Biological solutions for getting rid of mosquitoes.

In mumbai we think the best way to get rid of mosquitoes is either the *BMC Fumingation man* or the various cannisters , tubes of mosquito replennts .Iv got my nursery in my own backyard so i have spend lots of time outdoors. i would rather be tending my plants than swatting mosquitoes.And if you wanted keep plants in your balcony but taught of these minni vampires made you think otherwise think again.While there are many things you can do to keep mosquitoes away,my fav the mosquito bats( its fun to keep killing them) but if you dont want to murder these pesky pests there are some plants that will beautify your green space and help repel mosquitoes.
As one more way to keep mosquitoes away from you and your garden, try planting these attractive plants.


HORSEMINT/SPEARMINT/PEPPERMINT
Back in the days people used it as a treatment for colds and flu. It has natural fungicidal and bacterial retardant properties because it’s essential oils are high in thymol.the plant is very easy to maintain and a beautiful ground cover that could be planted under your larger plants to cover the soil.


ROSEMARY
This wonderful herb we use for seasoning is also a great, natural mosquito repellant. It has been used for centuries to keep pesky mosquitoes away. Rosemary is a native of the Mediterranean, so it likes hot, dry weather and well-drained soil.If you happen to live in a part of the country where rosemary does not grow, you can get a good quality rosemary essential oil; mix 4 drops with ¼ cup olive oil. Store in a cool, dry place. When it comes to fresh plant oils as natural mosquito repellants, there is every reason to have the plant in your yard, if they will grow in your area. It is an inexpensive and attractive way to boost the appearance of the landscape and have natural mosquito repellants on hand as well.


MARIGOLDS
Organic gardeners have used marigolds as companion plants to keep aphids away. Mosquitoes don’t like its scent any better (and some humans feel the same way). Marigolds are sun-loving annuals that come in a variety of shapes and sizes for almost any landscape. They are quite easy to grow from seed.

AGERATUM
This charming little bedding plant contains coumarin, and mosquitoes detest the smell. It is used in the perfume industry and is even in some commercial mosquito repellants. Don’t rub ageratum on your skin, though. It has some other less desirable elements that you don’t want to keep on your skin in quantity. Ageratums are annuals, and the come in a muted blue and white that compliments most other plantings.


CITRONELLA
Citronella oil is popular as a 'natural' insect repellent. Its mosquito repellent qualities have been verified by research, including effectiveness in repelling Aedes aegypti (dengue fever mosquito). To be continually effective most citronella repellent formulas need to be reapplied to the skin every 30–60 minutes.
A plant that has been the known to have superb anti fungal properties and also used in the perfumery industry for its high oil content.


The other kind of mosquito plant is agastache cana. Its common names include Texas hummingbird mint, bubblegum mint, giant hyssop, or giant hummingbird mint. As you might guess, hummingbirds are quite attracted to it. Sadly these plants are not freely available in India .

CATNIP
One of the most powerful mosquito repellant plants is ordinary catnip. Recent studies have shown that it is ten times more effective than DEET at repelling mosquitoes. It is a short lived perennial . It is easy to grow from seed, and quickly reseeds. Aside from its intoxicating effects on cats, the leaves make a very soothing tea.
With all of these plants, the leaves must be crushed to release the aroma. Otherwise mosquitoes can’t smell them. And, with rosemary and catnip, you can simply crush a few leaves and rub on your skin and clothing to enhance the effect.

Other slightly smelly but organic way to get rid of them is Garlic which is the main component in many herbal remedies. Mosquitoes hate it. Gardeners who eat lots of garlic may find that they scratch those mosquito bites far less. Of course, you would have to eat a lot of garlic and you may find that you repel more than just mosquitoes. Nevertheless, organic gardeners use garlic sprays, powders and plantings to help deter the creatures. It may not reduce their numbers dramatically, but when coupled with other natural combatants, you may see a reliable reduction.

So, next time you are revising your plantings, consider using some of these attractive plants to do more than just enhance the landscape.

