Sullia farmer grows around 250 exotic varieties of cacti

With its remarkable scenic beauty, Bhat’s Garden -- a private cactus park at Kuriyaje on Puttur Road -- is an instant eye-catcher for passersby. The farm belongs to agriculturist Tirumaleshwar Bhat of Kodiala village in Sullia taluk.

A wide array of cacti of varying shapes and sizes arranged neatly in pots enthrall people. Bhat has transformed the front yard of his house into a park-like space with beautiful idols, decorative plants and stones.

While he also cultivates arecanut, coconut, rubber and fruit-bearing plants on his eight-acre land, his unique hobby remains the collection of cacti.

Over the years, he has grown around 250 exotic varieties of cacti sourced from countries such as Thailand and Nepal to name a few. He has also several cacti varieties from different parts of India.

Speaking to DH, Bhat rued about the logistics of procuring foreign cacti varieties. He said, “Carrying cacti and other plants is not allowed at the airports due to the fear of infections. Therefore, it was a herculean task to get it from many countries that I
visited.”

Stating that it is an expensive hobby, Bhat advised people to be careful while buying cacti as some vendors charge exorbitant prices.

His inspiration has been Dr Deen Dutta, a retired physician from Davanagere, who had a collection of around 800 cacti. Bhat was also enthralled at the glance of the cacti house in Lalbagh, Bengaluru.

Stating that the colour and the thorny texture of the cacti pleases him, according to him, the cacti grow well in winter. Some of the cacti bear flowers and fruits too.

“Water is provided judicially since more water could result in the growth of fungi and death,” says Bhat. 

Not all cacti that he brought have survived. Some of them die due to the change in weather conditions. The Sulia-based farmer has also tried to grow new cacti from the pieces of big cacti and has been successful. However, the growth is very slow, he said. Some cacti contain fruits which later turn into seeds. However, these seeds cannot be grown by sowing in the sand. They need to be specially treated in the
laboratory.

Some of the cacti in Bhat’s Cactus Park are the Golden Barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusoni), Woolly Nipple cactus (Mammillaria mammillaris), Mexican Fence Post (Pachycereus marginatus), Ball Cactus (Parodia magnifica), Candelabra Tree (Euphorbia ingens), Totem Pole cactus (Pachycereus schottii), Old man cactus (Cephalocereus senilis), Greek Akantha cactus (Acanthocalycium), Mottled Spurge (Euphorbia lactea), Giant Barrel cactus (Echinocactus platyacanthus).

The farmer also has the hobby of collecting stones. He has collected many stones from Ajanta, Amarnath, Kedarnath and Nepal.