Following are the steps that Verma uses to grow trees with just a litre of water:
1. Level the farmland to prevent rainwater from draining away.
2. For 5-6 days after the first rain, plough the fields till one feet deep to remove the weeds and capillaries so that rainwater can seep into the ground and does not rise to the surface.
3. Deep plough for the second time immediately after the rains are over. This will turn the upper soil to a minimum of 10 inches deep in the field locking the water in the soil.
4. A few days after the second ploughing, dig pits of one-feet-deep and 4-5 inches wide.
5. Plant the saplings in the pits and ensure that the roots are at least 20 cm below the surface. Cover the plant with wet mud to keep the moisture for long.
6. Finally pour one litre of water in the pit and allow the plant to grow.
It helps to plant the saplings by September end as the temperatures in Rajasthan are low at this time of the year which allows roots to penetrate as deep as possible. As we enter summer, the top soil surface starts to dry up and the moisture content of the plant moves downwards.
Verma uses traditional methods taught by his father that use less water, “My dad would also fetch the wet mud from the lake and mix cow dung in it. The wet mud would retain the moisture and the cow dung would prevent capillaries from growing.”
