Workshop on Guide to Gardening without spending Money

Bhawani and her gardening without spending money: 

“Hello everyone, welcome to another workshop by TAOS. Today we have with us, Dr. Bhawani Sharma. Hello Bhawani, how are you?” Asked Zehra. 

“Hi Zehra, I am good.” Said Bhawani. 

“Welcome to our workshop. It’s a pleasure to have you with us today. So, I will tell the viewers a brief introduction about Bhawani. She is from Jammu, an Ayurvedic doctor, and a Yoga consultant. Along with these two amazing professions, she is also a passionate plant lover. For her, gardening is like a way to connect to nature, she thinks it is the best therapy for the soul. Today, she joined us to tell us about, how you can start gardening if you are a beginner without spending money. So a lot of people gardening is an expensive affair so here is the perfect workshop for you to know, understand and start gardening without spending money. So, let’s get started.” Said Zehra. 

“Let me introduce myself first I am Dr. Bhawani. I have done BAMS and I am also a yoga consultant. During the pandemic, a lot of people have lost their lives due to lack of oxygen and at that time I thought about some major steps that need to be taken and my mind clicked with gardening.  I think that gardening was my best step. I started gardening during the COVID-19 pandemic and I have started with indoor and oxygen-rich plants. I started my gardening with the Snake plant, as this plant provides you with oxygen 24 × 7. So according to me, if anybody is starting with gardening or already had a garden, they should have a Snake plant as a must. 

I have seen that many people are interested in gardening. But this is a workshop for them due to lack of money or for people who want to spend less on gardening. Send this workshop I will be telling you about a few steps to follow and things to collect that we lead you to do gardening without spending money. So some steps for gardening without spending money are:

1. You have to collect some containers to make planters for plants. 

• For example, I used a plastic bottle and had a cut in the middle and planted a plant. We usually throw the used plastic bottles which can be of great use in converting them to planters. We can also use junk food plastic bags to convert them into planters. We usually prefer drinking tea in Khullar cups which we usually throw after drinking, but we can use them as planters also. You can also use matkas used in-house as planters. You can also use the big plastic pouches of any detergent or shampoo, after cleaning it. They also have the same thickness as Grow Bags available in the market. Also, make sure to make drainage files at the bottom of every planter for the excess flow of water. You can also use thermocol boxes as planters. 

2. We usually require instruments for mixing and tiling the soil. 

• You can use a fork, spoon, butter knife, screwdriver, scissors, and even a knife as instruments for gardening. While gardening you require a spray bottle to water the plant, you can use a simple plastic cold drink bottle and make holes in the cap with the help of any sharp item and can use it as a spray bottle. 

3. For a healthy plant you require a good potting mix. 

• So, the question of what is required in the potting mix may arise. So for this, you require Soil, Sand, and Compost. These are the main components of a good potting mix. So for this, you require Soil, Sand, and Compost. These are the main components of a good potting mix. People will ask how to collect those, it is simple we go for a morning walk in the garden, go to the mandir, go to the masjid, or anywhere we can collect soil from there. You can also collect soil from your friend’s garden. If we talk about compost, you can use vermicompost, organic compost, cow manure, or chicken manure. 
• You have to collect things to make a soil mix. You can collect topsoil from hilly or rural areas. You can collect sand from river areas. You can collect compost from the cow shed or poultry farm.

Now I will teach you how to make the potting mix. Take a container, and add Soil, Sand, and Compost in equal quantities, this will be your soil mix. If you want to make your potting mix healthier & organically rich, you can add one spoon of Wood ash, and 2-3 grams of Potash alum. The work of alum is to make the soil acidic and this will make the plant grow well. To prevent the soil from escaping the drainage hole of the plastic bottle that I have used, you can use the broken pieces of Khullar cups, and make sure to put the curved piece. You can then add potting mix and add water to the soil. 

Now comes the time to sow a plant. You can plant those things which are in daily use in the kitchen like coriander, chilies, mint, and lemon these are the basic herbs with which you can start gardening. For growing coriander, you can use the whole coriander and break it into two pieces and soak it overnight. I have already soaked it and now I will spread the seeds and will cover them with a potting mix, then add water to it. You can grow coriander from mid-May to September. You have to keep the pot in a shady area or cover them with a plastic bag or a cloth to keep the temperature warm for sprouting. 

You can also grow chilies with the same method. You can grow the plant in June-July because this plant needs more sunlight. For mint, you can buy mint from the market and then let it propagate in water for 10-15 days and you will witness new roots. Then sow it in a new and healthy potting mix.” Said Bhawani.  

“Bhawani we have a question from Shilpa, I’ve tried growing coriander at home but the stem is so tender that when I water it, the plant dies. So it becomes impossible for it to grow.

1. “Any suggestions for watering the coriander?” Asked Zehra.

