Monthly Archives: October 2020

How to keep your garden safe during the rainy season

It doesn't matter if you spend years building your garden or just getting started to develop a space full of life right behind your window, you will always face challenges and stumble over little pitfalls. Some of these self-inflicted mishaps and some by the hands of Mother Nature are among the many beautiful things about gardening that facilitate lifelong learning, patience, and passion. 

While building your garden, you will learn a lot by making mistakes, and its the part of the process. However, here are a few common mishaps that you can avoid:

You have taken up more than you can handle: Are you one of those who have just taken up gardening and are already dreaming of green lunch space full of beautiful flowers and plants?                       

We are sorry to break it to you; it seldom works out the way you imagine. Start by building one or two manageable garden raisin beds or strips to which you can devote enough time. Also, carefully pick plants that are resilient and do not require a lot of attention or care.

Choose plants ideal for the climate conditions in your region: Many people are now buying plants online; thus, they often pick plants that are not ideal or could not survive in the climate conditions prevailing in their region. Conducting thorough research regarding the planting season and soil conditions before buying a plant will go a long way to build your dream garden. 

Do not neglect the soil's health:  People often consider "smut" as "soil"; unfortunately, it is not the case. Usually, your garden beds do not contain all the nutrients and lack the right mix of drainage and moisture retention properties that plants need to thrive. Invest in compost and some mild slow-release natural fertilizers to provide the plants with the necessary nutrition that can help them grow. 

Excess watering: Showering too much love may not be in their best interest. Watering too much is a common mistake that people who are just getting started with gardening make. Plants breathe through their tissues and roots. If the roots are wet for an extended period, plants are unable to breathe and suffocate. It also increases the probability of them getting rotten or catching a disease. 

Overcrowding: Don't ignore the recommended spacing guidelines while planting. People often do not pay attention to the instructions provided with the plants and seeds, which leads to over-crowding; plants and are unable to get sufficient nutrients, water, airflow, and sunlight. It also leads to the spread of disease and pests. 

We hope you could pick up a few pointers about how to start building the garden you always wanted. As always, feel free to shoot me questions!

Common Plant Diseases And How To Cure Them

Bacterial Spot

It is a very common plant disease caused by war and wet environment. The plant afflicted with it can be recognized with small dark raised spots on leaves. The cure is to destroy the infected plant and apply a good fungicide specifically meant for the diseases which you can get from the local shop.

Bacterial Blight

The disease is caused by wet and cool weather. If the leaves of a plant shows large yellow spots and are turning brown it is suffering from bacterial blight. The cure is to get rid of infected plants and ensuring adequate space between new plants.

Ralstonia Solanacearum

Also known as bacterial wilt is caused by weeds or contaminated soil. The leaves wilt during day and turn yellow and remain wilted. The only fix is to get rid of infected plant and use new pathogen free potting soil.

Thielaviopsis

The disease is caused by damp soil in temepratures around 12 to 15 degrees celsius. The plant suffers from stunted foliage with blackened root system. A good fungicide can be used as preventive treatment.

Aphids

The disease is caused by high nitrogen and warm environment and its symptoms are small green , yellow bugs on both stems and leaves. They can be get rid of by wiping the plant with alcohol or soapy water.

Cucumber Mosaic Virus

The disease is caused by aphids and plant has yellow spots or streaking on the leaves visible. The only option is to get rid of infected plant and maintaind good environment free of aphids.

Seven Common Reasons Your Seeds Are Not Germinating

1. Using non viable or old seeds - Always buy seeds from reliable sources.

If seeds float in water they are not viable.

2. Wrong Planting Depth.

It is better to plant seeds too shallow than too deep. Also do not press hard over the seeds after sowing them.

3. Bad Seed Staring Potting Mix Or Soil

Hard soil or soil with too much stones will not allow the seeds to sprout freely.
Best combination is to use 70 percent cocopeat and 30% cow manure.

