Romantic Gardens Gallery

Plants Care in Summer and Rainy Season

Plants Care in Summer and Rainy Season

                Plants are the priceless gifts of nature. Green color is mostly prescribed by opticians in order to cure a number of optical problems.  Eyesight is sharpened by greenery.  

                Some people love plants as their friends and parts of life. There are thousands of reasons for plantation and protection of plants.  Our climate is subtropical; summer is always severe and harsh.  Every living being is susceptible to its dangerous effects. Plants are also affected to much extent. Some get wilted due to severe water loss and sunshine, other go brown and some die off.

                There are two important things to be kept in mind in order to ensure plants safety.  First is temperature and other is irrigation.  To save plants which cannot resist sunshine for longer durations they should be covered by green shed or green net. ,, while fixing the shed it should be kept in mind that it should be somewhat more towards south-west because sunlight after 2’o clock is inclined at that angle.  Potted Plants could also be kept in partial shade.

                The other most important thing is irrigation. Plants planted in soil should be irrigated twice a day. First irrigation should be at early at least before 9 ‘O clock, and second irrigation should be after 4 pm. Do not irrigate plants in full sunshine and noon time.

                For potted plants irrigate frequently after 4-5 hours because evaporation is maximum and media cannot retain moisture for day long. Try to avoid placing plants under direct sunlight for whole day, place in semi shade area. . Potted plants cannot tolerate too much temperatures as compared to earth grown and field crops. Plants with delicate and soft leaves are more affected as compared to those having hard and leathery leaves.
                 During summer drought period avoid pruining or limit it to diseased or dead portion as pruining of tree also puts stress on the plants. When a tree is stressed during a drought, sometimes gardeners think it needs to be fertilized. Actually, fertilizers can contain high salt concentrations and cause further harm to the tree.
                 These are precautionary measures as whole, typically every plant have specific characters and responses to environment. Consult experts for asking requirement of your plants in description.  

Horticulture -Prospects in Pakistan

                      Horticulture is an important field of agriculture. In Netherland they produce 500 Million plants each year.Their economy depends totally almost on Horticulture. The main outcomes of Hortuculture are fruits, vegetables,, flowers and ornamental plants. It is most profitable and fast growing field. Modern concepts of growing all types of plants are being practiced in developed countries. Some African countries like Ghana are getting reasonable foreign exchange by the export of cut flower to USA and other countries of the world.
                     We have many advantages and positive aspects to adopt and flourish our horticulture business for example fertile lands, inexpensive labor, best climatic conditions and qualified experts of the subject. Lack of entrepreneurship and government interest s are our big problems. Unemployment is growing as a bigger problem with increase in population. This problem could be handled by making policies friendly to farmers, entrepreneurs and other people related to this field. The price hike in food commodities causing frustrations among people could be handled and controlled by increasing our horticultural produce especially fruits and vegetables. Government could start projects with the help of agriculture graduates to cultivate uncultivated and barren lands by installing orchards and commercial vegetables farms, exportable cut flower farms, producing export quality produce.
                  Orchards could make the climate cool and pleasant. Air pollution could gradually reduced by plants. The beauty and value of property could be enhanced many folds by the installation of orchard on farm lands. Government should provide subsidy and loans for promotion of horticulture along with other agronomic crops. There should be sustainable mechanism and easy procedures for new comers to develop urban horticulture business, nursery farms soil less culture and cold storage houses.

 

Emerging trend of Organic Farming.

Emerging trend of Organic Farming.

           

 Organic farming is simply farming without chemicals. It is a system that seeks to exclude the direct or routine use of synthetic fertilizers, biocides, veterinary drugs, hormones, additives, preservatives, growth regulators and other agrochemicals. It relies upon crop rotations, crop residues, livestock manures, cattle dung, composted municipal garbage, vermin-compost, organic wastes such as rice husk, wheat husk, cotton lint and mineral bearing rocks i.e. used to feed the soil and supplies the nutrients required by plants. It is also called green food production.

