HAPPY TREE PLANTATION

 HAPPY TREE PLANTATION

 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

03/VI/2024

 

Summers in the Suncity are terrible. 50° C and rising is by no means comfortable for man or beast. The only way out to bring the mercury down is by planting more trees.

Our colony is green and has a good tree cover. Still, there are places where gaps exist. They need to be filled soon. Results may take years but nevertheless. We as a family have decided to provide free tree saplings to the residents of our colony. If they care for these plants for one ‘cycle of seasons’, our aim would be achieved.

We have felt the distinct difference of a few degrees in temperature when we enter our colony from outside. The drop is palpable. The reason is obvious, greenery and trees.

Moringa was our first choice. Though not very shady, but is loaded with medicinal values. Every household makes sambar and needs souring agents. There is nothing better than the pods, flowers, and leaves of this plant.

Having collected a few dry pods and shelled them, one collected about 60 odd seeds. Last year the success rate of their germination was 100%. The aim was to repeat it again. When I gave a call to distribute the saplings ‘free’ the response was overwhelming.

Having left the seeds to dry, I would look at the seeds every day, inspect them thoroughly to see if any of them are defective. Then check my bucket of manure. With everything available at hand still dilly-dally in sowing them.

Why? ‘Susti’ & too much of ‘paseena’ involved, ‘fatigue’, above all the ‘Mahurat’ was not right probably. With the ‘Nautapa’ bearing down on us heavily, in a hope to see a cooler morning, I was delaying it. But for how long.

Then as the saying goes, ‘kaal kare so aaj kar, aaj kare so ab……’, so the day of planting the seeds arrived finally. Dispelling all the ‘bahanas’, it was time to dig in.

I love dirtying my hands in mud. My wife was already brewing my morning cup of tea. Ideal to remove the lethargy, even in this hot weather. Ek cup garam chai…, that’s what is needed to kick start the day.

Morning walkers peeped in. “Arey Bhai saab, aap ne to kamaal kar diya”, said one lady. “Wow, new plantation” said another one. One uncle even offered to get his pedestal fan to save me from sweating. How nice and how concerned everybody was, gave me more josh!

This time we utilized empty coconut shells too. After having relished its contents, instead of throwing the shell into the bin, we decided to plant seeds in them instead.

The old mud resting in the nursery bags was churned and mixed with an equal amount of ‘home made’ leaf compost. The potting mix was ready. A hand shovel was all that was needed to fill the bags up.

Within half an hour the job was done. I had started sweating even before the sun came over the buildings across the street. It didn’t deter me from finishing what I started while sipping my piping hot cup of tea with mud smeared hands.

For the next two days, these freshly planted seeds would be left to adapt in this mud mixture. Thereafter, they shall be watered thoroughly. Hopefully within a week, we should see sprouts.

The beauty of this plant is that it needs very little water, minimal care, and hardly any manure. To protect the freshly germinating saplings, bags have been placed under the shade of the papaya trees. Hopefully, they shall be safe and well shaded from the piercing rays of the summer sun.

In a week's time we should see the signs of life in those Moringa seeds. Wish us luck. The least we can do for our planet earth.

There are pods of a different variety of tree that we shall germinate in the next batch. Can you guys guess what it would be? I wonder!!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND

© ® NOEL ELLIS