Multilayer Farm · Protocol and water
One protocol. Four stages. Every floor fed.
Shri Mantra's Root, Leaf, Soil and Water inputs reach you in four stages, timed to the floors and set by your Soil Health Card.
Four stages
Inputs arrive when each stage needs them.
You do not carry a whole season of stock. Doses are set by your Soil Health Card and your Kendra agronomist, not by a dealer.
- Stage 1
Prepare
Before planting
Soil test at the Kendra. Form beds, add compost and neem cake, Biochar++ in the beds. Lay drip and erect poles.
- Stage 2
Establish
Day 0–45
Plant treated rhizome seed and the top-floor seedlings, sow gourd at the poles and sow coriander. Root drench, then a thick straw mulch.
- Stage 3
Build
Day 45–120
Train vines to the wire, thin them for 25–40% shade, split fertigation by floor, leaf spray, earth up rhizomes at about 45 and 90 days.
- Stage 4
Bulk and harvest
Day 120 onward
Potash and calcium for fruit and rhizome fill. Stop water 3–4 weeks before digging rhizomes. Pick every 2–3 days and grade at the point.
Root · Leaf · Soil · Water
The Shri Mantra Protocol on four floors.
Shri Sutra
Biological root inputs at planting and in stages 2–3. They set up rhizomes and tree roots.
Shri Yog
Foliar spray in stage 3 for vines and leaves, kept light so the shade stays right.
Shri Sanchay
Biochar++ in the bed at stage 1. It holds water and nutrients for all four floors.
Shri Dhara
Water conditioning through the drip line. One line serves every floor.
Water
One drip line, four rhythms.
Drip, mulch and raised beds keep leaves and fruit dry, which cuts disease. Drip typically saves 30–50% against flood irrigation.
| Stage | Drip rhythm | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Establish | Short, frequent drip to keep the beds moist | Seed, seedlings and rhizome buds need steady moisture, not a flood |
| Build | Every 1–2 days by soil moisture; fertigate each floor on its own day | Floors feed at different depths, so feed them at different times |
| Bulk | Steady moisture; avoid drought stress at fruit and rhizome fill | A dry spell here costs yield and fruit quality |
| Before rhizome harvest | Stop 3–4 weeks before digging | Tops dry down, rhizomes firm up and keep better |
Risk shields
Every risk has an owner and a shield.
Crop and family cover is being finalised with partners. Until then, plan for the cautious case in the calculator.
| Risk | Where | The shield |
|---|---|---|
| Rhizome rot | Floor 1 | Beds 20–25 cm high, open furrows, treated seed rhizome, Trichoderma, no standing water, and rhizomes shifted to the other side of the bed each year. |
| Papaya ringspot virus, aphids, whitefly | Floors 3 and 4 | Drumstick is the default top floor. For papaya: tolerant hybrid, rogue sick plants early, 4–5 yellow sticky traps an acre, a tall maize or sorghum border, and gourd beside papaya only with the Kendra's go-ahead. |
| Fruit fly and mildew on gourd | Floor 3 | Pheromone traps, timely picking, mulch and drip keep leaves dry, remove infected leaves. |
| Wind damage | Floor 4 | Tie stems loosely to the poles, prune drumstick to 8–10 ft, windward border crop. |
| Glut or gap in greens | Floor 2 | Sow small lots every 10 days. Surplus beyond the booked list is yours to sell anywhere. |
| Labour peak | All floors | Two family members for picking every 2–3 days; hired help at rhizome harvest. |
Your Kendra agronomist
You are not on your own.
Every fortnight
A field visit: virus and pest walk, vine training, next dose by floor.
Every season
A fresh Soil Health Card, so the next season's inputs follow what the soil shows.
Any day on WhatsApp
Send a photo of a leaf or fruit and our agronomists reply.
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