Flood tolerance of Durian

[Gone tropo]

I know Durian are not tolerant of wet feet or areas where water lies.  My question is can during handle flooding for a short period 24-48hours? I have read that people in india plant them along river banks which surely must flood.  Im trying to work out where on my property i will plant durian and one of the places is along a steep section of river bank that will occasionally flood but never stays wet due to being steep.  Can anyone on this forum confirm the short term flood tolerance of Durian?

[850FL]

As long as the flooding water continues percolating I would say it’s fine with occasional wet feet for perhaps a week (if just the roots are submerged!). I wouldn’t risk more than a couple days in standing water or more submerged than just the roots.. especially if the water is dirty.. There’s other factors too like size/age of the tree and prior health..  I’ve had wild persimmons survive submerged up the trunk for several months in partially stagnant water.. however I do not specifically know about durian

[shot]

My small experience with them is they can take wet for 48 hours in sandy loam.I planted mine in more heavy lower soil on purpose.And they have done good for now.They hate drought!The tallest is just shy of 6 foot and has lost no leaves form winter(red prawn seedlings).
 One year we had 18 inch rain that gave their site the test it went very well.

[Gone tropo]

Ok so looks like they might be able to handle some short term flood water. Will try some along the creek and see how they go.

[jimreevescairns]

You will also have to consider cyclone resilience - they are not like jackfruit trees with deep strong root systems. Planting them in a spot where the ground gets really waterlogged around cyclone season would make them vulnerable to falling over I would have thought
Cheers Jim

[Gone tropo]

You will also have to consider cyclone resilience - they are not like jackfruit trees with deep strong root systems. Planting them in a spot where the ground gets really waterlogged around cyclone season would make them vulnerable to falling over I would have thought
Cheers Jim

thats a great point Jim, do you know if seedlings have a slightly better/stronger root system than grafted plants?  I was planning to try a few seedlings along the river bank and plant grafted ones in a more appropriate spot.

[shot]

Pruning and trellising of durians

https://www.yearofthedurian.com/2014/05/beating-cyclones-with-smart-technology.html

[850FL]

You will also have to consider cyclone resilience - they are not like jackfruit trees with deep strong root systems. Planting them in a spot where the ground gets really waterlogged around cyclone season would make them vulnerable to falling over I would have thought
Cheers Jim

thats a great point Jim, do you know if seedlings have a slightly better/stronger root system than grafted plants?  I was planning to try a few seedlings along the river bank and plant grafted ones in a more appropriate spot.

Unless you’re marcotting specific durian trees to use as clonal rootstocks for later grafting onto (lol, perhaps some actually go this route for durian), then your rootstock is going to be a seedling ANYWAY.
You’re asking for a comparison of two methods that are actually the same method (*in terms of roots not scion*), and that method happens to factor upon variable genetic traits which makes it hard to predict your question ANYWAY so your solution in my humble opinion would be to source durian seeds from established trees that reside within “areas of territory that receive the *most* rainfall”.. especially periodically-dense rainfall as opposed to spread out.. you will need an accurate climate map generalized around rainfall data in Southeast Asia good luck on your quest 👍

[jimreevescairns]

I wouldn’t overthink it - they are a significant long term investment which you don’t want to keel over 15 years in. If you have plenty of space that doesn’t get flooded then I would use that.

[Finca La Isla]

In Malaysia growers prefer to plant durian on a slope.  You don’t want durian to be in standing water at all.  The growers are very concerned about root fungus.  Another plus for the inclined planting area is that falling fruits can roll out of the impact area to a barrier where you collect the fruits.
In areas where wind is not a factor, not Queensland, nurserymen will often cut the tap root to promote more superficial rooting for more efficient feeding.
Peter