Tag: plants

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blog Sustainable Gardening Basics

Myths v/s Facts: Bigger the better

Myth:

Size of pots determine plant growth.

Can we create a garden which is aesthetic and low on maintenance at the same time? Yes, of course. Replacing exotic plants with native / indigenous and hardy varieties can not only increase your garden’We often, think that our plants need more space than they have currently. Larger and bigger the pots, proportionate will be the plant’s growth.

Especially, potted houseplants need more space to grow. This may not be necessarily and entirely true.s lifespan but also reduce maintenance costs to a considerable extent. Native plants are well-adapted for our local climate. This means, they’re more resistant to pests – hence, reducing the use of pesticides. They contribute more towards soil nutrition – hence, reducing the use of fertilizers. They’re hardy in nature – hence, they tend to survive better in harsher weather conditions – hence, reducing the replantation efforts.

Fact:

It is important to choose the right size and kind of planters depending on the plants you have.

Every plant has a different root system. Some grow deep, some remain shallow.

When smaller plants are given extra large planters, they may in fact not survive owing to dispersal of water in the soil. Hence, understanding the space requirement for plants is very crucial for their healthy development.

One easy tip to check if your plants need more space – tilt your pot and check underneath for any roots coming out of the hole. If yes, then your plant is wanting to be repotted in a slightly larger planter. If no, then it is okay with its current home!

For instance, Orchids like airy planters while palms can remain pot bound for a very long time. For shallow rooted plants such as houseplants or indoor plants small sized and wide shaped planters would do just fine.

However, for deep rooted and fast growing plants such as flowers, edibles, etc you must invest in deep or tall height planters.

So before, you start repotting your houseplants, look at the signs and choose the planters wisely.

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blog Native Plants of India Sustainable Gardening Basics

5 native flowers to bring home this winter

Winters in Mumbai may not be as harsh as the northern cities. However, they could be the same for plants. The cold weather brings its own set of challenges for plants. With pest attacks such as the powdery mildew, mealy bugs, white flies, etc, plants are more prone to diseases and decay in winters than any other season.

Hence, while adding plants to your garden, choose a mix of both evergreen and seasonal flowers. This way you can keep your garden colourful and lively at all times.

When it comes to perennial flowering plants, you can opt for Orchids, Kaner, Ixora, Roses. On the other hand, winter blooming flowers such as Sevanti or Chrysanthemums, Kalanchoe, Begonia, Hydrangeas can add vigour to your garden.

These native flowers are not just hardy in nature but beautiful in blooms and foliage. So go on and bring them home now!
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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 Client Project Sustainable Gardening Basics

5 native alternatives to popular houseplants

In our earlier post, we talked about the top five exotic houseplants. But what do we use in their place?


Here’s a list of native or indigenous plant that can serve as alternatives to exotic plants in your garden. Such plants are not just similar in terms of size, shape, colours, formation but are pro local environment.

Start by adopting these hardy, low-maintenance indoor plants that can serve as great alternatives to exotic plants.

While creating a new garden or adding plants to your existing one, choose plants wisely. Building a home garden with native varieties has several benefits – for you and our environment.
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blog Native Plants of India

5 houseplants which are disruptive for our local ecosystem

When it comes to choosing houseplants for indoor gardens, exotic plants dominate the decision-making. However, these beautiful plants come at a cost – financially and environmentally.

Today we are uncovering top 5 exotic plants that are invasive in India. Exotic plants means plants that are introduced from foreign regions.

These are common houseplants that belong to different countries and have been cultivated in India to beautify our homes. In the process, they have also proven to disrupt and destroy local habitats in and around us.

These pretty plants are making our environment fragile due to their invasive nature – that means, they can reproduce at a greater speed than native plants, thus,
  • Taking away from nutrition from the soil as compared to native plants
  • Outrunning the growth of local plants
  • Degrading soil quality and causing soil erosion
  • Breaking the food chain for local biodiversity
  • Disturbing the micro-climatic conditions and ecology in the long run

Making a conscious choice of creating gardens with local or indigenous plants can not just save costs but also our environment.

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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.
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blog Sustainable Gardening Basics

Top 5 issues related to home gardening in India

Place of birth

Who doesn’t like Monstera or Pachira? These gorgeous, top-dollar plants have left a long-lasting impression – not just on us but also on our environment.

Native to the Central and South Americas, such plants when brought to a foreign land needs a lot of help to survive. After all, change of place doesn’t impact our health alone but of plants too.

Understanding nativity or place of origin of plants can help you make conscious and cost-effective decisions for your garden.

Build your garden instead with native plants such as Champa (Plumeria), Chameli (Jasmine), Balsam (Rose Balsam) and so many other aromatic, medicinal ones.

They will not only uplift your senses but also support the friends of our planet aka bees, butterflies, birds.

Special Growing Conditions

Lucky Jade and Aloe escaped the scorching heat of Africa’s desert to make their way into our tropical and humid climate.

To make such succulents survive, one has to invest in a special soil mixes, growing conditions, etc. to replicate their home environment.

Overwatering and wrong soil mix issues among succulents are the most as compared to other plants,. Such issues reduce their survival rates to negligible.

Instead, choose native succulents such as Malayan Spurge (Euphorbia antiquorum), Indian Spurge / Dog’s Tongue (Euphorbia neriifolia).

Such plants are well-versed with the local environment. It can be a good start to opt for such native, hardy succulents, if you love such plants.

Toxic Content in Plants

Talking about mindless gardening and not mentioning about Dumb Cane will be really dumb on our part.

