Safe-guarding tender plants

from here & there

As in any other place, plant lovers of Hubballi city have realised that nurturing a plant is more difficult than planting it. While tending to plants through watering and manuring is important, it is also essential to protect them from insensitive humans, stray animals and vehicles.

A G Deshpande of Hubballi, who has experienced the problem, has come up with a convenient tree guard to save tender plants from destruction.  While travelling abroad, he had seen the use of fibre guards and felt that fibre is more user-friendly than metal or wood, that are widely used in our cities. He designed a similar structure using PVC pipe.

“Metal and wood have their own limitations. PVC pipe is more convenient and long lasting compared to them,” says Deshpande. The structure he designed is seven feet high and one-and a-half feet wide. Thirty T joints are used to connect the pipes. Height can be adjusted as per the requirement. Wood is inserted inside the pipe to make it strong. A mesh is attached to the structure from top. One unit costs around Rs 600.

Deshpande claims that a major share of the money collected from selling these units is utilised for environment conservation activities. He also ensures that awareness messages and plant nurturing tips are displayed on a board. He does all these activities under the banner of ‘Parisarada Pravasi Tanagala Abhivrudhi Sangha’. The tree guard with its useful features is becoming popular in the city.