Ms. Sujani Reddy
Sanra Organics Pvt. Ltd.
Think agriculturist and we think farmer with a small or large farm holdings. Ms. Sujani Reddy comes with a fresh definition to the world of agriculturists. She specializes in promoting terrace gardening. Sujani, who hails from Hyderabad, believes in building a self-sustaining community.
“Academically a microbiologist, I am highly passionate about plants. I keep growing many varieties of plants in one container. I source 90% of the vegetables my family requires from my garden itself.
Soil being the main source of life, we as a company focus on soil enrichment. We manufacture and sell organic nutrients and fertilizers under the brand name Sanra Organics.”
Please elaborate about your plant nutrient business.
We sell organic nutrients, which is made of seaweed extract, de-oiled cake, etc. We make it in the granular form which is very easy to use. Our basic concept is to make organic farming easy.
How is your product different from other organic nutrients available in the market today?
The one thing that stands out is that with our organic products, soil turns richer in microbial activity. It is food for microbes and we do not use any chemicals.
We take quality very seriously. All our raw materials are pure without toxic heavy metals.
We have our factory in Shadnagar. We have regular and repeated customers. Also, we keep our products affordable.
Tell us more about growing multiple plants in one container.
I keep trying different combinations. For example, I grow something from a bean family, which fixes the nitrogen of the soil. I grow tomatoes and some root vegetable as well. Hence, the root will have its own growth pattern and so will the bean and tomatoes and they all share nutrients. Lesser space and more output!
This is my way of growing. Hence, I have limited containers but a lot of output.
Besides using Sanra Organics, what other tips and tricks do you suggest for growing better quality plants at home?
Compost manure is effective. Another thing is to use grass. Grind grass (by grass I mean, any leafy material), add a little bit of jaggery and ferment it for 3-5 days. You can keep it open for the initial 2 days so that the gases get released.
This mixture when diluted and applied to plants is great for nutrient supply.
Can we garden on the terrace without containers?
That is risky because it can result in leakages. Water proofing measures may help for about 1 or 2 years, but later on seepage problems will begin and hence, a huge risk of damaging the house.
Give us a brief picture of how a roof top garden can be built.
You can either have containers to grow your plants or you can have a permanent structure in place for your garden. On your terrace, you have to raise the surface with a few bricks or something and then give a permanent structure. This helps in accommodating more plants.
The choice should be made as per each person’s convenience and requirement. I have seen many roof top gardens – ones with containers and the constructed ones. It depends on one's budget and convenience.
I understand that you help people set up roof gardens - how does that work; what is the procedure?
When a person is interested, the first thing I need to know is the budget they have in mind. The second most crucial factor is the time they can allot towards the plants they grow.
Considering these two factors, I advise the kind of materials necessary to deploy their garden.
The garden also depends on how many plants the person wants to grow and how many members are there in the family. I believe if you are growing something it should be sufficient to feed the family for a one time meal.
So, I analyse things based on the inputs I get from my client and determine how many pots etc. are required. The requirements for a terrace garden is highly different fromthose for having a garden directly on a piece of land.
For a family of 4, they will require at least 4 plants of the same genre to have sufficient for a one-day meal. So, based on their inputs we determine how many plants, containers and space is required.
Approximately, how much would one need to spend for a terrace garden?
It would approximately come up to an initial spend of Rs. 40,000/-, if they opt to go for a full set up all at once. Some people also opt to grow their garden gradually. They can start with 5-10 thousand as initial investment, start with leafy vegetables and slowly add other plants too.
Then, to maintain the garden there would be a recurring cost involved. For a small family it would come up to Rs 2,000-3,000per month. This will take care of the family's vegetable requirements for the month. It can take care of leafy vegetables and other vegetables.
In the long run, if interested, they can also grow fruits also.
Should the soil be changed every now and then?
Soil can be used for 5-6 years if you use nutrient fixers.
Do you offer consultancy on phone for people from other states?
Sure, we can.
What kind of basic information does a person need to have for building and maintaining a roof garden?
One thing I have noticed is that people don’t spend time on their roof top gardens. Plants are living things, you need to spend some time with them.
You can go for you walk on the roof top garden. This will be beneficial for the plants and you. Proximity to your plants automatically instils passion towards gardening. There is a bond that develops, as you see the plant grow, bear fruit/flowers etc. So, once the individual gets used to this, nothing can stop them from indulging in their garden every day.
