From the Editor’s Desk

Hello friends…

So, finally, the clock has ticked almost 31536000 seconds to turn over the new leaf of Year 2021 from year 2020.

And boy, what a year it was! Which shook the human race like never before. It showed that the nature reigns supreme. The pandemic reminded us of the importance of our well-proven rituals, which were counting their last breath, buried in Vedas, Puranas and the like. It is proven well beyond doubt that if we have to remain healthy, we need to build our immunity.  The modern-day Pizzas, burgers, etc. cannot provide us with the nutrients that our body needs.

We need to remain connected to mother nature through the variety of resources it offers us. And we cannot forget the role of vegetables and fruits in providing us with required nutrition. Considering this, the UN General Assembly has designated Year 2021 as International Year of Fruits and Vegetables (IYFV). Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN is the nodal agency for celebrating the year along with other organizations.

And talking of statistics, the situation in India is bad, to say the least.  Our country faces huge challenges, particularly in children and women. We lose US $ 1.2 Billion annually due to pressure on health system and lost productivity. The percentage of underweight children below 3 years stands at above 38 %. Nearly 52 % of women are anemic.

In this issue, one of our authors goes into the details of importance of including fruits and vegetables in regular diet.

Needless to mention that home gardening can help in this great cause by growing organic fruits and vegetables for the consumption of the family, at least.

The other day, I was sitting with one of my lawyer friend, who happened to mention that he was getting more number of cases of divorces, than that of court marriages. And he mentioned ‘incompatibility’ being the core issue in majority of divorces.

Well, I am not too sure of that. But recently, I came across some keen gardeners discussing compatibility issues in gardening.

“Unh!” you would react.

I was also equally surprised when I listened to them.

Well. One of our team members researched the issue. Go ahead and get acquainted with compatibility issues in plants in the article “Incompatible Plants:20 Plants & What They Cannot Grow With”. (I am sure you would be able to sort out this issue in plants much easily).

So, Wishing you a very Healthy, and Prosperous Year 2021.

We, as ever, are committed in furthering the cause of Green Planet.

Jai Hind.

Message from Chairman, RWA, Ghaziabad

New Year Greetings

India has been saying “Vasudev Kutumbakam” right from the days when some of the other Nations had not even learnt walking.

The rich Indian culture has inculcated in each one of us with great values. We are the people who have come from Aham Brahmasmi to Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam; we are the people who have come from Upanishads to Upgraha (Satellite).

Greeting each other on every good occasion is in our DNA. This New Year is very special to us since the passing year has put whole of humanity to a tremendous test. With every New Day, New Year brings new hope. Hoping this year will bring lots of happiness, positivity and achievements all around.

I, on behalf of All RWA’s & AOA, wish all the members of Horticulture Floriculture Society a future very green, clean, healthy and happy 2021. I also thank you for creating awareness to fight pollution through gardening. I have also learned that great number of members are growing organic vegetables on their terraces and balconies too. It is indeed a great step towards healthy & sustainable living. The speed at which the popularity index of this society is spiralling is a tremendous moral booster.  Nevertheless, our green efforts need to increase if we want to bring in good results.

Wishing God Speed to all!

Jaihind

Col Tejendra Pal Tyagi, Veer Chakra

STAR PERFORMER OF THE MONTH

So, Star Performer of this month is ………..

Well. He needs no introduction. He is one of us. (of course, what’s new in this, you would say). He dons different hats at different times.

He is an Aerospace engineer. He is a global trainer. He specialises in Aviation Safety and Quality. He is a Motivational speaker. He is a certified Life Coach. He sings very well to entertain himself. He is a You Tuber (You tube channels ‘Minds n soul’ and ‘Dasht-e-bahaar’). People vouch for his witty humor. He is a poet and his first compilation of poems “कुछ अक्स रेत पर” is about to hit the stands. Etc…. etc….

He is none other than Group Captain Sushil Bhatia. He picked up gardening as his hobby about a year back. And today, he actively participates at any gardening forum. Considering his multi-faceted personality, he was made the first Chief Editor of the monthly gardening e-magazine.  And proud to say that he is fulfilling his difficult job pretty well. Being an avid photographer, many of the photos taken by him, along with the quotes, have been appreciated by the people.

So, shine on.

