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OK I planted some methi seeds. Does it really need a lot of sun? because the temperatures are in 50s outside and I think I should keep them indoors. My kitchen window is almost full, and would it be ok if i keep the methi seeds pot somewhere else inside the house where there is no sun? Or do u think it will survive outside in the cold weather? Thanks.
I wish I would have thought about this in summer! Next summer I will be growing a lot of methi outside. :P
How to grow money plant [a friend has given a stalk] at home ? I've put it in a plastic jar of water, but some leaves are yellowing, while new small shoots are becoming brown. How much light it needs --- which room is ideal for keeping it, presently I've kept in hallway.
Thanks,
Urmi.
Hi urmila,
well i have 2 money plants at home......one growing in water other in soil.... yes they do need light... leave them in a place.. where it is bright.....
u can c some improvement....
hope this helps
Kritica
Hi dev,
I have planted methi and cilantro and left it in the south facing window.. as my friends told me that south facing window gets maximum sun during winter.... is there any other herbs that i can grow at home.....
thanks in advance
Kritica
Kritica,
This is the first time I'm trying out gardening... & my methi is not growing after a certain stage...ie after I see 2 leaves, the plant starts bending down as though it's not able to sustain then weight & then dies... This has happened twice now... Am gonna try again with fewer plants in a pot...
My coriander never sprouted... Both get enough sunlight & water... :(:(:(
Hi dev,
well my methi is sprouted.... u know i live in canada.. and at this time of the year.. the sunlight is not very strong... i have put it somewhere where it can... stay warm and have as much sunlight as possible.....
when googled.. they ask to use a flourscent light.. and a fan... so have fresh air cirulation... well i will c.. if it becomes a flop i will try out those...
Kritica
Good luck, kritica
Gee thanks dev,
well new development is that we have a snow storm rite now... so i dont know.. it has sprouted and come rite out of methi.. ..... i hope everything goes ok.....my cilantro... has not even sprouted.. i dont know what is wrong....
thanks for all your help
Kritica
Hello Dev and kritica,
Here are few tips which i had saved from the net. I have no idea from where i got these tips. If it creates any copy right issue then pls delete it.
1. Greens like coriander and mint grow better in shaded light. You have to grow them under shade nettings. The naturual response of plants - bigger, juicier leaves in shade. Smaller, harder leaves in direct sun - they don't need big leaves to trap 'more light'.
2. Fruiting plants fruit better under strong light.
3. Plants prefer a well drained soil, but not sand - it does not hold moisture and nuitrients well. If your garden is sandy - mix compost with the sand 50/50% and make a vegetable bed.
4. So if you grow brinjals - space them at half a metre interval and plant mint or corriander under them.
5. MINT
The common asian variety Pudhina (botanical: Mentha arvensis) will perform well in hot hot hot climate under shade. Grow them from fleshy stem cuttings - they tend to shoot runners that will root and spread all over the bed.
The temperate varieties - Pepermint (Mentha peperita) and Spear Mint (Mentha spicata) - I have seen them grow from seeds only. I have not tried cuttings!
6. Corriander
Grown from seeds. Don't use those seeds that you buy from stores for cooking - they are very weak seeds - they sprout and die afer a few days. Buy the seed from seed shops. Split the seeds before sowing. Sow them in seed trays to germinate then tranplant them to the garden after the second leave appears. You can sow direct to your garden if you can monitor them carefully till they become sturdy. You can also sow them direct if you are planting in boxes or pots.
7. Watering has to done once a day when they are small and twice a day when the plants are bigger (they drink more water then). Look out for signs of dehydration - leaf tips will dry out! Maybe you need to water thrice if the soil can't hold much water - seeps off too fast.
8. Nutrients - fertiliser. Ask the local nursery to recommend - High nitrogen for leafy vegies, High pottasium for fruits. Don't overdose. Give them small quantities every week - they grow well. Larger quantity every month results in slower growth.
