Want to know how to make a bonsai? Or to know the name of a plant species — 38-year-old entrepreneur Potluri Rajendrakumar has answers for everything.
“Adeniums are called desert roses and need minimum water, socothranums are rare,” he talks about the plants leaving you awestruck with the information he has on different plant species.
A Mathematics graduate, Rajendrakumar grew up in a family involved in the nursery business for three generations. “Ours is the oldest and biggest nursery in Chennai, started in 1974,” he says proudly. The modern farmer lives in one big joint family with his grandfather and father, all involved in the nursery business.
Nestled on the banks of the Manimangalam river at Padappai, his nursery spreads across 6.5 acres and is one of the landmarks of the area. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, with numerous species of plants dotting his traditional-style farmhouse, Rajendrakumar believes in living in spirit with nature. The beautiful farm has also been a shooting spot for many films and TV serials.
Rajendrakumar recalls, “Those days we used to cycle from Tambaram to Padappai. There was no other mode of transport. Our grandfather named this place Pushpagiri, which means ‘hills filled with flowers’. Those days the entire region would be in full bloom and hence the name.”
Housing around 3,000 species of plants at the farm, Rajendrakumar is one of the proud exporters of fully grown palm trees to decorate the marathon race tracks of the Olympics held in China in the year 2009. Right from Anna Arivalayam to Kishkinta, he has been involved in major projects in the city. He took to his family business after realising his passion for nature. From landscaping to interior designing, he mastered his skills to complement his business.
Unlike other nurseries, where they buy and resell the products, Rajendrakumar produces his own saplings. He uses only organic manure such as coir pith, rice grains, cotton seed dust or groundnut cake for his plants. He even took up the challenge of growing trees such as the bread fruit tree, which is believed, will not survive in hot climatic conditions.
“Even an apple tree can be grown here provided we give it proper care. If they are able to adapt in this climate for about 10 per cent, then it’s easy to grow them here,” he says on a positive note.
The farmer entrepreneur, who received the ‘Best of the Garden Award’ in Bangalore recently, says that the Indian market for plants is more competitive and has more potential than the Chinese market when it comes to exports. “The only problem is that our government does not give enough land for cultivation.”
Believing that everybody has a social responsibility in protecting nature, Rajendrakumar has been involved in the green programmes of Exnora. “We are also planning to create awareness among the corporates. The wastes produced by them can be recycled and used for manuring plants. The government should believe in individuals like us rather than banking on corporates for waste land development projects,” he says.