Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique by Pritham 'Metal Farmer' D'Souza

Bhindi or bende kai or okra Ladies finger(Abelmoschus esculentus) is a popular summer vegetable grown extensively along the coast of Mangalore.
The tender fruits have rich iodine content which is used in the treatment of goitre , while the leaves are used for treatment of dysentery and inflammation.
The dry seeds have rich edible oil content of up to 20 % and protein up to 25%

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

CLIMATE AND SOIL

• Okra requires hot and humid climate and is very effective within the range of 25 to 30 degrees centigrade
• higher temperatures will result in dessication of flowers and hence lower yields
• for the seed to germinate, the min soil temp should be within the range of 25 to 35 degrees
• well drained soils, loose and friable soils with rich organic content is best
  

LAND PREPARATION

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

The land selected for okra cultivation should be free from previous plant debris and residue

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

The previous ridges and furrows must be leveled and land made flat

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

rocks, plant residue, clods and other unwanted materials must be removed

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

pits with 1 feet depth and 2 feet width must be dug as shown

• The above pics shows the selection of land and the initial steps taken to prepare for sowing
• The older rows and furrows from the previous crop must be completely leveled and made flat
• stones, sticks, twigs, clods and plant residue must be removed from the soil
• the soil needs to be pulverized, moistened and enriched with decomposed organic manure or farm yard manure before sowing the seeds

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

Distance between pits is maintained as Okra shows vigorous vegetative growth. plant density and spacing can also be maintained

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

adding 1 bucket of decomposed farm yard manure per pit is recommended

PIT MAKING AND SOWING

• pits which are 2 feet wide and 1 feet deep should be dug as seen in the images above and distance between the pits also has to be maintained
• at least 4 to 5 seeds must be hand dibbled in the soil in every pit. once germination takes place, only 2 or 3 seeds retained per pit. the germinated seedlings can be thinned out and later transplanted in pits where germination is less
• 2 or 3 days before sowing the seeds, 5 to 10 kg(approx) Organic manure should be added to enrich the soil.
• The seeds can be soaked in curds/milk over night to soften the hard seed coat a day before sowing operations
• light irrigation must be given immediately after sowing the seeds and care should be taken to see the seed is not dislodged from its place.
• The most viable seeds take up to 5 days to germinate.

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

View of plot after germination

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

Complete view of plot

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

When plant attains 4 leaf stage, 2 buckets of decomposed farm yard manure is again added to each pit

IRRIGATION AND MANURING

• Light irrigation is given immediately after sowing in soil
• watering needs to be done everyday till the plant attains 4 leaf stage
  
• once the plant establishes itself properly in the pit, the frequency of irrigation can be reduced from thrice weekly to twice weekly.
• its advised to give the plant NKP or nutrients in 3 split doses, one at the time of sowing, the second during the growth vegetative phase and the final at the time of flowering
• Spraying with organic inputs like algae solutions and bacterial gels at least once weekly will take care of its micro and trace nutrient requirements

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

A close up of the growing Okra plant

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

Growth visible after a few days

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

In pits which do not have germination, plants need to be transplanted and shade provided

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

View of the same plot after 10 days

OTHER INTERCULTURE OPERATIONS

• Weeds are a menace to the main crop and need to be removed at every stage of plant development.
• at the time of manuring, the plant needs support at the base of the stem and earthing up operations are done.
• inter culture operations will also help in aerating the soils
• Spraying the crop with female flower inducing hormones or sprays can be done at least 10 days before flower bud formation
• All spraying operations should be done in the mornings, when the temperature is not too high and similarly at evenings after 4 pm when the light intensity is not high.

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

Flowering seen after 45 days

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

Lush green growth of Okra

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

The broad leaves of Okra act as shade retaining the soil moisture

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

Distance between pits maintained such that leaves do not overlap

HARVESTING AND AFTERCARE

• the first flowers are seen after 45 to 55 days from the date of sowing
• harvesting the tender fruits must be done preferably early mornings or late evenings
  
• a glove or piece of cloth must be used to protect against the prickly leaves and stem of the plant which can cause irritation and even rash to some people
• the plant will continue to yield for another 50 days
• once the plant has reached a maximum height, lateral branches start to sprout giving it a total bushy appearance, at this stage, pruning the top can be done, even though its not recommended as it is cumbersome

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

Fruiting in Okra

From Growing Ladies Finger Bhindi in pit system summer cultivation technique

Ready to Harvest

OBSERVATIONS

• since okra has a tap root system and not fibrous root system, i decided to experiment with pit method rather than the traditional ridge and furrow method.
• there was all around progress in almost every department from weeding to irrigation
• plant population and density was maintained
• no wastage of irrigation water as each pit required the same amount of water
• even manure application for every pit was the same
  
• keeping distance between pits helped greatly in harvesting, as the plants got maximum space and no over lapping of leaves was seen.
  

