Watering Garden during Summer !!

The Green Thumb

Watering Garden during Summer !!

Arun Pratap Singh

Summers usually have an extended period of drought, although in most parts of Uttarakhand, it does rain sometimes even before the monsoon sets in. This year it has been a relatively cool summer so far. But the coming weeks are going to bring more heat. Come Summer and it is common to see garden enthusiasts tensed up. For a careful gardener, there is no need to worry. There are a lot of simple, practical ways to keep the garden and the potted plants green and healthy even during the dry season. Usually while the water requirement for the garden goes up, the supply goes down significantly during summer months. It is therefore a wise thing to be water-wise in the garden too and one can save lot of water. It is not impossible to manage with lesser water even in summer months!

As a general rule, 1 sq metres of vegetation requires the equivalent of about 25mm of rainfall every week, from the soil, rainfall or watering. During the hot summer months, there are serious problems seen with the garden plants. Over 75% of these problems are the result of improper watering. One should pay attention to proper watering techniques during the first summer of the plants in the garden or the plants will fail to thrive and possibly even perish! Unfortunately, just like us the plants also need more water in summer and it is the time when water becomes a scarce commodity.

MULCHING: Mulching the soil is an effective measure to conserve water and keep the greenery intact. Mulching refers to covering the soil with matter organic or inorganic in order to retain soil moisture by preventing evaporation. Mulching keeps a garden and landscape healthy. Mulching occurs regularly in nature with fallen leaves, twigs, spent flowers, and other materials. These natural mulches provide a protective covering for the soil. They, along with inorganic mulches, can do the same in a home garden too. They also control growth of weed in the garden. Use of organic matter like dried leaves, bark, or cattle dung manure is preferable to other material as they also contribute towards better aeration and soil conditioning besides adding nutrition to the soil. Mulching also adds nutrition to soil. Cattle-dung manure, dried or green leaves can be used for mulching the soil. Weeds derive moisture from shallow rooting plants thus depriving other plants and trees of vital moisture. This unwanted vegetation should be removed and used as mulch.

Weeds derive moisture from shallow rooting plants and this unwanted vegetation could be removed and used as mulch. Coarse sand can be spread around shallow rooting plants to retain moisture. Mulch can be spread between rows of annuals and vegetables to a depth of 10 cm, and if it is available in plenty it can be used up to a depth of 20 cm.

WHEN AND HOW TO WATER?

Water whenever the soil seems dry. Inspecting the soil at a depth of 6" can provide clues. If the soil feels damp there is unlikely to be any need to water, but if it is dry, then watering is required.  But remember that Clay feels damp even when all available water has been used and sand can feel dry even if some water is available. Watering should be done in the night or early morning to avoid evaporation.

Don't just lightly "sprinkle" the plants and the surface of the soil each morning or evening after coming home from work. Applying too little water will only wet the upper layers of the soil where there are few roots and may actually encourage the plants to keep their roots in these areas which are especially prone to drying out and resulting in less drought resistance. Instead, water deeply so that the water penetrates down into the root zone, at least 6" or more.

If possible, instead of flooding the shrubs, climbers and trees, use drip irrigation to water them.  The house plants need to be watered daily during this month. Sprinkle some water on their leaves to during the evening hours. Do not feed the plants with chemical fertilizers this month. If the plants are in pots, keep moist Moss on the top soil of the pots, this will provide the plants some aerial humidity as the air gets dry in May and June.

Shrubs, vegetable and annual flowering plants can be cultivated around trees to conserve moisture. If water is scarce, preference can be given to flower and vegetable crops instead of lawns and trees. Sprinkler system can be used to water plants. Micro-irrigation systems like Drip irrigation system use up to 40% less water than conventional sprinklers or hand-hosing because they water the root ball of the plant, not the whole garden. Drip irrigation is very useful micro irrigation system. In a smaller garden, a rose-can can be used to conserve water instead of using a hose-pipe. Shrubs can be watered once or twice a week, and annuals and vegetables every alternate day if planted in the soil. In case of shallow rooted plants, regular light irrigation prevents damage to shallow rooting plants and also retains the moisture content in the soil. In the dry months, fertilisation should be avoided.