          Health hazards are drastically increasing day by day due to the use of food commodities accumulating a great amount of toxins contributed by pesticides and fertilizers. Chemicals extensively used for commercial vegetables, fruits and cereals production contains carcinogenic compounds which permeate into the final produce. The noticeable ill effects of pesticides are respiratory problems, cancers, less reproductive ability and many more. The conventional farmers use synthetic pesticides and fertilizers more extensively in order to attain more yield and maximum benefits irrespective of their ill effects on human health. They have no concern with the human health. Wild life is diminishing such as the earth worms have become scarce and the soil seems dead. Sulphure and sulphure-containing pesticides are destructive for beneficial insects and arthropods. Go organic for a genuine, cost-effective, healthier and environmentally safer future

The organic food on the whole is nutrition and meets anatomical and physiological requirements of human. It also helps in interaction of food clean like production, processing, packaging and trading within the environment and the social structures. For keeping good health it becomes necessary to avoid use of such vegetables. Organic food has a better taste and a great variety. It contains on average 50 percent more vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other micro nutrients than intensively farmed produce.

    Organic cultivation replenishes and maintains long term soil fertility by reducing nitrate leaching. Increasing and improving wild life habitant. Naturally occurring microorganisms in soil play an important role in nitrogen cycle and decrease pathogenic fungus and bacteria. It encourages the use of natural and renewable recourses. It is to ensure healthy farm livestock. It provides more predicable economic returns. It boosts farm income and promotes sustainability. It maintains the genetic diversity of agricultural ecosystems. It ensures sustainable and healthy conditions for future generations.                
 In world the total area under organic farming was 31million hectares and there were total 633891 farms managed organically round the world. (By the  FiBL Survey 2007). While in Pakistan at present there are 20'310 hectares under organic farming and 28 farms managed organically. (By the FiBL Survey 2005-07). The studies show that 30.4 million hectares are currently certified according to organic standards. It is commercially practiced in 120 countries. The global market for organic products reached a value of over 40 billion US Dollars.

           As Organic farmers are not allowed to use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers therefore use of such toxic chemicals should be completely avoided. Good agricultural practices are needed to be carried out. The integrated pest management system is to be adopted. Weeds managed manually or mechanically. Green manuring has a positive influence on physical and chemical properties of soil. It maintains organic matter status of soil and increases its water holding capacity .Soil microbial population is also multiplied and soil aeration is improved. The organic wastes are also recycled.

           The dawn of third millennium bears immense concerns about potentially environmental hazards throughout the world. Public apathy and official indifferences on environment protection is not a secret. There is a dire need to decimate polluted environment. Organic farms are better than conventional farms at sustaining diverse ecosystems, i.e. population of plants and animals creating environment friendly atmosphere. Organic farming helps to minimize the greenhouse effect and global warming through its ability to sequester carbon in the soil. Organic farms support nature, whereas, intensive conventional farming has led to dramatic erosion of soil, fall of wild birds, destruction of ancient hedgerows, and extinction of some species like butterflies, frogs, grass snakes and wild mammals.

       The basic standards for organic production are published by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements IFOAM. These IFOAM basic standards define how organic products are grown produced processed and handled. The organic farmers have to meet these standards. Certification, accreditation and labeling the produce as ‘organic’ must be made by the certified and registered agencies. In Pakistan most of the Organic Farms are certified by Control Union Certifications Zwolle, the Netherlands for organic production methods and USDA-NOP standards.

            The mostly grown commodities are organic rice, organic cotton, organic wheat, organic sugar, organic sucrose, Organic Kinno fruit and juice concentrate, and Organic Mango fruit and pulp and seasonal fresh vegetables.

Prospects in Pakistan

Pakistan has a great potential for organic farming by delineating million of acres of most fertile and productive land. Progressive farmers community is destined turning towards organic cultivation. The area under organic farming will increase as public awareness and health consciousness are boosted up by the media. Organic farming here in Pakistan has many challenges to conduct. Organically produced commodities are relatively more perishable.

