Stylosanthes Hamata sowing

 Stylosanthes Hamata is the new covercrop which I am trying. It is low height and grows nicely and is leguminous so should be enriching soil. I am just trying to study which is the best sowing period, if there is soil moisture it germinates well, but in high rain, I am not sure if it germinates and grows well. But it is drought tollerant, it survives summer well, it won't be seen in summer, but when it rains, it will just come back.

This year pre-monsoon rains were bad, and monsoon itself started on June 3rd early morning, till that it was sunny all the time.

With first rain, I sow some seeds, wanted to see, how they come up. But since it is rainly season, there will be frequent rains, whether they like it or not is we have to find out.

In all these places I have sown seeds, will have to find out if they come up.

Sowing seeds in Aswathy Njattuvela (Nature based agriculture calendar system)

Njattuvela is nature based agriculture calendar system used in Kerala. I think similar systems exists in other parts of India also. There are 27 such Njattuvelas,each spanning 13.5 days, in this calendar and in each what agriculture activities can be done is specified. 

There is a saying in Kerala that seeds sown in Aswathy Njattuvela which spans from April 13th to April 27th, never goes bad. So in ancient time, on Vishu festival day, which happens on April 14th or April 15th, people plough and sow rice seeds, typically of long duration crops. Normally we get some rains in this period and seeds sown germinates and grows. 

I had made seed balls of lady's finger seeds this time, and I was late to sow them, and did it in May first week. I made sure that it is scattered in places so there is good soil contact and also where there are good chances of water accumulation so seeds germinate and grow fast. I could see that some of the seeds had germinated and but later rain didn't come for 3-4 weeks and some of them just died.

At home where there was some lady's finger seeds which were lying in the ground from January onwards, had germinated and growing well. They came up at first rain and there were intermediate rains, and they grew through them. My seeds missed some of the initial rains, so could not manage.

So I think, if the seeds are put in Aswathy njattuvela, those seeds will receive first rains and then can grow well.