Hello Mr.Pravin,
if anything is missed out, plz let me know
Vivek
Thanks Viks
You are a star
Thanks for all the important and helpful information Vivek… keep up the good work !!!
Dear All,
Thankyou very much for your support. and Mr.Pravin, no star seriously… i am a fellow farmer, and my friends call me Viks 
i have been wanting to post lot of information but due to time constrain, there would be a bit of delay for earlier commitments and new postings.
Today i am thinking of sharing some factors which are external, and affect me as a farmer. when i say farmer, i mean a grower who does the daily activities himself (irrigation, spraying, opening of curtains, placement of various traps, observations etc)
so i try study and implement various systems at all levels. i will be sharing some of my experience and practises i follow.
- Labor - Every manufacturing / production / service industry/unit needs labor/workers to carry out day to day activities. same is for farming, without labor assurance, huge investments and the best of technology is of no good.
plants are not like machines, that once you set the parameters, the product (output) is same. there are various variables. so labor requirement varies time to time. there are days where i have absolutely no work, and days where i have to get additional labor for days together.
recently, as the plants have grown, and new shootings are developing, with new flowers and fruits, there was urgent need to tie (give support) the new branches. new flowering on a capsicum plant will be formed on the new shootings. so what happens is when the new flowers turn into fruits and start gaining weight, the branch break and fall, resulting in a huge loss for me. i directly loose all the new flowers,fruits on that branch. or if the branches start leaning outwards in the pathway, so while i am monkeying around, the branches break, also while spraying, or by strong air movement in the polyhouse.
so the next support was the most urgent work i had to get done. i got 8 females (daily wage - Rs-160 + Rs 30 Transport) for 4 days, and now all the support work is done. each plant has about 4-5 polyester thread supports. earlier i was thinking i would get the work done from my workers and myself, but then it doesnt make sense saving a small amount of money against the loss it would make.
i am mixing up two points here… labor and priority of work. i am sure you’ll all figure out what the real message is.
ok so back to labor, it is very important… is it really ? lets list down some of the daily/weekly/monthly activities, and a bit info in terms of activities and labor requirement.
-
Fertigation - this is watering the plants thru the drip system. it would be watering, or giving any dose in liquid form as per the requirement. it is very simple, i press a single button (for starting the water motor - input) turn on/off a few valves (for directing the water, injecting the dose etc) monitor the pressure and i am done. its very simple, and i wouldnt pay anyone just to do that.
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Spraying - spraying of a dose on the plants. this could be for pest control, developing resistance against disease, plant health etc. the time i took to complete the spraying on my plants when they were little (upto about a month old) was like hardly 30-40 minutes. today my plants are young (70-75 days) and it takes me about 2 hours for the same number of plants, same distance, only the leaf density has grown. so its obvious that as the plant/leaves grow more, the time required will be more. i do all the spraying myself, as this gives me a chance to monitor the plants along with.
NOTE - i use flexible high pressure pipe (Rs.125/feet) for spraying purpose. i have seen some growers use a bit stiff plastic pipe, which is less costly, but then you would need 2 people just to spread/pull/wind the pipe while the 3rd person is spraying. life of the flexible is extraordinary, and considering proper usage/handling there would be no issues at all. -
opening/closing of side & upper curtains - self explanatory. i open/close the upper/side curtains or use a combination of both to have favourable conditions (humidity,temperature,sun light, fresh air etc) to my plants. there is NO way i can have a constant number for any of these. so i try my best to have variations which can be controlled. i have pullies connected to the curtains, so a single person can control all the curtains.
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weeding - again self explanatory. as i use manure for bed preparation and basal dose, there are seeds of various vegetables/unwanted grass etc in the cow dung and they pop out after germination. my practise is not to pluck them immediately. i let the stem grow a bit strong, wet the beds/walkway nicely and then pluck them, so the whole root system comes out. chances of early plucking are that only the stem will break, and the roots will develop again. this activity is repeated once in every 2-3 months.
as long as we are on this topic, i have seen many… many growers using white/grey/black mulching sheet to cover the soil for various reasons, one of which is to avoid the growth of weeds and unwanted plants/grass etc. i will be sharing some miss-understandings about the benefit of mulching i had about mulching in the next session.
