100 SEEDLINGS

 

Like every year, this year too I have taken upon myself to distribute 100 + tree saplings to all those folks who want to grow one plant in their lifetime. People show a lot of enthusiasm when I tell them that seedlings are available. People start calling to book them immediately. There could be no better way to celebrate “the world environment day.”

 

In the civilian world, punctuality has lost its significance. I give the distribution of saplings a fauji touch. People are given a one-hour slot, when one is generally in the garden. “You come late; the loss is yours” is my tag line. People understand, once a time has been given by Colonel Saab, he will stick to it. Still, a few pitch in a personal request with flimsy reasons like I am working, I am not well, I had to take my child to hospital etc. It is not in their DNA to be on time. I understand it and be flexible.

 

People don’t understand that to grow a seedling it takes so much effort. No one sees it. Very few appreciate it. If you tell them to pick one plant, they pick two. “Kahin ek mar gaya to”. One in reserve is always ideal, I tell them. I let them choose and take their pick.

 

Then we take a customary selfie so that it is on record that the plant has found a home. The irony is that when asked how is that plant doing after some time, it becomes a conversation of excuses again. “The horticulture people uprooted it. Some child kicked it away. Our neighbours replaced it with their tree” and so on. No one gives the correct feedback that they cared for the plant. Loss of a plant due to natural causes is acceptable. But ‘plant it and forget it’ and let a third person look after it, is how some people go about. “Lag gaya to theek, nahi to wah”

 

One of them even had the cheeks to tell me that I had given them an unhealthy plant. But I take it in its stride and remind them that you selected the plant. If I give100 plants away and even if 5 survive, I have done my bit.

 

Last few days, it was raining. The weather forecast for this week is a cloudy sky with intermittent rains. If these are pre-monsoon showers, then it is ideal time to plant seeds which would be ready by August to be transferred to the ground.

 

This year, I plan to grow seedlings from mango, jamun, cherry, litchi and drumstick seeds. These are seeds of the fruit we ate. How many will germinate? Time will tell. I have a task at hand and have done the preparations in real earnest.

 

First were the “nursery bags”. We have no dearth of them. Seasonal flowers come in them. We don’t throw them away in garbage as they can be recycled and reused. Dead plants are uprooted and put in the compost pit. The rest of the soil is good to go. A little ‘seasoning’ of home-made manure adds to the strength and quality of the soil. With almost four months of rest, the soil now has rejuvenated.

 

Second is compost. I maintain three compost containers. One is my old black box on the roof. The waste from all aquatic plants goes into it. Every four months that gets composted into ‘black gold’ which the plants love. All manuring of the rooftop plants is done by that compost.

 

The second compost pit is an open pit. All fallen leaves dead or green are collected in a corner and left to compost in their own time. The pile keeps reducing and it is ready for use as of now. Seeds would love it.

 

The third composting is done in an old ‘pitcher’, in which trimmings and cuttings of tender shoots are filled. Every day, a few trimmings are added. It’s covered with a lid with a sprinkling of soil over it. Slowly and steadily, it turns into compost. Friends, there is nothing complicated, just keep filling it up and leave it to nature to do what it does best.

 

Soil, manure, seed and compost are ready. It is time to get into action and sow the seeds. If it rains, the dry soil in the poly bags would soak water and loosen out to accept the seeds perfectly. A handful of manure would see the seed through its initial phase. Once handed over to a new home, they should be able to take care of it. This time again we shall hand over more than 100 seedlings.

 

Isn’t this a good way to give back to nature? I wonder!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND

© ® NOEL ELLIS