Butterflies announce the presence of the nursery lengthy earlier than we enter it. Situated inside the sprawling campus of Kumaraguru College of Technology in Saravanampatti, Poonthalir is being run by S Bharathidasan and his spouse B Kavitha. What is putting concerning the nursery is the absence of flowers: right here, all the things is inexperienced, aside from the odd flowering plant. Each of those saplings have a narrative to them, and are being nurtured by the couple like their kids.
The nursery shares saplings and seeds of uncommon trees native to Tamil Nadu.
| Photo Credit:
Siva SaravananS
Poonthalir was began 22 years in the past at Ganesapuram in Annur. “It began as an initiative to support our NGO Arulagam’s vulture conservation efforts,” says Bharathidasan, taking us across the nursery. When he set it up, Bharathidasan didn’t need it to be a spot for simply flowers and decorative plants. He selected to nurture native plants, notably trees that thrive in our soil and local weather.
“I collect seeds from the forests of Sathyamangalam and Mudumalai during my visits for vulture conservation work,” explains the 53-year-old, including that he makes these journeys thrice a month. Back on the nursery, Kavitha takes over. She processes the seeds — this entails soaking them in sizzling or chilly water relying on the variability — and packs them in sapling luggage or units up a mom mattress and later plants them in luggage.
Nagalinga flower
| Photo Credit:
ASHOK R
“I refer a lot of literature on trees to understand how this should be done,” explains Kavitha. She factors to rows of baggage with seeds which might be simply sprouting. “These are from the kalarchikaai climber,” she explains, choosing up a seed the dimensions of a small gooseberry. “Can you hear the seed move inside the shell when you shake it?” she asks, including that this means it is not going to sprout.
Some seeds have a interval of “sleep”, she explains, after which they sprout forth. Bharathidasan has come throughout seeds in fascinating shapes and sizes. “Some seeds are built to be so sturdy that they can even withstand elephants stepping on them,” he says. He hopes to arrange a seed financial institution and a museum to show his assortment of seeds and present how they’ve developed.
Poonthalir has two branches in the town, other than one inside Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and one other one at Rameswaram. “In Mudumalai, we mostly sell plants that can be used as cattle fodder so that locals can make use of them,” explains Bharathidasan: “In Ramnad, we nurture varieties that thrive in the sandy soil of the region, including various species of palm trees.”
Seeds that Bharathidasan collected
| Photo Credit:
Special association
Kavitha exhibits us saplings of native varieties equivalent to vaagai, viraali, gundu mani kodi, punthiranjeevi, thaalai, Nagalingam tree, muyal kaadhu, and the bondham puli tree. “Apart from trees, we also sell herbs, shrubs, and plants that can be used as live fences by farmers,” she says. At the far finish of the nursery, is a uncommon kurundhai plant, a mountain lime selection. Then there may be the alinjil tree that bears small edible berries. “Our ancestors may have eaten these fruits during their time,” says Kavitha. The nursery now has over 70 styles of native trees and plants.
Kavitha spends most a part of her day in the nursery, amidst the plants and trees she raises. When the saplings are loaded on vehicles to be transported as soon as they’re offered, Kavitha does really feel a tinge of disappointment. “I wonder if they will be cared for well where they go,” she says, including: “I’m constantly in touch with our customers, who share information about the status of the plants and trees.”
A plant that draws butterflies, a tree that draws upto 32 styles of birds: Poonthalir has a number of such gems. It shares plants and trees that serve particular functions, and generally, that serve no objective in any respect. The couple believes that each species is on Earth for a cause. “The soil decomposes everything that goes into it, but not seeds,” says Bharathidasan. “The relationship between the soil and the seed is such that in one’s presence, the other comes to life.”
The nursery has branches at Saravanampatti and Annur. For particulars, name 9943057480.
Published – March 17, 2025 05:30 pm IST
