Companion Planting A basic Know how

Companion planting is a process where two or more different kind of plants are planted in close proximity to provide some benefits such as pest control and pollination to the plants. The best part of companion planting is that it is organic or natures way of controlling pests and improve pollination. We all aware of the benefits of going organic. I have written an article on this also. If you are interested to know more about the benefits of being an organic gardener you can check this post.

There are various mixes of plants which apart from making the garden more eye catchy, provide a healthy benefit to the plants. From ancient times and before the introduction of mass scale pesticides and fertilizer, people used the concepts of companion planting. They believed certain combination of plants have mysterious power to help each other. Now science also proved that some combination in deed help to grow the plants very well.

There are basically 4 type of benefits you get by opting for companion plantation:

1. It helps both the plants to grow. Tall plants provide shade to the sun sensitive shorter plants.
2. You can use your space more productively. It also increases the chances of getting a good yield, even if one crop fails.
3. This provides pest control in an organic way. Some companion plants help in preventing pest insects and pathogenic fungi. It can also divert pests from the other plant.
4. It attracts pollination by attracting beneficial insects. Companion plants some time produce more nectar than the main plant and thus attract more beneficial insects.

Below are some of the example of companion gardening:

Planting beans and corns together can be beneficial for both of them. The beans fix nitrogen to the soil which also benefits the corn. Whereas the cornstalk can be used as a trellis by the bean plant to climb up.

Growing dill and cabbage can be another example of companion planting. Dill can attract many beneficial wasp which can control cabbage worms and other cabbage pests.

Planting basil along with tomatoes (click here for tomato growing tips) can improve the flavor and growth of tomatoes. It also repels mosquitoes.

Planting garlic near tomato or cabbage plant can help to control beetle and aphids from infecting tomatoes.

Cucumber and radish also work together pretty well. Radishes help to deter cucumber beetles. But make sure cucumber is not planted near potatoes as it can encourage the late blight in potatoes.

There are so many such combinations available. You can find many of them through internet.

I hope you get an idea about the companion gardening concept through this blog. It is definitely an option you can try out in case you are thinking of going organic. Check my blog the meaning of organic for more information about going organic.

Thanks for reading the article. Enjoy Gardening.

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Mulch A Basic Idea for The Beginners

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.

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Grow Cabbage In Your Home Some Basic Tips

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.

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Growing Coriander A Basic Know How

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.

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Soil pH A basic Idea

In some of my earlier articles I have mentioned about pH and the ideal pH for a particular plant. But many starters are not aware of this technicality. So I decided to demystify the jargon in this article.

Soil pH is the measure of how acidic or how alkaline your soil is. It is actually to measure the concentration Hydrogen ions in the solution. It is measured in a scale of 0 to 14. Where 0 being the most acidic and 14 is the most alkaline and 7 stands for neutral. To give you an example lemon juice can be of the range of 2 to 3 signifies very acidic where as baking soda can be of a pH of 8 to 9 which means it is very alkaline. The fresh clean drinking water is of pH 7.

This pH is calculated on the logarithm scale so a difference between one point is equal to 10 times acidity. i.e, the pH of 6 is 10 times more acidic than pH 7 and 10 times less acidic than pH 5.

Now you must be wandering about why pH is so important to your plant? Lets see why. The pH of the soil has a very big role in plant growth and its survival. Though it is not a nutrient, it controls the availability of the nutrients to the plant. So it does not matter how much nutrient you put into the soil, if it can not get absorbed by the plant it is of no use. For example a soil pH of 6 or more can inhibit the absorption of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium etc. where as a soil pH of 7.5 or more can reduce the amount of Iron, Zinc, Copper, Manganese. A soil pH of less than 4 can be full of toxic amount of Aluminum or Manganese.

Now the good news. The soil pH is not fixed. You can change it to your plant’s liking. The soil pH is dependent on your local climate. You can get the idea by looking at the plants in your locality. Generally it is found that in high rainfall areas the soil pH is acidic. Plant like blueberries flourish in these areas. Where as typically low rain fall areas in the world is generally contains alkaline soil. Plants like olive or pomegranate do well in those areas.

It is best to test your soil pH before you start planting. You can get the required instruments in your local garden shops. You can also contact any professional to do it for you.

If your soil is too acidic and you want to reduce the acidity and increase the pH, agricultural lime or dolomite can be a good option to be added with the soil. Generally agricultural lime is cheaper than dolomite. In case your soil is deprived of magnesium then add dolomite otherwise lime would be fine.

In case your soil is far more alkaline and you want to decrease the pH, add peat moss or compost. Adding these organic material can definitely beneficial than adding ammonium sulfate or other inorganic sulfates.

I hope this clears the doubts surrounding the pH and its effect. Do post your comments.

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Orchid Growing Basic Tips

Everybody love Orchids. They are very beautiful in their appearance and with so many colorful flowers. There are close to 30,000 varieties of orchids are known to people. They have a diverse range of habitat. They can be found from equatorial tropics to arctic tundra. One of the amazing ability of Orchids are that they can hybrid between species and also between genera which are closely related to it. 

Biology speaking the orchids are epiphytes, i.e, they cling on to some other objects while growing. It can be surface of the tree or stone. So the trick to grow orchids indoor is to simulate the kind of environment it is most comfortable with. 

The most popular variety of orchid which is grown indoors is the moth orchid or Phalaenopsis. The wide range of color and pattern gave it the common name of moth orchid. Unlike other varieties of orchids it lack bulbs. It has become very popular due to its tolerance to the indoor conditions. 

Some of the orchid varieties are very tough to grow even for the professionals. But there are also some varieties that are quite easy to grow. Moth orchid is one of them. You can also try Cattleya or Paphiopedilum.

 Some orchids like Moth orchid and Vandas grow in a single stem and leaves arrange in opposite to each other along the stem. Whereas Cattleya and others grow horizontally with branches.

It is really hard to generalize as there are so many varieties of orchids. But let me try to give you an idea which are generally similar for all the varieties.

It is best to plot your orchid in the south or east facing window. This two place receive the ideal amount of sunlight for their growth. If you are cultivating them indoor 8 to 10 inches away from the lighted bulb.

It is said that it is better to keep them thirsty than overflow them with water. As they generally a tropical plant. Rule of the thumb is to provide water once in a week. They have velamen(aerial root) which absorbs water from the climate. 60 to 80 percent humidity is ideal for orchid growing in case your climate humidity is very low you can use artificial humidifier to solve the issue.

It is very important for the growing media to be airy and permits proper drainage for water. The list of media can be found here.

It is important to provide fertilizers to the plant. Fish or seed weed extracts are usually good for the plants. These should be applied to the plant when active growth is at its peak.

The re-potting requirement of orchids can be different as per the different variety of plants. Some of them requires re-potting every year while others need the pot to be changed after 7 or more years. It is wise not to re-pot unless it is critical. Like so many plants orchids don’t like to be disturbed.

Are you interested or currently growing orchids? Share some of your experience with us.

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