Parichand's Correspondence with The Mother

1940

Mother,

The watering and sunning of washed plants and new plants from outside still perplexes me.

On 3rd October, we washed, thinned and watered one plant and put it under the shade of the mango tree. Six days later, it was watered again because the soil did not get sufficiently dry. It was brought a little out from the trunk and given three-fourths of an hour's sun, but still under the tree. No eye opened, many leaves yellowed and fell.

From the 12th it began raining. The plant was brought farther out to get three hours' sun, but from the 12th to the 23rd there was practically no sun, but on the contrary heavy showers. As a result of this rain about three-and-a-half dozen eyes opened almost at the same time, and many of them sent forth very tiny shoots. Thinking that the plant would not be able to nourish so many shoots, I nipped one dozen weak ones.⁶

On the 24th, the sun was once again bright and hot. I noticed at about 10.30 or 11.00 a.m. that some tender shoots had drooped. This I attributed to the sudden change of weather. I shifted the plant to a still sunnier position so that next day it got about four and-a-half hours' sun—from 7.30 to 12.00 a.m. I noticed that some shoots had drooped again, but I did not give the plant any shade for two reasons:' (1) The soil was still very wet and I feared root-rot if it rained again, and (2) I wanted to accustom the leaves to more sun and thought they would stand up. But what I saw at 1.30 was that some four shoots had wilted badly beyond any hope of reviving.'

Mother, I have given at length the after-treatment of one plant as an example, but I pray for Your direction applicable to all such plants because it is upon the after-treatment that their life and progress depend.

The above statements you make describe most clearly the mess that the mind can do when it interferes in plant life. How much I wish you could stop thinking! Then, I suppose, the plants will grow and be happy.

My love and blessings

1940