kimbo.parker
24-03-2009, 12:48 PM
Sandalwood- Santalum spicatum. currently buying at $7,000 / ton
a ton - that is a 6x4 trailer load piled high, twigs, branches, roots, the lot.
This is the reason why you don't spot these babies in the landscape on your Sunday drives around the West Aussie wheat-belt. Not that your 'average' West Aussie would know what one looked like.
These things are easy to grow.
The seed is a nut like a macadamia. One gently cracks the nut in a vice (an audible crack), then keeps it moist in some potting mix. It can take some weeks to emerge but it will emerge -patience.
This bit is critical.......get it in the ground now. As soon as it emerges in the pot, plant it near its host (it is a parasite).
Gently!....do not break the very fragile tap root or 'it is all over red rover'.
People will tell you it is slow growing. That there is only a quid in it if you live for 200 years. Bullshit.
They grow fast. This is no carob or oak. My sandalwood keep pace with their hosts (pioneer species like acacias).
But there's more!
Sandalwood fruit in 4 years ( like many other fruit ). The fruit is quality human nutrition ( like many other fruit ).
The going rate is about $40 / kilo !!! ( like what other fruit? )
And the darling trees start at 2kg in first year of production...quickly settling in to 10 kg / annum. ($400/tree/annum!!!!)for over 150years!!)
Sure, the price will go down as players ramp up production - I'm seeing it locally - hundreds of hectares of Acacia acuminata (Jam Trees- lovely), the Sandalwood is planted as seed in the second year of the plantation...but
Remember that chinese economy,,,and what do chinese like,,,incense,,,lots of sandalwood for incense :wink:
Now I'm not the sort of bloke that plants trees for money, I'll plant them for every other reason....
but
Sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) is different. By just growing my Sandalwood I can do the 'drop out hippy thing' whilst keeping pace with the money power.
My kids (all Gen y suits) keep doing the 'trial balances' ,,,and sure enough the old man is keeping pace by doing jack,,,just planting his Sandalwood.
p.s. If your still with me this far into the post ...here is a titbit,,,there exists a devilish bit of mis-information being programmed to a naive public,,
that Santalum alba (the faster growing tropical sandalwood) is somehow the superior product viz. its oil content....total bullshit :finga:
It never was, never will be...it is just that the money power have their quid in 'shortcut sandalwood', plantation sandalwood Santalum alba.
Although not all plantation sandalwood is S.alba. this is the quicky that you know the money power would look to,,and you also know that it would not be beyond them and certainly it would be in their interest to start re-writing history,,(another false Zeitgeist? :lol: )
regards, Kimbo
a ton - that is a 6x4 trailer load piled high, twigs, branches, roots, the lot.
This is the reason why you don't spot these babies in the landscape on your Sunday drives around the West Aussie wheat-belt. Not that your 'average' West Aussie would know what one looked like.
These things are easy to grow.
The seed is a nut like a macadamia. One gently cracks the nut in a vice (an audible crack), then keeps it moist in some potting mix. It can take some weeks to emerge but it will emerge -patience.
This bit is critical.......get it in the ground now. As soon as it emerges in the pot, plant it near its host (it is a parasite).
Gently!....do not break the very fragile tap root or 'it is all over red rover'.
People will tell you it is slow growing. That there is only a quid in it if you live for 200 years. Bullshit.
They grow fast. This is no carob or oak. My sandalwood keep pace with their hosts (pioneer species like acacias).
But there's more!
Sandalwood fruit in 4 years ( like many other fruit ). The fruit is quality human nutrition ( like many other fruit ).
The going rate is about $40 / kilo !!! ( like what other fruit? )
And the darling trees start at 2kg in first year of production...quickly settling in to 10 kg / annum. ($400/tree/annum!!!!)for over 150years!!)
Sure, the price will go down as players ramp up production - I'm seeing it locally - hundreds of hectares of Acacia acuminata (Jam Trees- lovely), the Sandalwood is planted as seed in the second year of the plantation...but
Remember that chinese economy,,,and what do chinese like,,,incense,,,lots of sandalwood for incense :wink:
Now I'm not the sort of bloke that plants trees for money, I'll plant them for every other reason....
but
Sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) is different. By just growing my Sandalwood I can do the 'drop out hippy thing' whilst keeping pace with the money power.
My kids (all Gen y suits) keep doing the 'trial balances' ,,,and sure enough the old man is keeping pace by doing jack,,,just planting his Sandalwood.
p.s. If your still with me this far into the post ...here is a titbit,,,there exists a devilish bit of mis-information being programmed to a naive public,,
that Santalum alba (the faster growing tropical sandalwood) is somehow the superior product viz. its oil content....total bullshit :finga:
It never was, never will be...it is just that the money power have their quid in 'shortcut sandalwood', plantation sandalwood Santalum alba.
Although not all plantation sandalwood is S.alba. this is the quicky that you know the money power would look to,,and you also know that it would not be beyond them and certainly it would be in their interest to start re-writing history,,(another false Zeitgeist? :lol: )
regards, Kimbo