Seeds for Generating Biomass / Mulch

Hi Guys,

In my search for variety of seeds, It has been an enduring task.

Have visited near Ananada Rao circle (bangalore) for various seeds. They all seem to be prohibitively expensive. They speak a different language. Visited GKVK and IIHR and National Seeds corporation and Indo American seeds. Of all the Indam seems to the most expensive. May be they might be worth that. But at other places the variety eludes you.

Now my idea is what if we use the seeds that are available at Reliance Fresh or in local grocery etc. I mean the ones that are packed for food. Like moong dhal, Channa dhal, Rajma, beans Round Urad dhal (With Skin) dried avarekai, and host of dicots and others like Jeera, soumph methi, corriander etc . Does any one have experience is sowing these ??

I have seen my mother making some sprouts Salad (Kosambari ) out of these. Looks like more that 95 % have germinated and could see long sprouts. If it has sprouted means it will in the soil also. ::) What if we use this for sowing instead of those hybrid ones available ?

Idea is to spread these on the fallow lands and generate some biomass to be tilled back to the soil. The seeds of Sunhemp and diancha are not available.

Gurus can you throw some light on this. Meanwhile I am on my way to reliance fresh to get some 100 gms packet, to see it for myself in my backyard how these grows ;D ;D.

If you see in olden days, what was grown, some were stored for next seeding. If this works , why go for those fancy seeds :astonished: costing a bomb.

Kindly share your thoughts on this. I know the seed business is a sort of mafia operations. Hope they are not after my pants. :astonished: :astonished:

Regards

Murali

Hi Murali,
Why can’t you try to collect seeds from Sahaja Samrudha (08026612315), which is located in Sajjan Rao Road (Sjjan Rao Circle to Kalasipalya Road) VV Pura, selling all seeds and other grocery items completely grown in Organic/Natural way of farming. They give very good results. Even you can approach our local farmers near to your land to collect seeds on cooperative basis of getting seeds and giving seeds or you can pay some more money to brother farmers. I can provide few farmers contacts near to your land too.

MULCHING
For live mulching, you can go with Velvet beans; I have about 100kgs of velvet beans. However live mulching crops can be decided upon selection of your main crop. The seeds of Sunhemp and diancha are can be availed from Agriculture office at Taluk where your land is situated on subsidized rate (may be Rs.400 for 25kg or more). You know Huruli (In Kannada) is also best mulching crop which is easily available with farmers or even in provision stores in Hobali/taluk.

Hi Swamy,

Thanks for the suggestions. I know that, since I do not have much time to search around, I got this idea when I went to buy some grocery.

Since at this time I am not interested in the produce, I thought why not buy some and broad cast the same and allow the rains and nature to do the work.

Regards

Murali

Hybrid seeds sold in market are F1 generation (i.e., first filial after crossing specific parent male and female plants grown in a specific ratio and pattern). Using their seeds (F2) will not give you the same results as the F1 or at least that is the expectation. I think some companies specifically introduce genes that suppress F2 if I remember correctly.

This may however work with (non-hybrid) varieties but there may be some variability that comes in from the random pollination/fertilization in the earlier generation.

It is possibly okay for green manure, but not for regular crops.

Hi Chandra,

Yes your are right about the F1 hybrids. Why even the good tasty mangos we eat, after you put the seed back to soil, what we get is local (cuntry ;D ) ones. I waited for 4 years to know the truth. :frowning: :frowning:

But do we have F1 hybrids for urud, moong, channa and other dicots ??

Need to see how these available ones grow.

Regards

Murali

Hi

I also need sun-hemp seeds sufficient to cover 125 acres (which I propose to sow / spread pre-monsoon after making seed balls in 90 acres of my Clonal eucalyptus plantation and 35 acres fellow land).

Please note that I wish to have traditional native variety and NOT ANY HYBRID OR GM VARIETY.

Please let me know the quantity required to be spread / rate and amount to be paid / relevant details for net-banking transfer etc / mode of dispatch FOR destination YAVATMAL in Vidarbha Region of Maharashtra State 445001

Dear Joglekar,
Find the below farmers contacts who are in to natural farming around your area from whom you may get some leads to get mulching crops seeds including sunhemp. Even Agriculture department is also supplying with subsidized rate to farmers in
your taluk, please check and get back with results.