Using Waste Water: In the summer months, you can use drain water from your kitchen to water your garden. You can construct an underground water tank where water from the kitchen can be inlet. This stored water can be used for irrigating your garden beds and pots.

Lawns: Don't water too heavily at first if your lawn is dry. The water will run off before getting soaked. Instead, water lightly and allow the water to percolate deep into the soil.

Trees and Shrubs: Trees and shrubs also suffer from the lack of rain and excessive heat. That's especially true of young or newly-planted trees and shrubs. Use a slow-trickle watering method for trees and shrubs. Allow the water to slowly seep into the soil over a period of an hour or more.

Mist your plants: This technique can save both plants and water during periods of drought and heat. Misting is intended to add moisture to the air rather than the soil; it can work wonders on heat-stressed shrubs, climbers and other perennials.

WATERING THE POTTED PLANTS

Watering the potted plants is a different story altogether. In summer months, the earthen pots dry out very quickly and may be needed to be watered everyday. There are some weeks in May and June when one may need to water the potted plants even twice daily depending on the weather and the soil condition. Remember that certain house plants need constantly moist soil while some prefer the soil to be dry between watering. Moist soil also does not mean wet soil.

It is useful to cover the top soil of the pots with wet moss to increase aerial moisture and to conserve soil moisture. If possible, move the pots to shade to prevent direct sunlight reaching them at least during afternoon hours.

Ornamental Trees for your Garden!

Ornamental Trees for your Garden!

Trees have been growing on this planet for the last 50 million years. They provide us fruit, shelter, shade, fuel wood, and timber wood for making furniture, ships, paper, and many other innumerable products. In addition, they also give us great joy with their beauty, fragrance and flowers. Rainy season is ideal for planting most trees. Except for sub-temperate, temperate or deciduous ones, most can be planted in the monsoon months. A large majority of them can also be planted during the spring season i.e. in February and early March. Deciduous trees are best planted in dormancy during winter months. With the gardening space getting smaller, more and more home gardens are now seen with fewer and smaller trees. However, many gardens still have enough space to accommodate some trees. Small trees are now more in fashion as compared to much larger trees that formed the focal points in any garden in earlier days. It was also common to have a combination of shade trees, fruit trees and flowering trees in most gardens of India. But now, planting shorter flowering trees and some dwarf fruit trees has become the norm. There are a large number of trees that can be planted in home gardens here in Uttarakhand. To make a proper selection of suitable trees, some things need to be considered. It is important to remember how big is the garden, what is the purpose of selecting any tree, where is it to be planted in the garden.

PLANTING THE TREES

Preparation of Ground: Trees are perennial plants and will live for many years. It is therefore best to prepare the soil and the ground as well as possible. As per the landscape plan, pits should be dug up to 60 x 60 x 60 cm size. For smaller trees and shrubs, the pits can be smaller. The soil should be well mixed with 10 to 15 kg of cattle dung manure, 50 gm of Sterilised Bone Meal, one kg of Neem Cake and 10 gm of some soil insecticide like Fenvalerate or Chlorpyriphos dust to check the attack of termites. This dusting must be immediately followed by watering to settle down the soil. If the soil does not have good drainage, then it is important to improve the soil by adding bulky organic matter and large amount of coarse sand after digging the entire soil up to a depth of four to six ft. This is not an easy thing. After this, the planting can be done in the centre of the pit. Spacing should be done as per the size of tree to be planted. For example, a small flowering tree like Delonix Regia (Gulmohar) would need a spacing of 8 to 10 ft between each tree per row. Jacaranda will require about 12 ft to 15 ft. of spacing.

SELECTION OF TREES

This depends upon many factors which have to be taken into account when selecting the trees.

Purpose of Growing: We must know if we want our tree to be a specimen, or provide us shade. Is it is going to be ornamental or a flowering one? We must know if we want them for our avenues or for screening purposes.