The reasons for slow progress of organic farming include lack of awareness among people about its benefits. Export of organic produce is at very limited level. There is also lack of inspection and certification agencies. Government price policies and monopolies on market of agriculture produce, causing low agricultural income.                 

The organic food market is growing rapidly in the entire world. Various alternative organic standards are also emerging. Some are also implementing new approaches to defining and buying food. Farmers have to reap market premium for certified production. The organic commodities will have high prices in domestic as well as in super markets. Hence the economy will grow with a potential to alleviate poverty. Organic food is also often linked with the fair trade movement, based on the principle that social and environmental sustainability are inextricably interdependent. Initiatives should be taken to organize marketing of organic food through creation of awareness and establishment of markets. Pakistan has large area which has used minimal pesticides and chemicals, where potential for conversion exists. It is envisaged that a reasonable percentage of production shall be organic in coming five years. The major organic food markets for Pakistan are Europe, the USA, Japan and Middle East. There is bright future which indicates impressive opportunities of different organic food products by Pakistan to export. Organic farming is also compulsory in order to withstand WTO standards to increase export of our agricultural produce.  Future prospects show proper utilization of recourses and profitable use of farm wastes. Soil water and air pollution would be reduced. Organic farming will provide an avocation to the land less laborers. Its objective are to develop low capital less labor intensive, high yielding, better quality and healthy organic farming. Reducing the cost of production to minimum to achieve self-sufficiency in all inputs. It is recognized as a long-term solution to the problem caused by nitrate pollution. Organic agriculture in the beginnings shows lower yields than conventional cropping but as its input are lower than conventional agriculture and labor in Pakistan is cheap, in long when organic agricultural methods have improved soil characteristics, soil fauna and established worm activity and large production of vermicasts, the yields will surpass the conventional methods.

            It is concluded to be a very vast and diversified field. There is growing demand of organic food products throughout the world. The researches and developments on national level are strictly needed to be made. The government should provide subsidy, financial and technical support to the farmers for organic crops cultivation. It is needed to shift our agriculture trends towards saving the nature. This will give us safe agricultural products and the power we use to dispose off our solid wastes. It is right of our next generation that if we can’t give them a better environment, we have no right to worsen it any more.

Importance of Botanical Gardens

Importance of Botanical Gardens

Botanical gardens are the basic resource a nation who may have. Plants have been friends of all living beings since ancient of times. They had served the masses in providing the shelter food clothes and other needs of life.

Biodiversity is essential for an ecosystem to ensure its sustainability. Many valuable and priceless species are endagerd and many are extincted that have brought many losses to human beings and other animals.  

Fragrant Plants

Fragrant Plants

Grow beautiful fragrant and aromatic plants and make the environment fragrant

Among the many benefits of plants fragrance is a big advantage. Fragrance in plants is due to the presence of chemical compounds in flowers and leaves of plants which spreads in the air lik perfumes and makes it fragrant. There are many types of plants some of them are important for their fragrance. You can easily grow them in your lawn, garden and enjoy their fragrance. Some of the fragrant plants give fragrance to vast areas in environment/atmosphere. Fragrance in air helps the nerves to relax decrease frustration brings drastic change to mood and health. Remedies the polluted environment and helps to avoid the air being pungent and unhealthy. Therefore its dire need to plant more and more fragrant plants which are not only important for us but also for our environment society and collectively for our wellbeing prosperity beloved country

Gul e cheen has good fragrance spreads its fragrance far off. You can enjoy it from distance too. Similarly murwa has also good and wide spreading fragrance. Other than these there are Roses, Jasmine, Lady of Night, Motia, Mushk e been, Honey suckle ,Niaz boo, Alaichi, and other plants.

Location selection is important for plantation of these plants, Most of them are shrub and some are climbers, vine shaped. They can be easily planted beautifully at entrance, among poles, columns, balconies, window boxes, near patios, sitting areas, etc, important to note is that fragrant plants should be planted in the form of groups so that their fragrance and color effect could easily felt.  