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spreading basal dose & turning the top layer of the bed - this is more like a once in the blue moon activity. but i give it very importance. what goes into the bed will show on the plants. as a practise, i add basal dose once in two months, and get the top layer of the beds (3-4 inch) turned nicely. this improves the air flow in the soil, exposes the soil to sunlight, proper mixing of the basal dose etc.
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support tying - capsicum plant grows tall, so it needs support to stand tall. i give support at two stages. the first support started when the plants were about 20-30 days. the support was given to the main stem, just before the very first Y branching. as the plants were picking up on flower and fruit development, i didnt want any loss due to branch breakage.
there were a total of 2 labors and myself who completed the whole work in 9 days. (this includes tying of support system on top, cutting the required length of the string and knotting on plants)
NOTE - there are various types of knots for tying plants. i use the self loosing knot, so it gets loose as the stem gets fat.
ok i am sleepy now, but theres a lot more to be added here.
Vivek
1 Like
Hi Vik
Nice sharing.
If possible can U give misscall on my number I am from Sangamner near to want to meet u please. My number is 09860034456
Ravindra Lende
Hi Ravindra,
how would you know its me if i give you a missed call? 
we both are very close to each other (distance wise :p) you can visit anytime you wish. just leave me a post in advance, so i can prepare a grand welcome for u. this blog has become the second bestest way to reach me.
the first is ofcourse to come and meet me personally with the flavor milk you get in sangamner. and also as theres a sugar mill, you can also consider getting some 
come as soon as possible, sugar at home is almost finished.
Vivek
Hello VIKS
i did check out with the company, but they do not supply the ph meter, temperature meter, lux and moisture measurement equipments.
They are dealing in motors and garden sprays.
Aman
Hey Kunal,
seems there is some modifications/ updating of data in the website for gardening & horticulture tools.
you should send a mail to the contact details provided on the website with your queries.
i would suggest fm.nashik@foggersindia.com (nasik showroom/office) where i got the meter from.
1 Like
Hi vievk,
Today i went to my area horticulture department for enquiry , first i ask them i want to start polyhouse farming for colour capsicum cultivation they said our area is not suitable for polyhouse farming and nobody using polyhouse farming because of very high temperature like summer time goes up to 47’c winter time also 38’c so it will not be worth to do in our place 
??
so i am in big confusion ? is it possible to grow capsicum in our area?
what is your sugestion??
advance thanks.
M.v.k
Kunal ?
Its AMAN <<<<<< 
Hey VIKS
A little technical query for you.
Is their any alternative for red soil, because i need to get the bed preparations done. But their is almost no availability of red soil in our area, the one which is available in a very little quantity, is mixed with all type of non-agricultural soil like clay and murum(red gravels)
Can i use any alternative, if yes, what should my beds consist of ?
Thanks VIKS, you have always been helpful
Aman
continuing from where i left, a bit about day to day activities…
- Waterin the walkway – I water spray the walkways, bed walls, during peak summer time when the temperature is above 40 degrees, and foggers do not perform efficiently ( due to tall plants, blockages in nozzles etc) also running the foggers doesn’t help me, as the wind / air movement in the polyhouse is uneven, and the drop in temperature doesn’t last for long. So I wet the polyhouse with a garden hose pipe with a soft flow nozzle. Sufficient water in the soil, helps drop the temperature, and the results last for days together. I enjoy doing this, as it gives me chance to play in the water.
- Harvesting, – I can harvest an acre of capsicum all by myself, and then faint in the end. So I take help from my 2 labors. Sorting is done while harvesting directly, and then packed. It was fun for me initially, but breaks my back now. Harvesting interval/schedule, I have already shared my practice.
