The wonderful kapok tree
Plants getting ready for planting
Satish Agarwal
Bilaspur. it is green even in Pala season. Even fires on dry days do not burn it. Not only that, perhaps the only one will be such a tree, which also gets ready in alluvial lands.
Very wonderful is the kapok tree. Amid the preparations for planting, kapok is now also being taken care of. For this, new plants are being prepared from pens and seeds in nurseries. This is because years later, for the first time, a surprising trend is being seen about planting seedlings.
Know kapok
Plants are being prepared with seed and pen techniques. Seedlings are considered worth planting at 4 to 10 months of age. Kapok needs the least care among Forestry tree species. This light-loving species takes good growth in alluvial lands. It also grows rapidly in lands where drainage systems cannot be built.
So wonderful
This species, preferring light, can tolerate severe cold and Frost. Not only that, fires on dry days cannot take away its greenery. In coffee and cocoa plantations, it is needed as a shade tree. So its use area is constantly growing.
Gives it benefits
Its fruits are ready at just 3 to 8 years old. From which the fibers come into use to make packing, cushion, pillow. Seeds are also considered useful. The purchase of wood is done by units making matches, light plywood, containers, packing boxes, brush handles. The gum from the bark is used by pharmaceutical units.
Also identified by this name
The capok of the species sybra pentandra is known as semal in its Chhattisgarh. In the use area, it is identified by the name of silk cotton and white semal, in addition to kapok. Apart from India, its trees are found in abundance in Indonesia and America.
Fast-growing amazing tree
Kapok is a fast-growing and wonderful tree with many qualities. its wood is used to make matchsticks, lightweight plywood containers and brush handles. cotton from its fruit is also used to make pillows, mattresses and life-saving and other water-protective equipment.
Ajit Williams, scientist (Forestry), BTC College of Agriculture and research station, Bilaspur