9. Pests and Fungal diseases - may be a problem - we will tackle them when they come!
Keep a bigger pot in a corner of your garden with 3/4 mud. Put all your degradable garbages in this. Each time u can dig a corner and cover these biodegradables so that u see only mud above..keep this always wet. biodegradables are tea left over, egg shells, fruit and vegetable skins...etc...add this mixture when u prepare your pot for planting and see the difference in crops next time...Enjoy gardening!!!
Grow mint ( pudhina) in pots, if planted in ground it will spread and take over the whole place. I got a bunch from a grocery store used all the leaves and planted those stems and it grew very well.
you can grow chillies in pots, aloe vera and curry leaves.
Marigolds and tomatoes can be planted to together.
Kavitha,
Thanks a lot for the info... methi/pudina/ cori everyhing died... coriander never sprouted... Dunno Y...
dev,
in my post..it says..if the seeds are weak then it won't grow. Ur seed may be very weak so it is not even sprouting. Y don't u buy a seed from seed shop? or if u r using grocery seeds ..then y don't u try diff brand?
Thanks Kavitha... I too thought of the same... :)
If i remember right, i gave this tip somewhere here in forumhub.... this is what i do still... be it for ur flowering plant or for vegetable.. I do not use any other fertilizer or stimulants...Quote:
Originally Posted by kavithasenthil
couple of week ago, i prepared a pot for my alovera.. and from there was some fresh veg peelings and the innerportion of some bittergourd.. and the seeds of those pavakka is growing around my alovera now... and after these rains, i see 3 small bitterguards on them :D
thats good cindy. thks for the info. I need more info on that. We are in the middle of buying a house. Will ask questions once we done buying a house.
Dev,
Is ur soil is a good soil? Since ur methi too didn't grow well. So is any problem with soil?
I'm not sure, Kavitha... I just picked this potting soil from the store... Methi sprouted well & I saw 2-3 leaves... only then it died...
Dev, my methi plants are not died yet. But it just have only 2-3 leaves. I had them indoors first, but my microscopic eyes found out a few teeny-weeny bugs on them. I don’t know where they came from. I used sterilized potting soil. So I kept them outside and we already had a few frosts. So I guess they won’t survive. I will wait for the Summer. :wink:
Goodluck RP... I'm planning to try mint again... maybe methi too... bought some mint this evening...will use the sticks after using the leaves for cooking...
Good luck to you too.Quote:
Originally Posted by dev
Regarding the coriander leaves, I got good plants with the coriander seeds we buy for cooking. But I have heard that the seeds from the garden shops/nurseries will give a better result - long supply of strong, healthy leaves.
Don't worry Madam Kavitha... Those words are mine.. posted on the old hub... See:Quote:
Originally Posted by kavithasenthil
http://forumhub.com/southfood/13378.06.59.18.html
Enjoy the growth.....
This is not vegetable gardening. Since we don't have any other gardening threads I am posting it here.
Recently I found some small bugs around my indoor plants. I suspect that they are coming from the soil, so I took all my plants outside. No more soil inside the house!! So I want to grow some indoor plants in water (hydroponics?). Any idea what kind of plants are best for this? Please share the tips and tricks of water gardening. Thanks.
Redpepper, may I know which corner of the Globe are you posting from?
U.S.Quote:
Originally Posted by Idiappam
Any suggestions? I have always admired your expertise, and I would be happy if I could make use of some.... :)
Hi KavithaSenthil,Quote:
Originally Posted by kavithasenthil
Where did you buy Aloe vera? I'm looking for fresh Aloe vera gel (for hair colouring) in grocery store. But I couldn't find the leaf or gel. Could you help me on this?
Thanks!
Inimai.
It is summer again, and time for the garden, so here are a few things that I've been doing which might help others too :)
Clearing the slugs off your garden!
