Within the bustling district of Thrissur, Kerala, Lathika Suthan has carved a distinct segment for herself on the planet of floral cultivation. She has amassed a surprising assortment of practically 100 lotus plant varieties and 80 water lily species at her dwelling.
Apparently, Lathika grows uncommon and prized lotus specimens, such because the Historic Maple Leaf and the 1,000-petal lotus. These varieties are hardy and widely-known. She says these bloomed for the primary time in Kerala in her backyard.
This exceptional feat garnered consideration from magazines and social media, sparking widespread curiosity in lotuses and attracting quite a few fanatics to her doorstep.
“Via this, many individuals got here to learn about lotuses and began contacting me. I began giving tubers to people eager on cultivating these beautiful crops. After which I assumed, why not make a enterprise out of it?” shares Lathika.
Seizing the chance to share her ardour with others and recognising the potential for a flourishing enterprise, she remodeled her pastime right into a worthwhile enterprise. Each month, the 51-year-old manages to earn as much as Rs 40,000.
We sat down together with her to hint her journey from being a major faculty trainer to turning into a flourishing lotus entrepreneur and mastering the artwork of propagating these unique flora.
Blossoming pastime right into a enterprise endeavour
Lathika’s love for gardening dates again to her childhood, the place nurturing and witnessing the expansion of crops introduced her immense pleasure. “Ever since I used to be a child, I loved gardening and I used to derive happiness simply by seeing these lotus blossoms,” she provides.
Whereas she went on to turn into a major authorities faculty trainer in her early 20s, she couldn’t resist herself from following her ardour.
In 2018, she delved into commercialising her water lilies and lotus crops. Began initially as a pastime, this intrinsic ardour led her to transition from educating to pursuing her green-thumb ambition.
Venturing into uncharted territory, Lathika launched into a quest to uncover and analysis the varied world of lotus flowers and water lilies.
“I discovered that there have been 100 forms of lotus and water lilies however out of those, only some varieties had been accessible in India. The remaining had been imported from international locations akin to Thailand, Vietnam and Japan,” she provides.
Step by step, Lathika began investing extra time in studying easy strategies to develop lotus and water lilies at dwelling. “I began shopping for native and imported saplings from nurseries throughout the nation. Earlier, I used to buy new forms of saplings which had been very costly. Each new selection might be costly when it’s simply launched to the market. Nonetheless, its worth finally drops after a yr or so,” she says.
“As an example, to start with, I bought lotus tubers as costly as Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000. At the moment, they price solely Rs 250 every tuber,” she shares.
To get an in-depth understanding of cultivating lotus and water lillies at dwelling, Lathika attended quite a few workshops and courses carried out by the agricultural division within the district. “I additionally took assist from different people who find themselves into lotus cultivation. Then, I began experimenting myself and learnt in the course of the course of,” she says.
Drawing on her expertise and information gained from workshops, courses, and interactions with trade specialists, Lathika finally honed her expertise in rising these crops.
Rising lots of of lotus & lilies effortlessly
Lathika’s sustainable method to plant care units her aside. She advocates for the use of pure fertilisers. At her dwelling backyard, she makes use of dried cow dung, used tea leaves, powdered eggshells, and generally DAP (di-ammonium phosphate) to nurture her botanical treasures.
Emphasising the significance of daylight, water, and high quality soil over chemical fertilisers, she demonstrates the simplicity and ease of managing lotuses and water lilies, making them accessible even to beginner gardeners.
Moreover her spectacular assortment of lotus and water lilies, she additionally grows orchids, begonias, aglaonemas, creepers, and different indoor crops. She says, “In comparison with different crops, managing lotuses and water lilies is approach simpler. As soon as planted, it is going to begin rising and giving flowers with out a lot care.”
Lathika’s journey and the transformative energy of pursuing her ardour and embracing the great thing about nature’s wonders, Suthan Thozhuthumparambil, her husband, says, “I’m deeply impressed by her work and I take pleasure that she is embracing her childhood ardour even at this age.”
“I used to be working in Qatar for a few years prior to now however later I made a decision to retire and assist her run the enterprise. Every time I might come again dwelling, I attempted to be a serving to hand to her. She has taught me how you can water all these unique crops and repotting methods. We get pleasure from our gardening time collectively,” he shares with The Higher India.
Lathika manages to promote over 150 lotus seedlings and over 100 water lily seeds each month. She will get bulk orders from hospitals, lodges, and resorts.
Nonetheless, past the monetary positive factors, Lathika finds profound fulfilment and solace in every blooming flower. “Greater than cash, I really feel very content material and pleased with every bloom of flowers. These crops are a respite to me from the day by day stress,” she provides.
Edited by Padmashree Pande. All images: Lathika Suthan.