We wish him all the best.

PLANTSCAPING & BIOPHILIC DESIGNING

We experienced year 2020 as a big game changer for our lives.Covid-19 changed not only our life and way of living, but way of thinking, too. It was the time when most of the companies resorted to WFH. So, out homes started serving as Offices for husband and wife, class rooms and playing fields for kids, apart from the remaining corners being utilised as bedroom, drawing or whatever you may choose to call them.

This was also the time when people realised the importance of clean and green environs. This made the terms “Plant scaping” and “Biophilic Designing” known amongst the masses, which earlier were lesser-known phrases.

Plant scaping is a branch of Landscaping, dealing with plants, containers and the like inside our homes, offices, buildings etc. It also includes activity of placing plants at the right location, in the right amount with right colours, in the right kind of planters.

Biophilic Designing is a term popularized by American biologist Edward O Wilson in the 1980’s, when he observed that human being is being disconnected from the natural world at an alarming pace, thus, adversely affecting our health and mental well-being.

Biophilic design is a concept used within the buildings to increase connectivity of the occupants to the natural environment through the use of direct nature(plants), along with other natural products like wood, textiles etc, as indirect nature.  It also emphasizes the use of basic five elements, namely sunlight, cosmic energy, rain, sound and water properly.

If Used for buildings and city -scale it can improve the health, environment and economic benefits for building occupants and urban environments.

Bringing nature indoors: a key to biophilic design

Biophilic design is not only about connecting interiors with nature. In fact, it would be best to connect interiors with local nature. Biophilia might be the latest interior design trend you’ve ever heard of. It is not a new term, yet it has become the top design trend in the current times. Biophilia deals with the innate human desire to live with or closely to the natural world. It is scientifically proven that we are healthier when surrounded by nature or other living things. In other words, we feel best when our inside environment has elements that references and connect us to nature. Since almost all of us were self-isolating at home, our need for nature became even more important.

The WHO had predicted that people would have stress related illnesses like mental health disorders and cardiovascular diseases to be the two highest contributors to diseases by 2020 and thereafter.

But the sudden spread of COVID 19 changed everything. Working from home brought everyone wanting to be closer to nature.

So, the question is, how do we incorporate biophilia into our homes? Plants and flowers are an obvious choice but biophilia is so much more than that. Here are seven ways to incorporate biophilia into your home for optimal health and pleasure. Many of these tips are very simple, but can have a huge impact on your mental health.

Living with nature, or biophilia, is deeply embedded in our DNA. If you are feeling the need to reconnect with the natural world, then try incorporating one or more of these tips and see if it changes your mood for the better.

Happy New Year 2021.

Rama Tyagi

tyagirama1@gmail.com.

LOHRI AND PONGAL

Just close your eyes, and visualize.

You are wandering in northern part of India, somewhere around Punjab.

You can feel the cool, evening breeze kissing your face and sliding off.

You can see the people moving around with zest, the streets are lit in festive décor.

The narrow lanes are all decked up in various hues, the kids running around from door to door asking for gifts; village damsels collecting logs of wood.

As you turn the corner, you find a huge bon fire lit up amidst the row of houses, with the ladies and gentlemen, all dressed up in best of festive, traditional dresses, gathered around the fire and breaking into their traditional folk songs. And if you hear the children singing

Sunder mundriye ho!                               “सूंदर मुंदरिये, हो!

Tera kaun vicharaa ho!                            तेरा कौन विचारा, हो!

Dulla Bhatti wala ho!                                 दुल्ला भट्टी वाला, हो !”

Which literally means “Hey beautiful girl, who will admire you”……….

You surely can imagine it is 13 of January, and it is the festival of Lohri being celebrated in the northern countryside. For the people of Punjab and other states in northern India, the festival of Lohri holds a great significance, as it marks the end of winter season, and beginning of the harvesting season of Rabi crop.

People gather around a huge bon fire and exchange pleasantries, which is symbolic of devotion of Sun God. The huge flames of the fire are taken as the messengers to the Sun God.

There are many other folklores attached with Lohri.  One of the folklores has it that a man, named Dulla Bhatti, used to rob the rich persons and give the loot to the poor.  Legend has it that he also used to rescue girls, who otherwise would have been sold as slaves.  And hence, his name appears in the folk songs.

