When to Plant Jackfruit in Cairns, Tropical Guide
What this month normally looks like in Tropical
In October the Tropical zone normally runs 34°C by day and 23°C overnight, with about 53 mm of rain over 5 or 6 wet days. Averages 1991 to 2026, 37 postcodes, SILO.
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This Jackfruit guide is written for the Tropical zone, which takes in Cairns, Townsville and Darwin. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Planting window
- Nov to Mar
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7.3
Jackfruit is a large evergreen tree of 9 to 12 m unpruned, or 2.4 to 4.3 m kept small (IFAS), for warm humid tropical and subtropical gardens, carrying the largest tree fruit of all, up to 30 kg (Daleys).
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Best Planting Window for Tropical
- Jan P
- Feb P
- Mar P
- Apr -
- May -
- Jun -
- Jul -
- Aug -
- Sep -
- Oct -
- Nov P
- Dec P
P = Planting window
Daleys lists jackfruit for the tropics; Black Gold crops February to May and elite seedlings June to August, with the main season in autumn and Cheena in summer. Flowering to maturity takes 150 to 180 days (IFAS). Planting months are our estimate: the start of the wet season. Keep it to a manageable height by pruning.
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How to Grow Jackfruit in Tropical Australia
- Soil
- Free draining neutral soil; tolerates moderately saline soil (Daleys). Dies after 2 to 3 days of waterlogging (IFAS).
- Salt
- Sensitive. Struggles with salty bore water or salty soil. Give it rainwater if you can.
- pH Range
- 5.5-7.3
- Sunlight
- Full sun (Daleys).
- Keep away from
- Buildings, pipes and septic within 6 to 9 m (IFAS), Low wet ground (IFAS)
Tropical Growing Tips for Jackfruit
Recommended Varieties
- Black Gold, about 6 to 10 kg fruit (Daleys; IFAS)
- Honey Gold, kept small by pruning (Daleys)
- Cheena, champedak hybrid, summer crop (Daleys)
- Golden Nugget (Daleys)
Key Challenges
- Rhizopus fruit rot in the wet
- Borers
- Size of the tree
Pro Tips
- Thin young trees to one fruit (IFAS)
- Prune to keep it under 4 m (IFAS)
Pests and problems for Jackfruit in Tropical
Harvesting Jackfruit
When ready: Skin turns from green to light green or yellowish brown, the spines flatten and spread, the fruit gives a hollow sound when tapped and a strong aroma starts (IFAS).
How to harvest: Cut the stalk with a saw or secateurs, wrap the cut in paper towel for the latex, and ripen 3 to 10 days at 24 to 27 degrees (IFAS). Oil hands and knife before cutting open (IFAS).
What members get
- Soil and weather from your nearest station
- An email when it's time to sow
- Your own garden plan, including planning from a photo
- Price history and price alerts
- Pest risk alerts for your area
- Full salt and canning detail
Common Questions About Jackfruit
When do you plant jackfruit in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Jan to Mar, Nov to Dec
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Jan to Feb, Sep to Dec
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Oct to Nov
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): not recommended
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): not recommended
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): not recommended
- Mediterranean (Perth): not recommended
When should I plant Jackfruit in Cairns?
Daleys lists jackfruit for the tropics; Black Gold crops February to May and elite seedlings June to August, with the main season in autumn and Cheena in summer. Flowering to maturity takes 150 to 180 days (IFAS). Planting months are our estimate: the start of the wet season. Keep it to a manageable height by pruning.
How do I know when Jackfruit are ready to harvest?
Skin turns from green to light green or yellowish brown, the spines flatten and spread, the fruit gives a hollow sound when tapped and a strong aroma starts (IFAS).
What are the best Jackfruit varieties for Cairns?
Recommended varieties for the Tropical zone include: Black Gold, about 6 to 10 kg fruit (Daleys; IFAS), Honey Gold, kept small by pruning (Daleys), Cheena, champedak hybrid, summer crop (Daleys), Golden Nugget (Daleys).
Are jackfruit salt tolerant?
No. Jackfruit are salt-sensitive, one of the more sensitive veggies. Use rainwater if your bore water is salty, or grow them in a raised bed of fresh mix if your soil is.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box near the top of the page and it tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Tropical zone, Cairns is its reference city.