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GREEN MATTERS

NAGARA GOPAL

Expertise at hand: Training programme for those interested in crucial aspects of gardening is offered by Agri Horticultural Society, Public Gardens. -

Located inside the Public Gardens, the Society offers a variety of courses through its School of Gardening. They include Bonsai cultivation, growing medicinal plants, home gardening and growing roses and other flowering plants. Also on offer are other courses of utility such as Ikebana and flower arrangement, vegetable carving, pickle making, and processing and preservation of fruits and vegetables. Within two to three days of duration, the courses aim to familiarise the student with vital aspects of the subject.

“We trained 1,000 students last year in different courses. This number is in exclusion of the Gardeners’ Training Programme that we have,” says B.R. Kurdukar, retired Additional Director of Horticulture and presently a trainer at the Society.

Gardeners’ Training Programme is designed exclusively for mentoring professional gardeners and is of six months duration. Two batches each of 25 students are conducted every year with a stipend of Rs.800 per month per candidate granted from Government of India.

“None of the 500-odd malis we trained is idle today. It is our practice to keep a register for mali requisitions. Those who need malis may leave their name, address and telephone number in the register, and malis in need of work can check the register and contact them. Nowadays, the demand for malis has gone up so steeply that we are burdened with too many entries and none to serve them,” says M. Anantha Reddy, Chairman of the Society.

The Society was sponsored by the Department of Agriculture in 1953 to promote and popularise horticultural activities by assisting home gardeners, farmers and others. Apart from retired employees from the department, the Society has farmers and nursery men as members.

It also offers the services of consultation and supply of garden inputs. While Department of Horticulture takes care of supply of flowering plants, the Society trades in fruit plants.

“We offer the best quality fruit plants which include 20 varieties of mango apart from chikoo, figs, pomegranate, and others. We sell them on no-profit-no-loss basis,” says Mr. Reddy.

Vermicompost sold in quantities of five, ten and twenty kilograms could be ideal for home gardening. Also on sale are vermi-wash, and pot mixture in a convenient package of 40 kilograms.

“Various substances used in pot mixture are usually available in huge quantities and are intended for commercial purposes. We serve the home gardeners by providing the mixture in smaller packs.

And also, not many would know the exact quantities of soil, manure and phosphate to be blended to get the right pot mixture,” Mr. Reddy says.

Anybody needing advice on anything related to gardening may approach the members of the Society and seek suggestions. The areas of consultation or advisory services include commercial cultivation of horticultural crops, preparation of crop specific project, commercial floriculture, landscape gardening, vermicomposting technology, nursery stock production and management.

A diagnostic centre where pest and disease problems and nutritional disorders could be analysed, and a library that holds a rich collection of books, bulletins and journals are additional features of the Society. The Garden Lovers Club promoted by the Society provides a common platform for exchange of knowledge, information and plant materials. One may contact the Agri Horticultural Society at 040-23299779 or visit personally between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on all days except Mondays and government holidays.

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