Temperature And Its Impact on Gardening

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Earlier I have discussed two of the major factors of Gardening. Viz, Water and Sunlight. Today I want to discuss another such important  factor in the Gardening, Heat or temperature.

First let us have some insights about how a plant generally combat a hot weather. First causality of hot weather is loss of moisture from the plant as well as from the soil. A few plants can conserve water inside their stem and leaves and thus can tackle the situation. But most of the plants show wilting in excess heat. This can even go to a situation where the leaves will dry up, become yellow and eventually die.

In case of the mild increase of temperature above the tolerance level, some plants shed their leaves to cut down on the release of water. Plants like tomato, cucumbers, pumpkins etc stop producing and drop the blossoms, whereas cool climate plants such as cabbage, broccoli or spinach start bolting. If the temperature raised above 90 deg F, you might not receive the actual size of tomato which you thought you will get. At times many of us might even blame the variety of the tomato for that, whereas in most of the cases it is the weather who you needs to be blamed.

Some parasites infestation is also seen in times of hot summer. Hot dry weather is heaven for spider mites on plants. These insects can really damage the leaves.

There is not much we can do to change the weather but we can really use some techniques which can really minimize the impact.

First and foremost you need to make sure, there is no shortage of water in the soil. It is the water which is responsible for carrying the nutrients from the soil to the plant in the form of sap. So make sure that the plants should not be devoid of nutrients in the hot summer. For container garden, you might need to water twice a day in some cases. Also it is equally important to make sure your soil has proper drainage. You can add different soil less media to the soil to increase the drainage capacity. What can be worse than keeping the plant in a water logged situation and let the plant rot.

Another way to increase the moisture retention of the soil is by applying mulch. Mulch will also help in preventing outside heat reaching the soil and keep the soil cool. It also control the weeds. More on mulch here.

You can also provide some shade net to control the heat of the environment. Some plants can do wonders if provided with the shade net.

As they say, there are always some positives in every negative situation, this hot and dry weather can reduce various fungal diseases of the plants such as blight and powdery mildew which are very common in monsoon.

I know the hot weather is very damaging for the gardens and the gardeners. I hope most of you still have not faced this condition but if you had any experience as such this article might have able to solve some of your questions. I would also like to know what  tricks or techniques you have applied to combat this situation. See you all in my next article. Till then, keep your comments coming.

Compost Ingredients: What To Put Inside A Compost Pile

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I have mentioned in my earlier article about a basic idea on the term Composting. Now to dig a little deeper this article gives an idea about various ingredients of a Compost. There are main three factors of preparing a good compost pile viz. Air, Water and Food. While managing Air and water can be relatively easier, the main struggle people seems to feel with the food, i.e, what to provide in the compost pile. This blog focuses on that part of the compost.

Experts say you can literally put anything(which can be decomposed) into the compost pile. Though there is no right or wrong way of composting, it is better to know some basic points which will create a very high quality compost.  One of the such important point is to make a note on the Carbon Nitrogen ratio(C/N ratio) while you prepare the compost pile.

Depending on the amount of carbon and Nitrogen the ingredients of a compost can be classified into two categories Brown and Green.

Brown items includes dry leaves, straw or hey, eggshells, wood, pine needles, saw dust etc. These materials contains higher amount of carbon and lesser amount of Nitrogen. Green items includes kitchen scraps, grass clippings, fresh manure, vegetable peelings etc. Green materials contains a higher amount of Nitrogen than than brown materials.

The success of preparing a good compost depends on the proper ratio of green and brown materials. It heats up faster, decomposes quickly, does not smell and easy to maintain. Followings are some of the ingredients which you can use to prepare your compost:

Leaves:

These are one of the most commonly used composting ingredient. Be sure which type(dry or green) of leaves you are choosing. Dry leaves can add to your brown elements where as green leaves are more of a green element. Autumn leaves are very good source of carbon. For better compost make the leaves shredded. It will help to decompose faster. The C/N ratio of leaves can vary from 60-80:1.

Straw/Hay:

In case you are having a heavy clay type soil, adding straw or hay into the compost can be very helpful. Straw/Hay decomposes very slowly, so the particles can actually help in opening soil pores. These ingredients contain very low amount of nitrogen but the carbon content is very high.

Eggshells:

As we all know eggshells contain high deposits of calcium. Adding those into your pile can definitely add the nutrients to the compost. Just don’t forget to crush those shells before adding it to the compost and never add whole eggs to the compost only the shells.

Wood ash:

It is a very good source of calcium and potassium besides carbon. It is very alkaline in nature so you can use it to increase the pH of your soil.