The festival also marks the entry of the Sun into northern hemisphere, and is celebrated a night before Makar Sankranti (entry of Sun into Makar Rashi, or Capricorn), also known as Magha, and typically falls on the same day every year.

Moreover, Lohri is supposed to be very auspicious for newlyweds and newly borns.

Huge fairs, also called Magha Mela, are organised and devotees take a dip in the holy rivers of India. Kite Flying festivals are organised at many places and have become a major tourist attraction.

The festival of Lohri in North India coincides with many festivals in other states, like Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Makar Sankranti in Bengal, Magha Bihu in /Assam, Tai Pongal in Kerala and so on.

Pongal is a 3-day harvest festival, observed in Tamil Nadu.  The three days of Pongal are called Bhogi Pongal, Surya Pongal and Maattu Pongal. Pongal festival is named after the ceremonial “Pongal”, which means “to boil, overflow” and refers to the traditional dish prepared from the new harvest of rice boiled in milk with jaggery.  As per some historians, the dish can be traced back to Chola Period.

However, it must be remembered that India is a country of diverse traditions and cultures.  But what is important is that all the traditions, by whatever names you may call them, do the job of keeping we Indians bound and connected together, like so many flowers of the same garland.

Wishing you a Happy Lohri, and a Happy Pongal.

Sushil Bhatia

Sush16534@gmail.com

GARDENING FOR JANUARY

Year 2020 has been a tricky year, with lots of teachings and new starts.  People have realised the importance of hygiene, clean and green environments. All households have taken to gardening in a big way.

We all have lots of flower blooms and vegetables growing, may be in pots or ground.  They need regular feeding of nutrients (Bioenzyme/humic/Biovita etc).

Now you should stop pinching by 15th January to get blooms. If frost still persists, protect your plants by covering at night or moving them at a sheltered position. You can cover with Sikri screens or plastic sheets. Keep on feeding sweet peas. You can remove tendrils and tips for bushy growth.

Chrysanthemums must be fading now. Sort them out by colours and varieties. Select them for next year. Treat them with liquid manure to secure strong shoots.

Foliage Plants in pots will be in dormant state. Restrict watering to a minimum. Protect delicate varieties from getting affected by cold winds and frost.

The vegetables garden will need constant attention in the way of cultivation, irrigation, & treatment with liquid manure. (mix of sarson khali +neem khali). The last sowings of seeds of lettuce , carrots, beet, turnips, radish may be made in the first fortnight.

You can start summer seed sowing in a protective environment like lauki, karela and melons. Get some area for summer flowering annuals ready. You can also place orders for seeds of summer flowering annual and vegetables.

Bulbs of Amaryllis which you had kept in the dark can be taken out and put-on prepared soil /pots with nutrients.

Fruit Trees need digging and filled with manure as per size of trees. Dig around 2mts of soil around trunk. Show roots some air for 2 days. Then fill ground with pure and well-rotted cow dung manure +bone meal + nitrogen +phosphorus +potash +micronutrients.

Peaches bear fruits on one year old shoots. For Banana, remove all suckers around the main trunk. Protect citrus fruit branches from die back. If trees are big, you can trim shoots and remove all branches till one ft from ground and cut all dry branches. You must remove crossing branches between the trunks.

Grape vines will need trimming too. Keep a single trunk down at the base with no side shoot on it.

Prune the shoots leaving 6-9 eyes in the lateral shoots. Defoliate the leaves before pruning.

For pots & small gardens, “beauty seedless ” is recommended as it matures early.Pruning is done in the latter half of January or early February.

When flowering starts, give them a nice drenching spray of Bioenzyme /biovita /magic grow or any seaweed solution having micronutrients to save your plant from flower /fruit fall.

If flowers are falling, spray Plantofix as per recommended on bottle (2ml/1 L). Put pheromones strips all around to protect your fruits and vegetables from pest invasion.

Fruit plants also can be purchased now.

Protect your strawberries with chicken wire mesh or bird nets.

Hope you are growing microgreens regularly and increasing your immunity & becoming healthy.

Finally enjoy your fruits, vegetables, flowers of your labor. Don’t forget to share with those who have helped you like your gardener, helper, maid etc. or even friends & neighbors.

