Life and Spirituality

Jack fruit tree and Mulberry tree belong to the same plant family   Here we go round the mulberry bush, The mulberry bush, The mulberry bush. Here we go round the mulberry bush - Nursery Rhyme I n earlier posts it was mentioned that the almond tree is a heavenly tree and the Drumstick tree is one that is beautiful and easy to grow. However, whereas the first is a delicate tree requiring much care to grow, the second is a fragile tree that does not grow well in colder parts of the earth. The mulberry tree on the other hand grows widely on our planet in most climatic conditions where humans live. It grows easily in wild areas and it is a source of food besides much more. If a tree is to be regarded as a godly hermit tree on our planet than this tree is a strong contender for the title. Mulberry trees can be planted easily from seed or cutting and with its deep green foliage, it is a beautiful tree that offers much shade in summers. This tree and others of its family are an ex

T he wonderful thing about planting a tree is that in doing so we not only help ourselves but also perform a service to the world. If we were to go into all the benefits that trees provide there will be little space left for the topic at hand. Just briefly, one may reiterate that trees absorb carbon during their growth and that helps stabilize climate. Trees produce life-giving oxygen. Planted at home they enhance aesthetics and value of the property. Depending on the variety they may also produce fruits and other food besides. Planted in places of work, they improve work environment; planted on a street or park trees improve human habitations and planted in the countryside they adorn and enrich mother earth; all this while they work steadily to improve climate, soil and provide food plus shelter to numerous birds and animals. One may have noted that most plants and animals serve nature and earn good karma just through the process of living, for example birds help spread se

Top of a Drumstick tree between a Jamun (A black berry) tree and grape vine in author's home T his blog has described many useful trees but it appears that a full article on one of the most useful ones, the drumstick tree, has been missed. It is time to make up this deficiency now, especially during the monsoon season when nature lovers in India are busy in tree plantations. The Moringa or the drumstick tree is a fast-growing, drought resistant tree that is native to the southern foothills of the Himalayas in northwestern India. But it grows easily in semi-arid areas too. It can be grown in forests, home gardens, schools, offices, farms or as street side trees in cities. It is also an ideal choice for forestation programs.   Mixed with other trees such as the white mulberry, other trees from the mulberry family and a few other fruit trees common to the area, it virtually produces a food forest of fruits and leafy vegetables. It can be grown from cutting or seed.

  Mr. Squirrel sun bathing on his Neem Patio A zadirachta indica , also known as Neem , is a tree in the mahogany family. It is native to South Asia and also grows in islands in the southern part of Iran. Its fruits and seeds are the source of Neem oil . It is a fast growing tree that can reach heights of up to 20 meters easily. If a tree is to be regarded as the symbol of humility, it has to be the Neem Tree. It grows without any care in arid areas. Birds and squirrels love its fruit and to build homes amongst its branches. At the same time it repels insects, bacteria, viruses and other microbes. Mosquitoes like to move away from areas where it grows. And planted as some of the trees of an orchard it will discourage infestations that sometimes attack orchards lacking biodiversity ( see here for bio-diverse orchards) . Presently the olive groves of Europe are under such an attack. Neem leaves are dried and placed within clothes and in rice bins to keep away infestation.

T his blog is not just about trees but since I have written about some tree families, the descriptions would be incomplete without a mention of the Pine tree family (Pinaceae) and its close relatives cedars, firs and spruces, before I move on to other topics. These are amongst the oldest of trees on earth, long lasting companions of mother Earth. The oldest tree on earth is perhaps a spruce in Sweden that is about ten thousand years old. These are trees that bear cones instead of fruits and flowers and have needles instead of leaves. To my mind a mountain valley landscape is incomplete without this tree. Nothing adds more grace, beauty, joy and wisdom to the surroundings. The usefulness of this tree for its wood and turpentine are well known. Its nuts are a delicious food source. Young new pine needles added to tea add vitamins C and A to the drink. If a pine tree is cut down for commercial use please ensure that at least two more are planted to replace it. No

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tilia_x_europea-2.JPG This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. T rees make a tremendous contribution to improving climate and environment of the planet. Many provide food for birds, insects, animal and humans. All know of fruits and nuts from trees but the flowers and foliage of some are excellent as food too. At the present time, when population of humans on planets has increased to around seven billion, food producing trees must become the first choice for planting in homes, towns and forests. An earlier note in this blog described the Moringa or drumstick tree as an excellent one for food in warmer parts of the planet. Its foliage, flowers and fruits are all edible. In cooler parts of the planet another tree, Basswood is an excellent choice as a food tree. It is the best wild salad plant in North America. Basswood leaves make a good salad green in spring and early summ

A young Silver Oak tree in the Author's garden W hen I started to build my present home more than twenty years ago, it was bereft of trees. Two of the first trees I planted were a cassia tree and a silver oak tree, the first because it grows quickly without care and I was away most times practicing my profession and the second because I have always loved the silver oak tree from childhood. It indeed grew into a handsome tall tree that was a home for many birds and the envy of the street during its somewhat brief life. In 2007 it suddenly dried up. Some trees do that here perhaps because of termites. Many have in my garden over the years but they have been replaced by other trees. However, I never replaced the silver oak because it was precious to me and I felt that nothing else could take it place. But it must have left some seeds behind, because a few years ago a small sapling sprang up nearby. I left it in but did not hope much future for it because the location was

Indian Gooseberry P erhaps of all trees, one that qualifies to be named as the godly physician tree is the Amla tree. It is also known as the Indian Gooseberry and its botanical name is Phyllanthus emblica. It is a pretty tree with its delicate foliage that grows well on the warm plains of South Asia. It is a truly precious gift of mother earth to mankind. This tree may not fruit well if grown as a single tree in a garden (some do though) or as several together in an orchard. However it will fruit very well if a grown in an orchard with about one fifth other trees spaced through the orchard or another fruit planted as every third row for ease of picking.  One may plant other fruit trees of a similar height for that. Several parts of this tree including leaves have medicinal value but the most beneficial part are the fruits. It is a difficult fruit to eat raw because of its strong taste; however its taste improves in salted or sweet preserves. It is especially useful for

