Tag: gardening tips

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blog Sustainable Gardening Basics

Pal Talks Volume 5: July-August 2023

Red Alert!
From skyrocketing price of tomatoes to deluge of rain, this monsoon season has brought several red alerts in our lives.
This takes us back to the most fundamental questions – when exactly to water the plants? Just yesterday it was pouring, today it is sunny.. what should be the watering routine?
The answer lies within your touch!

A few thumb rules to help you and your plants this monsoon:

Feel the soil

Be 100% sure while watering your plants with this finger test.. especially for indoor plants.

Dip your fingertip (about an inch) in the soil and see if it sticks to your finger.

If yes, there’s enough water and you can avoid watering your plant. If it doesn’t stick at all, only then water your plants.

Make simple changes

In addition to this, you may do the following:

reduce overall quantity of water to avoid filling up the plates or containers for indoor plants

remove the trays / plates for outdoor plants to allow excess water to flow out from the bottom

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blog Sustainable Gardening Basics

Myths v/s Facts: Mess v/s Method

Myth

Potted plants stain the exterior walls of buildings. They’re not meant to keep in the windows or grills.

In urban cities, especially Mumbai, several housing societies have banned houseplants.

Residents are discouraged to keep potted plants in the exterior fittings of the buildings such as window grills or panes, a/c ducts and sometimes even balconies.

The primary reason behind such intentions are to avoid mud marks as well as reduce weight on the exterior walls of buildings.

Fact

Potted plants without plates underneath and overwatering are the main reasons for causing stains on walls.

While placing plants on windows, balconies or terraces, one must always invest in plates or trays to collect the excess water. During summers, this excess water can also help birds to quench their thirst. However, we recommend to keep the trays clean periodically of this water to avoid breeding of any insects or pests.

Second, avoid flood irrigation or pouring large amounts of water in one go. It will not only save you from creating those ugly stains but will also from eroding nutrients from the soil.

Keeping these two factors in mind, one can create a green window without affecting the beauty and integrity of building walls.

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blog Sustainable Gardening Basics

Did you know? Black soil is not always the best

It is not necessary that blacker the soil, the better it is for your plants. There are several types of soil found across the world.
From colour to density, each kind of soil differs depending on a region’s typography and weather conditions.
Hence, while starting an indoor or outdoor garden, one must consider theIn India itself, every state has different kind of soil, rich in minerals in their own way. From black to red, from alluvial to marsh, soil conditions vary from region to region depending on the respective climate and environment.se three aspects:

1. Rich in minerals and organic matter

Each region in India has a different typography, geographical conditions and mineral compositions. Using local soil gives access to these rich deposits of minerals and organic materials.

2. Well-suited to support native plants

Local soil is equipped to handle the local plants. It complements the strengths of these plants and gives essential support in building immunity towards pests, other threats.

3. Avoids degradation of environment

Lesser transportation, lesser use of fertilizer, lesser burden on plants, there are several advantages of using native soil in gardens. They thus help in reducing the environmental impact.

Next time you want to change the soil of your plants or create a new garden, choose the locally originated ones. Here are the top benefits of using native soil in your garden v/s the commercially available garden soil.
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blog Sustainable Gardening Basics

FAQ: How to create a sustainable garden?

Such balanced, consistent, and self-sustained ecosystems require minimal or no intervention, resulting into ecological conservation at a macro level.

At an individual level, choosing eco-friendly materials, native plants, optimising time and resources to create your home garden, makes it sustainable.

Such methods encourage natural ways of –

Growing

(with no frills attached)

Fertilization

(where the kitchen is the gold mine)

Pest control

(when the job can be done gently)

Watering

(when less is more)

Creating a sustainable garden at home requires a holistic approach towards incorporating natural ecosystems at a smaller scale. From the choice of planter materials to the type of plants and maintenance of gardens, one can create a self-sustaining microcosm within the confines of one’s home.
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blog Native Plants of India

3 native plants to style corners

Want to create an Instagramable living room? Try integrating a few tall, statement plants in the corners of your homes.