Pine needles:

These are very high in carbon content but very slow to decompose. Add only few in the compost. You can use the rest of them into the preparing mulch.

Beside those brown ingredients newspapers can also be used as composting ingredient. Just avoid glossy and colorful papers as these contains chemical which will hamper your organic gardening benefits.

Kitchen Scraps/vegetable peelings:

It is the most preferred green ingredient. It can be found in abundance in every house. Fruits and vegetable peels and other wastes which can be found in the kitchen. Just avoid cooked ones. The oil used in cooking slows down the decomposition. It also attracts different pest such as rodents.

Grass Clippings:

It is a great source for nitrogen. While applying the clippings make sure to use it in very thin layers between the brown materials. A thick layer of clipping can prevent the air flow into the compost pile. It will result in excess nitrogen and smell of ammonia.

Manure:

You can add manure from cows, horse, chickens, bats(guano) etc. but don’t add human feces, or droppings from dogs, cats or pigs. These contains parasites which will result in diseases in your family. Fresh manure is a very good source of Nitrogen.

You can also add coffee grounds or seaweeds depending on the availability. The nitrogen content is higher in green ingredients compared to the brown ones. Nitrogen helps in forming amino acids and protein. So these are a vital food source for the microbes which decomposes the ingredients and make compost for you.

I hope the next time you go to prepare the compost for your garden you will definitely keep those points in mind which are discussed above. Share your thoughts and past experiences of composting with us.

Grow Cabbage In Your Home: Some Basic Tips

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Cabbage is generally a cool weather crop. There are quite a few varieties available...

Cabbage is generally a cool weather crop. There are quite a few varieties available in the market viz Green Cabbage, Red Cabbage, Savoy Cabbage, Pointed cabbage, etc.,

Cabbage can be grown from the seeds easily. Sow seeds one inch deep into the soil. Spacing is very important in growing cabbage two seedling should not be very close to each other.

Generally it is advised to keep the spacing 6-12 inches apart. Another trick in the book is to harvest alternatively to give each plant enough space to grow.

Check your soil pH before planting the seeds. An ideal pH range is 6.5 to 6.8. Lower pH can be prone to club root diseases. To increase the pH of the soil try adding lime along with the soil.

It is important to choose the variety of cabbage wisely and as per your local environment. For example, if you are in cooler climate you can choose slower maturity variety and can grow huge heads, but in case you are in warmer climate it is best to go for fast-maturing variety and grow in the springtime.

As you may have already experienced, cabbage requires regular feeding and a good amount of sunlight. In hot summers provide temporary shade to the plants.

For a good cabbage head you need to maintain a constant level of moisture. Water regularly. Uneven watering can make the cabbage head crack. Check out this watering guide before start giving water to the plant.

Applying mulch and mixing compost with soil can provide the solution. Once the new leaves began to emerge apply fertilizers such as fish emulsion, blood meal, etc., A compost made of tea can be very helpful to the plant. It provides the much needed nitrogen to the plant in case the leaves are turning yellow.

Cabbage is one of the vegetables that is very much prone to pests and diseases. One of prominent sign is holes in the cabbage leaves. There are so many insects such as cabbage loopers, slugs, aphids, root maggots, etc., some most frequent diseases include club roots, yellow leaves, black rots, etc., though the variety of problem differs very much and their particular solutions can vary, one of the general solution is to go for companion planting. In case the plants are already attacked by some molds or fungal diseases, it is wiser to remove the plant. Also, crop rotation prevents many of the pests.

You can be sure that the cabbage is ready for harvesting once you can feel their head become firm. Cut the head with a sharp knife from the stem. You can refrigerate the heads for two weeks.

Raw and chopped cabbages can provide a great compliment with barbecue and seafood. There are so many good recipes involving cabbage is present in many cultures. Cabbage is good source for vitamin A, C and Iron.




What is your experience regarding growing Cabbage? Do you have any trick to share? Any advice will be welcomed.

Mulch: A Basic Idea for The Beginners

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In my past blogs I kept mentioning about Mulches. I know many of the gardeners are  totally aware of this term, but I can feel the confusion a beginner will face while others keep mentioning about mulching. So I have decided to demystify the whole term and make the word much more easy to understand and most importantly easy to apply.

Technically mulch refers to a layer of organic or inorganic material which is applied to the surface of any soil. The word mulch is very catchy and we can see a variety of things like straw, grass crippling, leaves are being used. Sometimes recycled rubbers or plastic sheets are also been used as mulch. Though there are variety of materials used in mulching the basic purpose more or less remains the same. 

