Whenever the summer sets in, the plants need extra care as they could get burnt due to extreme sunlight or they get dehydrated.
Before the summer, the nature has scheduled "the leaf shedding" season. We let the fallen dried leaves been swept away by the BBMP staff. However did you know you could use them to mulch the plants? The term "Mulching" may sound a fancy, but it just means to cover the topsoil with dried leaves, so that the water does not evaporate.
So start collecting these dry leaves during the shedding in gunny bags!
This is THE BEST option that would work. You could also mulch with sugarcane pith or coconut husk if available.
On a side note, did you know you could also compost these dry leaves if you have in excess? Click here to read about it.
Proactiveness
We can start planning this even before the summer season comes in.Mulch, Mulch, Mulch!
The nature's work is so well planned, but we often fail to notice!Before the summer, the nature has scheduled "the leaf shedding" season. We let the fallen dried leaves been swept away by the BBMP staff. However did you know you could use them to mulch the plants? The term "Mulching" may sound a fancy, but it just means to cover the topsoil with dried leaves, so that the water does not evaporate.
So start collecting these dry leaves during the shedding in gunny bags!
This is THE BEST option that would work. You could also mulch with sugarcane pith or coconut husk if available.
On a side note, did you know you could also compost these dry leaves if you have in excess? Click here to read about it.
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| Mulching |
Cocopeat
Usage of cocopeat in your potting mix retains the moisture and also keeps the soil loose for the roots to grow well. Ensure it does not exceed the 1:1:1 ratio of redsoil:compost:cocopeat for veggies and 1:1:1/2 for the greens, else they could rot. |
| Cocopeat (Pic Source : Internet) |
Re-use and recycle water
- If you have the rainwater harvesting in place, it would be the best.
- Now a days people are also looking at re-using the water from kitchen and RO water purifiers for the plants and some even from the bathroom! But the last option would need some water treatment.
- Reuse the water with which you wash the rice and dal.
- Ensure you are not using chemicals for cleaning purpose. Use bio enzyme or soapnut liquid for cleaning utensils and sink.
- Water treatment can be installed at home; watch the below video as an example.
Shade Nets
These are also an option. There are various types of shade nets. When S.V. Hittalmani (Additional director, department of horticulture, Government of Karnataka) visited my terrace garden to give me tips on growing edibles, he suggested that the shade nets with 30-40% density are ideal for Bangalore weather. Lesser than that, the plants may still burn. More than that, the plants might not get good sunlight, which would affect the growth of the plants.
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| Shadenet (btw, this pic was taken in the year 2014. Now my garden is nothing like this! :-D Felt nice to come across this pic!) |
Drip Irrigation
Even after following the above (some/all) steps, the option is to water the plants twice a day. If you cannot make that additional time in the evening due to working hours, and if you have the budget, you could setup a drip irrigation system. There are many variants and now with the help of technology, we can even automate the schedule. See here to know more about the options to setup the drip.
During Summer, Save Water and Retain your plants too!
The main goal is to keep the soil moist during summer and also to save water. Using the above methods, we not only avoid quick evaporation of water in summer, but also save the water by not watering the plants twice/thrice a day.
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| Pic Source : ken-foundation |
Let us do our bit - choose the method that suits your lifestyle!
[If you wish to contribute other methods which is not mentioned in this post, please feel free to leave a comment for it to be included. TIA!]