Dieffenbachia, popularly known as dumb cane, has the potential to render someone speechless. It is one of the most toxic houseplants commonly found today. With its poisonous raphides, it can give someone infectious skin allergies to both people and pets.

Similar to dumb cane, most exotic houseplants today such as ZZ (Zamioculcas zamiifolia), Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) etc have toxic elements which can harmful to humans and animals upon ingestion or exposure.

When you think of creating an outdoor garden, replace such plants with native varieties that have numerous health benefits.

From nettle to neem, select plants that are useful to you, not harmful for your kids, pets or anyone in the family.

Depletion of Resources

Imagine one day you wake up in a city taken over by aliens! As crazy as it sounds, growing exotic plants, especially outdoors, is just like inviting an alien invasion.

In order to survive in unfamiliar, sometimes hostile conditions, such plants reproduce in abundance to create their future generations. In the process, they not only take over the local habitats but also erode soil quality over time by sucking out groundwater, essential nutrients, etc.

Lantana, Morning Glory, Bougainvillea, Eucalyptus, Pine are a few examples of invasive species in India which have outrun several native plant varieties.

Native alternatives to these plants such as Ixora, Thunbergia, Madhumalti (Rangoon Creeper), Sal, Deodar are beneficial to both – your garden and our environment.

Barrier to Biodiversity

Plants which have originated in some other parts of the world and introduced in an unknown place are known as exotic plants. Such plants are cultivated in controlled environments to make them survive on foreign soil.

Some of the favourite houseplants Pachira, Dracaena have originated in the West and introduced in all parts of the world. Such cultivation not only disrupts the local environmental cycle but also degrades the foreign habitat.

Instead adopting and using plants which are native, originated or endemic to your region can help preserve soil health, biodiversity, among several other benefits.

Keep this is mind the next time you choose plants or seeds for your organic farm or lawn.

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blog Native Plants of India

Flower of the month – Lotus – June

Lotus

Popularly known as the god’s own flower, Lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera) marks the onset of Jyeshtha ritu in India. From its beautiful pink, white petals to its stems and roots, the lotus is considered to be one of the most important flowers in the country.

This delicate flower has touched several walks of life from architecture to textile, botanicals to recipes. Even in this century, lotus continues to inspire design in every aspect.

It also symbolizes various aspects for different cultures. In ancient Egypt, it was considered to be a symbol of sun, rebirth and creation because of its unusual behaviour which marks the beginning and the end of the day.

For Asian communities, it continues to a symbol of wealth, prosperity, purity and fertility. Its unique traits of submerging every night into river water and miraculously re-blooming the next morning, sparklingly clean is a symbol of hope to many.
Its stems known as Kamal Kadki in Hindi or Lotus Roots in English is used to prepare several delicacies in Asian cuisine.
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blog Sustainable Gardening Basics

Microblog Series: 3 similarities between humans and plants

Plants and human beings are no different. We share a similar response and survival mechanism. Few of these aspects include:

A little bit of fresh air is something we all need. Like us, plants can also suffocate in closed, non-ventilated spaces. Such conditions slowly stagnate the growth, eventually leading to pre-mature death of the plant. Placing plants near open windows or spaces which have some air circulation can help them grow.

Social distancing doesn’t protect us alone from germs, it also protects plants. A little bit of space between each plant can help in preventing pests travel from one plant to the other. Space also allows plants to flourish and avoid the feeling of claustrophobia.

A regular dose of nutritious meals can really boost our metabolism and immunity. Similar to us, plants also need a regular intake of minerals, vitamins, proteins to reach their full potential. Natural, organic ways of providing nutrition can go a long way in maintaining plant health.

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blog Sustainable Gardening Basics

How sustainable gardening can help reduce negative impact on our environment

Nature has not only decided the birthplace of every plant but also its family and friends who can depend on it. Even the external surroundings and habitat which will provide ensure its growth and development has been well planned for them.

Native plants require lesser time and resources as they have spent centuries learning and adapting to the local environment and growing conditions. They also tend to be healthier and stronger thus, reducing the risk of withering or premature dying, falling, pest attacks, frequent maintenance among other aspects. More importantly, most native plants in India have immense medicinal and healing qualities that benefit the gardeners, in turn.

However, sustainable gardening isn’t about native plants alone.

However, sustainable gardening isn’t about native plants alone.It combines knowledge of resource optimization and conservation with natural gardening practices. Native plants are just a part of it. Sustainable gardening encompasses these five elements:
1. Soil
Healthy soils produce healthy plants. Healthy soil is full of organisms that turn organic matter and minerals into vital plant nutrients. When the soil is healthy, the need to apply fertilizers to boost plant growth is minimized.
2. Water

Drinking water is a precious resource that, in many parts of the country, is in short supply.

Optimizing the water application techniques such as designing water-thrifty gardens can help reduce burden on our water resources.

3. Material
To be truly earth-friendly, it makes sense to think sustainably beyond plant selections — about the other parts of a garden, such as planters, raised beds, pathways, fences, and outdoor furniture.
4. Biodiversity
Wilderness is disappearing at an alarming rate. Supporting a natural ecosystem is something that home gardeners can do to combat loss of plant and animal species.
5. Plants

Native plants are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions where they naturally occur.

In addition to supporting pollinators and other wildlife, native plants are inherently sustainable as they require less watering and fertilization than most non-natives.

They also have significant medicinal importance & are being used in traditional therapeutic systems like Ayurveda for thousands of years in India.
Besides the above, a sustainable garden maintains the natural look of landscape with the systematic growth of plants. It also spreads the message of nature conservation by protecting local flora of the region.