Tangents
The Planting <i>Season </i>
Taking home a mango sapling. Photo: Ihtisham Kabir
As planting season approaches, I worry about how things can go wrong. Being a novice tree planter, I learn from word of mouth. The optimal time for planting trees lasts barely over a month: the period between the first rain of the year in Boishakh and the onset of full monsoon in Ashar. If I plant too early, the soil is not ready to allow the roots to penetrate and get nourishment. If I wait until the rains are in full swing, then the saplings will not benefit much from this year's rains, since it takes time for the roots to take hold. The ideal planting time is the start of the rains. Projects involving nature are unforgiving. Mistakes made this year may not show up until five years hence when you wonder why your Chikrashi tree is growing so slow while the neighbour's one shot up. Nature's schedules tolerate no slip: if you miss the rains, then you must wait a full year. Why go through all this trouble? The reason is simple: trees enrich our lives in countless ways. Some are utilitarian: they provide food and fuel. But there are also reasons of the heart. Who has not been moved by a flaming red Krishnachura flower in midsummer, or the tender new leaves of a Debdaru rippling in spring's breeze? In practical terms, some trees will die every year in any given area, and so one must continue planting new ones just to maintain status quo. My first task is to decide on the trees. I am tempted by new varieties of fruit trees which bear fruit quickly. No worries about formalin or toxic chemicals when that mango your child is about to eat comes from your own tree. But wood trees, such as Mahogany, Acacia, or Teak can generate cash. Some varieties (eg, Acacia Mangium) shoot up quickly and can produce returns in seven years. But slow-growing Teak is worth much more if one can wait. Lombu shoots skyward quickly, taking little lateral space. Agar, used for making incense, can be lucrative. Since non-native varieties grow aggressively, native trees must be given special care and attention. In the end I decide on a mix of fruit, timber and native trees. The ground must be prepared in tandem. Contrary to my assumptions, it is not enough to dig a hole and plant the tree one fine morning. To ensure vigorous growth, the holes must be pre-fertilized. Decomposed cow-dung is the best for this purpose. To dry out waterlogged soil, drains must be dug well ahead of time. Finally, protection from wayward cows, in the form of cylindrical fences called Hupris, must be assembled. The moment draws near: soon I will scour the nurseries for the straightest, tallest saplings I can find. Planting is probably the easiest step in my tree's life. Protecting and nurturing it will take sustained work over many years. Now if I can only keep those stray cows away from them…
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