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TOOLS & TIPS FOR EVERYONE WHO LOVES TO DIG
il/À
COIL HOLDER
?350; Happily
Unmarried
For more info, see
Resources
Mosquito-Free
Garden
W inter is the time to host
lunches or bonfires in your
garden. Before you invite
your guests to soak in the
sun (or fire), make sure you
have an anti-mosquito coil
lit in the corner to ward
off the mozzies. This light-
weight mosquito coil holder
gathers all the ashes within
the attached dish and keeps
your garden clean.
Fertilize
Your Soil
WITH BRAHMA SINGH
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Can the lotus be grown indoors? What
i i kind of a pot should be used?
Yes, a lotus can be grown indoors in non-drainable pots made of plastic or metal
with an 18-inch diameter and 6-inch depth. The lotus is a tropical aquatic plant and
does well during the rainy season. In a tropical climate, it does well all year-round.
In the month of March and April, fill the 3-inch bottom portion o f the container
with clay soil. Place lotus tubers into the pot. Cover with one-inch soil and again
with pea-grain size gravel, that prevents the tuber from floating out. Fill the pot with
warm water and place it in the sun or near a window. All parts of the plant except
the growing tip are to be exposed to water. Remove leaves as they yellow. Re-pot the
lotus every two years by removing dead tubers and adding new soil.
Horticulture expert Brahma Singh is the author of
Roses of Rashtrapati Bhavan
and
Trees of
Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Keep your garden practices organic, or else you may harm the
soil and the plant. The soil needs to be tilled when water is not
seeping through, as it helps in aeration of the soil. Add a thin
layer of organic manure (from cows) once a month. The plants
also require a regular dose of NPK. Nitrogen helps plants grow
healthy, phosphorus helps them use water and potassium makes
for stronger flowers and fruit, which makes plants pest-resistant.
— Vaibhav Diigar, co-founder o f
ektitli.org
ON THE
WEB
Bored of gifting flowers? Go green
and gift a plant. Reason: They last
longer. Anita Chopra sells indoor and
outdoor plants for hom es and
offices, in different packaging. You can
also rent plants for special events.
Log on to
crimsonfem.com
for more details.
o
GARDEN BASICS
Trimmed
Greens
For a small
lawn, use a
manual grass
clipper. Mow the
grass with this
every alternate
day. It prevents
weeds and also
thickens grass.
EAST
Geraniums, impatiens,
begonias and coleus can
do with a fortnightly
mild dose of liquid
NPK sprayed on the
leaves. These plants
look good in pots.
W E ST
Remove weeds
and mow the lawn
manually. Add a mild
dose of sulphate of
ammonia and sprinkle
water over the grass
eve^ alternate day.
NORTH
In the third week of
January, plough back
the mulching of dr)'
leaves, into the soil to
make it more porous.
Sprinkle potash for
greater profusion.
SOUTH
By the end of January,
chrysanthemums are
finished. Select plants
for the next year colour-
wise. Empty the pots to
grow petunia, verbena
and marigold.
PHOTOGRAPH (COIL HOLDER): ANSHUMAN SEN; STYLING: RUCHIKA GOSWAMY
