When to Plant Liquorice in Cairns, Tropical Guide
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Cairns), not a live sensor.
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 Liquorice 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
- Aug to Nov
- Days to harvest
- about 104 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 200 cm apart
- Soil pH
- 6.0–7.5
Liquorice is a hardy perennial herb to about 1.5m with fern-like leaves and small purple-blue flowers. Its sweet-tasting roots are harvested after 2 to 3 years, and the plant dies back in winter.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Tropical
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar -
- Apr -
- May -
- Jun -
- Jul -
- Aug S
- Sep S
- Oct T
- Nov T
- Dec -
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
One email a week with what is worth planting in the Tropical zone right now, Liquorice included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.
How to Grow Liquorice in Tropical Australia
- Soil
- Deep, loose, fertile sandy loam or alluvial soil free from rocks
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 6.0-7.5
- Sunlight
- Full sun, at least 6 hours of direct sun a day
- Spacing
- 200cm apart, 100cm between rows
- Good companions
- Comfrey, Lavender, Chamomile, Calendula
Tropical Growing Tips for Liquorice
Key Challenges
- Spider Mites: Sap sucking causes leaf discolouration and drop
- Common Garden Snail: Introduced snail with a tan spiral shell
- Slugs: Soft-bodied shell-less molluscs that feed at night on seedlings and leafy vegetables
- Snails and Slugs: Severe in winter on dormant crowns
Pro Tips
- Top-dress with organic compost or well-rotted manure in early spring; as a legume, it fixes its own nitrogen
- Apply a thick organic mulch layer around the base in spring and summer to conserve root moisture
- Cut dead top foliage back to ground level in late autumn after stems turn brown and die off
Pests and problems for Liquorice in Tropical
- Powdery Mildew Space plants for airflow and water at the base. Watch
- Common Garden Snail Common Garden Snail: Introduced snail with a tan spiral shell Watch
- Rust Water the base rather than the foliage. Watch
- Slugs Slugs: Soft-bodied shell-less molluscs that feed at night on seedlings and leafy vegetables Watch
- Spider Mites Spider Mites: Sap sucking causes leaf discolouration and drop Watch
Harvesting Liquorice
When ready: Harvest thick underground roots and rhizomes in autumn after plants are 3 to 4 years old and top growth dies down
How to harvest: Dig deeply around the crown using a garden fork to lift primary roots, leaving root fragments behind to regenerate
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 Liquorice
When do you plant liquorice in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Aug to Nov
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Aug to Nov
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Aug to Nov
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Aug to Nov
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Sep to Dec
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Aug to Oct
- Mediterranean (Perth): Aug to Nov
Can you grow liquorice all year round in Cairns?
No. In the Tropical zone the planting months are Aug to Nov. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Liquorice in Cairns?
Liquorice wants deep, sandy, well drained soil and a cooler dormant season, so grow it in a deep tub and treat it as a slow, modest crop in the tropics.
What soil temperature do Liquorice need?
Liquorice germinate best when soil temperature is between 20°C and 25°C.
How do I know when Liquorice are ready to harvest?
Harvest thick underground roots and rhizomes in autumn after plants are 3 to 4 years old and top growth dies down
What grows well with Liquorice?
Good companion plants for Liquorice include: Comfrey, Lavender, Chamomile, Calendula.
Are liquorice salt tolerant?
Only a little. Liquorice are moderately sensitive to salt, so the harvest drops on salty bore water. Mix salty water with rainwater, and mulch the bed.
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.