Convinced at Last on Drip Irrigation

Subbu was "high" when I called him today.  He was so happy he did not want to talk to me further because his next best action was driving him mad.

He was thrilled that the drip irrigation pipes that he assembled worked very well.  No big deal for anyone who has heared the term drip irrigation in all magazines and advertisements. But is it another story when you actually "do it".

As mentioned earlier stories,  he had put the drip pipes around  the jasmine plants and other fence trees.  But due to lack of wind there was no water that was getting pumped by the windpump on to the overhead tank.  This tank would create required pressure to drive water to far off.

On laying the drip pipes,  we had taken a call that we will not take any professional help, but assemble ourselves.  We will also not go for any "filters and pumps" as in conventional system.  Ours will be simple low cost system where only pipes will be involved.  We would use gravity to drive water into pipes and leak out through rubber tubes where required.  Ofcourse we should maintain  the system "clean" to prevent clogging. That's all.

He said "Sir, actually this is the pipe I brought second time. The first time what I brought was not of good quality and it did not work. This is working well".  That is true, I had already advised him to buy sturdier 0/5 inch black rubber pipe instead of the widely commercialized flat drip tapes.  They will work only when you pump water with a force.  We donot have electricity or pump to drive the water.    Using a tank perched at 15 feet high, we  create enough gravitational force  to drive water to farthest corner of this 3 acre farm.

Anyway Kandan was very happy. He don't have to run around watering the stray plants manually.  In this hot summar it is very difficult to "carry" water on shoulders using plastic pots to water the stray plants.

Subbu is on his way to Tirunelveli to buy a bigger roll or pipes.

Farm Update 23-Mar-2015 - Looking back Same day Last year

Routine work is important for any farm.  Our activities should sync with the natural cycle of plants and the weather. I guess there was a disturbance in that.  Today I felt we have come back.  Spoke to Subbu and started from where we left.

a) Need to take delivery of the polybags from Tirunelveli.  In the past 4 days, due to improper coordination of courier, we have wasted time. The consignment could be tracked upto to Tirunelveli branch. But their number was wrong in the Net.  Many phone calls and found the correct number. They said they had returned the goods. Enroute, I stopped the consignment from passing Madurai. Then again checked Tnly after 4 days only to find they had not returned. Due to lethargy, they have said so.  Subbu will go take delivery of the polybags.  (Cost 2000/- already paid)

b) Brinjal seeds have come from Paramez alias Parameshwaran from Dindigal through courier. (Cost Rs. 50/- already paid).

c) With the above, hopefully we should start the nursary in the newly made green shade

d) Given up on obtaining stone pillar for the Shade Pandal.  I am going to go for iron pipes for support.  3 backside, 3 front side and two on the middle either side is required.  Minimum height will be 12 feet.  Only the poles in Iron. The side sticks will be still casurina. I hope this time the pandal for taking rest will come nicely.  I need to plan simple lighting over there (Solar lantern).

e) Planning to visit the farm next month on my annual visit to Native.

f) The first batch of bananas have come for frutition.  Still there is another 2 months to go.

g) Once again water has become scarce.  Wind is not there.  Water need to be borrowed.  There is forecast of rain only next week. This week will continue to be hot, dry.  It is really a challenge to grow in the hot weather.

Last year what where we doing ?  When I took my own post same day last year, I was surprised to find we have come a long way.  At that time, we had not even installed the wind pump.  There was scarcity of water and manual pumping was going ON.  Just comparing two photos side by side. These are taken approximately from the same spot.

Last Year March.  Still the handpump is seen.  Wind Tower foundation is being laid. Note the dry patch opposite.
It is full of weeds. Casurina is still baby in the fence.

This year, taken in January.  Wind-pump installed.  Notice banana trees in the background.
The compound is not visible  The small tank that served when we pumped water manually
is now looking dwarf. It is now used to mix panjagavya

h) Fishes are not having enough water. We need to borrow some water

g) Subbu will be testing the drop irrigation only today/tomorrow.  It is laid and kept ready. But there was no wind or he had no time. Now tank is filled and need to test. If this hypothesis works, it will be a savior.

