KHUJLI IN MY HANDS

 

It has been a long time since I have had “Khujli in my Hands”. No, no, not what you are thinking. People will ask me if it is in the left hand or the right one. If it is the left you will receive money and vice versa if it is on the right hand. Right!

 

My itch is different and has got nothing to do with money. It has everything to do with gardening. Larger the number of flowers, the richer I feel. My happiness index depends on them.

 

Let me not beat around the bush and come to the itch. It has nothing to do with any disease or what vela people generally scratch. So here goes…...

 

It was in December that one of our adenium plants showed a seed pod. My excitement knew no bounds. Having researched about this plant called the “desert rose” extensively, one was convinced that this year there will be a new experiment. That is growing adeniums from seeds. A seedpod was the beginning of the process.

 

From about a centimeter when I had detected the seedpod, it grew five inches each side from the center into healthy cylindrical pods. It swelled and fluffed but did not split. It remained green for some time. In the end of March, just before the pods burst, I tied up the pod with rubber bands to hold the pod tight. This would prevent seeds from flying away. They grow fine silky hairlike fibers called “coma” to catch the wind.

 

Coma act like tiny parachutes to carry the seeds away with the wind. If they land at the right place they can grow on their own especially in the desert environment. Adenium needs minimal care and water for survival.

 

My research told me that one should not delay growing the seeds once they burst from the pods. Reasons are that they do not remain healthy when kept for a longer time. More the delay, lesser the percentage of the seeds sprouting. Besides, seedpods burst at the correct natural time. The plant knows when to release the seeds.

 

My preparations for sowing were already done. I had been collecting items with this process in mind. The first was “river sand”. Though desert sand is freely available, the prescribed growing medium for adenium seeds is river sand. This sand is coarse, rough, with small pebbles which help in aeration plus it does not hold water.

 

For that I had requested a neighbour to lend me some. A trolley load of river sand had been dumped at their place for home modification. Two sacks full was enough.

 

Next was a “shallow trough”. That was also readily available. We had made some salted meat for Christmas. The earthen vessel was an ideal container. The second requirement was also taken care of.

 

The bottom of this trough was without drainage holes. For that, I used my newly purchased hammer and a nail to make four holes. The drainage of the pot has to be top class. If it retains water, it means it would be the end of the experiment. A few taps and the nail went through. With so many broken pots readily available, covering them was not an issue.

 

For storing adenium seeds, I had kept empty fish food bottles. So, they were kept well preserved since the time the seeds were harvested. One would open the lid from time to time to let fresh passage of air and dryness.

 

Seedpods were pulled out of the bottle and laid out on the table. The ceiling fan had to be switched off for obvious reasons. Each seed was separated from its hairy growth at each end. Then the seeds were collected in a small bowl for sowing. They say, if the seeds are soaked overnight in water at room temperature, they germinate well. Done.

 

With the pot prepared and seeds soaked, half the task is done. Straight lines were drawn in the sand, not very deep. Seeds were placed at equal intervals. Shade in the garage would be the best place for them to start a new life; till they can be shifted to full sunlight. Remember, no manure to begin with.

 

The aim of this experiment is not only to grow adeniums from seeds, but to create enough root stock for the rosy variety of hybrid adeniums of assorted colours which are in our collection. They shall be grafted on them. For that, I will have to wait for at least a year till plants mature to take on grafting. By the way, one has already purchased a grafting knife, grafting tape and fungicide.

 

https://youtu.be/VV1Klr2x2p8

 

Will this itch help me increase my happiness index? I wonder!!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND

© ® NOEL ELLIS