Happy hill rice in backyard

 Happy hill rice harvested from 1st crop was sown again in the backyard. Cleaned the area thoroughly to remove all the grass and spread some cowdung and sown the seeds and spread farm made compost and then spread the cut grass. One variety of grass which grows from each cut piece was removed from mulching. Sowing was completed on 24-Aug-2024.

30-Aug-2024

03-Sept-2024

removed some mulch since some cut grass started germinating from each piece

09-Sept-2024

applied bit of cowdung slurry and also home made compost

20-Sept-2024

applied some decomposed grass and cowdung slurry...also bit of ash

26-sept-2024.

had sown horse gram and fenugreek seeds for nitrogen fixing purpose, also applied little bit of cowdung

09-October-2024

23-Oct-24

Lots of rice ear bugs seen, so may loose lots of the crop to it. Finally lost everything to the rice ear bugs..no grain were formed, so cut and mulched it.

A second thought about cover crops

 Initially farm had just many types of weeds, later thought leguminous cover crop may be better and introduced pureria javanica. Now there is napier fodder grass which also produces enormous amount of grass mulch.

In natural way of farming book, under chapter Fruit Trees, Fukuoka San says, to establish while clover as cover crop. White clover remains hardy for 6-7 years or 10 years with good management and after that weeds reemerge, mainly climbing and vine weeds, bindweed, kudzu and sorrels. Those plants resistant to clover survive and re-establish themselves.

Thus after 10 years weeds takes over again and this is not a problem as long as weeds do not interfere with farming operation. According to Fukuoka San soil becomes unbalanced when clover is grown year after year on the same land, emergence and succession of different weeds is more natural and conducive to soil enrichment and development.

Fukuoka San also says he has no intention of insisting a cover of clover, a weed cover will probably do just as well. Only issue is that weed cover may become very thick and cutting is very hard and it may also interfere with farming i.e fruit picking and tending trees. If weeds take over again he suggest to sow clover again or sow vegetable seeds.

Basically it may be just enough to grow weeds without disturbing soil, basic idea is to grow as many plants as possible so that all the sunlight is harvested and put back to soil.

Orchard Management

 I have a variety of cover crops in the farm - fodder grass, mexican sunflower, pureria javanica and have been planting vetiver also in some areas. In rainy season, it grows very tall and blocks the view and also wild boar stay in it and it becomes dangerous to walk around. But in summer season a green cover is a must since there is four months of summer season without a single drop of rain and without irrigation coconut trees and mango trees gets affected.

Made a plan to cut the fodder grass and shrubs twice an year in the middle of rainy season, after the rain stops all cutting and cleaning is stopped. But this time, even though started cutting after the planting, cutting went on, so it looks like may be a single cutting and clearing is enough.

Earlier I used to cut the weeds and gather them at the base of the trees which is a difficult task, now decided that gathering them at the base does not really makes a difference. 

So as of now, orchard management involves cutting the cover once and leaving them as it is. 

Turmeric crop

 Last year, turmeric didn't do well, so didn't harvest it. This year it is growing quite well without doing any weeding or fertilizing, only that fodder grass is growing in that area and keep on doing mulching with cut grass.

Till the soil improve to a good level, it may be better to harvest it once in every two year. 

Jackfruit seedlings

 Farm has one jackfruit variety which is very tasty. I have been trying to propagate it multiple times, but none of them survived. I used to germinate them in May-June and plant the seedlings by July and they will be quite small by the time I plant them. This time wanted to grow them in nursery and then plant them after an year so that they will become reasonably big.

27-Aug-2024

02-Sept-2024

01-Dec-24

Dog friends on duty

There are few dogs in the neighborhood of farm and they visit whenever I go there. I give them biscuits and they enjoy it very much. Some times they follow me to farm which I like since there are wild boars, dogs can warn me and also protect me. But after some time, dog friends will just disappear since they have more interesting things to do.

Once my wife suggested me to give them biscuits not at home rather when they accompany you. I started doing that and dogs will just at the site where I work. I carry biscuits in my pocket and will give them in between. Some time I just move with 4 dogs around which makes me quite happy, they are happy too.

Black one is tomy, one facing forward is tobu and other one rosy.

This is rosy, Rocky and karuman (the youngest)

01-Dec-24

lost Karuman and Rossy to some unknown disease

Karuman...he was very friendly with me...he will be waiting me on the way, and later will run behind my car and will take a short cut and will be ahead of me on the road. When Tomy comes he scares Karuman, but he will come through some other way and will sit beside where I am working, miss you Karuman.

Rossy...She was bit tired after she gave birth to 4 puppies, but was a regular visitor when I come to farm. Miss you Rossy..

A mango variety found from a shop

 In 2024 mango season, V.K.Sreeraman a cine artist put a facebook post about variety of mangoes being sold  in a mango shop in Choondal,Kunnamkulam,Trichur. There were lots of different varieties mentioned which were not heard of. Myself and friend Anil wanted to visit and buy few of those varieties. Could not see all the varieties mentioned, most of them had been sold out, bought few kgs of priyoor, black andrews, chandrakkaran type and found another big mango, it was not having any name, bought 1 kg of that one also.

The new type without name was quite good mango with a basic taste of famous variety komanga. Its seed was polyembryonic hence put in grow bags,three germinated and multiple seedlings were separated and kept in grow bags for next season.

27-Aug-2024

02-Sept-2024

01-Dec-24