Regain your paradise the Brand Organic way

With the Green Revolution and its positive contribution to the nation’s self sufficiency fast on the ebb, the 21st century India is in the need of another revolution in its farming sector. While a few argue that biotechnology is the panacea, a few others vociferously prescribe organic farming in the context of a second Green Revolution.

Whatever be the larger picture, it remains a fact that nothing works better than organic cultivation on the home front. After all, one would expect the fruits and vegetables from one’s backyard to be in their pristine form for consumption.

Organic cultivation basically has two branch-offs namely fertilizers and pesticides. While organic pesticides are available under different brand names in the market, manure is very simple to prepare within one’s own premises.
Nutrients

“Nutrients required by plants can be broadly divided as primary, secondary and micro nutrients. While chemical fertilisers boost the yield by supplying primary nutrients in excess, they ignore the proportionate demand for secondary and micro nutrients. As a result, plants absorb the latter totally from the soil, thereby draining it of its fertility. Organic manure, on the other hand, supplies all the nutrients in a perfect balance. It also improves the disease-resistance of the plant,” explains M. Ananth Reddy, chairman of Agri-Horticultural Society (Ph: 040-23299779).

A method almost synonymous with organic cultivation is vermi-composting.

“Vermi-composting as a method of organic farming is extremely beneficial to the plants. It binds the soil, supports the soil microbes, improves the water retention capacity, and aids the root penetration. Compared with the farmyard manure, it provides the plants with five times more nutrients. In addition, it aids growth by supplying plant hormones,” says M. Narayana Rao (Ph: 9440552660), a member of the Society.

Vermi-compost can be prepared by any plant lover irrespective of the space one is disposed with. One can also have the unit on the terrace if there is no availability of backyard. The process involves converting the decomposable organic waste into compost with assistance from earth worms. Temperatures between 15°C to 25°C and due protection from the sun and rain are the minimum requirements for a vermi-compost unit.
Worm contribution

Unlike the heaps composted for a farm, vermi-compost unit for a home garden requires a concrete ring, 1.5 feet in height. It should be filled with pre-composted manure (largely dung manure dried for six months; commercially available), kitchen waste, dry leaves and such decomposable waste. However, the waste should not contain non-vegetarian particles, pebbles, or glass shards. After filling the ring, a kilogram of earth worms should be introduced for every square foot of waste. Earth worms too are commercially available and can be obtained from the Society too.

Once the worms are added, the compost should not be disturbed for 60 days, except for the daily sprinkling of water. Excessive watering should be avoided while ensuring that the mixture is slightly moist all the time. However, watering should be stopped a day before the completion of the prescribed gestation period. The odourless, coffee-powder-like compost in the top portion should be made into a heap for easy collection while leaving the wet portion for the earth worms to thrive in. The powder, mixed with soil in equal portions will work wonders with the plants.

Where there is not sufficient space for the elaborate procedure, one can directly introduce earthworms into the potted soil. In preparation for this, one has to loosen the soil and add dung manure to it.
Vermi-wash

One more method recommended by Mr. Rao involves preparation of vermi-wash. Primary requirement for this would be an ordinary barrel fixed with a faucet in the bottom and provision to place a pot of water in the top portion.

“The barrel should be filled upto six inches with pebbles, and a further six inches with sand for easy drainage of water. A Netlon mesh should separate the sand from the organic waste in the topmost chamber. A kilogram of earthworms should be introduced to the compost with inflow of water only drop by drop from the pot above. The compost should be allowed to rot for two months,” explains Mr. Rao.

After two months, the faucet fixed to the barrel will yield vermi-wash as yellow, sparkling liquid, while the top portion can be used as compost as usual. One part of vermi-wash sprayed along with two parts of water will be more effective than the compost itself.

The process may be continuously repeated once in every 45 days thereof.

Other forms of organic manure include oil cakes, which may be applied like any other manure, and leaf mould that involves gathering of dried leaves and sprinkling them regularly with water. Traditional composting technique involves mixture of manure, dried leaves and waste that gets decomposed in a trench.