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Custodian of green heritage

garden musings With its unique collection of plants and orientation programmes for farmers, an organic nursery near Devanahalli is paving the way to
Last Updated 20 April 2015, 17:14 IST

As one walks through NR Shetty’s all-inclusive farm near Nelamangala, one cannot resist but enquire about the meticulous planning that has gone into its making. The same thought occurs to one’s mind while visiting farmlands of Pratap Hegde, Neelakanta Babu, Aravind and Manjunath who are either new to farming or shifted from chemical to organic.

These people, from different parts of the state, give the credit of their success to the guidance offered by Shivanapura Ramesh, a farmer and owner of a farm-nursery near Devanahalli.

Consider another situation. In 2000, when agricultural scientists of the state were worried that the historical Devanahalli pomelo (chakota) variety has become extinct, original plants carefully conserved in Ramesh’s farm brought them solace. Subsequently, the variety, the origin of which is traced back to Tipu Sultan, got Geographical Indicator (GI) tag. Clear enough, Shivanapura Ramesh and his two and a half acre nursery stand out for many reasons.

Hailing from the reputed Shivanapura family, respected highly among farmers for innovative agricultural practices, Ramesh had an early exposure to the basics of farming. The family of 81 members partitioned in 1981 and the very next  year  Ramesh shifted to chemical farming aiming at better prospects.

On the sustainable path
Though he tasted success initially, the glory was short-lived. After four years, chemical saturation depleted the soil of nutrients, affected the crops and lowered the yield. Comprehending the situation, he decided to recourse to organic farming tried and tested by his family. From 1996,  he experimented with several crops, evolved his own theories of farming and set up Teja nursery in 2007.

The nursery is the culmination of his urge for innovation, passion for discipline, zeal for knowledge and most of all, the realisation of the concept of ‘good earth’. It is not just a plant conservatory, but home to a range of birds and other creatures too. Over thirty types of birds have made the nursery their home, forming nests in their place of choice. Some birds have considered it as a place for migration and breeding, bearing testimony to the favourable environment created in the nursery.

In the initial years, Ramesh supplied ornamental plants to embellish the gardens of Kempegowda International Airport.  Later he groomed the concept of collecting horticulture and other agriculturally important plants. About 200 species of fruits, flowers, medicinal plants and spices sourced from across the country make the nursery a green lung space of the commercially thriving Devanahalli region.

Each species consists of many subspecies, major among them being mango (40 varieties), jackfruit (38), lemon (11), guava (8), pomelo (6) and jamun (6). The nursery has an impressive collection of exotic fruits like rambutan, pulasan, jabuticaba, velvet apple, plum, and peach. “Bengaluru has a unique climate which favours healthy growth of plants that belong to varied agro-climatic conditions,” observes Ramesh.

The nursery draws the attention of enthusiasts from all over the country. The customers include farmers, teachers, scientists, litterateurs, engineers, doctors, politicians, and officials. He has supplied plants to many universities in the state and provided mother plants for their conservatories. When the new Horticulture University was established in Bagalakote, Ramesh gave 145 fruit varieties to them. The Horticulture Department sourced saplings from here for its Pomelo Conservation Centre near Devanahalli

Nurturing a passion
Ramesh is specialised in catering to the needs of the customer. “Requirements of a small farmer dependent entirely on the land is different from that of an official for whom farming is a passion. I give my suggestions accordingly,” says Ramesh. The nursery has ready to bear plants for sale, keeping in mind the present day desire for immediate result.

His primary objective is to make sure that every plant bought from the nursery survives and gives satisfactory results to the customers. Thus instead of concentrating on the transactions, he scans the customer’s interest. Once a customer strikes a wavelength with Ramesh, he certainly continues his association and introduces many more customers. “We find content in customer satisfaction. This has helped us grow steadily,” say Ramesh and his wife Susheela. The nursery sells about one and a half lakh saplings every year.

Ramesh gives utmost importance to soil preparation. “A properly set land reduces 80 per cent of labour and 50 per cent of water requirement,” he opines. Soil is prepared in the nursery by mixing it with manure, neem cake and vermicompost in a certain proportion. Dry leaves collected from the nursery are also added to the compost pit. The plants are maintained free of chemical inputs. Water harvesting structures and judicial use of water have helped maintain the nursery with a borewell of 3/4 inch water. Unlike other nurseries, where greenhouses are a common feature, saplings in Teja nursery get natural shade from tall plants.

Ramesh travels widely to explore unique varieties and their places of origin. If something appeals to him, he ensures a regular supply of quality plants from that region. Thus, alphonso mango saplings are sourced from Ratnagiri region of Maharashtra, guava from Tamil Nadu, lemon from Andhra Pradesh, spices from Malenadu and Kerala. When he learnt that the climate in Dakshina Kannada and Shivamogga is apt for jackfruit grafting, he tied up with farmers there.

Understanding the present craze for banana plantation among farmers, he has developed a model plot in one part of the nursery, that demonstrate his concepts
of sustainable agriculture. He conducts  training programmes for farmers and freshers. The orientation includes three sessions covering aspects of soil preparation, irrigation, plantation and necessary nutrients.

“From the birthplace of Tipu Sultan to the latest Kempegowda International Airport, Devanahalli has a special place in the history for many reasons. For fruit enthusiasts, the name is synonymous with Teja nursery.” This note from a visitor reflects the essence of this plant repository.

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(Published 20 April 2015, 17:14 IST)

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