Floral landscapes for the royal wedding.

Sentiment always plays a part in royal wedding flowers, with blooms from royal estates featured in floral arrangements.

New for the royal wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William is an intent focus on trees, plants and flowers from the royal residences. Primary sources are the Savill Garden and Valley Gardens at Windsor Great Park, and Sandringham Estate, with English flowers from other growers filling in.

Floral designer Shane Connolly is rose-wrangler-in-chief for the wedding flowers in Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace. He's all about seasonal. For Charles and Camilla's springtime wedding he incorporated blooms from Charles' garden at Highgrove.

Four tons of foliage, including 20-foot maple trees (which symbolize something meaningful in the Language of Flowers -- syrupy sweetness?), have been shoe-horned into Westminster Abbey.

Lining the aisle, the potted maple trees will be on display for a week after the wedding, then planted at Highgrove. Any cut flowers will be sent to hospitals and later composted. All very sustainable and commendable.

i found some stunning images which we cant see on tv. do check them out-

A safe walk in the park: Plants to look out for while walking ur pet.

Theres something about gardens that instantly converts dogs into cows and cats into goats.Iv got 3 dogs and 1 cat…and living in a nursery its sooper hard to control these frisky furballs .Plants have a distinct aroma ,taste and effects.homes and and gardens can be death-traps for dogs. They will eat anything, drink anything. If you want to make your home and your garden safe for your dog, then read on.
there are many points you need to look into to make a pet friendly greenspace:
1)Store away harmful products out of your pet's reach. Such as garden chemicals, detergents, motor oils, medicines and so on.

2)Lock away sharp implements when you are not using them.

3)Keep your dog inside when mowing the lawn or trimming the hedges

4)Be extra carefull while putting down rodent poisions.

Plant selection is the most important step in creating a safe green space for your furry buddies.iv identified about 25 var that landscape desigeners in mumbai extencively use and are extremely dangerous for our pets .

1)Azalea : Stomach irritation, abdominal pain, abnormal heart rate and rhythm, convulsions, coma, some death.
2)Bird of Paradise: the seeds cause convulsions ,sometimes fits.
3)Alocasia :Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing
4)Asparagus fern:allergic dermatitis with repeated dermal exposure. Berry ingestion could result in gastric upset (vomiting, abdominal pain, or diarrhea.)
5)aloe viera:Vomiting, change in urine color (red)
6)Caesalpinia:Vomiting and diarrhea.
7)Begonia:Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing. Tubers are the most toxic.
8)Boxwood:Dogs and cats: vomiting, diarrhea; Horses: colic, diarrhea, respiratory failure, seizures
9)Buttercup:Vomiting, diarrhea, depression, anorexia, hypersalivation and wobbly gait
10) Jasmine/mogra: Mild vomiting and/or diarrhea, hives
11)Cardboard Palm/zamias:Vomiting, melena, icterus, increased thirst, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, bruising, coagulopathy, liver damage, liver failure, death.
12)Dieffenbachia:Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth , tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing
13)jade:Nausea, retching
14)Monstera:Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.
15)Dracaena:Vomiting (occasionally with blood), depression, anorexia, hypersalivation, dilated pupils (cats).
16)Good Luck Plant:All parts of the plant have toxic potential, although the possibility of serious effects is usually limited to ingestions of large quantities. Consuming Oxalis species can produce colic in horses, and kidney failure is possible if significant amounts are eaten
17)Hydrangea:Vomiting, depression, diarrhea. Cyanide intoxication is rare – usually produces more of a gastrointestinal disturbance.
18)Adenium:Vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, depression, irregular heart beat, death
19)Lantana camara:Vomiting, diarrhea, labored breathing, weakness. Liver failure – more common in livestock.
20)Spathiphyllum :Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.
21)Sansevieria:Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
22)Nerium oleander :All parts contain a highly toxic cardiac glycoside much like digitoxin, and can cause colic, diarrhea (possibly bloody), sweating, incoordination, shallow/difficult breathing, muscle tremors, recumbency, and possibly death from cardiac failure.
23)Vinca rosea :Vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, depression, tremors, seizures, coma, death.
24)Schefflera:Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of the mouth, lips, tongue, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing.
25)Yucca:Vomiting, diarrhea .