Slugs: the biggest pest problems that I face. If you have no slugs in your garden, great! But be careful, if you bring plants (with soil) from other places where there are slugs, your garden will be infested in no time. (that is how I got slugs in mine)!
There are three ways (that I know of ) to control slugs (I am not sure if slugs can be cleared completely at all).
1. Slug pellets - they should be available in all garden shops. If you don't have children or pets and if it is not going to rain and if you are not going to water your plants for sometime, you can add this. As once you water the pellets melt and is of no use then.... I don't think it is safe for homes with small children or pets as they tend to put anything on the ground into the mouth.
2. Beer - strange as it may sound, beer attracts slugs. Pour some beer into used yoghurt pots (or something like that) and stick it in the ground so that the mouth of the vessel is at ground level overnight. The next morning you should find a good few dead slugs in each container.
3. Salt. This is the best method I find. Salt dehydrates slugs and kills them. It is a bit of hard work. Water you plants each evening (as you would do normally), once you water them, after half an hour the slugs tend to come out, walk around with your salt container and sprinkle some salt on each slug that you see, that kills the slug within minutes. Then wake up next morning (around six) and go out to find more slugs and kill them. Do it for a week and the slug population decreases drastically! And don't stop after that, each time you see a slug go for the salt container...
Good luck getting rid of the slugs! :)
hey wow, i never knew this thread existed.....
the one thing in which i need real help....
all i have is money plants...one in soil, one in water...
i live in a flat, so no garden space..all i can do is pot gardening...
how do i get rid of the white powdery thing on my money plant leaves, everytime i wipe off with a wet cloth, it is back....
Those are some wonderful tips Anoushka. I do container gardening, and haven't met any slugs yet. But I will keep your tips in mind for the future.
This summer I am growing lots of herbs, methi, and tomato plants. One of my mint plant has lots of small bugs on it. When I spray water on it, they will go away, but come back when the plant is dry again. They are on the stalk, and sometimes on the leaves too. Any idea how to get rid of them permanently?
Red pepper: Are you talking of green flies... small green ones? (tomato plants do attract green flies) I've heard that a easy way of getting rid of them is to spray soap water on them using a watering can (or one of those spray things)! :)
Ayesha: I haven't seen the white powdery stuff on my money plant so I do not know, will search around and let you know if I find any info. :)
Hi all gardening lovers,
Can u share what all plants u are growing now at home.I read the entire posting now and i wonder whether any one planted bittergaurd this year?.I live in boston.Can i plant a bitter gaurd now or is it late?.Also where can i get curry leave plants?.
I also have mint plants in a pot.I think u have to plant very thick stems which u buy from the shop.I also got corriander plants and i used store bought seeds.I have been trying to get the plants for the past 3 years and didn't suceed.This year iam lucky.I bought a different brand of the seeds from the shop.
Redpepper,What all herbs are u growing this year?.Please do share.Also dev,U can cook the methi plant with just two leaves.I always pluck the methi plants when it has only the first 2 leaves(takes only 5 days only after planting the seeds).Cut all the roots and put the plant with 2 leaves and an inch of the stem in the kaarakulamboo we do.We have to add them when we are frying the onions for the kulamboo.It will give a very good smell and taste for the kulamboo and they say it is very good for ur eyes.
To ALL others,Please do post about ur gardening this year.
Thanks
Kals
gkals, I generally put the seeds in March/april so that the plants grow well before winter sets! I am not sure if this is the right time to put bittergourd seeds if you don't have anything like a green house.
Mint plants are good in a pot, if planted on the ground it grows like a weed and tends to take over everywhere!
Corriander seeds must be broken into two and seeded. You can use regular dhania seeds that you use for cooking. If it is of good quality it will definetly come up.
I have mint, corriander, tarragon & basil growing in my garden.
I also have strawberry, cabbage, betroot, tomato, green beans, manathakkaLi keerai, pasalai keerai, mEthi and mustard.
