestry office, which conducts the sampling and grants the final harvest or thinning.
Yield
On average, a teak tree can produce 10 to 15 cu. ft of wood within 14 years, which is the first half year of the growing teak plants. The yield of matured teak still depends on the condition of the land, quality of irrigation, plantation management, and teak variety.
FAQs
Where Does Teak Grow Best?
Teak thrives best in a warm tropical climate with temperatures ranging from 63°F to 102°F and a rainfall of 1,200 to 2,500mm. They grow well in alluvial soils with high calcium and are warm and fairly moist with pH levels between 6.5 to 7.5.
What Is the Fastest Growing Teak Variety?
Jati Unggul Nusantara (JUN) is one of the fastest-growing varieties of teak trees grown in Indonesia. This teak variety is cultivated using an agroforestry system with seasonal or yearly crops. It was developed to yield in a span of only 5 years or once the diameter reaches 25 cm to 32 cm.
Key Takeaway
For teak trees to fully mature, it will take between 20 to 25 fruitful years. It’s been a very long time, but with the durability and inherent beauty it offers, many homeowners still prefer this wood as an investment for their home over other types of wood. It becomes an heirloom for generations to come.
We hope you’ve found this post helpful and if you have more questions about teak trees, let us know and we will be happy to help. Thanks for reading!
