Horticultural hints on trees in ancient Sanskrit texts - just a sprinkling

   

                         Horticultural hints on trees in ancient Sanskrit texts- just a sprinkling

        

          Trees are planted after new moon and in the waxing period of it in fixed asterisms ( some specific Zodiac signs) .

Watering - The planted trees should be watered morning and evening in the Summer season, on alternate days in winter, and in the night during the rainy season if the earth ( soil ) has become dry. Trees planted 20 cubits ( A cubit was traditionally defined as the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. Generally equals about 18 inches ) are considered as excellent, 16 cubits apart as medium. There should be minimum 12 cubits distance in between one tree and the other. Trees planted densely would not bear fruits. They should first be pruned with a cutter.

The trees should be sprinkled with cold water mixed with a paste of Vidanga ( Embelia ribes, a kind of plant it seems ) and Ghee. If the fruits get destroyed cold water should be sprinkled with a paste of horse-gram, black gram, green gram, barley and sesame

One should always sprinkle cold water with ghee for getting abundant fruits and flowers. Sprinkling with the excrements of sheep, goat and powdered barley, sesame allowed to be soaked in meat and water for 7 nights would also increase the bearing of fruits and flowers in all the trees. Sprinkling with the washings of the fish would also increase the bearing of fruits and flowers in all the trees. Fish and meat mixed with Vidanga and rice would make them bear fruits. This would universally control the diseases of all the trees.