Rama Tyagi

tyagirama1@gmail.com.

VERTICAL GARDEN – A BOON FOR SMALL SPACES

“For a gardener, space is not a problem. Gardener can create a place for plants even on walls.”

Vertical gardening is Limited Space Gardening. Vertical gardening is a way to save space and create greenery around you without having to utilise the ground space.

It can be created at any place either a lobby, public walkway, a meeting room, study table, kitchen wall, living room or stairs.

You can even create it by using your waste materials like plastic bottles and containers, disposable cartons, gunny bags with pockets and wooden boxes Use only your imagination and sky is the limit.

The plants suitable for vertical garden can be ferns, Bromeliads, Bird Nest Fern, Pothos, golden pothos, devil’s ivy, Lipstick plant, Jade, Succulents etc.

We need to choose a plant which does not have very deep going and dense root system. Humidity loving plants will remain happy in the cluster.

Advantages of Vertical garden

• The surface of a vertical garden can be up to 10 degrees cooler because it absorbs the heat from the sun as well as slowing down air movement. So, area around it will remain cooler.
• Vertical gardens naturally filter the airsoas to help create cleaner environment around it.
• They provide aesthetic value to your home and work place and as conversation starter.
• You will be able to use fertilizer, water etc. efficiently. No wastage as these will flow in lower pots in the vertical garden.
• You can get very fresh organic herbs.
• Young children will be very happy to see their plants grow and it is an easy way to inculcate a respect and love for nature in them. Vertical gardens are not only a boon for small area, but they can create a great ambience too.

These apart, these can be used to hide working areas of your garden, and also provide a support to your vines and creepers.

So, go ahead. Do experiment with vertical garden this season and give a new life to your areas.

Vandna Bhatnagar

vandnabhatnagarvandna@gmail.com

DIY CORNER

From Urban Kisan of terrace garden??

वो एक पल

वरना वो दोस्त, वक़्त की मानिंद

वापिस कहाँ आता है।

भीगी सी एक रात

कोयला कोयला सुलगती है

टूटा सा कोई ख्वाब

दिल में हलचल मचा जाता है।

एक तनहा सा राही

अकेली राह गुज़र

अपनी मंज़िल पा के भी

घर वापिस कहाँ आ पाता है।

गए वक़्त का परिंदा

सूखे से शज़र से उड़ कर

वापिस उस चमन में

लौट के फिर कहाँ आता है।

वो पत्ता

जो शाख से टूट गया

वो वापिस कहाँ

जुड़ पाता है।।

सुशील भाटिया

Start Composting Part 5

By now your compost bin might have started working and some problems you might be dealing with. These problems may be stinky smell, presence of fruit flies, larvae, compact matter, too dry or excess of moisture. You can use the following table to trouble shoot your problem and rectify the problem.

You should add material in small pieces to hasten the process.

With all the problems tackled, you will get black or dark brown compost within two months. Environment and your plants will appreciate your efforts.

Vandna Bhatnagar

vandnabhatnagarvandna@gmail.com

INCOMPATIBLE PLANTS:
20 PLANTS & WHAT THEY CANNOT GROW WITH

Companion planting has gained great momentum amongst novice and experienced gardeners alike; especially with those who aim to grow maximum food in minimum space.

Many plants simply hate to share their space with others.

A typical example is black walnut trees that do not allow anything to grow under them by producing the chemical juglone in all parts of the tree, including leaves. This type of non-selective allelopathy is a natural mechanism to reduce competition.

SOME PLANTS ARE VERY CHOOSY ABOUT THEIR COMPANIONS

They like the company of some, but not all.

Tomatoes love growing with marigolds. For example, tomatoes benefit from having marigold, garlic, chives and basil planted in the same bed since these companions protect them from parasitic nematodes and hornworms. At the same time, they cannot stand having cabbage and cauliflower nearby.

The exact reason why some plants get along with certain companions, while declining perceptibly in the company of others, is not known, although many theories are put forward.

Selective allelopathy could be a way to avoid competition between plants that require the same type of nutrients or to minimize the risk of common pests that plants from the same family often have.

Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant belonging to the nightshade family Solanaceae are susceptible to the same bacterial, fungal and viral diseases. They have several common pests too. So, it makes sense not to grow them next to one another.

