This arappu-buttermilk solution is packed with five ingredients, some of them used in the kitchen for everyday cooking. But put together, they really pack a punch.

Soil Recipes is a useful how-to-do-it manual on soil nutrition and maintenance authored by Goa-based organic farmer ISA ALVARES and published by The Organic Farming Association of India (OFAI). Endlessly Green is happy to republish these recipes.

The recipes, as the author says, have been “vetted and verified by experienced organic farmers” belonging to OFAI. They not only “enable the soil to re-stock its populations of beneficial soil microbes”, but also help “control disease…” The following recipe is being republished verbatim from Soil Recipes authored by Goa-based organic farmer Isa Alvares and published by The Organic Farming Association of India.

Ingredients:

Five litres of buttermilk, one litre of tender coconut water, one-two kgs of arappu leaves (Albizia amara) or, 250-500 gms of leaf powder, 500 gms of fruits rejects or one litre of juice made out of fruit rejects, 100 gms of turmeric powder and 10-20 gms of asafoetida.

Preparation

 

 

Mix the buttermilk, tender coconut water, turmeric powder and asafoetida powder.

 

 

 

 

Crush the leaves well.

If you are using fruits rejects, add it to the crushed leaves and put this mixture in a nylon mesh and tie it.

 

 

 

 

 

Immerse the mesh in buttermilk-tender coconut solution.

If you are using arappu leaf powder, use fruit juice instead of fruit rejects.

 

 

 

Mix all four ingredients and let the mixture ferment for seven days.

By using the nylon mesh, we could avoid the need for filtering the solution while spraying.

 

 

 

Applications

 

 

 

Mix ten litres of water with half to one litre of solution and spray.
For irrigation, use 5-10 litres of water solution per acre.

 

 

 

Benefits: 

This helps plant growth, repels insects and adds resistance against fungal diseases.

Recommendations

Wherever arappu is not available, you may use soapnut seed powder instead. In that case, we call it soapnut-buttermilk solution.

Many plant parts, when they ferment, release a sticky gum-like liquid. You may add this liquid to the buttermilk and let it ferment. Leaves of neem, aloe vera, custard apple and tulsi can also be used. Out of these, any two can be used.

Again, we wish to remind you about Prof. Dhabolkar’s suggestion that every farmer should become an innovator.

 

If you have queries, please write to: Soil Vasu (P Srinivas Vasu), soilvasu@gmail.com or endlesslygreen360@gmail.com.