4. Wrong Temperature Or Season

There is always the right time of the year for every seed to be sowed. Sowing them during wrong time of the year will not yield any result.

5. Improper Watering

Balanced watering is very important. Do not over water or under water. Just try to keep the mix moisturized.

6. Dirty Container

Make sure to clean the container before using it for planting purpose. Use baking soda to clean the container.

7. Sunlight

Sunlight is not required for germination but once the sprouts come out then do require sunlight. Gradual exposure to sun is best method to develop healthy plants.

Useful Tips For Maintaining Optimal Health Of Plants

1. For most plants the rule is to water them only when the first inch of the soil feel dry.

2. Do Not Overwater the plants - an underwatered plant has higher chance of survival than an overwatered one.

3. Mostly the houseplants do not require fertilizers and wrong fertilizer or too much fertilizer can actually cause your plant to die.

4. People are more enticed to buy a larger plant but it is actually a good idea to buy a small plant as its growth rate is better and being established at your place it will have a longer life.

5. Pruning the plant to get rid of dead ends and leaves will help in new growth just as we need haircuts plants also need some pruning mostly at the end of winters.

6. A very important thing to note when buying a pot is to make sure the pot has a hole at its base rather than at its sides. Pots with holes at sides tend to make the root rot as water can assemble at the base.

7. Dusting the leaves if you see too much dust collecting on the leaves will help the plant get more sunlight. This can be done few times a year or when you notice too much dust.

How To Get Rid Of Mealybugs Or White Insects On Your Plants

Its actually quite simple. Just add 10 to 30 ml of shampoo in your sprayer with 1 liter amount of water and spray this solutiion on all the leaves having this white thing on them.

Make sure you do it in the evening time not during the day as it will harm the plants.

Next day before around 12 o clock in the afternoon make sure to wash off the leaves with normal water.

If there are still some mealybugs left you can repeat the treatment after one week. Happy Gardening.

There is a very simple way to find out if your plant is dead or alive. Just scratch on its top surface and if it is green inside then its definitely alive and can be saved.

How To Treat Areca Palms Leaves Which Have Turned Yellow ?

Areca palm also has a common name yellow palm because some parts of the plant  like petiole are naturally yellow.

But if parts which are green also turn yellow then it is time to treat the problem in the plant.

If old leaves are developing yellow spots and eventually turning completely yellow. then it is sure sign of potassium deficiency.

If new leaves are already yellow then the plant is lacking in nutrients like manganese, iron or zinc.

If older leaves are turning yellow then there are spider mites around.

Solution

For potassium deficiency- remove the yellowish fronds and use sulfur-coated potassium sulfate on the soil.

For Micro Nutrient Deficiency - Best tip is to use a foliar micronutrient soil.

For Spider Mites - Use a pesticide which you can get from the market specifically meant for getting rid of spider mites only.

The above tips will surely make your areca palm fit and healthy all over again.

A lot of people wonder as to how much water do their plants really need. Here we have compiled a list of plants and the amount of water they would require to keep themselves fit and healthy.

Succulents - They are easy to maintain and require watering every 10 to 15 days.

Rubber Plants - Watering once 5 to 10 days is sufficient.

Peace Lily -  It requires water every 5 to 10 days.

Parlor Palm -  Five to ten days is fine.

Fiddle Leaf Fig - Five to ten days.

Peperomia - Five to ten days.

Spider Plant - Five to ten days 

Calathea - Five to ten days

Snake Plant - Five to ten days.

Do Houseplants Really Purify Air ?

Yes although it is true that houseplants do help in purifying the air in your home but according to NASA scientists you need atleast 10 to 100 plants per square meter to make any impact.

But apart from cleaning air , plants also help in uplifting your mood , reduce anxiety and even enhance your productivity levels. So plants will help in improving your overall health.

And they are the simplest and truly the best way to connect with nature in your own home.