The same logic applies to cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels’ sprouts.

That may explain why broccoli plants leave behind a chemical residue in the soil that prevents subsequent plantings of this family to thrive. It could be an insurance against pests and pathogens overwintering in the beds. Crop rotation with unrelated species may help break this cycle.

The following list of incompatible plants, mainly compiled from the experience of seasoned gardeners, may have the backing of a few scientific experiments or explanations, but not in every case.

Nevertheless, it may help you to be cautious of what you grow together in your garden, and perhaps encourage you to add your own insights to the collective knowledge.

POPULAR VEGETABLES & WHAT THEY CAN’T GROW WITH

Asparagus: Asparagus seems to be happy to have nasturtiums and marigolds around, as well as herbs like basil and parsley, to take care of pest problems, but it does not like garlic and fennel in the neighborhoods.

Fennel is a bad companion to a lot of veggies, but the problem between garlic and asparagus could stem from competition for the same nutrients by these Sulphur-rich veggies or some other reason.

Try to avoid all onion family plants near the asparagus patch for good measure. After all, the asparagus is going to grow in that same spot for years to come.

Beans: Being a legume, bean plants have the capacity to enrich the soil by nitrogen fixing, so they are often planted in between other veggies, especially spinach, cucumber, corn, and potato. However, beans shouldn’t be planted near veggies of the cabbage and onion families. These include cauliflower, broccoli, kale, cress, mustard, garlic, chives and leeks.

Broccoli: This green delight loves to have a host of aromatic herbs around, from alliums (onion family) to many mint family plants like peppermint, catnip, sage, oregano, pennyroyal and rosemary. But surprisingly, it does not like basil. Also, avoid planting beans, peas, tomatoes, and strawberry plants near broccoli.

Carrots: Carrots thrive beside legumes like beans and peas and nightshade family vegetables. They have no problem sharing the space with root vegetables like radish, onion, and leeks, or with low growing plants like lettuce and parsley.

But celery and dill are two herbs carrots are not happy about. Avoid growing these in the same bed as carrots.

Cabbage: Cabbage can be grown with spring onions to keep snails away. This soft-headed vegetable is prone to a large number of pests, so it enjoys the companionship of many herbs like dill, celery, garlic, onions, mints, thyme and rosemary that will help keep these critters at bay. But basil is an exception, so avoid planting this herb near cabbage.

Similarly, cabbage does not like tomato plants in its bed although it doesn’t seem to mind having potato plants as companions. Beans are no favorite of this cruciferous vegetable, especially pole beans.

Cauliflower: This popular cruciferous vegetable likes to have onion family plants and aromatic herbs as companions to ward off pests. But cauliflower has animosity towards basil, as in the case of cabbage. Tomatoes are incompatible with cauliflower, so are beans. Also, avoid planting cauliflower in your strawberry patch, and vice versa.

Corn: The whole modern day idea of plant companionship hinges on the famous 3-sisters relationship between corn, beans, and squash. In fact, corn is a good companion to not only these, but other members of the cucurbit family such as melon, pumpkin, and cucumber, as well as most legumes and potatoes. Tomato is an exception, though.

Both corn and tomatoes are heavy feeders, which could be a reason for this incompatibility. If the soil is rich enough, they may not suffer as many ill effects when planted close to each other.

The corn earworm, also called tomato fruit worm, is a common pest of both the plants, so it makes sense to keep them away from each other.

Cucumber: Cucumbers are a highly rewarding vegetable suitable for even novice gardeners. It is a blessing that cucumbers are great companion plants for beans and peas, as well as almost all vegetables of cabbage and nightshade families. Potato is the exception here, so don’t plant cucumbers near your potato plants.

Cucumbers seem to hate the company of aromatic herbs such as basil, sage, marjoram and rosemary for some reason.

Kale: This dark green leafy vegetable with superfood tag is a success in most gardens although it belongs to the pest-prone cabbage family. It obviously enjoys the protection offered by garlic, onions, dill, nasturtium, and, of course, mint family herbs like thyme, sage, and rosemary.

However, for some reason, kale hates the company of basil, which also belongs to the mint family Lamiaceae.

Kale also doesn’t get along well with tomato, although it’s fine with potato. Strawberries are another plant that kale is not comfortable with. The feeling is mutual, so keep them far apart.