Look out for these plants guys iv experienced loosing my crazy black labrador smirfie first hand due to posioning .
Now now wipe that grin off your face...beeing outdoors with your pets is not all that bad. As iv listed out the dangerous plants ill make sure i make a list of 25 plants that your pets would love to eat and would do them wonders. Also it would be a brilliant option for those of you living in socities with gardens to look into landscapeing it into a beautiful pet paradise.

Pruning : the good the bad and just plain Absurd!

India since its glory days of the past has been obssesed with giving its plants geometric shapes rounds, squares, hedges and topiaries. Iv never got this obssesion may be its my complete hate for geometry maybe i just find it realy questionable. My dad used to despice these so called formal gardens as well....maybe my extreme dislike for these topiaries has been in my genes , he used to put it very well..." if god intended a ficus to be round he surely would have made it round...stop trying to give that plant a nosejob" .

THE GOOD:
You should know that though I’m not a big fan of pruning and I love to do it myself. I understand why it’s needed (to control shape, encourage more growth or blooms, or improve health). With the proper knowledge, pruning is good for your plants and shrubs, even trees. Fruiting trees/herbs do need regular pruning to attain its potential.

THE BAD:
Now, if you really want to know what ticks me off, try hack/chop/cut your trees! In stark contrast to the many benefits of proper pruning, tree topping is the biggest crime against horticulture there is. And in my city, it is rampant! I hate tree hacking .
Land developers builders and ignorant concrete lovers are the reason our tree cover has reduced to 30% over the last 40 years. when you drive past the vast city scape spare a thaught for the felled trees. The dead trunks,barks of these fallen beeings adorne our city like toombstones.How it became such a popular and ongoing thing to do, I’ll never know. But I suspect, some bozo with a chainsaw and pickup truck goes around TRIMMING our trees. we need to put an end to this maddness ...

THE ABSURD!!:
Driving down the city you see people makeing hedges shapes of all kinds of plants in all kinds of shapes. The dividers in the city stand testiment to this ..i wonder what in the name of the good lord is the ggovernment thinking lawns, topiries of ficus...n now days pitunias(seasonals) you would rather just flush my tax down ur bloody drain.
there was a famous south indian joint in juhu who made a hedge of areca palm...no comments...hahahha.
did you know the maze at essele world takes 100 man hours a week to maintain it in its present condition at an annual cost of rs5.89 lacks!!! in times where sustainabilty is given such prime importance its just absurd to keep up with this dislexic nightmare!!!

URBAN EDIBLE GARDEN SOLLUTION:

In the age of aggressive farming do you really know where your vegetables come from? Artificial colours carbide ripening agents you wonder if the vegetables you eat have the nutrition you brought them for.
We in Indian cities have witnessed the drawbacks of urbanisation first hand. Home gardens have been a thing for people with big bungalows and farms If you thought a kitchen garden only works in large houses , you are in for a revelation. Herbs/selected vegetables can also be grown in your very own balconies. They can be grown in pots window boxes or hanging baskets. Growing herbs in pots is not rocket science, although you cannot have the lavishness of a full-fledged kitchen garden, you can grow many things (in smaller amounts) in your little balcony space.

There are many herbs /vegetables that you can grow in your balcony, your options are: vegetables like tomatoes, bell peppers, chilli, lemon, lemon grass , garlic, ginger and many others. Herb plants come in annuals, perennials, and biennials like other types of plants ex- thyme, sage, curry leaf, rosemary, coriander, oregano, mint black pepper, Pennyroyal etc.

Selecting the pots is a very essential step to have a sustainable Herb /vegetable garden. Herbs will need pots that are between 6 to 10 inches in size. Tomatoes lemons etc need larger pots .Herbs like oregano thyme can be grown in hanging baskets or smaller pots. An interesting way 2 grow garlic and black pepper is to let the plants grow onto a moss sticks.