Manoj Javanvanajala of Nagpur 09822515913.
Ghansgyam Anna of Wardha-09423087087.
Pankaj Patil Samudrapur Taluk, Wardha-09822363402/09890676122

don’t go for expensive stuff, at least for green manure! all seeds are supposed to germinate. Germination % decreases with aging (year-wise). you don’t need to spend money just to test germination/viable capacity of seeds.

buy cheapest available pulses seeds (whole seed, not split DAAL) from local your grocery store, if you want to use for gren manure…

I am not aware of any hydrid variety of any Deshi pulses (pea may be exception)…but definitely don’t use it for green manuring…it won’t worth it!

DAINCHA would be your best bet…@ the rate of 5/10 kg/acre…go to your nearest agri University/KRISHI KENDRA for seeds…

[quote=kisaan]
don’t go for expensive stuff, at least for green manure! all seeds are supposed to germinate. Germination % decreases with aging (year-wise). you don’t need to spend money just to test germination/viable capacity of seeds.

buy cheapest available pulses seeds (whole seed, not split DAAL) from local your grocery store, if you want to use for gren manure…

I am not aware of any hydrid variety of any Deshi pulses (pea may be exception)…but definitely don’t use it for green manuring…it won’t worth it! [/quote]

Hi Kissan,

Thanks for your inputs. Yes any low cost desi seeds should do ? I will visit some wholesale grain merchants and get from them for broadcasting into my fields. Moong, channa, urad, horsegram should do. A kg of each should do I think.

Yesterday, me and my friend Ambareesh, did some seed broadcasting in my field. The ground was wet due to prior rains, will see the results. But the seeds were from NSC and cowpea. (Alashandai).

Regards

Murali

Harrow-plow/till the the field after broadcasting to cover the seeds for best results

Can we have the list of green manure, quantity required per acre and the price of each. To start with i have listed few. no idea about quantity required and the price.

Daiancha
Sunhemp
Gliricidia
Alfalfa
Cowpea
Turdal
Fenugreek
Velvet beans
Touch me not

Horticulture officer visited my farm last week. He advised me to go with cowpea, as mine is heavy rainfall area, sunhemp will be rotten.
Seed vendors seems to quite 80+ rupees for cowpea, wheareas its getting traded at 25 rupees.

Do anyone have a source to get this for lesser price?.

Murali, did your seeds from veg shop do the trick? Can it work for cowpea?.

Hi Hegde,

I did take a few packets from reliance fresh and put it in my back yard. But they are all refusing to germinate. I must have missed some thing. I did not dibble it, but spread it out on the land covered with mulch. Might ant would have taken it and hoarded as food for rainy seasons ??

I put moong, urad, methi, mustard, jeera etc etc. May be this time will cover it with mud.

Regards

Murali

Hi,

I have bought (in fact ordered) 30 kilos of Diancha to cover my land. Does anyone have experience in growing this. I plan to till lightly and place these seeds in a row with 1 feet distance. Does anyone have better/esay idea of growing this?.

Not sure if i can make seed balls of this quantity unless someone has a good proven method.

Do share your thoughts.

regards,
Hegde

Dear Hegde,
First broad cost the seeds as per your requirement of density and then do cultivation this is enough, ensure that proper moisture is available at the time of planting for proper germination. This is cheap & best method.

After flowing (about 50 days), you can do mulch at any point of time.
You can also grow them by placing in lines too.

See the photo, sunnhemp grown around mango sapling to hold moisture, protect mango sapling from over heat and also to fix nitrogen in the soil.

Hi All,

The seeds, ie the pulses that I took from grocery shop, though germinated, failed to produce the true leaves. They all died, with out showing up the true leaves.

Any thing I am missing out here. Or the food grains seed quality is not fit for reproduction ? Any catch here in these seeds. I tried, moon, peas, kabuli channa, local channa, methi, black urud etc. All with their skin intact, not split ones.

Rajma showed some promise, but its weak stem made it lie low in ground to rot.

Regards

Murali

Let me understand this right. First i need to broadcast and then do the plowing? won’t the seeds get destroyed? My idea was t have this plowed lightly( say 1 ft apart) and then place the seeds in that line. Please confirm what should i do.

Why should i mulch after 50 days?. by that time it should be more than 2ft tall isn’t it.

May be i m failing to understand this. Step by step method may be helpful.

Any seed ball experts?

Hi Hegde,

There are 2 books from GKVK in kannnada, These two books each costing around Rs 75 gives you a very very good insight as to how, you need to go about.

Almost every indian crop is covered in this. One for Agriculture and another for Horticulture and vegetables.

Regards

Murali

Thanks Murali, could you also let me know the Tittle of the book and authors. I do have couple of them talking about organic farming but gave step wise instruction.