{"product_id":"inga-edulis","title":"Ice Cream Bean - Inga edulis","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrice includes everything:\u003c\/strong\u003e the plant, free delivery and professional installation by our planting team. One price, whole job done.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eIce Cream Bean - Inga edulis\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eInga edulis\u003c\/em\u003e is a fast growing tropical legume that produces long green pods filled with a sweet white pulp, hence the common name. Beyond the fruit, it is a genuinely useful landscape tree: it fixes nitrogen, throws a wide spreading canopy quickly, and drops leaf litter that builds soil beneath it. In Australia it is grown in the wet tropics and frost free subtropics, often as a nurse tree that shades and feeds slower growing fruit trees while they establish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eWhy Ice Cream Bean\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpeed\u003c\/strong\u003e: Few trees put on usable canopy as quickly, which makes it the standard choice for fast shade on a bare block.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNitrogen fixing\u003c\/strong\u003e: Root nodules add nitrogen to the soil, improving conditions for neighbouring plants over time.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEdible pods\u003c\/strong\u003e: Pods can reach a metre long, and the cottony white pulp around the seeds is sweet and eaten fresh.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePowderpuff flowers\u003c\/strong\u003e: Clusters of white filamentous flowers appear on the branches and attract bees heavily.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMulch producer\u003c\/strong\u003e: Regular prunings and leaf drop make it a productive source of on-site organic matter.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eIdeal Applications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFood forest canopy\u003c\/strong\u003e: It provides the fast upper layer that shelters bananas, coffee, cacao and young fruit trees.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShade over open ground\u003c\/strong\u003e: On acreage it converts an exposed paddock corner into usable shaded space within a few years.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil improvement planting\u003c\/strong\u003e: Used on degraded or depleted ground it lifts fertility while producing biomass.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWindbreak in the tropics\u003c\/strong\u003e: Planted in a row it filters wind, though it needs room because the limbs are brittle.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecimen \u0026amp; Installation\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (screening\/hedge):\u003c\/strong\u003e 4 to 5m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (feature\/avenue):\u003c\/strong\u003e 8 to 10m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest Planting Season:\u003c\/strong\u003e Start of the wet season in the tropics, spring in frost free subtropical gardens\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil \u0026amp; Drainage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Tolerant of a wide range including acidic and poor soils, provided drainage is reasonable. It handles heavy seasonal rain but not permanently saturated ground.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEstablishment Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Water two to three times a week through the first dry season, since fast top growth outpaces the young root system. Mulch widely, and plan for its brittle wood by siting it well clear of buildings, powerlines and parking, then shorten long limbs periodically to reduce storm damage.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003ePlant Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 8 to 12m in Australian cultivation, taller in equatorial conditions\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6 to 10m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fast\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Evergreen\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNative to:\u003c\/strong\u003e Tropical South America, mainly the Amazon basin\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower Colour:\u003c\/strong\u003e White, in powderpuff clusters\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nursery Direct","offers":[{"title":"45L","offer_id":59795288195358,"sku":"ND-0982-45L","price":800.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/2536\/8862\/files\/zG2bubXmel5UoxT2iKXyH_kCdCT9on.jpg?v=1787312752","url":"https:\/\/nurserydirect.com.au\/products\/inga-edulis","provider":"Nursery Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}