Decorate your home with beautiful indoor plants.

Decorate your home with beautiful indoor plants.

                                                       

                                                           Muhammad Imran Khan

                                                                 

Suggested titles

• Decorate your living area with plants
• Interior decoration with plants
• Home’s interior decoration with plants
• Interior plantscaping

 Importance

1

 Plants are the lungs of nature. Nature beautifies itself by plants. Here is an outstanding process in which plants absorb environmental carbon dioxide and release oxygen which everyone requires for breathing. Oxygen is absorbed by our lungs, mixed into blood and provides energy to the whole body. Men living in oxygen rich areas are healthier then those in oxygen deficient places. Suffocation is the uneasiness felt by us due to lower concentration of oxygen in air. You can get healthy life and pleasant feelings simply by taking more oxygen which is provided by plants.Plants in green color and broad leaves provide more oxygen as compared to those with pigmented and narrow leaves.

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With the absorption of CO2 plants also absorb dust, noise, and other harmful gasses etc.

Plants reduce the chemicals in the air.  Aglaonema, Aloe, Aphelandra, Asplenium, Chamaedorea, Dracaena, Ficus benjamina, Gerbera, Hedera, Philodendron, Sanseveria, and Spathiphyllum all reduce things like benzol, TCE, and formaldehyde.

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The green color of plants have medicinally proved the best results on vision or eyesight. Electronic gadgets and ultra modern lifestyles have created some risks like uneasiness, sadness bored ness. These problems could be easily cured by planting attractive plants on different places either indoor or outdoor.

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                                  Another extremely important function of plants is the environmental regulation. How does plants regulate the environment is simply by transpiration. Transpiration is the evaporation of water from the leaves of plants. Thus they maintain the humidity in air, keep the temperature down and put a soothing effect on body and sensations. The more evaporation of water from plant leaves means more chances of rainfall and coolness of climate. This way the scientists proved that plants lower the temperature of the area 3-4 ºC compared to the area without plants .

Plants shield house from heat robbing winds and  lessen electricity heating and cooling bills.

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                                   Aesthetically plants are also very much important. The beautiful for, size, arrangement of leaves, braches and stem beauty of plants attract the viewers a lot. The mind is get freshed when we see these beautiful natural gifts.

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                              Indoor gardening gives immense pleasure, thrill, bring intimate and natural association with plants, a matter of over joy, adds charm to the architectural beauty, and complements the interior settings. It is a useful and absorbing hobby. A source of exercising gardening adventures and brings permanence in the house. It’s the best way to overcome troublesome loneliness. Living and innocent friends like plants give the pleasure and concept of life to grow, attract, and benefit mankind.

Plants soften the harshness of buildings, walls, and rough textured constructions.

If hot colors used as paint that can be cooled by plants giving hot and cool effect simultaneously. Thus adding interest to be in such areas. 

The shining and pigmented brood and narrow leaved plants give a waving and eye catching feeling.

Arrangement

Proper arrangement and placement of different adds value to each plants and the whole landscapes.Plants bring movement and life to every room in your home.   However, you will be pleased by the whole picture only if there is harmony in the arrangement and color of the plants you have chosen.   Once you have learned how to take these things into account Select plants according to your nature, taste , and imagination plan.

The larger the room you are working with, the bigger and more numerous the plants can be. A single small green plant looks lost in a large empty space.   Several flowering plants in a basket or arranged in small pots on the same table can serve as a beautifully colorful accent to a room.   Treelike plants have great importance in the sense of decorating.   Large-leafed species like dracaena, philodendron or the banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) can really fill up a sparsely furnished room or entrance hall.

In a small room, large plants are oppressive and take up way too much space.   To get the best effect, you should choose mid-size or small plants with large delicate leaves.   Put the plants where they are going to be visible.   Don’t put too many plants in a small space or it will get too crowded and your individual plants won’t make their full impact on the room.