Specimen Trees: Such trees are planted singly for their attractive shape and beautiful foliage or for drooping branches which reflect humility. Some suitable trees are Araucaria cookie, Callistemon lanceolatus (Bottle Brush), Magnolia grandiflora (Champa), Plumeria alba (Pagoda Tree or Frangipani), Cassia fistula (Amaltas), Cassia nodosa (Pink Cassia), Delonix regia (Gulmohar), Erythrina indica (Parrot Tree) and Salix babylonica (Weeping Willow).Shady trees: Such trees have mostly a round canopy of umbrella crown. Their leaves are normally large and dense so that no or little sun is allowed underneath them. They are planted with an aim to provide shade in a particular part of the garden. Common trees grown for this purpose in North India are, Ficus beghalensis (Banyan tree), Ficus Infectoria (Pilkhan), Ficus Benjamina, Mangifera indica (Mango- Not suitable for the hills), Jackfruit (Not suitable for hills), Melia azedarach (Persian Lilac), Milletia ovalifolia (Rosewood), Pongamia pinnata (Karanj), Mimuspos elengi (Maulsari), and Azadirachta indica (Neem - not suitable for the Hills)

Flowering Trees: These trees produce colourful flowers and are planted for their beautiful flowers. One can choose as per one's choice. Since different trees may flower at different times, it may be wise to choose such trees that some of the other tree is always in bloom at any time of the year. Some common flowering trees grown in Uttarakhand are Bauhunia spp. (White or pink flowers during Spring when leafless-Deciduous commonly called as Kanchan or Kachnar in Hindi), Callistemon (Bottle Brush- flowering from all the year except in winter), Cassia fistula (Amaltas-deciduous flowers from April to August), Cassia nodosa (Pink Cassia- flowers April to August), Peltophorum africanum (Called Peela Gulmohar or Caesalpinia. Tabebuia aurea (Trumpet Tree), Jacaranda acutifolia (Deciduous tree flowers from March to June and in the hills from April to July commonly called Neeli Gulmohar), Erythrina blackii & Erythrina cristagalli (Deciduous tree-red flowers March to May commonly called as Pangar in Hindi), Plumeria alba Frangipani), Plumeria acutifolia, Butea monosperma (Dhak or Palash), Thespesia populnea (Round the year), Lagerstroemia speciosa (Jarul- flowers during the rainy season) Tecoma gaudichaudi (Yellow flowers from May to September), Tecoma Stans (Yellow flowers all through the year), Magnolia Grandiflora (Badi Champa), Magnolia Solungiana (Beautiful Pink Flowers during spring months highly suitable for the Hills as well as Doon Valley), Murraya Exotica (Kamini), Bombax Malabarica (Red Silk Cotton commonly called Simbhal or Semal) and Delonix regia (Gulmohar- flowers march to June but susceptible to frost in colder regions of the state).

Trees for Screening: Tall upright trees can be planted very close to each other to give an ultimate look of curtain or screen. Such trees are planted to hide some objects or boundaries. Some suitable trees are Grevillea robusta (Silver Oak), Eucalyptus sp., Poplar sp. and Polyathia longifolia (Ashok). For Fragrance: For this purpose, trees like Pterospermum acerifolium (Kanak Champa), Plumeria alba (Pagoda Tree), Magnolia grandiflora (Bari Champa), Michelia Champaka, (Swarna Champa), Mimusops elengi (Molsari) and Millingtonia hortensis (Akash Neem) are suitable.

Trees for the hills: Although most of the trees mentioned before are suitable, but some like Delonix regia, Ficus Benghalensis, Ficus infectora (Pilkhan), Mimusops elengi (Molsari) and Mechelia champaka are not very suitable. Some other trees are particularly suitable for hills only and are commonly grown in places like Mussoorie. Among them some are Junipererous communis, Malus (Crab Apple), Willow, Cedar, maple (Acer japonicum), Gingko Biloba, Camphor, Flowering Cherry, Spirea, Myrtus communis (Myrtle), Cypress and Rhododendron are very suitable and should be grown.

FRUIT TREES

Mango, Sapota, Jackfruit Syzygium (Jamun) and Guava are not suitable for the hills. Other like apple, Walnut, Almond, Pear, and apricot are not suitable for the plains. Most of the deciduous trees for the hills should be planted in winter months when dormant.