View slide show presentation here



All data and images by Pritham Denzil D'Souza

Growing Radish without Soil using Simplified Hydroponics in Mangalore

Growing Radish without Soil using Simplified Hydroponics in Mangalore by Pritham D'Souza

From Hydroponic Radish grown in Mangalore

Radish being a root crop requires adequate spacing for root development. pic taken 13 nov 2009

From Hydroponic Radish grown in Mangalore

close up of radish seedling, which germinated within 4 days of sowing

From Hydroponic Radish grown in Mangalore

since it is a root crop, NO TRANSPLANTING is done. so the container chosen should have sufficient depth

From Hydroponic Radish grown in Mangalore

26 days later pic taken on 9 Dec 2009, also brahmi root stem planted next to growing radish

From Hydroponic Radish grown in Mangalore

8 days later, 17 Dec 2009, the radish leaves show better growth and also the brahmi stem next to it starts to sprout new leaves

From Hydroponic Radish grown in Mangalore

another view of Luxuriant radish growth

From Hydroponic Radish grown in Mangalore

Dec 25, 2009, even though the leaves are ready for harvest, i decided to keep it for a few more days

From Hydroponic Radish grown in Mangalore

the best part in simplified hydroponics is the portability of the gardens. here you can see my radish tub placed in my kitchen

From Hydroponic Radish grown in Mangalore

4 Jan 2010, the developing radish root

From Hydroponic Radish grown in Mangalore

5 jan 2010, couldnt control the urge to eat radish leaves, so got them harvested

From Hydroponic Radish grown in Mangalore

another view of freshly harvested radish leaves

From Hydroponic Radish grown in Mangalore

jan 5 2010, radish leaves are harvested and you can see brahmi plant with its heart shaped leaves growing very well

From Hydroponic Radish grown in Mangalore

Jan 5 2010, final picture of radish

View Slide Show here

Growing Pumpkins using Simplified Hydroponics in Mangalore, India

Growing Pumpkins using Simplified Hydroponics in Mangalore, India by Pritham D'Souza

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

germinated seeds of palak, amaranthus and pumpkins in a germinating tub

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

ready to transplant once 3 leaf stage is attained

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

watering the plants to loosen the roots before uprooting the plant for transplanting

edit

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

transplanting done is a plastic flower pot which contains mixture of coconut peat, coconut fibre and neem cake

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

watering with nutrient water after transplanting . pic taken 5 nov 2009

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

pic taken 13 nov 2009, exactly a week after transplanting

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

pic taken 24 nov 2009, 10 days later, excellent vegetative growth and flower bud formation

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

24 nov 2009, tiny developing flower and fruit buds

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

pic taken 27 nov 2009, more growth and more buds visible

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

nov 27 2009, the develpoing bud

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

2 dec 2009, flowering and pollination seen and luxuriant growth

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

after pollination, the fertilized developing embryo

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

9 nov 2009 growing fruit buds

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

close up of growing fruit bud, tender buds can be identified by lite yellow color as seen

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

vine length reaches over 2 meters

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

another view of flowering and fruiting pumpkin plant

From Hydroponic Pumpkins grown in Mangalore

harvest index reached. pumpkins can be harvested after yellow colored fruits change to lite orange. once the fruits are harvested, it facilitates the development of more flower and fruit buds.
date of sowing 28 oct 2009
date of harvest 18 nov 2009
50 day crop

View slide show here



all pics and data by Pritham D'Souza

Ridge Gourds at Padval Farms

Ridge Gourds at Padval Farms
Tender and young ridge gourd plants seen here at padval Farms. ridge gourds are highly intolerant to cold temperatures and growth stunt can be seen when the day temp is drastically reduced



video and data by Pritham Dsouza

Bottle Gourd grown in Pits at the base of Hillock

Bottle Gourd grown in Pits on slope to facilitate greater vine length and movement at padval farms kinya mangalore



video and data by Pritham Dsouza

Yard Long Cowpea Runner Beans Using Pit method

Yard Long Cowpea Runner Beans Using Pit method at Padval Farms, Kinya, Mangalore, India

Yard Long Runner Beans are grown using the same pit method mentioned in Ladies Finger Okra cultivation. The results can be seen here.