The other factor is money. People don't understand why they need to spend so much on a garden. They spend 3-4 thousand per month to get groceries from the market. They don’t understand why it is worth the risk to build a roof garden.
Honestly, building and maintaining the roof garden only adds up to a similar costand eating healthy is a bonus. You grow what you eat and remain healthy.
Another point is when everybody starts growing their own food, there is less burden on the government to feed people, import things from other places etc.
It is interesting to note that there are 1000s of acres of terrace gardening.A large group of people have turned to terrace gardening.
How can we take care of pests in terrace garden?
Just check how your plants are doing while watering them. If and when you notice pests in its initial stages, you can throw them away/burn those leaves. For example, you can check for caterpillars and throw them away.
Also, spraying baking soda with neem oil and soapnut solution on your plants every 10 days, keeps pests away. They are natural pest repellents. Also if they use our products plants will not be susceptible to infections quickly.
How do we counter fungal attacks on plants?
One remedy I follow is to use baking soda mixed with neem and coconut liquid. This keeps fungus away from the plants.
Now, if a crop is already infected, you have to dilute milk with water at 1:1 ratio and spray on your plants. This will help when fungal infection is at the minimal stage.
Boiling cabbage releases lot of sulphur. This can be diluted and sprayed on plants to keep away mildew from plants.
Do you grow the plants at your home, yourself?
Yes. Actually at my house, I have a farm too because I have a huge compound around my house. In the compound, we have all kinds of fruits, vegetables and other plants. Then, I started with 4 containers on my terrace.
My father takes care of the plants most of the time, since I run around with the business.
What kind of services does Sanra Organics provide?
I have a facebook page called myudyan. People can join that group or message me via that group for any queries or concerns they may have regarding terrace gardening.
We can be consulted for garden set up, pest management, for anything and everything related to terrace gardening.
What are your future plans?
I aim at motivating people to build their own terrace gardens. We are working towards that. Growing at least their own leafy vegetables is a great start.
Today, I source 90% of my vegetables from my garden itself. I want to make sure it touches a 100%. I hope that my passion gets infectious and I inspire all people I meet to have their own terrace garden, spend some time to be one with nature, grow the food they eat and stay healthy!
Contact
Vanamala Sujani Reddy
Company Sanra Group
Phone-9550792869
Email-vanamala.sujani@gmail.com
Sanra Organics Pvt. Ltd.
Think agriculturist and we think farmer with a small or large farm holdings. Ms. Sujani Reddy comes with a fresh definition to the world of agriculturists. She specializes in promoting terrace gardening. Sujani, who hails from Hyderabad, believes in building a self-sustaining community.
“Academically a microbiologist, I am highly passionate about plants. I keep growing many varieties of plants in one container. I source 90% of the vegetables my family requires from my garden itself.
Soil being the main source of life, we as a company focus on soil enrichment. We manufacture and sell organic nutrients and fertilizers under the brand name Sanra Organics.”
Please elaborate about your plant nutrient business.
We sell organic nutrients, which is made of seaweed extract, de-oiled cake, etc. We make it in the granular form which is very easy to use. Our basic concept is to make organic farming easy.
How is your product different from other organic nutrients available in the market today?
The one thing that stands out is that with our organic products, soil turns richer in microbial activity. It is food for microbes and we do not use any chemicals.
We take quality very seriously. All our raw materials are pure without toxic heavy metals.
We have our factory in Shadnagar. We have regular and repeated customers. Also, we keep our products affordable.
Tell us more about growing multiple plants in one container.
I keep trying different combinations. For example, I grow something from a bean family, which fixes the nitrogen of the soil. I grow tomatoes and some root vegetable as well. Hence, the root will have its own growth pattern and so will the bean and tomatoes and they all share nutrients. Lesser space and more output!
This is my way of growing. Hence, I have limited containers but a lot of output.
Besides using Sanra Organics, what other tips and tricks do you suggest for growing better quality plants at home?
Compost manure is effective. Another thing is to use grass. Grind grass (by grass I mean, any leafy material), add a little bit of jaggery and ferment it for 3-5 days. You can keep it open for the initial 2 days so that the gases get released.
This mixture when diluted and applied to plants is great for nutrient supply.
Can we garden on the terrace without containers?
That is risky because it can result in leakages. Water proofing measures may help for about 1 or 2 years, but later on seepage problems will begin and hence, a huge risk of damaging the house.
Give us a brief picture of how a roof top garden can be built.
You can either have containers to grow your plants or you can have a permanent structure in place for your garden. On your terrace, you have to raise the surface with a few bricks or something and then give a permanent structure. This helps in accommodating more plants.
