Money does grow on trees. In a way. And those that wish money grew on trees would do a lot better if they learned a thing or two about growing trees. Growing a tree is just like managing an investment. A lot depends on what one does at the very beginning. It's all in the basics. First up, one needs to make up one's mind what fruit one wants from the tree. Some trees bear fruits earlier than others, so one needs to be clear if you need the fruit in the very next season or you are okay waiting a few seasons or in fact you are looking at leaving the fruits for your next generation to enjoy. Ain't no good planting a mango tree and hoping for oranges.
Once the fruit is nailed down and you know which tree you have to plant then comes the next set of basics. One has to look for the right kind of soil, the right season and the right time of the day. When this all makes sense then one plants the sapling or the seed, waters it, puts a little fence around it and then walks away. No farmer worth his salt will sit and stare at his 'investment'. He will just let it be and find other things to do. Maybe after a month or so he may look in, check the soil, prune a few things,water it and then again walk away. He knows that if his initial decisions about the soil and the season and the time of the day were good then the seed is doing its job and there is nothing he now needs to do.
If at all he has a role, its when something out of the ordinary has happened. If it has rained too much or hasn't rained enough, or there was a hailstorm or a heatwave or it has been exceedingly cold. He will then rush to his tree and do what he has to do. Yes, it is very likely that the severe weather took its toll on the tree and there is nothing he can do but its more likely that all is not lost yet. So he may water it or merely till the soil a bit or prune the branches or in fact, if need be, do nothing at all. There maybe times when after a severe shock, the tree looks quite dead. It has shed all its leaves and the branches are bone dry and bare. Many a person would be forgiven to just rue his luck and hack the tree down. But a good farmer would do nothing of that sort. In fact he may put in more effort, till the soil, fertilize it, pour in water. For he know that what matters in adverse conditions is how deep the roots are. If the roots are okay the tree is okay.
That is the essence of growing a tree and if all of the above has come to pass, then when the time is right the tree will bear its fruits. Not a day early, not a day late. Right on the dot.
Once the fruit is nailed down and you know which tree you have to plant then comes the next set of basics. One has to look for the right kind of soil, the right season and the right time of the day. When this all makes sense then one plants the sapling or the seed, waters it, puts a little fence around it and then walks away. No farmer worth his salt will sit and stare at his 'investment'. He will just let it be and find other things to do. Maybe after a month or so he may look in, check the soil, prune a few things,water it and then again walk away. He knows that if his initial decisions about the soil and the season and the time of the day were good then the seed is doing its job and there is nothing he now needs to do.
If at all he has a role, its when something out of the ordinary has happened. If it has rained too much or hasn't rained enough, or there was a hailstorm or a heatwave or it has been exceedingly cold. He will then rush to his tree and do what he has to do. Yes, it is very likely that the severe weather took its toll on the tree and there is nothing he can do but its more likely that all is not lost yet. So he may water it or merely till the soil a bit or prune the branches or in fact, if need be, do nothing at all. There maybe times when after a severe shock, the tree looks quite dead. It has shed all its leaves and the branches are bone dry and bare. Many a person would be forgiven to just rue his luck and hack the tree down. But a good farmer would do nothing of that sort. In fact he may put in more effort, till the soil, fertilize it, pour in water. For he know that what matters in adverse conditions is how deep the roots are. If the roots are okay the tree is okay.
That is the essence of growing a tree and if all of the above has come to pass, then when the time is right the tree will bear its fruits. Not a day early, not a day late. Right on the dot.
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