- Maintenance work – general maintenance like drip filter cleaning, fixing leakages in drip/fogger. Greasing curtain pullies, filter cleaning of my diesel machines, oil change, machine maintenance, fuse change and all other little work is done by me. Some are skilled and some can be done by everyone.
- Chill out – this is what we do when we have nothing to do.
there might be some other activities, which i cant think of right now and must be missing here… if you find something missing, plz add.
1 Like
sorry for getting the name wrong Aman,
i guess i need to cut down on my sugar intake
Mr.Vijayakeerthy, it is the best habit to consult local farmers/experts/agri officers for their opinion. keep the spirit alive!
if you could give me your exact location, i could try and find some local polyhouse growers in your location (if any). meanwhile i would suggest you keep doing your homework, and try to locate existing polyhouse/shade net setups. their honest opinion would be very helpful.
regarding temperature pattern you have mentioned, i have similar pattern in my polyhouse during summer time (which is for about 2-3 months or so - March, April,May) plz refer to mustseeindia.com/Nasik-weather (this is just to give you an idea)
the actual temperature in my polyhouse last year was more than 47 degrees (more than outside, due to greenhouse effect)
so i have measures to control (adequate source of water required) to water the pathways, side walks, and surrounding areas of the bed (all the free space in the polyhouse) to bring down the temperature. open the curtains (top and side) during soft sunlight time, so there is air current generated in the polyhouse, and it stays cool.
it is october, and the heat (october heat) can already be felt in my region. i specially took some pictures today to emphasise and share about the temperature/humidity conditions in my polyhouse as on today.
i take special care/pain when the conditions are not favourable for my plants (talking specifically about temperature). as a farmer with limited sources, i cannot maintain a fixed figure for temperature. so the best i can do is to have temperature fluctuation within a range. say 35 - 40 degrees during peak temperature.
you could also consider a shade net house, if the conditions are REALLY not in favour of a polyhouse.
oh and also, it would be helpful if you could tell some existing crops which are grown in your area during summer time.
Vivek
i loveee the smilies you’ve used… makes me smile while i am reading your post.
Aman, red soil has the characteristic of draining water very quickly, meaning the water holding capacity is not good, and so it doesnt form lumps, keeps the beds soft for good root development. my first setup has major percentage of red soil in the media (luckily i do not have water issues there) so i have to keep watering the plants/beds every now and then to maintain a proper water level in the beds. my second setup has a mixture of various soil type and compost. (details you can find in earlier posts) so i have a good quality (nutritious, porous, airy, mushy, good water holding, helpful culture promoting etc) soil.
so its not necessary that the beds should be made from 100% red soil.
you can check the characteristics (which we discussed earlier) of the various soil types available in your region, so we can discuss further more.
Aman, clay type of soil is not good, it will result in holding excess water in the beds, formation of lumps in bed, air choking, which could result in dumping and effect the plants health.
Vivek
QUESTION FOR THE DAY
mostly people are interested in knowing the aspects related to finance. Investment, returns, marketing etc. but what about technical/production part?
high targets will be met only when the plants are healthy, disease free/resistant, and resources are used efficiently.
Good night.
Viks
thanks viks your word are giving little hope to me
My place name is vellore located in tamil nadu this is in between chennai and banglore ,i have required source of water. only problem is high temperature in all season and very less rainfall also
Thanks,
M.V.K.
Hey VIKS
I do understand the importance of red soil, but i have been trying to procure it since many days. But i have not succeeded, maybe i will have to find a soil which is as porous as red soil.
Do let me know if you come across something like that.
THank you
Aman
Yeah Thanks
Sure I come & visit ur farm with my queries & flavor milk.
But Vivek I think to go with Shed-net whats ur opinion for me. I am new to this field so not want to take more risk without experience. pls suggest me
Mr.Vijayakeerthy, your property looks very pretty.
picture cant really give me an idea about the weather conditions. but if you have adequate supply of water and electricity, and take special care, it shouldnt be a problem.
checking with local setups will always help.
Vivek