BENGALURU: Drumstick is one of the many hardy plants – it does not need much water to grow and can withstand hot summers with ease. Drumsticks also yield fruits early in their lifetime, unlike other trees which have to grow quite big before they flower and fruit. Drumsticks are also one of those plants which can be grown in a container.
Drumsticks could be propagated either through seeds or through stem cuttings. You can pick out the best seeds from fully ripened/matured, dry seed pods and grow your plants from them. It is best to treat the seeds with a microbial culture such as Jivamritha and then dry them in the shade before they are sowed into the soil. Alternatively 3 inch thick cuttings from the mother plant could be planted in a container and Jivamritha could be applied on the top portion. The purpose of Jivamritha is to prevent any fungal attacks to the growing crop.
A two feet wide and two feet deep container is more than sufficient to start growing a drumstick plant. Fill the container with growing media and place three to five seeds in each container. After germination, retain one or two plants and remove the other saplings, which could be planted in another container. When growing drumstick through seed, make sure to sow the seeds at 2 inches depth from the top layer. After sowing, cover it with soil and press it down to prevent any air gaps. Then cover the soil with mulch, sprinkle Jivamritha over the mulch and water it thoroughly.
There are a number of different varieties of drumsticks one could grow at home.
One of the most preferred varieties to grow in containers is PKM 1. This was developed by the Horticulture College at Periyakulam, Tamil Nadu. This variety gives short plants, which are about three metres in height and start yielding within six months from the date of planting. Since the plants are quite short, they are most suited to grow in containers at home. Most other drumsticks would need to be transplanted into larger containers or into soil after a couple of years.
Water the plants well until the seeds have germinated and then make sure the soil has enough moisture. It is more than enough to apply Jivamritha once in 15 days to the soil. It could also be sprayed on the plants once every 21 days. Make sure to mulch the soil regularly to provide ample organic matter to the growing plant.
Generally drumstick plants start yielding from within six months to 12 months’ time from the day of planting. You can harvest drumsticks throughout the year as there is no particular season for this plant to flower and fruit. A single drumstick plant would yield about 20 – 50 drumsticks a year.
For details, contact nalini@artyplantz.com