Subbu selling his Paddy !

.So far the past few days, Subbu was the driver for his own vehicle, a lorry.  They are a joint family. His brother is actually a driver. But since he was ill, Subbu had assumed that role. It is paddy harvesting season. What did Subbu do.

The paddy (Ambai16) that is grown in his own farm as well as that of his neighbours had to be shuttled between Village to town Market.

He shuttles around 100 kottai paddy. Each kottai is equivalent of around 136 Kgs or approximately two gunny bags (sacs).

Each Kottai is purchased at Rs.1650/- by him and sold for Rs. 1750.  He spends around 20/- for uploading and measuring. Net profit is Rs.80/- per Kottai of paddy or Rs.0.60/- per kg.

Since he has done hauling of around 100 Kottai (13 tonnes), he has earned a gross 8000/- profit excluding his spend on diesel.  Not bad.

However he regretted that the farmers should have "held" the stock for some more time before selling. He predicted that the rate will go upto Rs. 2000/- per kottai in just another month or two.  But alas !, no one is waiting. They want to make quick money !.

Subbu is absconding !

Atleast that is what I thought till i reached him 3 days later. His phone was giving status as switched off along with his home number. Initially I thought he had gone out for work to save his paddy. Even two days later also there was no response. I asked another known friend to look out for him. He visited on foot after a day and said their house is locked. I became panic because I am aware there is a communal riot going on in those areas. Something ontoward happened ?!

Finally Subbu was found lock stock and barrel. He said he was always available it seems on an old number which I never tried. Since his touch phone was under repair, he had taken his wife phone and used an old SIM. The new SIM, his phone and that of his wife were kept off.

Whew ! that was a near miss.

Then why did'nt he call me either. That was another story.

Horray there is rain !

I was almost losing hope, how we will pass through this summar when already we were experiencing intense heat.  There was no water.  No wind.  Bright White Light.

Stop. Something was telling me.   Either my scientific brain, or plain common sense or experience.  I used to tell Subbu, when there is too much of heat, the air has to expand become lighter and vacate.  Therefore it should create low pressure. To fill this, cold air has to come from other directions, may be along with it rains.

I used to watch http://www.accuweather.com/en/in/tirunelveli/190785/march-weather/190785 for current weather. It used to say always hot sun. But towards week end (last week), there was a prediction of oncoming rains and thunder showers.  It came true !

Picture Shows Tirunelveli (adj to my farm) has sudden drop in temperature with rains

I tried to reach Subbu in vain. He was not picking the phone for 2 days.  Last I spoke to him was when he was pumping water from neighboring tank.  Later I learned that water has entered into his phone screen. The touch screen was not working. He had a good old Nokia. When did he move to smart phone?  He said he had purchased a Chinese touch screen for around Rs. 2000/-.   He could helplessly see the call coming... but...phone was not responding. I told him to "dry" the phone for two days.

What happened was there was heavy rains from Friday.  He went to save grains that were ready for harvesting. His entire family was working amidst thunder showers.  He said that the mission was successful and grains were saved.   They will be dried in the driers in the modern rice mill.

We are relieved. Subbu says there is enough and enough water.  thank God.
I can plan now my vegetables.

Climate and the Farm. Miscellaneous Topics

"Sir, the sun is so bright we have never seen this in the recent past.  Very hot Sun. I am just getting water from the neighboring well". In the background I could hear the motor and water sound. Subbu was bit worried about the stock of water. But he was satisfied that he had soaked the entire banana plantations with water to the effect there may not be any more requirement to irrigate them. They are already in fruiting stage.

"How many hours have we pumped water from neighborhood ?", I asked. I was worried on how much I need to plan for future to be self sustainable. He said "so far 7 hours in the past few days", that means we have filled mud pond (30x30x6),  the tank (25x10x6) and banana crops. A lot of water indeed.  They charge Rs. 100/- per hour of  water pumped.