Gardening Calendar for September

Cleaning Time in the Garden
Gardening Calendar for September
By Arun Pratap SinghGardening
Come September and the garden begins to demand a different kind of attention than in other monsoon months. A lot of cleaning work is required in the garden. In, Uttarakhand, the frequency of the rain is considerably reduced and the rains are gone before the last week begins! It starts to get warmer in the day. One must regularly water the plants now. In Doon, Haridwar, Haldwani and lower Almora, prune the roses around Mid September rather than in Mid-October as your Mali may like to stress.
This is time to fertilise most plants and prevent the diseases by cleaning and spraying the preventive pesticides or fungicides.
Protecting the plants: Mild Contact pesticides like Malathion and Fenvalerate @ 2 ml/litre of water can be sprayed to prevent aphids and thrips normally active at this time of the year. For prevention of fungal diseases, a milder contact fungicide like Mancozeb (Dithane M-45) may be sprayed @ 3gm/litre of water.
Feeding the plants: To fertilise the plants, a good fertiliser mix can be prepared by mixing one part of Urea, one part of Single Super Phosphate, two parts of Muriate of Potash, one part of Sterilised Bone Meal, two parts of Powdered Neem Cake, ¼ part of Soil Agromin or Multiplex (Micronutrients) and ¼ part of Wood Ash or crushed Charcoal made from burnt wood. One can use 100 to 200 gm of this mixture per sq yard of bed soil. This is a good rose mix and plant mix. In pots, 5 to 15 gm (of this mixture should be applied depending on the plants and the size of the pots. For green houseplants and the lawn one can alter the above formula by reducing the quantity of Potash and increasing the quantity of Urea.
Rose Care and Pruning: Rose plants are normally pruned in Mid-October in North India but, it gets very cold in the valley and the hills during the months of December and January and the Rose buds do not bloom during these months. It is therefore better to prune the rose plants around Mid-September in most parts of lower Uttarakhand except in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar. The first flush of Rose will bloom in November and after a short slumber in late December and January, the next flush will bloom in February and continue till April.
How to Prune Rose Bushes? To prune the rose plants, remove some healthy top growth as well as twigs and branches that are dead, diseased, injured, unsightly or thin and spindly. Shorten the main canes and lateral branches, removing small twigs and some of the oldest canes. Leave at least half the length of each main cane that is one to three years old. The first flowers can be expected eight to nine weeks after pruning. To avoid dieback and encourage rapid healing, pruning cuts should be made just above a dormant bud (eye). When an entire branch is removed, make a smooth cut at the point of juncture. Paint the cut parts with Chaubatia paste (a fungicidal paste prepared by mixing four parts each of Red Lead, Copper Carbonate and five parts of Linseed Oil). After the pruning it is beneficial to spray the Rose plants with a solution containing Mancozeb @ 3 gm/litre and Malathion @ 3 ml/litre of water. A compound fertiliser like Polyfeed (M/s Nagarjuna Fertilsers) or Nitrophoska (M/s BASF) @ 3 gm/litre of water may also be added to the solution. Feed the rose plants with a Rose Mix or the mixture mentioned above @ 25 to 40 gm /sq mt.
Mow the lawns: With the rains getting less frequent now, the lawn must be mowed now and then fertilised with the lawn mix @ 500 gm/100sq. ft. Repair of lawns may also be carried out if the rains have damaged the lawns to some extent.
Chyrsanthemum & Dahlia: Chrysanthemum plants may now be transplanted to their final pots. They will also need to be staked with bamboo sticks. Spray them for prevention of pest and fungal attack. Feed them with the above mentioned mixture @ one to two table spoons per plant. Water immediately after. Dahlia cuttings can be taken now and planted in sand or other suitable rooting medium. Dahlia cuttings root easily and very fast. If planted early in September, they should be ready for transplantation by the end of the month. Cuttings should be watered very mildly but regularly till they root. They can be sprayed occasionally with a Contact Fungicide like Captan or Mancozeb @ 3 gm/litre to prevent Foot and Stem rot.
Winter Annuals: Seeds can be sown of some winter or spring annuals like Marigold, Calendula, Larkspur, Sweet Sultan, Nasturtium, Clarkia, Verbena, Phlox, Sweet William and Dianthus and Carnation in the last week of September. For other annuals like Pansy, Petuna, Antirrhinum, Daisy, Mimulus etc it is better to wait till the second week of October.
IN THE HILLS
In the hills, Tuberous and Fibrous Begonia, Rex Begonia, Hydrangea, Fuchsia will still be blooming at their best. In the seeds trays, seeds of Spring Annuals like Carnation, Pansy, Delphinium, Hollyhock, Petunia, Cosmos, Verbena, Phlox, Sweet William and Dianthus can be sown. Hydrangea, Fuchsia and other permanent shrubs can be fed now.
KITCHEN AND FRUIT GARDEN
In the Kitchen garden, this is proper time to sow Radish, Carrot, Turnip, Lettuce, Beetroot (Palak), Garlic, Onion and French-Bean. Transplant the seedlings of Tomato, Brinjal, Cabbage and Cauliflower. If not sown earlier, these can also be sown now in the first fortnight of the month. Continental vegetables like Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Celery, Leek and Chinese Cabbage can also be sown now. Potato can also be sown now for an early crop. Regular weeding and hoeing is must. Air and Ground layered stems of fruit trees like Citrus, Litchi, may be separated from mother plants and planted at proper locations on the garden.
In the hills, this is the time to dig out potato. If not sown earlier, Lettuce may still be sown in early September. With the reduced rains now, it is harvest time for Cucumber in the hills. Strawberry runners may also be planted now. Also seeds of wild Almond, Apple and other fruit trees are planted for rootstock use. Plum, Apricot, Apple and Pear can be grafted now.