“The coriander plant needs to be moist. So, to prevent the plant from dying you have to do mulching, with this your plant won’t require more water. You can put dry leaves on the soil, with this the plant won’t require more water as it will save the water from getting dried up. Make sure to water the plant after checking the top layer of your soil, if it is dry then only water the plant. 

If your plant has died then do the cutting and again put the potting mix and cover the plant or put it in a shady place for 2-3 days. And watch, whether the new leaves are growing or not. Also in June, the coriander plant shed its leaves and started flowering, so this can the reason for the death of the plant.” Said Bhawani.

“So till now, I talked about herbs.

Flowering Plant: 

Now let me tell you about some flowers that you can grow in your garden without spending money. So, whenever we visit any religious place, we will find the Marigold flower very commonly found. So, even if you collect only one flower you can grow your plant. So, you have to dry up the Marigold flower, the petal has three sections the bottom is black, the middle is white, and the top is orange this single petal is a seed to grow your plant. So marigold is the easy growing flowering plant and it can be grown for 12 months. 

You have to take a container with the potting mix and spread the flowering petals of the marigold plant, then add soil mix and water the soil. 

Medicinal Plant: 

The very commonly used medicinal plant is Turmeric. We add turmeric to our diet and milk. You have to use whole Turmeric (not powder), and you have to keep it in a moist place. After some time you will witness the sprouting in the turmeric. You can plant the turmeric plant in June, and the harvest time would be from September to November month. According to me, from one whole turmeric, you can harvest half a kg of turmeric. 

Plant from Cutting: 

The first thing to keep in mind while cutting any stem or leaf is always sterilized the scissors so that there is no fungal infection spread. 

Turtle wine is a plant that can be grown even from the top few leaves of the plant.  So, the question arises of where to collect the cuttings. So, you can collect it from parks or your neighbors. First, cut the part of the turtle wine, and remove the bottom leaves before sowing in the soil. 

So, let me tell you one interesting fact about soil. So soil has a bacteria called mycobacterium, so in this bacteria, there is a hormone which is called a happy hormone, so whenever you put your hands in the soil that happy hormone is released from the soil and it goes through the body. So these hormones help you release your mental stress and tension from your body and make you relax. This makes people spend more time gardening. 

Precautions: 

1. Always sterilize the scissors so that there is no fungal infection spread. 
2. So if you cut a Jade plant stem, it is a sturdy plant that can grow fast but it takes time while rooting. So after cutting the chopped area the plant is exposed and can attack any infection. So it needs a fungicide and the cutting needs a rooting hormone. 

You can make your rooting hormone at home. You need honey and cinnamon powder. First, you have to dip the cutting in honey and then in cinnamon powder, it will act as the best rooting hormone. 

You only need four things to make fungicides. You need Coal, Cinnamon, Turmeric, and Cloves then grind them in a grinder. You can use that powder as a fungicide. 

Care for Plants: 

You can add husk or dry leaves and add them on the topsoil of the plant. It will maintain the moisture of the plant. This is called mulching. 

1. You need to research the plant type, soil required, temperature, and location to be kept in. Having complete knowledge is very important. Being a beginner you can follow any plant parent or guardian. 
2. Since, during monsoon there are more chances of being infected by fungus, so by adding homemade fungicide it will prevent the plant from getting infected. You can add 1-2 grams of fungicide while making soil mix. You can also use a spray bottle for that, by adding 1-2 grams of fungicide in 1 liter of water. 

Liquid Fertilizers: 

1. Banana Peel Fertilizer: 

As with time, the plant loses its main nutrients. You can make liquid fertilizer at home for providing them with nutrients. You need to take a container with water and add a Banana peel which has phosphorus. Make sure to cut the banana peel into cube size and add to water. After adding it to the water keep it aside for some days, the extract will get dissolved nicely. Don’t put the liquid fertilizer directly in the plant. 

You have to dilute it, so if you make the banana peel fertilizer in a 3-4 liter container, you are taking one cup of banana peel fertilizer and taking the same amount (3-4 liter) of plain water, then diluting the 1 cup banana peel fertilizer and adding it to my plant is right and required amount. 

2. Onion and Garlic Peel Fertilizer: 

You have to add the peels to the container with water in it. Then cover it and keep it in one place. After 10-15 days the liquid fertilizer will be ready to use. Always use fertilizer in a 1:10 ratio. Take 1 cup fertilizer then add 10 times the water.

I would say that gardening is the best for old age people. As it gives motivation, to begin with, a good thing. So, when you can do anything at home, it just needs some time and dedication.” Said Bhawani.

“Thank you so much  Bhawani for your valuable time and the amazing tips and knowledge that you have shared with us today. I enjoyed the session and I hope all the viewers have also learned a lot from this workshop.” Said Zehra. 

“Thank you so much, Zehra and the Affordable Organic Store for inviting me to this workshop.” Said Bhawani.  

HAPPY GARDENING!