Plants can brighten up any space, if placed in the right setting. Be it bonsais that make an extraordinary addition to one’s house or simple palms, plants have the potential of making any corner lively.

While doing so, choose low-maintenance and hardy plants so that they can survive in indirect light.

Here are a few native plants that can help you achieve a stylish and sustainable corner.

Palms

There’s a lot of variety in palms that you could choose from. However, the ultimate favourite of all time remains Areca Palm, Raphis Palm, etc.

Ficus

Comes in different sizes, shapes, colours. Weeping Fig, one of the most popular houseplants, is making a serious comeback in our homes.

Schefflera

It is one of the most under-rated plants. It can really brighten up your corners with its interesting umbrella shaped leaf pattern and strong stem structure.

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blog Sustainable Gardening Basics

Microblog Series: 3 daily routines for you and your plants

There are several similarities between us and plants. Our basic necessities are theirs too. In order to understand what plants need, a gardener must think about his or her own daily wants, such as Hydration, Fresh Air and Health Check-ups.

Hydration

Our water or liquids intake differ from season to season. In summer we feel more thirsty as compared to winters. Same is with plants. To understand how much water they need, look at their leaves. If they’re upright, they’re fine. If they’re drooping downwards, they’re thirsty.

Fresh Air

We all are oxygen loving creatures. A daily dose of fresh air is all we need to keep our lungs healthy. While plants can survive in closed, non-ventilated spaces, they might not thrive. Keeping them in open air or breeze can keep pests at bay, ensuring their good health.

Health Check-Ups

Prevention is better than cure – applies to plants as well. Diagnosing problems at the right time can give them a new lease of life. Whether it is a pest attack or lack of nutrients in soil, such problems when detected in early stages can help the spread and long-lasting effects.

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blog Sustainable Gardening Basics

Myth v/s fact: Maintenance v/s sustenance

One of the most common questions or concerns while creating a garden is centered around its maintenance. For new gardeners or beginners, this alone becomes the single, most important decision-making factor.

So let’s help our friends who are thinking of starting a garden.

Myth: Creating a garden means a lot of maintenance.

Gardens especially indoor gardens require more time, resources, attention and care. We need to install modern technologies such as humidifiers, mystifiers, air conditioners, for the plants to survive.

Fact: The kind of plants one chooses decides its maintenance.

Native or indigenous plants generally doesn’t require as much care, support and interventions as much as exotic or foreign origin plants do. They can sustain themselves easily if the garden is built using the right principles.

Native plants by default become low-maintenance as they’re well versed with the climatic conditions, weather and environment around them. They have spent centuries learning and adapting to it. These plants deploy their natural, in-built defence mechanism against unpredicted weather changes, pest attacks, or any kind of external influence.

Having said that, plants are like human beings. While they need food, nutrition, air, water among other things, they also need a gardener’s love, care and attention in order to thrive and become fully self-sustainable.

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blog Sustainable Gardening Basics

Myths v/s facts: mosquitoes and plants

One of the most debated topics in indoor gardening is that plants are responsible for inviting mosquitoes in homes. Let’s explore the myth and fact behind this.

Myth: Plants attract mosquitoes

Potted plants especially, indoor plants attract mosquitoes. Hence, it is not advisable to keep plants at home.

Fact: Water stagnation attracts mosquitoes

Mosquitoes get attracted to water that gets accumulated in trays or planters. Such conditions create their breeding zones.

In houseplants, mosquitoes are usually uncommon. However, they may develop if plants are kept in stagnated or standing water for a long period of time. Such conditions can avoided by maintaining a few simple cleanliness routines.

While watering plants, especially during monsoons, one must ensure to avoid overwatering the plants. Remove trays / plates if your plants are kept outdoors in direct rainfall. For indoor plants, reduce overall watering in a way that it doesn’t overflow in the tray.

If you’ve aquatic plants in urlis or artificial ponds, do not forget to add fish to have a mosquito-free zone. They will prevent any breeding activity, thus keeping the water clean at all times.

Observing hygiene in garden especially, for indoor plants can keep all sorts of insects, pests at bay – for you and your loved ones – plants included.