Showing posts with label grass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grass. Show all posts

Friday, 23 November 2018

Farm update 23-Nov-2018 - Mood of workers

I am not happy about the things going in the farm.

a) I sense a prolonged absence of Kandan (farmer) to the farm. Subbu also goes seldom there. It is reflected in their updates they give when talking. I asked for photos. With reluctance Subbu sent few. I explained him why it is important to work to keep ourselves in Job.   Subbu seems to be hard pressed for money. His family is expanding, so also his needs. Kandan has sowed rice in his own field taking advantage of recent rains. He is busy there.

b) Farm is getting enough rain. This is rainy season. Therefore there is no irrigation required for the trees. That is why it must be boring for the fellows and they are roaming around. But i wanted basic house keeping to be done atleast.  Which is cause of concern. But when you have less work in Corporate office, do you work more effeciently or less. I guess we also go out frequent smoking and donot attempt to do that little work. There is no motivation to do little work. It is the scene everywhere.

c) To engage Subbu and Kandan, the solution came from their mouth itself. Subbu said he is going to purchase Fish. I said Ok and sent 3 K.  Which is enough for 500 fishlings. Fish will keep these guys busy. They will make their presence daily - going by my past experience. They love fish.  Subbu went to far away place (near the hills and brought fish from vendor).  100 of the fish will be left in white cement tank as well.  That will ensure they maintain water in that tank too.

d) Subbu also wanted to buy some hen and chicks. That project is pending.

e) The windpump amplifier that I sent earlier by lorry has finally reached.  After diwali festival one lorry had picked this consignment. The transport company called me and gave coordinates of driver. Which I promptly passed on to Subbu. We both followed the driver. After few days, he went zig zac and finally delivered near the farm in a unmanned place.  Police caught and enquired what is this and why this is unloaded away from an address. Nothing wrong in police asking this.  Subbu "adjusted" him and brought the consignment to the farm. It is pending installation.

f) Meanwhile I have made an easy to understand video of installation with instructions and sent to Subbu. hopefully they must start the work anytime now.  They lack basic tools to even open the wooden box that I sent with tight nails.

https://youtu.be/6ABZAZybEmI

g) Farm needs maintenance. There is grass eveywhere. I had earlier asked 9 varieties of cereals to be sown at random so that it can be ploughed after it grows to add fiber to soil. Subbu said he has done, but could not see as grass is taller than this. Bad job.


Grass eveywhere due to rains and healthy climate.  This is good. Only in summer it will dry
and pose fire hazard.

Fishlings that Subbu had purchased.  500 of them. 

The pond.  I asked Vettiver (barely visible) photo. Since it is not grown properly he has sent this.

This is where Navadanya should have been sown. Must wait few more weeks.

My wife had asked subbu to plant these seeds at random everywhere. This is one of the long
pending and evading projects.

Rain water

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Moringa tree

This is the native palm tree siblings that are growing.

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Kandan standing. The background really looks great with thick vegetation

Fish being released into water

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At fish factory. Fish is packed in polythene bags with air pressure to sustain transport.




Wednesday, 1 January 2014

Farm Status and Micro Planning for a week ahead

Around 300 saplings of Casuarina (Savukku) is still in polythene bags.  Subbu said it has already grown upto a feet and the roots are piercing out of the bag.  No more can they be contained and they need to be rooted at once. Earlier this decision was stalled owing to the fact that watering the saplings after it is installed on the ground would be difficult manually for Kannan using hand pump. Now that the routine in the farm is settled, Kannan gained more confidence he can handle this.. But alas!

The ground is as strong as a rock. spade/hoe is not going in. Subbu is to call a JCB tomorrow (Rs. 650/- per hour and Rs. 300 bata for driver) and cut a narrow furrow next to the fence to put the saplings on the ground. I think a couple of hours of work is enough. I asked him to make further furrows on east fence also so that we buy more of the saplings and plant them. One more helping hand for pumping water and we will be comfortable.

Last month we found a good nursery to purchase plants. The village is called Parassala in Kerala near Kaliyakavilai.  That is close to my native at about 2 hours driving. I sent Subbu and party over there for a picnic to find whats up. They said it will take a full day to see the entire nursery. So many plants. Rates are not cheap, but quality and volume is assured. I will buy remaining set of plants that I missed last time. Some of them are very obvious and I wonder why I missed them. By the way am I going to make a botanical garden or a farm ?

Common NameTamil Name
TeakTeak
CoconutThennai
HibiscusSembaruthi
Spanish cherry Magizham
coral JasminePavazhamalli / Parijatam
Kattu Karuvepillai
BaelVilvam
PongamiaPungai
MahuaIllupai
Rain TreeToonguMoonji
Rose woodThodhagathi 
ArjunaNeer Marudhu
Portia Tree Poovarasu 
RudhrakshRudhraksham
pambu kala chediSarpagandha / Nava Konji
Singapore CherryThen Chittu
GalangalChittarattai 
Indian cork treeMara Malli
KaimNeer Kadambai
Hill MangoKiluvai
AnjanAachi, Malai Athi
Wild LimeKattu Kichili

With such a hard surface (which had been tilled 6 months back), I wonder how I will make the soil pliable and soft.  I guess the answer lies in putting more cow dung and adding organic humus.  They must act on the soil and increase moisture content.  Bringing foreign soil and mixing is costly. I donot want to do that.  Presently cow dung is available from nearby farm (a truck load 1200/-).  Hmm.. I must buy a bullock cart - long pending one. I had advertised in forums with no reply for past 7 months. I think I must buy a trailer with 4 tyres that can be pulled by one or two bullocks. I donot like two wheeled ones as they will stress the animal if too much load or too little is present. Perhaps two trailers are required to be purchased.  One can be used permanently for fetching cow dung from nearby cow sheds and another for other uses. Last time how did they load and unload cowdung. They used hands and hoe. I wouldn't appreciate that. I must buy gum boots, hoe and plastic trays for compartmentalizing cow dung loading and handling.  Need to study this logistics aspect to make this work more interesting.

Kannan has not yet prepared the Gana Jeevamruthuam that I prescribed to Subbu last week.  Atleast the raw cow dung is being applied.  At this stage concepts like Zero budget farming, Natural farming, Permaculture etc are far far away. I need to dilute them and create stories and deliver somehow. If only I had some volunteers who can visit the farm and impart these knowledge I will be grateful. I can pay some honorarium. Otherwise I will have to act fast and courier diagrams and CDs and keep following over phone.

But the grass growth is seen dense after tilling the land last time.  The grass should act as mulch and protect the soil hopefully until it is opened for use later for cultivation. I feel once the border plants grow with watering by Kannan, they must create a micro climate and preserve the moisture for long time in soil. When I was touring in North west India recently I saw that many of the fields got their water only from the frost or dew. The plants were as healthy as if they had been watered. I am talking about desert climate.

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