Simple Points To Remember if You Are Growing Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is some how similar to cactus in terms of their likings to the dry climate. Aloe Vera prefers dry loose and sandy soil. You can increase the looseness of the soil by adding sand or Perlite to the soil. It will also increase the drainage capacity of the soil.

While watering keep in mind that you need to water it thoroughly so that the soil is drenched properly but also make sure that the excess water should not stay
with the soil. Too much water or water logged soil is the most frequent reasons for the death of the plant.

Though it is possible to grow Aloe Vera from seeds we strongly recommend you start with the offshoots. It is much more easier and also the rate of survival is far greater.

Keep your Aloe Vera plant in a place where it will receive enough bright sunlight. Surrounding the soil with white stones around the plant can be a great idea. It would increase the aesthetics as well as save the warmth of sun light.

Aloe Vera plants are generally pest and disease resistant. So in most of the cases you would not have to worry about pest controlling.

There are many offshoots which grows around the plant. It is for the benefit of the plant that you removes those. You can always plant those offshoots in different area and treat that as an individual plant.

Use a sprayer to spray water on the dry leaves once in a week to remove dust. It will also make the leaves green and healthy.

Harvesting:

Generally leaves are harvested from the plant. Larger thicker leaves on the outer side of the plant are the ideal one to get. Use a sharp knife to cut the leaves from the plant. The pulp is very useful for skin.


If you like the article share with others.

Read more

Growing Strawberry Some Points to Remember

Today we will discuss some growing tips of one of my favorite fruits: STRAWBERRIES.


Strawberries required full sun. It is a very tolerant plant and can be found in most of the countries. If your area is very windy make some arrangement to protect the plant from wind.

The unfortunate part of strawberry is that it is quite prone to diseases. So start smart. Buy only certified plants from your nearby nurseries. There are two varieties of strawberries viz. short day types and day neutral types. The first type of strawberry plants produce fruit only when the day is shorter (in the winter till early springs.), whereas day neutral types can produce fruits all year long. They can start bearing fruits as early as in the 3rd month after planting.

The plants are generally planted in the form of runners.

It is always better to use raised garden beds than the direct soil to plant strawberries. You can use the same garden bed for up to three years to grow strawberries provided you have not planted any solanaceae (Tomato, Eggplant) plant there earlier. You need the replace the bed once you see the fruits begin to become smaller (generally after 3rd year). Crop rotation can be a good idea for the same garden bed.

Ideal pH for strawberry plant is around 6.5 to make the strawberry flourish add a good amount of compost to the soil. Plant them in rows with 50 cm apart. Keep close to a meter gap between the rows.  Once the plant starts growing clear away any dead leaves in the plant. Keep a close eye on any aphids or worms in the plant.

Straw is a good choice for mulching purposes in strawberry plant. Once you see the fruits begin to form apply a layer of straw mulch. These have dual benefits. They help retaining the moisture in the soil and also save the fruit from getting the dirt once it is matured.

They are a very good ornamental plant. You can grow them in containers as well. Once the plant start growing bigger, it will extend many runners. It is important to do some pruning. You need to remove most of the runners so that the energy flows directly to the plant and will result in good quality fruits. You can find more on pruning in this article.

Apart from the delicious taste eating strawberries are also good nutrient wise. Strawberries are rich in vitamin C and potassium. So you can enjoy the fruit and also get those needed vitamins and minerals into your system.


Want to share this article? Go ahead, use the following buttons: 

Dont forget to read:
Why you should grow strawberries in Coir? 

Read more

Growing Papaya Some Tips to Remember

Papayas are easy to grow. It is one of the plants you should consider growing in your backyard if you live in predominantly warmer climate. You can grow them pretty easily from the seeds.

First cut the papaya in half and then take out all the seeds. The seeds are covered with some jelly like substance. Squeeze the seed out of that coating. Use clean water to wash the seeds and then let them dry out. Once they are totally dry, use them for plantation.

Select the place where you want to grow papaya. They are very sensitive to root shock so it is advisable to plant the seed where you want to grow. Transplantation process can really hurt the plant. Before planting the seeds make sure you have mixed enough compost with the soil. They are very voracious feeder so make sure you have provided them enough to eat.

The spacing required for each plant is minimum 1.5 meter.

If you read our blogs regularly you would have known by now that papaya plants require full sun; More the better. Though papayas also grow in partial shade; the fruit growing is delayed and the tastes are also not so good.

Papaya plants are very susceptible to root rotting. So watering becomes very crucial. Much more water than required and you end up harming the plant. Also, considering the fact that they generally grow in warmer condition and have large leaves (they transpire a lot of water) you can not provide too little water either.  The best soil type is loamy type for growing papayas.

Papaya plants can be male female or bisexual. It is important that your garden have at least some female or bisexual plants. The male plant will not bear the fruits. It is recommended to have 1: 10 ratio about male and female plants to have a healthy yield. Generally it will start flowering once it become more than one meter in height. Expect to harvest the ripe papayas within a year.

The best part of growing papaya is that unlike most of the plants, you will get the fruits all year long. The only problem is with time they become taller (it will become difficult to pluck the fruits) and much more prone to diseases. Also, older plants tend to flower much less than the younger ones.

Papayas are very nutritious fruit. They are rich in vitamin C. You can have them ripe or raw.

If you liked the article share with your friends and share the knowledge:

Read more