An idea can definitely change your life, and this 51-year-old woman from Kerala is now earning Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 per month from the comfort of her home by selling lotus and water lily seedlings.
It was after working as a primary school teacher for over two decades that Lathika Sudhan of Irinjalakuda in Thrissur decided to grow plants which she loved from childhood days. About three years back, while scouting for plants at a nursery, she came across a Karna Lotus plant which immediately won her heart.
“I fell in love with the flower and I bought it for Rs 20,000. After that, I conducted research on different lotus flowers and found that there were hundred varieties of lotus and water lilies. While only a few varieties were available in India, the rest were imported from countries like Thailand, Vietnam and Japan,” Lathika told “Open Digest“.
As her interest grew in lotus, she started investing more time in learning simple methods to grow lotus and water lilies. She also sourced the different varieties of saplings from across the country.
After months of trial and error, she finally succeeded in mastering a method to grow lotus and water lilies on the terrace of her house and small plot of land. “I use dry cow dung as the only manure to grow lotus and water lilies,” she said.
A thick layer of dry cow dung powder along with neem cake is filled into a plastic pot, and a thick layer of cleaned and filtered sand is laid over it before filling the pot that has the capacity to hold 30 litres of water. “The sand should be cleaned of any rocks or debris. The sand should be laid in such thickness to ensure that the cow dung mixture always stays at the bottom. Used tea powder and dry egg shells are also mixed with the sand.
Once we plant the seedlings in these pots, they bud within a few months and start flowering within six months,” she said, adding that she sells over 150 lotus seedlings and over 100 water lily seeds every month. She adds that abundant sunlight is mandatory for healthy growth of lotus and water lilies.
While lotus seedlings are charged between Rs 250 and Rs 300, water lilies are priced at Rs 200. There are also a lot of customers who buy lotus along with the pot, and they are happy to pay the money we ask without bargaining.
“I get a lot of orders from hospitals, hotels, and resorts where they showcase lotus as a fabulous display piece. Majority of the orders are received online, particularly through social media, while there are also a few walk-in customers,” she added.
Lathika is open to supporting anyone who wants to start a small-scale lotus and water lily sale business, and she can be contacted at 9995545730.