Generally, a light open soil/compost mix is preferred. Just an ordinary potting compost, with perhaps a little grit or garden soil mixed in - to give it body. The most imp thing here is to keep the soil well drained sand/perlite or even coco peat chips will work well here. You might have to add a little lime to neutralize their acidic contents.

By adding organic fertilizers or manures you improve absorption, biochemical stimulation and growth in plants. Manures also add nutrients to the soil.

Another crucial factor for plant growth is water. However, you cannot water the kitchen garden the way you water your flower pots. These plots need abundant supply of water. Your vegetable garden needs regular irrigation for 10 days after sowing. You can then bring it down to twice or thrice every week. The soil should never be totally dry, it needs constant moisture.
Your lovely little kitchen gardening would need vigilant weeding. Pests and insects can be kept away by natural methods like companion gardening. For example, grow basil and tomatoes close by. Basil attracts bugs that eat the pests which bother tomatoes.
One of the biggest advantages of growing your own plants are you can control the kind of chemicals you use. Many stomach ailments can be directly traced back to the chemicals used as fertilizers by the growers. At home I suggest an easy going natural liquid feed would do the trick. Transplants would need nutrient solutions from the moment you plant them. In case of seeds, the solution dose is required when plants germinate. When you buy seeds or transplants, remember to enquire about the frequency of fertilization and the duration of sunlight each plant should receive.
There are many biological control measures for pests (flat beer works wonders against snails) sadly many times we need to turn to chemical pesticides to get rid of some pests.
We as nurserymen should take an active interest in promoting our clients to start growing their own herbs vegetables etc. we should promote an active participation from garden owners which in turn leads to them enjoying the whole edible garden experience.

Common problems faced during sea side landscapeing

Planting and maintaining a garden near a large body of salt water can be quite different from your average inland garden.

If your plants are yellowing, burnt, or hard to establish, chances are they aren't the best choices for your seaside growing conditions. You may have to make some adjustments to your garden or re-think the type of plants that will grow successfully.

The five main challenges that confront oceanfront gardeners are:

1. Damage from strong winds
2. Drought
3. High salt levels in the soil
4. Sandy soil
5. Contributing to ocean pollution

Dealing With These Challenges:

Wind and Salt Spray - Plant a natural wind guard using a combination of trees and smaller shrubs in a front row. Do your research – you don't want trees that will grow large enough to block your view.

A man-made trellis may be required to supplement your natural wind break. Solid fences or brick walls work well, but may also block your view.

Ocean or Seaside Drought - Combat this problem with a thick layer of organic compost and use plants that do not require constant watering.

Salty & Sandy Soil - Salt is the most common cause of severe leaf burn and shedding leaves. It also affects the plant's ability to thrive. Choose plants that thrive in salty soils and use wind blocks to prevent the passage of salt into the soil. (See list below)

Mixing in plenty of organic compost with the soil will help improve the quality and add much needed nutrients.

Using Green Practices to Reduce Pollution - Often times the run off from ocean front gardens contributes heavily to ocean pollution. This includes waste from the yard, fertilizer, and other chemicals that seep into storm drains. In an effort to improve the quality of our gardens, these pollutants can poison fish and contaminate ground and ocean water.

Ways to alleviate this problem include:

Cover piles of organic waste, or other materials with tarps to prevent run off during rain and storms.
Do all your excavating during dry weather conditions.
Make small dams or ditches to divert runoff from storm drains.
Prevent erosion on your property by planting native plants and grasses to bind the soil.
Don't over water. Instead employ the use of drip irrigation or soaker hoses.
Do not blow or rake leaves into storm drains or on the street.
Use organic or non-toxic fertilizers.
Store chemicals in a covered area to prevent run off.

Thought there are several problems of planting by the sea but if taken the right care and techniques be followed it isn’t impossible to have a flourishing garden near the sea.