1. Applying mulch can help the soil to retain its moisture. This are particularly helpful in dry climate like a summer season.
2. A considerable amount of mulch make a thick layer on the soil and make the air almost impossible to reach the soil layer. This principle is used in controlling weeds. Weeds die with the lack of oxygen.
3. In case you are using organic matters for mulching this in later stages decomposes and mixes with the soil thus helps in increasing the nutrient content of the soil. If applied properly it can increase the soil productivity many folds.
4. It also keeps the soil temperature fixed and not fluctuate according to the climate temperature. Thus leaving lesser stress on the plant to adopt to the outer climate.

There are two ways you can apply mulch. You can add the mulch directly to the soil or you can apply mulch around the existing plant. As per the content mulch can be of two types: Organic Mulch and Inorganic Mulch.

Organic Mulch:

When you use material such as leaves, straw, grass crippling, wood chips etc the mulch is called organic mulch. The best part of using organic mulch is that it decomposes slowly and release nutrient into the soil. It encourages earthworm activities and keep the weed seeds from germinating. Just remember two basic formula. Lay down the mulch where there are weeds already. And secondly make sure the layer is thick enough to prevent new weeds from coming up. A general recommendation is to apply a layer of 4-6 inches of mulch in the most weeded areas and 2-3 inches in case the area is shady and not much of weed is present. One word of caution is that organic mulch is generally acidic in nature. So add little bit of lime with the mulch to neutralize its acidic impact, in case the plant is more comfortable in neutral of slightly alkaline soil.

Inorganic Mulch:

Inorganic mulching product can include plastic sheets, rubber chips etc. I personally do not recommend any inorganic substance to use in mulch due to its negative impact on the environment. But in some cases you can use it if you are not that much comfortable using organic mulches. Applying a plastic sheet as a mulch can prevent the water for entering to soil from outside also. So in case you are having drip watering system which is embedded before applying the plastic sheets it can be used.

The best way to use the mulch is to keep the base of the plant mulch-free. It will help the plant to breath freely. If you are using cedar chips and other aesthetically superior products just stay away from coloring. Normal colors contains chemicals which can dampen the whole purpose of doing organic gardening.

Just keep one thing in mind whatever is your material and whatever is your reason, try to apply mulch. It is easy and it will make your garden look very beautiful and professional.

Did you liked the article. Please feel free to share with your fellow gardeners.

Growing Coriander: A Basic Know-How

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Coriander is also called Dhania in India and Cilantro in some countries. It has a pungent and slight citrous taste to its leaves which adds to our taste buds. Coriander like some other vegetables discussed in the earlier blog are easy to grow. You can grow them in the garden as well as in the containers. Most of us like the flavor of coriander leaves though I know some persons who finds it very unpalatable.

I know many of us might still find it harder to grow coriander in their garden. So let us discuss some of the facts regarding coriander and its cultivation which will definitely increase your success rate.

Coriander is ideal for the hot and humid climate. The best way to grow coriander is from the seeds. It generally does not go well with transplanting. So in case you are growing them in a container it is advisable to use a bigger container so you can grow many plants in a single container. Though almost all the varieties will produce leaves and seeds, it is better to look for slow bolting varieties so you can enjoy the leaves for a longer period of time.

The seeds which we are continuously referring to are not actually seeds in technical terms rather these are the fruits of the plant. You can either sow it as a whole or you can split them and sow it separately. In normal condition the germination rate of coriander is close to 50%. To in case the germination rate, split the seed and soak in water for 3 days and then sow it into the soil.

Put the seed into a healthy potting mix or well drained soil. To make the soil ready you can add manure or compost to the soil.

Seeds will germinate with 5-7 days. Once they have reached a height of 2 cm put the pot into the sun for further growth of the plant. It is one of the requirement to put them under direct sunlight. But you need to provide some cover from time to time otherwise the plant will bolt very quickly. Within 10 to 15 days these are ready to use. A fully grown coriander plant can grow up to 40 to 50 cm in height with a spread of 15 cm.

Due to its pungent smell they do not get affected by many pests. They are very fast growing. Younger leaves are of with best of flavors. You can pick the leaves as you need from the plants. You can cut the seeds from the plants when they turned grey from green. Apart from the roots you can use every part of the coriander.

Are you still buying coriander from the market and getting disappointed with the look of them? Don’t waste your money any more. Now the time has come to grow your own coriander in your house.  Growing coriander will definitely add some exotic touch to your garden as well as to the dinner table.

Did you find anything helpful here? Share your views.