HOLLOW BRICK PILLARS TO SUPPORT PEPPER PLANTS
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| Sadanandan, Chettyamkandi, Chovva, Kannur |
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Those who do not have supporting trees to cultivate pepper can try this method being employed by Sadanandan, Chettyamkandi, Chovva, Kannur. He uses hollow burned bricks (locally called hurdis) to make 12 ft tall pillars to let pepper plants creep up.
Sadanandan
was earlier employed in a brick company in Kannur.
It is the shape of hurdis and the possibility of joining them
together that prompted him to experiment with this type of supports.
He
uses 14 bricks to make one pole. The
bricks are aligned with their smooth face on one side.
6mm iron bar is inserted through the hollow portion and the gap is
concreted. After a week of
curing, the poles are ready for erection.
The
rough surface of hurdis helps the pepper make a firmer grip on the
support. Unlike
tree-supports, these do not absorb any nutrients. As only 10 ft of the pole is above ground, harvesting is
easier. One can even
cultivate pepper in front of the house by this method.
Many
people who visit his farm have adopted this method.
“These poles will help the realization of the dream: pepper
cultivation in front of the house as well as in the farm,” he says.
Sadanandan, by the side of brick pillar
Courtesy: K.P.Jayarajan, Mathrubhumi, February 14, 2002
Contributed by: Administrator
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