GROWING MANGO TREES

 

 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

 

05/VI/2025

 

Greetings to all my friends on “World Environment Day”. Since 2011, my family and I have planted at least one tree to give back to what the environment gives to us. Since the last four years in particular, our score has been about 100 plants which I grew from seeds and planted besides gifting plants to friends to grow.

 

This campaign is on. I shall do my bit year on year.

 

There could be no better time to get into action once again. So, we as a family got down to planting seeds of trees. Some we will distribute amongst environmental enthusiasts who go and plant these saplings in their homes or their place of work.

 

We encourage them and their children to do small projects at home. You need minimal items to start planting. A seed, a container, and some garden soil, that’s it. People think that growing plants is too complicated, which actually is otherwise.

 

For a container, it could be a discarded pot, a cut coke bottle, a plastic bag, a half a litre milk pouch or a discarded nursery bag. Innovation has no end. One has to ensure that they have drainage holes at the bottom. Fill it with soil, shove the seed inside, water it from time to time and see the results for yourselves. You will be surprised. Seeds are available all over, one just has to have an eye for them.

 

In case friends have a plot of land, then seeds can be directly sown into the soil. A little protection from pets and stray animals which eat plants has to be taken. Once they are stable, they will keep growing or transplanted.

 

Over the last few years, we keep most of the seeds of fruits we eat at home. Mango, Jamun, Peach, Apricot, Litchi, Drumstick, Cherry, Almond, Date Palm etc which have been successfully grown. The best results were Mango, Jamun and Drumsticks. Mangoes did well for a little while, but change of season took its toll.

 

After the fruit has been eaten, the seed with its stony cover needs to be washed and dried in shade. One can simply spread them over a piece of newspaper for a week. Then they would be ready to plant.

 

The success of germination is phenomenal. Care that one takes thereafter is the key to success.

 

Having been around the Blue city, we have a lot of mango trees growing and many of them have been seen laden with fruit. People would have got them from nurseries, but most of them are home grown and not “Kalmi” or grafted. Grafting can be done later, once the plant stabilises and grows well.

 

This year we decided to choose fewer seeds. Mango is one on which we are going to focus to start with. They are easy to grow. Just shove them in soil, water them regularly and forget about them. Wait for them to grow about two feet plus and they can be shifted. Soil in the bag should be kept intact before transferring them to the ground without disturbing the roots & soil sticking to the roots.

 

This year we have enjoyed good quality Langda and Dussehri mangoes. The “mahurat” to plant eight seeds could not be more auspicious than today. Actually, empty nursery bags were beckoning me to use them. I condescended to their request.

 

There have to be so many conditions to be fulfilled before a sapling would turn into a tree. It may take years to fruit. The tree, when it matures may not give fruit like the original one. However, our idea of tree plantation is to have shade, lots of greenery, it should attract birds and insects and above all be pleasing to the eyes and gels with the landscape.

 

Our attempts to grow mango have been in vain till now, due to the weather, water and sometimes people taking shortcuts have trampled them. Football enthusiasts have destroyed many, plus sometimes the horticulture people themselves chopped them off inadvertently.

 

Heat is an issue but then we shall plant them in this rainy season. Winters too are severe; we shall take better care this time. We are positive and succeed for sure.

 

In case they are not mature within these three months, we shall keep them in the nursery bags till the next season. By then they will be strong enough to take on the environment.

 

Wish us luck my friends. In about a month’s time, we should see fresh brown leaves emerging. It would be the happiest moment for us. A little effort, at no extra cost will go a long way to give back to the environment.

 

How did you plan to contribute to the environment my friends? I wonder!!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND

©® NOEL ELLIS