Gardening Calendar for August

Maintenance Time for Your Garden!
By Arun Pratap Singh

As the Monsoon rages in its full glory, it is time to get busy in the garden doing some hard work towards protecting and propagating the garden plants. Rainwater has real benefits for plants. So, if after the deluge, everything looks greener, it’s just Mother Nature working her special magic! In Uttarakhand, it rains a lot especially in the Garhwal region and the Doon Valley. This year, it has rains have been heavier than average. Too much of rain can cause serious problems for the plants and can even cause them to die. Sometimes it rains more in August than in July, so one has to take extra care in respect of certain plants as they are prone to get into problems with so much of water. Most plants love a high level of aerial humidity present during a typical monsoon season, but so do the fungi and bacteria. So certain plants become susceptible to fungal and bacterial diseases during this quarter of the year.
Prevent Water logging: Most House and Garden plants dislike water logging. One has to constantly observe the potted plants to see if there is any water-logging. Similarly, keep the plants of Begonia, Geranium, Cacti and Succulents away from rain or observe them regularly to prevent any water logging. However, do not skip regular watering because of August downpours. Sometimes, it may not rain enough for water to penetrate the soil deeply to give plants the water they need. There may also be pots kept in the porch, verandas or a balcony where the rain does not reach. These pots need to be regularly watered. However, they will need much less water than in summer months.
Chrysanthemum: If the suckers or the rooted cuttings of Chrysanthemum (Guldaudi) have not been planted earlier they should be definitely planted by the third week of August as in Mussoorie, the Chrysanthemum flowers about twenty days earlier than in Dehradun and about 45 days earlier than in Delhi. The rooted cuttings planted in July can now be transplanted in slightly bigger pots having a soil mixture consisting of 1 part of garden soil, 1 part coarse sand, 1 parts leaf mould (or Coco peat), and 2 parts cattle dung manure along with 20 gm of fertiliser mixture (one part of Urea, two parts of Single Super Phosphate and one part of Potash).
If however, you have not planted the chrysanthemum so far, still you can do it. Soft wood cuttings about three to four inches long should be taken and planted after treating them with rooting hormone. They will develop roots in about three weeks’ time. Soak the soils slightly moist but never wet as the cuttings may rot. Planting should be done in pots having one part of soil, one part leaf mould or coco peat, two parts sand and two parts of cattle dung manure. It is advisable to treat the potting soil with a contact fungicide like Dithane M-45 or Captan @ 3 gm/litre of water ten days prior to planting.
Move the Chrysanthemum plants and the cuttings away from rain to the verandas or porch as they are much affected by the water-logging.
It is time to plant Dahlia cuttings too. You can take tip cuttings from your own mother plants and plant them in sand after dipping them in rooting hormone. While the soil should be moist, it must never be wet otherwise the cuttings will rot.
