Nourish to flourish

Watering plants is not as simple as it sounds; it needs practice and understanding of both soil and seasons.

I grew up in Anna Nagar, Chennai. It was a brand new suburb in the seventies with an unpolluted Cooum river skirting it. The city corporation built houses and created localities in Anna Nagar to accommodate people moving into the city. My father bought a flat in one of these localities along the banks of the river. Our house was on the ground floor and had a vast front and backyard. My father planted three coconut saplings, greens and a variety of plants.

My brother and I were young kids when he gave us the task of watering the coconut trees. Appa had dug a two-feet wide circular edge around each tree. He instructed us to fill it with water, until the soil no longer absorbed it — an indication that the tree was satiated, he said. Those were days when we did not have hosepipes. We had to carry water in a bucket or a pot. The distance between the trees and the tap was nearly 30 feet. Each of us carrying a small bucket, my brother and I would race each other to fill the edge.

Tending the trees

Coconut trees are guzzlers. By the time we emptied the bucket of water, dashed to the tap and came back with a filled one, the tree would have drunk it all. We would have taken umpteen trips up and down to feed these three trees. The first sign of water on the soil would be a huge sigh of relief. All of this was possible because Chennai in those days did not face water scarcity.

After tending the trees, we would water the rest of the garden. We had flowering plants like jasmine (Jasminum sambac), parijatha (Night Jasmine), nandiya vattai (Crepe Jasmine), kanakambara (Crossandra infundibuliformis), sangu pushpa (Butterfly pea), henna (Lawsonia inermis) and spatika (Barleria). Guava and pomegranate were the fruits we grew. Vegetables like snake gourd, colocaesia, turkey berry, curry leaves and varieties of greens were grown seasonally.

Appa planned his plants and placed them along a path through which water flowed. It started with plants that required the least amount of water: the turk’s cap hibiscus. It would then flow around other plants, end with tubers and greens, which required a moist soil.

A well-designed garden saves water. The advantage of growing plants directly in the soil is that they get sufficient water from the ground. Selecting plants according to their water needs and light requirements is imperative in creating a colourful landscape.

Here are a few things that I’ve learnt along the way about how to water plants:

The only way to know how much water a plant requires is by practice. Every plant has a different need. Start with a small amount and water on alternate days to understand their necessity. Keeping a log on watering will help find a pattern and fix a schedule.

Water gently. Pour water at least half a feet away from the stem so that water flows towards it.

Avoid pouring water at the point where the stem goes into the soil because this loosens the grip of the stem. When using a hosepipe, we inadvertently make this mistake.

When watering pots, wet the inside rim so that water flows towards the centre gradually. It also prevents the soil from scattering out on the ground.

Water seedlings gently. Take water in a small cup and spread it around so that the water soaks in. Do not overwater.

Use a water-can until the stem gains strength. Never pour water harshly as it might bend the stem. Watering is like Zen meditation, one has to be aware of the moment.

Vegetables and flowering plants require more water during the budding season.

Plants grown in soil mixed with coco peat require much less water than usual.

Water the foliage of shrubs that have big leaves. Small passerine birds like sunbirds, tailorbirds, flowerpecker and bulbuls, like to wet their feathers in the water that the leaves hold. It also cleans the dust the leaves accumulate during the non-rainy season.

Apart from watering plants, also keep a bird bath filled with fresh water during summer. You will be surprised to see how the bowl invites a variety of birds, bees and insects to your yard.

If you have children, seek their help for small tasks in the garden. Spiders, caterpillars and worms fascinate them. Teach them to water the plants so that they may grow up to be gardeners. And field work teaches better than textbooks.

That’s it for this month. Stay safe, like that seed in the soil that waits for the right season.

Motley Garden is your monthly pot-pourri of observations and lessons from gardening and nature.

The author is a botanical artist from Bengaluru. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram as @neelavanam