Thiruvananthapuram: The World Environment Day on June 5, when the whole world starts greening with a vengeance, is round the corner. However, there are agriculture experts who say that it might not be the best day to plant trees in Kerala. This is the time when the southwest monsoon and, therefore, soil erosion are at the peak. Mr K.P. Illias, joint secretary of an organic farmers’ collective called Kerala Jaiva Karshaka Samithi, says that this is one of the reasons why most saplings planted on World Environment Day do not survive. Farmers following traditional practices decide which crop to plant based on an agricultural calendar which divides the year into ‘njattuvela.’
“June 5 falls at the trailing end of Rohini Njattuvela, regarded as the time when monsoon intensifies. During this time, traditional farmers would take measures to protect a crop that is already planted in April, a little before the summer showers. They might put leaf moulds to protect the plant from erosion. However, if you dig a pit to plant saplings on the day, those could get decayed as rainwater collects in those pits. Moreover, freshly dug loose soil gets eroded faster,” he says.
His suggestion is to plant it during ‘Thiruvathira Njattuvela’ which would start in the last week of June. Like how traditional farmers in Kerala base their planting calendar on ‘Njattuvela,’ biodynamic farming practised in Europe bases it on lunar calendar, according to Ms S. Usha, agriculture scientist. “The moon, tides and monsoon are interlinked. There is a scientific basis for this view,” she says.
In urban spaces where there is little to support the growth of a tree, sensitive handling is needed and it is best to avoid planting saplings during heavy rain, says environment educationist Anitha Sharma. If there is someone to ensure that the planted sapling is taken care of and no water is collected in the pit, there would not be a problem, Ms Usha adds. “This is not to discourage the greening initiatives. The saplings need to be taken care of after they are planted,” she says.