Video and Data by Pritham Dsouza

Amaranthus Crop Video

Amaranthus Crop Video at Padval Farms, Kinya, Mangalore India

The lush green growth of Amaranthus (harive soppu, bhaji) is credited to weekly once application of Organic Gel made from Sea Weeds which contain Helpful Bacteria which breakdown the nutrients in the soil and make them more available to the plants.

to check the pest problem, pure neem oil @5ml per litre has to be used once a week.

the crop is ready to harvest in 21 days.



Video and Data by Pritham Dsouza

Spinach Grown on Soil without Support

Spinach Grown on Soil without Support

spinach also called valchhi bhajji in konkani grown on soil without using trellis or support at Padval farms,mangalore kinya. using organic inputs




Video and Data by Pritham D'Souza

Ladies Finger Okra Grown in Pits

Ladies Finger Okra Grown in Pits

the video shows flowering and fruiting stage of Ladies Finger (Okra, Bhindi) grown in pits and not in rows which is the traditional method followed.

Some salient features in this method

• size of pit is fixed and uniformity is maintained, pit size followed here is 2 feet X 1 feet
• only 2 plants are allowed per pit, the rest are removed by thinning out, hence plant density is also maintained
• each pit requires the same amount of water, hence flooding and over watering is not required, saving precious water
• The plant gets more than sufficient space, with plenty of room between pits and hence no plant suffers from want of light and nutrients
  

Video and Data by Pritham D'Souza

Pumpkin Plot grown on Terraced Hill

Pumpkin Plot grown on Terraced Hill at Padval Farms, Kinya Mangalore, India

Video below shows effective utilization of a terraced hillock, where creeper vines are made to grow all along the surface of the hill. Pumpkin' are ready for harvesting.




video and data by Pritham D'Souza

Type O Negative - October Rust (1996)

Type O Negative - October Rust album review by Pritham 'Metal Farmer' D'Souza

Lineup:

• Peter Steele
• Kenny Hickey
• Josh Silver
• Johnny Kelly

Track Listing:

1. Bad Ground
2. Love You to Death
3. Be My Druidess
4. Green Man
5. Red Water (Christmas Mourning)
6. My Girlfriend's Girlfriend
7. Die With Me
8. Burnt Flowers Fallen
9. In Praise of Bacchus
10. Cinnamon Girl
11. The Glorious Liberation of the People's Technocratic Republic of Vinnland by the Cimbined Forces of the United Territories of Europa
12. Wolf Moon (Including Zoanthropicn Paranoia)
13. Haunted

Its a long weekend and you decide to make the most of it in a decadent fashion by splurging on Cheap booze and Cheaper women. After having your fun, you finally wake up very late next morning, and realize that you are not even at your own home and slowly walk like a zombie back home which happens to be a few blocks away. Tired, drained out and with a splitting hangover the last thing your ears need is to listen to some good ol Heavy Metal blaring from your speaker system.

You manage to park your sorry butt on the EZ sofa and without knowing, you turn on the Cd player and the first track you hear is a buzzing feedback which lasts for 38 seconds followed almost immediately by mature men laughing and apologizing for their rude joke.

Finally the intro to Love You to Death calms your senses like getting a back massage by petite Thai girls in downtown Bangkok. The rest of the album flows seamlessly and almost flawless if one doesnt count the intro joke Bad Ground

This is the feeling one gets when listening to 1996 TYPE O NEGATIVE's masterpiece of an album OCTOBER RUST, which i consider one of the best albums to listen to, if not the best, when one is down in the dumps and wants to remain in the dumps.

I really cant even call this a metal album, even though it is, but unlike the rest, they have such a relaxed cool approach to everything here, from the soothing riffs in tracks like Love You to Death, Green Man, Die With Me and Cinnamon Girl to the morose setting of Red Water(Christmas Mourning), everything fits like pieces of a simple puzzle. Peter Steele has the deep baritone which will make any girl squirm in ecstasy while the music has this really great trippy feeling.
Even turning on the volume full on your system wont help much as the music, though heavy in parts, never distorts enough to call it noise. Gothic metal at its finest without sounding too pompous

This is truly a remarkable album and if i am not mistaken the best Type O Negative album ever! The fact that it was also a commercial success, was loathed by fans of Peter Steele' previous band CARNIVORE, and things were about to go downhill from here from a musical point of view as they never really managed to capture this magic in their future albums even though they came pretty close.

