I woke up early in the morning for an escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life to recharge my energy. Today, I got an appointment with Mr. Nguyen Van Sieng (or Uncle Sieng in our very own word) at his coconut farm at Thanh Nhat commune of Tien Giang province, almost 100 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City.
The weather was pleasant, sunny and breezy. I reached the farm at around 10 a.m and saw a beautiful view of the lush green young coconut fields, surrounded by narrow channels that supply water for the palms.
Uncle Sieng and his wife greeted me at the entrance with their shining smiles. They proudly shared with me how the coconut palms were planted. For the first time in my life, I visualized a complete lifecycle of a coconut and I am so eager to share it here.
Coconuts are a natural product which are in season all year long. They grow in bunches of 5 to 20 drupes, usually 10 at Uncle Sieng’s farm and a new bunch begins to grow every month, meaning a coconut tree can produce about 100 coconuts a year.
It is rather amusing to find out the word “coconut” comes from Spanish “coco” meaning skull or scary face because of the 3 eyes making the little face on each and every coconut shell. (“COCO” – a fantasy cartoon by Walt Disney Pictures, anybody J).
Every coconut tree grows from a single seed, which is an entire coconut, taking between 3 and 8 years to bear fruit, and living between 60 and 100 years. Each coconut takes almost a year to develop from a flower into a fruit.
Over almost 12 months, the nut grows heavier and heavier until eventually falling to the ground or being picked down for planting. Uncle Sieng has a separate area for coconut sprouting.
Coconut seeds germinate and grow into new plants when being buried. A coconut seed can take up to 9 months before it starts to sprout. Once several weeks have passed, the outer shell and husk of the nut splits apart, and the root bursts out.
A coconut that has sprouted will continue to grow at a quickened pace. Over a few months, a coconut’s sprout with reach 60 – 100 centimeters. The sprout’s trunk will also increase in diameter and become thicker.
A coconut palm typically takes 3 or 6 years before it starts flowering. It consists of male and female flowers on the same inflorescence that develops within a woody spathe. The Dwarfs at Uncle Sieng’s farm is just 2 – 3 meters tall when producing fruits. The tree will also grow about 30 leaves, which grow in layers. Old layers on the bottom fall off, while new layers develop on top to maintain the umbrella shape. After 3 to 6 years, flowers begin to grow from the tree tops. The flowers eventually produce fruits, more coconuts, after about 9 months. Once the nuts mature, they drop to the ground, and the circle restarts.
The life circle is one of the topics Uncle Sieng usually shares with other farmers during Hamona knowledge sharing sessions held at every commune that Hamona reaches. He no longer depends on artificial fertilizer providers, he now depends on bacteria, earthworms and his cattle he raises around his farm to make natural manures. The waste on the farm is now the excellent materials to feed coconut palms. Fish can be found in the canals around the trees. He is well prepared to reach organic status soon.
Lying under the palm whilst enjoying the very fresh coconut from the tree, I was told by Uncle Sieng that this “Compassion” tree produced much more coconuts than its neighbors as the result of more compassion it took from visitors coming and sharing the words of wisdom under its shade.
The visit ended in the late afternoon and I have already planned a come back to the farm with my kids. There are many lessons to learn from a very simple life at a farm like Uncle Sieng’s, from how we can create a green earth by using simple interdependency in nature to meet our needs, to the way we find our passion in life and live with inner peace.