Lettuce: These delicate leafy greens may seem like a cabbage relative, especially the head-forming types, but they actually belong to the daisy family. They do make good companions for kale and cauliflower, but not for most other members from the same cruciferous family. Lettuces are known for being intolerant of Allium family members, including onions and garlic.

Melon: Melons are great companions to corn just as squash is. Spreading along the ground, they suppress weeds. Not only that, their large leaves act as an insulating layer over the soil, keeping the roots warm when it is cold, and cool when the temperature rises.

Melons are good with sunflowers and tomatoes too, but they do not like the company of potatoes, even though it is closely related to tomatoes.

Onion: This smelly bulb is a great companion to both nightshade vegetables and cabbage family. It surprisingly gets along with root crops like carrots and beets too.

What onions don’t seem to like are members of the legume family, which includes different types of beans and peas. Another vegetable incompatible to onions are asparagus, so keep them away from your asparagus patch.

Peppers: Peppers belong to the nightshade family, but are generally unaffected by the pest and disease problems encountered by other members of the family like tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant. So peppers have no issues growing beside them, but they cannot stand kohlrabi and fennel for some reason.

Fennel is antagonistic to nearly all plants in the vegetable garden, but that is not the case with kohlrabi. Peppers don’t seem to have any issues with other members of the cruciferous family to which kohlrabi belongs.

Potatoes: Potato plants have a large number of companions, but their enemy list is just as formidable.

They get along well with companions big and small, like corn, beans, peas, and cabbage family vegetables. They also benefit from the company of insect repelling marigolds, nasturtium, and catnip.

Potatoes’ enemies include cucumber, pumpkin, squash, tomato, sunflower and spinach.

Potatoes and tomatoes being both nightshade family plants with common pests and diseases may explain their incompatibility. Other vegetables might be competitors for nutrients and legroom.

Spinach: Spinach is a good companion to legumes like beans and peas. Spinach gets along well with strawberries and most cabbage family veggies as well. However, it doesn’t seem to like potatoes growing close by. One reason could be spinach’s shallow roots.

Potato plants, even though they are much larger than spinach, tend to keep their roots closer to the top soil. Competition for water and nutrients could play a part in making them enemies.

The lush top growth of potato plants block out the sun. This could be another reason why spinach is not so fond of potatoes.

Squash: This tasty veggie gets along well with beans, onions, and radishes, and appreciates having insect-repellent herbs and protective plants like mint, catnip, marigold and nasturtium.

What is surprising about squash is that, while it makes a good companion to melons, it cannot coexist happily with pumpkins. Squash is incompatible with potatoes as well.

Strawberry: These plants like to have bush beans planted near them, and appreciate the presence of onions, thyme, and sage, which help keep pests away. Strawberry plants hate having any of the pest-prone cabbage family veggies close by, for obvious reasons.

Tomato: This garden staple attracts many pests which may affect other Solanaceae (nightshade) family veggies like potato, eggplant, and peppers, so it may be a good idea to avoid planting them together.

Keep this in mind when you do crop rotation too since many disease-causing microbes as well as eggs and larvae of common pests may remain in the soil for quite some time. Also, do not plant tomatoes with corn, and cabbage family veggies.

Rosemary: This delightful herb not only looks great and smells great but does a wonderful job attracting pollinators. Have several plants around, particularly near cruciferous vegetables. But avoid planting rosemary near cucumbers, this is not a good match.

Garlic: Most gardeners view garlic as a garden savior and grow it all over the place to keep the bugs away with its pungent smell. It is a great addition to any vegetable garden, especially when planted near tomatoes, radishes, roses, and cabbage family vegetables.

However, garlic ability to repel many garden pests does not seem to endear it to several other veggies.

Leguminous plants such as beans and peas fail to thrive when garlic is around. They show stunted growth and reduction in yield, especially snow peas. But many gardeners assure that there’s no problem as long as you leave sufficient distance between the bean plants and garlic so that their roots don’t have to share the same space. Do not plant garlic in your asparagus patch, though.

DO WHAT WORKS BEST

There may be many discrepancies between what different gardeners find to be good and bad companions for their veggies. As mentioned earlier, it is not a precise science, but based on the gardening experiences of many home gardeners as well as some large vegetable growing companies.