Rose plants may be transplanted now if they are needed to be shifted or re-potted. Keep the garden free of weeds by regular hoeing and picking of weeds. Mow the lawn at least twice during this month to keep the grass in shape and prevent weeds from establishing in the lawn. Hedges planted earlier this year in spring may be clipped now. Shrubs and climbers like Pentas, Ixoras, Thungbergia, Cestrums (Raat ki Rani), Mussaenda, Beloperone, Bauhinia acuminata, Exocaria, Pyrostegia venusta, Pothos (Money Plant), Philodendron can be planted or pruned now. Propagation of Jasmines, Tabernaemontana (Chandni) and many evergreen plants can be done even in August. In Mussoorie and other hill towns, this is the time to sow spring flowering plants like Phlox, Verbena, Petunia, Pansy, Daisy, Lupin, Dianthus, Nasturtium and Sweet William. The bulbs of Tulip and Hyacinth can be sown in August and September.
In this quarter, soil nutrients get leached as it rains a lot in Uttarakhand. Feed the plants regularly during the period with a balanced fertiliser like NPK (19:19:19), Polyfeed (M/s Nagarjuna Fertilisers) or Nitrophoska (of BASF) at the rate of 5 gm/pr litre of water as Fertigation. The feeding should be done at ten days interval during the monsoons. In case of indoor plants, the frequency can be reduced to twenty days. A handful of Neem Cake and a tea-spoon of sterilised Bone meal can be added to the pots as an organic feed.
KITCHEN GARDEN
Early cauliflower seedlings can be transplanted during August on the ridges. Japanese varieties of cauliflower can be sown from Mid August onwards. Turnip (Pusa Sweti) And Carrot (Pusa Kesar) can be sown now. Tomato seedlings purchased from the market can be transplanted in August in the kitchen Garden. Sem bean can be sown now.
In this quarter, soil nutrients get leached as it rains a lot in Uttarakhand. Feed the plants regularly during the period with a balanced fertilizer like NPK (19:19:19), Polyfeed (M/s Nagarjuna Fertilizers) or Nitrophoska (of BASF) at the rate of 5 gm/pr litre of water as Fertigation. The feeding should be done at ten days interval during the monsoons. In case of indoor plants, the frequency can be reduced to twenty days. A handful of Neem Cake and a tea-spoon of Bone meal can be added to the pots as an organic feed.
IN THE HILLS, Radish, Carrots, leafy vegetables like spinach, bet leaf, lettuce, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli, and Brussels Sprout can be sown by mid August. French Beans and Cumber can also be sown now. It is harvest time for April sown Cumber, beans, Okra, and summer squash. Apply regular fertilizers or manures in the Kitchen Garden during this period.
Fruit Garden: Fruit trees like Mango. Litchi, Guava, Lime and Sapota if not planted in July can be planted now. New growth of Citrus plants is affected in August by Citrus leaf miner. Spray Fenvalerate or Rogor @ 3 ml/litre to prevent this problem. Fruit flies attack the mango during July and August. The affected fruits should be destroyed. Nuvan @ 2 ml/litre can be sprayed to prevent the attack at ten days intervals as a preventive measure.
Grape plants also should be sprayed with Dithane-M45 fugicide @ 3 gm/litre to prevent Anthracnose and leaf spot diseases. Air layering of Citrus fruits, Sapota (Cheeku) and Guava can be done during the first fortnight of this month. In the hills peaches, plums, apricot, almond, pear, and apple are harvested in July and August. This is time also to transplant the Strawberry in well prepared beds.

Hello and Welcome to my Gardening Blog friends!

This site is for gardening lovers and nature lovers from across the world but particularly from India. I will update the blog every week with a new gardening column.
Reactions, suggestions and pictures are welcome.
ARUN PRATAP SINGH
DEHRADUN-248001
UTTARAKHAND
INDIA