The choice should be made as per each person’s convenience and requirement. I have seen many roof top gardens – ones with containers and the constructed ones. It depends on one's budget and convenience.
I understand that you help people set up roof gardens - how does that work; what is the procedure?
When a person is interested, the first thing I need to know is the budget they have in mind. The second most crucial factor is the time they can allot towards the plants they grow.
Considering these two factors, I advise the kind of materials necessary to deploy their garden.
The garden also depends on how many plants the person wants to grow and how many members are there in the family. I believe if you are growing something it should be sufficient to feed the family for a one time meal.
So, I analyse things based on the inputs I get from my client and determine how many pots etc. are required. The requirements for a terrace garden is highly different fromthose for having a garden directly on a piece of land.
For a family of 4, they will require at least 4 plants of the same genre to have sufficient for a one-day meal. So, based on their inputs we determine how many plants, containers and space is required.
Approximately, how much would one need to spend for a terrace garden?
It would approximately come up to an initial spend of Rs. 40,000/-, if they opt to go for a full set up all at once. Some people also opt to grow their garden gradually. They can start with 5-10 thousand as initial investment, start with leafy vegetables and slowly add other plants too.
Then, to maintain the garden there would be a recurring cost involved. For a small family it would come up to Rs 2,000-3,000per month. This will take care of the family's vegetable requirements for the month. It can take care of leafy vegetables and other vegetables.
In the long run, if interested, they can also grow fruits also.
Should the soil be changed every now and then?
Soil can be used for 5-6 years if you use nutrient fixers.
Do you offer consultancy on phone for people from other states?
Sure, we can.
What kind of basic information does a person need to have for building and maintaining a roof garden?
One thing I have noticed is that people don’t spend time on their roof top gardens. Plants are living things, you need to spend some time with them.
You can go for you walk on the roof top garden. This will be beneficial for the plants and you. Proximity to your plants automatically instils passion towards gardening. There is a bond that develops, as you see the plant grow, bear fruit/flowers etc. So, once the individual gets used to this, nothing can stop them from indulging in their garden every day.
The other factor is money. People don't understand why they need to spend so much on a garden. They spend 3-4 thousand per month to get groceries from the market. They don’t understand why it is worth the risk to build a roof garden.
Honestly, building and maintaining the roof garden only adds up to a similar costand eating healthy is a bonus. You grow what you eat and remain healthy.
Another point is when everybody starts growing their own food, there is less burden on the government to feed people, import things from other places etc.
It is interesting to note that there are 1000s of acres of terrace gardening.A large group of people have turned to terrace gardening.
How can we take care of pests in terrace garden?
Just check how your plants are doing while watering them. If and when you notice pests in its initial stages, you can throw them away/burn those leaves. For example, you can check for caterpillars and throw them away.
Also, spraying baking soda with neem oil and soapnut solution on your plants every 10 days, keeps pests away. They are natural pest repellents. Also if they use our products plants will not be susceptible to infections quickly.
How do we counter fungal attacks on plants?
One remedy I follow is to use baking soda mixed with neem and coconut liquid. This keeps fungus away from the plants.
Now, if a crop is already infected, you have to dilute milk with water at 1:1 ratio and spray on your plants. This will help when fungal infection is at the minimal stage.
Boiling cabbage releases lot of sulphur. This can be diluted and sprayed on plants to keep away mildew from plants.
Do you grow the plants at your home, yourself?
Yes. Actually at my house, I have a farm too because I have a huge compound around my house. In the compound, we have all kinds of fruits, vegetables and other plants. Then, I started with 4 containers on my terrace.
My father takes care of the plants most of the time, since I run around with the business.
What kind of services does Sanra Organics provide?
I have a facebook page called myudyan. People can join that group or message me via that group for any queries or concerns they may have regarding terrace gardening.
We can be consulted for garden set up, pest management, for anything and everything related to terrace gardening.
What are your future plans?
I aim at motivating people to build their own terrace gardens. We are working towards that. Growing at least their own leafy vegetables is a great start.
Today, I source 90% of my vegetables from my garden itself. I want to make sure it touches a 100%. I hope that my passion gets infectious and I inspire all people I meet to have their own terrace garden, spend some time to be one with nature, grow the food they eat and stay healthy!
Contact
Vanamala Sujani Reddy
Company Sanra Group
Phone-9550792869
Email-vanamala.sujani@gmail.com
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