F ew people realize how much of our food comes from grass. Wheat, Sugar, Rice and Corn are forms of grasses. Animals we depend upon for food, such as meat, eggs and milk, produce that after consuming grass. Grass as bamboo is an excellent building material. In fact more research is needed for construction of human dwellings based on a structure of bamboo combined with minimal use of wood, plastered with mud, inner walls covered with wallpaper made of grass and the outer surfaces covered in waterproof paint. Floors may be made of jute matting and roofs out of clay tiles and solar panels. One need not avoid cement, steel and glass completely but all of them use copious amounts of energy for their production and it is wise to minimize their use. With proper design such a hybrid building can be just as strong and elegant while being much greener. Just as humans stand out amongst oxygen breathing life forms, the tree stands out in the plant world. Trees as a food source have no

Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit_tree#/media/File:Plum_tree_with_fruit.jpg I n the previous post it was mentioned that in future farm owners may be obliged to reserve a portion of their farms for trees that could well be fruit orchards. One disadvantage of orchards as compared to natural forests is that they are low on bio-diversity and as a result they do not contribute as much to improvements in environment as  natural forests. However there is a very simple way to improve both the environment as well as fruit yield from orchards by introducing bio-diversity. If twenty per cent, or even up to 33% of evenly distributed trees are different from the primary crop in an orchard then both the yield and the environment improves. Such orchards may yield up to one and half times the normal yield over the life of the orchard as per the author's estimate just because of improved bio diversity and soil health despite the fact that there are fewer trees of the

  The Twenty-twenty Tree Initiative The Twenty-twenty Tree Initiative S ince its inception around seven years ago, this blog has discussed several spiritual concepts as well as ideas that attempt to contribute towards improving the quality of life on our wondrous planet. Some of these ideas have caught the fancy of many on far off shores including a 1:10 initiative that has been taken up by the Europeans enthusiastically after appropriate modifications. This particular initiative had seeded the idea of linking maximum salaries of executives in any organization to the minimum salary within the same organization. Encouraged by such responses, this blogger is encouraged now to put forth a new idea that is not concerned directly with economy but rather with the health and beauty of our lovely planet. It is called the 1:20 Green earth Initiative here, or one may call it the Twenty-Twenty Tree Initiative. Very simply put the idea is that it may be prescribed by law that every

T he oak tree belongs to a family of trees that include the beeches, Chestnuts and oak. This family of trees has been regarded as the tree of the gods in areas where it grows naturally and this family of trees caters to many human needs such as spiritual strength, shelter, food, energy and clothing. The Oaks are trees with a strong wood excellent for building homes and furniture, the chestnuts are a food source that have been used as a delicious and healthy replacement for wheat and rice whereas the beech yields firewood and a rayon that may be used as a replacement for cotton, silk or wool. New young leaves of oak can be consumed as salad or cooked as a green and the older leaves may be soaked to flavor beer and beverages. The acorns may be processed as food or into a coffee like drink. The Oak family (known as the botanical family Fagaceae of trees) is a truly beautiful and majestic family of trees that caters to many human needs and delights the soul. Gene

Curry leaf plant We have talked of several trees in this blog but one important one has been missed so far – The curry leaf tree. It can grow as a small bush and if given enough space develop into trees that are even twenty feet tall. It is a lovely addition to any garden, especially because its leaves are an aromatic and delicious herb that will enrich many recipes from omelets to lentil soups, fish and much more. The interested reader may find its use in many recipes by a google search. We just added some to a delicious dish of spinach puree and chickpea flour dumplings ( Besan gatta sag ). It is still simmering on the kitchen stove as I write this post. The tree will grow in any area that does not have sub zero temperature winters. The nice thing about it is that it produces healthy leaves round the years and is available to perk up a recipe at home any time. A small tree of this as well as several other smaller ones has been growing in my backyard for decades. A

A Newly Planted Tree Outside the front boundary of my home and before the street there is a patch of vacant land on which I have planted four trees and some flowering bushes ( Jasmine and bogain villea). At one time a lovely perfumed oleander bush with rose like blossoms grew here. It produced lovely deep pink blossoms. With age it died about a couple of years ago and there was an empty spot. However, I have since discovered that oleander is poisonous. Therefore rather than replant a new oleander, this morning I replanted it with a tree that was earlier in a flower pot and had become rather large for the pot. It is shown in the photo. The area around it looks barren just now because it had become full of weeds during the monsoons and we have pulled all that out just two days ago. New grass will come up there in a few weeks. I do not know the name of the tree put it has lovely shaded foliage, does not become very big and produces a fruit that birds like. I have no idea yet

A ll trees are beneficial for the planet and the life that dwells upon it but if there is one that is more beneficial than most others in the warmer parts of the planet where winters are not cold enough to snow, then it is the Kachnar (Bauhinia or Phanera variegata ). It also known as the orchid tree or Mountain Ebony. It is truly a blessed tree with delicious edible flowers that are a beauty to behold. Kept in a flower vase by the bedside, they promote good sleep. The flowers are scented and attract humming birds much. An earlier post in this blog had described how fruit orchards can be made healthier by mixing in bio-diversity with other trees. Kachnar is a lovely tree to choose for this mix because its roots are nitrogen fixing and that along with its fallen leaves helps to keep the orchard much healthier than it would be otherwise over its life while adding beauty and food value to it. Moreover, because it does not grow to a very large size, it shall not impose upon the