Melancholic, Dark, Melodic, Psychedelic, Powerful and Atmospheric are some of the words rightly associated with this album with a overdose of sexiness only Peter Steele can provide with his deep, masculine voice. His soulful singing and at times chanting compliments the melodies of the guitars and keyboards perfectly.

If you dont have this album yet, you dont have a life!

My Rating
10/10

Rapidshare Download Type O Negative - October Rust here

Listen to Sample track "Green Man" here

Type O Negative - 04 - Green Man.mp3

Monsoon Cultivation Of Cucumber

Monsoon Cultivation Of Cucumber by Pritham 'Metal Farmer' D'Souza

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is one of the most widely used salad crops grown both in North and South India. Fruits contain good amount of Iron and Vitamin C along with carbohydrates. It is highly recommended for people suffering from Jaundice, constipation and indigestion

LAND PREPARATION
since i am mentioning the monsoon cultivation techniques here, the land preparation is very similar to my other posts where i have mentioned monsoon cultivation. Some main points to begin with

• The land selected must have adequate drainage
• water logging areas should not be selected
• however if availability of land is a constraint, seeds have to be sown on elevated bunds as shown below
• Due to heavy rains, most of the seeds get drowned with too much moisture and they start to rot even before germination, hence more seeds have to be sowed.
• bunds or raised seed beds should have a minimum height of 10 to 15 inches and seeds once germinated must be thinned out and plant distance maintained

germination seen 7 to 10 days after sowing


close up of germinated seedling

seedling reaches 3 leaf stage in the 3rd week of sowing

the above pic shows water severely logged in the field. the raised seedling bed literally saved the seedlings from rot and drowing.

the photo above shows considerable growth and development of the plant when rainfall recedes and light intensity increases

excess plants must be thinned out and plant distance must be maintained as seen above

INTER CULTURE OPERATIONS AND IRRIGATION

• Since this is monsoon technique, irrigation is not given, however, due to erratic rainfall patterns, lite irrigation is a must at the time of sowing to moisten the field in case rains fail.
  
• while making the raised beds/bunds, decomposed Organic Manure must be added to the soil, and mixed thoroughly and seeds must be sowed on top of this. When the seeds germinate and grow, they will make use of the nutrients present in the soil
• DO NOT spray the crops during monsoons using pesticides or liquid fertilizers when there is not enough sunlight.
  
• Spraying of Liquid fertilizers should be done only when required and in the presence of sunlight. plants prepare their own food during photosynthesis and so sunlight is the most important factor.
• Soil aeration can be increased by loosening the soil around the root zone of the plants. this also helps in drainage.
  

the above figure shows rapid development of the plant and tendril stage

soil loosened to provide good aeration and also allow better drainage

MANURING, FLOWERING AND HARVESTING

• The plant receives the basal dose of decomposed farm yard manure at the time of preparation of the land and sowing.
  
• Spray 1 ml seed weed based algae Organic Manure in 1 litre of water at every 10 day intervals. addition of wetting agent like APSA or other sticking agents is recommended so as to increase the effectiveness of the sprays
• Flowering will be seen 40 to 45 days after sowing and the mature fruits can be harvested after 55 to 60 days after sowing.
• Timely harvesting the fruit is a must otherwise they over ripe and become unfit for consumption. for salads, the green color of the fruit must not turn brownish yellow.
• fruits must be plucked every alternate days to avoid over riping
• for seeds, yellow brown fruits , golden fruits (mature color) are harvested, seeds extracted, washed thoroughly in water and dried
  
• the seeds thhus obtained must be sowed again within 3 to 6 months or it looses its viability
  
• Cucumber yields up to 100 quintals per hectare

the above pic shows the same stretch of land with excellent growth and flowering



formation of tender fruit buds

growing tender fruit
mature fruit ready for harvest

PESTS , DISEASES AND CONTROL

• I only recommend the usage of pure neem oil @ 5 ml per litre of water to be sprayed only when insect attack is seen
• Imidochloprid systemic insecticide @2 ml in 5 litre water can be used every 10 days for the young seedlings since they are most vulnerable to sucking pests like aphids, thrips and plant minors. it is also effective in controlling red pumpkin beetle which damages the growing leaves and severely injures the plant
• Spraying must be done in sunny weather and not in gloomy weather
• spraying in the evenings from 4pm to 5 pm is recommended than spraying during day time as it will affect pollination
• adding 2 ml per litre sticking agents or wetting agents is required to increase the effectiveness of the sprays

all photos and data by Pritham D'Souza