JOIN USWhile many cities are growing more ‘urban’ by the day, increasing number of people are getting drawn towards plants, trees and everything green. From hanging potted plants in the balconies to rooftop gardens to villas with sufficient areas for a garden, every aspect of our homes is taking a ‘green’ turn. Most of the urban dwellers are on the lookout for igniting their green sensibilities, so as to escape the concrete jungles all around. Having a garden by itself sounds like aneco-friendly activity. But there is lots of scope to make it more eco-sensible.
A garden is not just a space designated for plants; it is your version of peace and tranquility, a reflection of your personal style, an opportunity to be one with nature and a homage to all the hard work you put in to ensure your garden flourishes with
vibrancy and charm.
In this day of technology and free flow of information, there is no dearth of tips and eco-friendly ideas that you can avail and incorporate in your garden, but the basic essence of an eco-friendly garden starts with the idea of nurturing a practice of
conserving and recycling.
l Adopting ways to conserve soil and water.
l Developing a system of harvesting compost.
l Using natural pesticides or herbicides as opposed to chemical-based ones.
l Restoring native plant communities and removing the invasive ones, if any.
In keeping with the green principles, it’s best to keep everything natural. Avoid
bombarding Mother Nature with chemicals. Remember, almost every artificial substitute has a nature-friendly alternative. Most synthetic insecticides kill insects indiscriminately. This means they kill the insects you are trying to eradicate and also beneficial insects like bees. Ancient Indians highly revered neem oil as a powerful, all-natural plant for warding off pests. In fact, neem juice is the most powerful natural pesticide on the planet, hosting over 50 natural insecticides.
Weeds, apart from ruining the overall appeal of your garden, are also a
nuisance. They eat up a major share of the nutrients and water and dominate the overall growth easily. The most environment-friendly way to get rid of weeds is to pull them up, dig out the roots, let them dry in the sun, and then add them to a compost or mulch pile.
However, this can take quite a bit of time. A quicker way to get rid of weeds is
vinegar. Vinegar has proven itself to be an effective weed killer, as unlike commercial weed killers, it is eco-friendly and won’t harm people, pets or the environment.
One of the major aspects of home gardening is its water consumption. We all know how precious water is and its judicious consumption should be of high priority in every garden.
l Line the bottom of the pots with newspaper, leaves, bark or wood chips. Such mulches retain soil moisture and improve soil quality to a great extent.
l Water your plants with a hose pipe or a drip irrigation system. Less water
evaporates this way and the water falls in a more focused manner.
l Utilise waste or used water for your plants. The water you have used for
washing clothes and utensils can be used for your garden. A rain barrel or cistern that captures rainfall from your roof forms a great garden tank too.
Now that you have taken care of your garden’s water needs, it’s time to pay attention to composting. A natural process of recycling decomposed organic materials into nutrient-rich soil, composting can boost the natural cycle of life to flourish successfully.
Composting can actually reduce a considerable amount of waste in a relatively short amount of time. It reduces your garbage quantity and creates a nutrient-rich, moisture-laden soil for gardening. There are mainly three methods of composting:
l Aerobic composting is composting with air. This method utilises
oxygen to decompose waste.
lAnaerobic composting is composting without air. Here, absence of oxygen promotes anaerobic bacteria to break down natural waste in sealed spaces.
l Vermicomposting method utilises earthworms to convert organic matter into fertilisers.
Today, you can instantly find innumerable details on different gardening websites on the Internet. You can check out portals which offer some creative and innovative
methods of waste disposal systems.
Go local
Ours is a country with a vast variety of flora. Unless you are an expert
horticulturist with a sound knowledge of botany, it’s best not to fill your garden landscape with too many exotic plants. Native plants survive much better in gardens that have similar habitat or growing conditions and require far less maintenance. These plants also help the soil absorb more water and attract lots of bees, birds and insects, who contribute to soil fertility in their own way.
So, head to your garden and introduce these eco-friendly measures, if you haven’t done so already. And in case you don’t have a green space yet, it’s high time you think of ways to make it happen.
(The author is associate manager, marketing, Wienerberger India)