Plants always look best against simple backgrounds. If they have large foliage they should be placed in front of wallpaper with a small pattern. Large patterned wallpaper calls out for filigreed leaves or ferns.   Even the Umbrella (Cyperus) would work for that. Wood-paneled walls like climbing plants arranged on a wood or bamboo support. These also look great by brightly painted walls.

Make sure your decorative scheme takes into account the way light enters your room.   If you put the plants in front of a bright, sunny wall, their shadows can create interesting and unusual patterns on the wall or ceiling or even plain carpeting.

Make sure the colors of leaves and flowers you choose don’t clash with your decor.   You don’t want to take expensive furnishings and wall coverings and reduce them by the wrong colored flowers in your pots. Place your plants by each other where they can compliment each other.   Put larger plants in the background of smaller plant groupings.   A little bit of ivy (Hedera helix) growing over the edge of a pretty bowl looks nicely casual.

Different furnishing styles take on different plants.   It’s important that you put the right plants into your decor to “complete the picture”.   Yucca, Schefflera and rubber trees (Ficus) fit in well with wooden furniture.   Flowering plants look great with a country style decor.   Bulbs and primulas in the spring and special geraniums in the summer work great here.   If you like the straight or gently curved forms of steel, glass, marble and varnished wood, things like the snake plant Sansevieria , Monstera , Dracaena and Guzmania work wonderfully.

Plants with simple gently curving lines work in art nouveau and art deco settings.   The flamingo flower (Anthurium) and peace lily (Spathphyllum) are perfect.   Furniture made of bamboo and rattan and oriental style shapes are perfect for exotic hanging plants like string of pearls (Senecio royleyanus) or wax plant (Hoya).   Traditional English or French styles go well with bushy, vigorously flowering plants like the cyclamen, carnellias, gloxinias (Sinningia hybrids) or begonias.

All you have to do is play around creatively with plants and figure out what enhances your style.   It’s really not that hard.   Once you start placing plants, you will know what goes with what and what doesn’t.

Ugly features like bad corners and unpleasant design mistakes which harm certain areas view , can be corrected simply ny plants, hanging baskets, walll side containers, above wall pots, base pots, can be used at such places.

Innovative ideas and collections of varying design planting pots which may be of different colours, textures, shapes, and sizes could be helpful. There are many characers and habits of different plants needed to be exploited, observed and broad range of of characters of plants. You can choose a plant of any character which you like the most.

Colour

Colour changes the perception sof space . colours dramatically alter the mood as they are closely linked to mind and emotions . cool colours have the ability to feel us relaxed while warm colurs stimulate muscular activity,lend cosy warmth to area and excites us as we all need to chill.

Plants with white leaves and flowers bright up the dark and shady corners.

Cut fronds ( cul foliage and branches with flowers and fruits) and leaves of pithosporum Hedera, Phomium and many more ,Asparagus, Ferns, Aralias, Aspdistra those often included in bouquets and can also be placed in state of the art vases , helping in multiple functions.

Agave victorial for indoor display.

Maintenance

Wash leaves to remove the dust, stains, dirt, and soot that clogs the pores . wipe wipe gently with damp cotton cloth. Put one hand under the leaf to support as you rub otherwise you will break the stenm or puncture the foliage. If you have shower , turn it on gently set plants underneath.

Most plants have a natural shine and do not need additional luster if kept clean. If a polish is to be used never use it on the underside of the leaves as it clogs the stomata underneath.

Keep the plants in trim by cutting the old dead leaves , the yellow lower leaves, and any brown tips.

Changing the arrangement of plants and places needs care regarding the plants requirement of food, sunlight and humidity.

Consult plant experts to check and know suitable place for each specie or variety you have and you should be well aware of feeding and other requirements of plants.

This is important because some plants are hardy which can bear worse conditions while others so tender and delicate that they cannot bear minute stresses.