Differences in weather and growing seasons, soil types, availability, as well as deficiency, of certain nutrients etc., may have a bearing on the compatibility issue. For instance, if there are nutrient deficiencies in the soil, plants with similar needs will have more competition to access whatever little is available.

This also applies to the availability of water. Plants having their root zones in the same soil region can happily coexist if there’s plenty of water for all of them. But that wouldn’t be the case if they had to compete for the same.

Close observation of plants will make you a good gardener. There can be no substitute for the attention you give to your garden.

Try out the planting guidelines given here to find what works for you and what does not. If you meticulously record your personal experiences, you might even discover several incompatibilities as well as beneficial companionships.

Rama Tyagi

Tyagirama1@gmail.com

COMPETITION CALLS

My Journey with Adeniums

It was in 1998, when I first saw the amazing, artistic and beautiful plant called Adenium at my Sister-in-Law’s place and immediately got fascinated by it. I still remember the plant’s flowers, the branches and wonderful caudex that impressed me. The caudex was brilliantly awesome, as if Lord Buddha was sitting under a tree. In excitement, I asked my sister-in-law “what plant is this?” she brought a deep smile on her face and proudly introduced me to Adenium that she had brought from Bangalore. My mind remained obsessed with that plant for a very-very long time. I wished to have that plant, but that time we were not permanently settled. Later, I got busy with my daily routine, yet couldn’t forget that plant. But every time I used to see this plant, my desire to get that awesome beauty got even deep and deeper. 

Sant Kabir once said that love is like smell of garlic, which cannot be kept hidden for long. My SIL soon realized my love for this plant and fulfilled my dream by gifting about a dozen of Adenium seedlings.  I was like on cloud nine, I can’t express how much excitement and joy I had that time. Happily, back to my place, I potted all babies and later shared two of them with one of my friends as well. That happened in 2008, when we got somewhat settled. However, I had no idea about how to take care of them properly.

I even laugh today on myself, how novice I used to water them every day with great affection, irrespective of summer, winter and rain. Slowly I started losing these babies one by one, especially during winter. I started wondering why they are dying, despite my regular care in terms of watering.

Later, I arranged all the remaining ones in a single tray (sob… don’t have any pic) which appeared somewhat beautiful. Every day I used to pray and adore my babies for their survival, yet lost some more of them. In the quest of knowledge to save them, started searching on internet here and there, which enlightened me that adeniums being desert-rose don’t like excessive watering, rather they love sun. In the meantime, also joined few FB groups, that multiplied my knowledge about rearing and caring of Adeniums several fold and could fortunately succeed in saving one plant from that lot. That still remains with me like grandmother of all Adeniums in my little plant kingdom!

Manisha Bardhan

dollypihu@gmail.com

Year 2021 is officially announced as International year of Fruits and vegetables by FAO Unites Nations. The year is declared to raise globally awareness, about the vital role of fruits and vegetables in nutrition , health and food security. The year is also dedicated to improve the sustainable food production and reduction in food loss and wastage.

The pandemic COVID-19 19 has changed our lives drastically and challenged the need to create awareness and explore new ways of fighting hunger and malnutrition.

The need of the hour is to provide healthy diet to strengthen our immune system and the challenge is faced worldwide. This will also provide opportunities to improve upon infrastructure, farming practices and support small farmers.

Fruits and vegetables are vital source of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers, foliate, and beneficial Phyto chemicals that can curb the malnutrition. According to WHO recommendations, each adult is supposed to consume 400- 450 gms of fresh fruits and vegetables daily, to curb nutritional deficiency and prevent chronic diseases like cancers, heart attacks, diabetes etc.

Fruit preservation and wastage is also a major problem faced worldwide and nearly 50% of fruits and vegetables produced in developing countries are wasted between harvesting till consumption. Reduction in food loss will improve production and will help in economic growth.

So, let us come forward and join hands in raising awareness, importance of fruits and vegetables in curbing malnutrition and improving health, dietary diversity and impact on socio economy and environmental factors and major contribution in overall development.

Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy, Green, Clean and a Prosperous New Year.                                   

                       Shailja Mishra

mishra.shailja6325@gmail.com