What you set out to do may not be what you end up doing over the week is applicable not only to business but also the agriculture field.

So it is only the job of irrigating where all the time is spent now.  

1. The company who was supposed to send Polybags for nursery is nowhere in sight. Every time they say some excuse. Today they confirmed that they will dispatch. It costs Rs. 100/- per KG of polythene bags. I ordered 2 KG each of 4"x 5" and 6" x 7" size.  It was funny how to imagine the size of the bags would be based on the flat measurements of length and breath. For this I used excel sheet.  If 4" is the width of bag, 8" should be the circumference of the bag. Therefore using 8" circumference, the diameter should be 8"/3.14 = 2.54".  Using this, in excel you can define a circle with 2.5" length and 2.5 width. Once drawn on screen, you can satisfy if this size will do.  
2. Vettiver is not seen anywhere in sight. This was to be sent by a fellow farmer in Pollachi  The consignment sent by the vendor never reached. A drunken driver has lost it without watering it had dried enroute.  
3. The stone pillars for the shade house is still not having permission for transport.  
4. But the pursuit on drip irrigation is ON.  That is the only way forward for the water issues.

Boys always like to experiment.   But for this I need to keep inventing new projects. That is investment and not core business of growing plants. Nevertheless all round development and future proofing can happen only when you do all kinds of activities, not only growing crops.

Yesterday Subbu sounded joyful when he said he had purchased the first lot of 200 feet drip pipe and a host of connectors.   He was planning to first put this near the gate where few fruit trees and coconut plants are laid. This corner is farthest and tiresome to irrigate, so Kandan had suggested this place.

"Have you brought the instrument to puncture hole and tape to cover the hole if it is mistake?. have you brought connectors, joints and T junctions?"  The answer was affirmative from Subbu.

Subbu and Kandan fixing the drip pipes - their first experiment

The plastic tank kept above 15 feet from ground level having 1000 liter capacity that gets filled with wind energy should be able to create pressure using gravity to reach this spot which is around 75 feet away. The water will travel through an underground PVC pipe, emerge near the gate and connect with the drip lateral pipes. This will be Subbu's first experiment.  But for wind. There is no wind. Since yesterday the windmill is standstill.

A quick check at the climate and my own wisdom says that this Hot sunshine must end with a rain. The hot air should create low pressure which should bring thunder showers in few days from now.

Let's wait and see.......

Farm Update 05-Mar-2015

Nothing significant happened in past 1 week. Past two days Subbu was busy filling the rainwater mud pond (30 x 30 feet) with water from the neighbouring well.  He was using their electric motor which runs on Govt Subsidy. "Why waste kerosene sir ?"  What he is attempting to do is to fill our tank with atleast 4 feet of water sucked from the kind neighbour. Currently there is only one feet of muddy water. He is so obsessed about the fish that he will do anything to save them.

Though this appears as simple task of just connecting long pipes and pumping water, the degree of difficulty lies in coordinating with there is electricity. That is erratic in this area.  In Subbu's village there was no electricity for 3 days last week. Some wire has snapped and Electricity board was responding slowly.

Villagers got angry as all their work has come to halt including agriculture. That is when I felt, we have made  wise decision of going for Wind Power. My farm routine was as usual as we donot have electicity in the first place to worry about.

"So what did you feed the fishes ?" - me.
" Oil cakes, husk, cowdung...". I asked him to put some cut vegetables also. I read somewhere fishes do eat cut cabbages. He said he will bring chicken waste in a day or two.

The following would be the three tasks for this week ahead

a) Construction of Shade Roof for visitors using stone 6 pillars, 2 tall iron poles and thatched roof with dry woven coconut tree leafs.

b) Get the polythene bags (which i have ordered) to be filled with mud and keep it in the green shade. This is to prepare a small nursary to grow vegetable seeds.

c) Purchase pipes, connectors and drippers for making drip irrigation to the fence trees to begin with.  This would be most important job.

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