IDUKKI: Interested in growing fruits and vegetables but facing space constraints? And worried about managing waste too? Bijumon Antony, a farmer in Kattappana, might just have the solution — air pruning pots. While the space-saving farming technique is not new, Biju — after months-long study — has developed a method to manufacture the air pots locally and sell them at prices considerably lower than those available on virtual marketplaces.
“The major benefit of air pruning pots is that they can be used to grow a variety of trees, from papaya to even coconut tree, in a small space. Growing trees in traditional containers could actually stunt their growth,” Biju says.
Air pruning pots are large sheets of mat made from flexible plastic with cone-shaped indents. The indents have tiny holes at the tip, and the mat comes with a couple of screw-like fasteners and a flat round-shaped piece made of plastic screen at the bottom.
“The pot can be assembled by wrapping the mat around the bottom piece,” he says. A photographer-turned-farmer, the 36-year-old got the idea of making the pots after he ordered one to plant apple saplings in his exotic fruits farm — ‘Miracle Farm’ — in Kochuthovala near Kattappana. When he received a good yield, Biju decided to venture forth.
After adequate research, he started manufacturing air pruning pots six months ago with the help of a Coimbatore-based company. Named ‘miracle pots’, the product is now evoking a good response from customers across the country.
“When a sapling is planted in the pot, the roots are forced to grow out of the holes in the wall of the container and come in contact with the air. As the roots grow out, they get dehydrated in the dry air, which prevents their growth,” points out Biju, a recipient of the state government’s Karshakothama Award (2019) and the Karshakathilak Award (2020).
This method of pruning eliminates root circling (one or more roots completely or partially encircling the stem and causing bark and wood compression) inside the pot and helps in the formation of new roots.
“It also enables the plants to take up more water and nutrients. Thereby, trees yield more, stay healthier and acquire disease resistance capacity,” Biju says. The pot also offers a cost-effective alternative to treat household waste. “All one needs is a packet of decomposing bacteria, which turn a pot of organic waste into manure within 50 days.”