Sapmle plants

Auracaria, Asparagus, Beaucarnia, Begonia rex, Calathium, Cholorophytum, Coroton, Coleus, Dracaena, Ficus,  Syngonium, Tradescantia, Senseveria,

Areas

Homes, offices, shopes, banks, hotels, restaurants, clubs and hospitals, universities, colleges and schools.

Harmonize home building .

All About Composting

All About Composting

Composting is no doubt a worthdoing activity as for as farming or gardening is concerned. Compost is a  decomposed organic matter. Organic matter is necessary for plants to grow well and a key to obtain excellent produce. Organic matter provides minerals to the roots, helps to retain soil moisture, good for soil porosity which provoids oxygen to roots. I have come to know many stories of composting by many friends in gardening. All they found it a good and excellent job.
        Composting is not a difficult job. It is quite easy. Make a dig in your nearby place where smell may not be a big issue. Put all your decomposeable household waste, leaves, vegetables and fruit covers etc in that dig and cover the hole with mud/soil.Left it for some months after 3-4 months you will find a good compost ready for filling your pots, flower bed and other plants.

The raw materials used are mixed plant residues, animal dung and urine, earth, wood ash and water. All organic material wastes available on a farm such as weeds, stalks, stems, fallen leaves, prunings, chaff, fodder leftovers and so on, are collected and stacked in a pile. Hard woody material like cotton or pigeon pea stalks and stubble are first spread on the farm road and crushed under vehicles such as tractors or bullock carts before being piled. Such hard materials should in any case not exceed ten percent of the total plant residues. Green materials, which are soft and succulent, are allowed to wilt for two to three days to remove excess moisture before stacking; they tend to pack closely if they are stacked in the fresh state. The mixture of different kinds of organic material residues ensures a more efficient decomposition. While stacking, each type of material is spread in layers about 15 centimetres thick until the heap is about one and a half metres high. The heap is then cut into vertical slices and about 20-25 kilograms are put under the feet of cattle in the shed as bedding for the night. The next morning the bedding, along with the dung and urine and urine-earth, is taken to the pits where the composting is to be done.

The site selected for the compost pit should be at high level so that no rainwater gets

in during the monsoon season; it should be near to the cattle shed and a water source. A

temporary shed may be constructed over it to protect the compost from heavy rainfall. The pit should be about 1 m deep, 1.5-2 m wide and of any suitable length.

The material brought from the cattle shed is spread evenly in the pit in layers of 10-15

cm. On each layer is spread a slurry made with 4.5 kg dung, 3.5 kg urine-earth and 4.5 kg of inoculum taken from a 15 day-old composting pit. Sufficient quantity of water is sprinkled over the material in the pit to wet it. The pit is filled in this way, layer by layer, and it should not take longer than one week to fill. Care should be taken to avoid compacting the material in any way.

Turning:

The material is turned three times during the whole period of composting; the first

time 15 days after filling the pit, the second after another 15 days and the third after another month. At each turning, the material is mixed thoroughly, moistened with water and replaced

in the pit.

The pit method

Generally, composting is carried out in a corner of a field and in a circular or

rectangular pit. Rice straw, animal dung (usually pig), aquatic weeds or green manure crops are used and often silt pumped from river beds is mixed with the crop residues. The pits are filled layer by layer, each layer being 15 cm thick. Usually, the first layer is of a green manure crop or water hyacinth, the second layer is a straw mixture and the third layer is of animal dung. These layers are alternated until the pit is full, when a top layer of mud is added; a water layer of about 4 cm depth is maintained on the surface to create anaerobic conditions which help to reduce losses of nitrogen. Approximate quantities of the different residues in tons per pit are: river silt 7.5, rice straw 0.15, animal dung 1.0, aquatic plants or green manure

0.75 and superphosphate 0.02. Three turnings are given in all, the first one month after filling the pit and, at this time, the superphosphate is added and thoroughly mixed in. Water is added as necessary. The second turning is done after another month and the third two weeks later. The material is allowed to decompose for three months and produces about eight tons of

compost per pit.