Other than this I have sunflower, carnation, marigold, jasmine, kanakambaram, sweet pea, lavendar, St. John's Wort, sweet williams, rose, pansies and a good few cactii varieties :)
Wow Anou, u do have a lot veggies growing in your garden.
How did u get manathakali keeerai seeds?
dsath: I got manathakkaLi and pasalai keerai seeds from my mother's garden when I went to India. I also tend to buy seeds from the Horticulture society of India (opposite Woodlands drive in) when I go to Madras. You are just across in the UK, I can post you manathakkaLi seeds for next season if you want :) btw, where in UK are you? I travel to Derby regularly (I am there tomorrow and day after too!) :)
Anou,what do you do during winter?How to protect them from the snow.Someplants do go into hibernation during winter,but I am not sure what to do about the herbs. I recently bought tulasi plant and thats thriving as of now..but it will be winter in just a few short months :cry:
Thanks Anou. My husband is in India now and i will ask him to bring in some seeds from India. I would love have a curry leaves plant growing in the garden.
I live in Birmingham a 2 hr drive from Derby. Why don't you pop in sometime when in Derby Anou?
Sandy: We don't have snow here and the temperature never goes below -5 here anyway. I have a little green house which kind of protects some of my plants, some die away... mint dies and comes back by itself, whereas methi, manathakkali, mustard, etc survive the winter if the root is covered with wooden chips!
dsath: We tend to fly from Birmingham if the flights from EMA are full. So when we do that I will definetly pop in and meet you :) I am in Derby today and will be flying out from EMA tomorrow. Maybe next time :)
Sure Anou, next time when you come to Birmingham please PM me. :)
Kal, I couldn't pay enough attention to my plants this year. So I have nothing much going on here except 3 types of mints, and some herbs such as rosemary, basil, and sage. I have some methi too. Cilantro was a failure. I am waiting for next Summer! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by gkals
What can be done in fall?
(Applies for those living in North America only)
Several places are selling containers for plants for 50% off sale. (such as Dollar general )
Dollar general also sells Peters fertilizer (it is beter than MG) as soil won’t accumulate salts like MG and preferred by Nursery men.
Again available at Dollar general stores. One dollar a packet.
Lowes is selling some good (I prefer them and so are many others on sale)
Epsoma brand Rose fertilizers, Garden tone and bulb fertilizers. These are semi organic.
With vegetable and flower gardening high phosphorous and low nitrogen fertilizers are preferred. Other wise you will leafy growth, but no yields.
Yes! you can use rose and bulb fertilizers for Veggies and actually they are preferred...
Cut down on fertilizing Curry leaf plants, Tulasi plants and Jasmines.
If you have traditional row type of gardening (till the soil on the ground) (not raised beds or container gardening), add compost, cut down the plants that died add it to the soil, mix it well and cover it with a black garbage bag. If you add lot of vegetative matter add liquid molasses or Jaggery water so that the vegetative matter will break down quicker. Also add little lime a hand full is sufficient.
Prepare the soil this fall or early winter so that the bio availability is great for next season.
Buy a table light with florescent lights so that you can provide supplementary lights to your indoor plants in winter.
There is time now to order Tindora (donda) and jasmine plants.
Don’t buy lilies now (Rajani Gandha) buy them in April?
Start looking at the catalogs (.Ever green and Indian seeds websites).
How many egg plants?
Donda (tindora- Gentlemen’s toes)
Karela (bitter melon)?
Amaranths (thota Kura)
what are the early maturing varieties 50 days from planting?
Do you have space for them any plans for trellis?
How much time you can allot per week?
So on and so fourth
regards
Thanks for your tips venkatappiah :)
Any one interested in Tulasi seeds?
These Tulasi plants are re raised in Kentucky. Most of them are Krishna Tulasi. Some of them got mixed up with Lakshmi Tulasi seeds from the gardens of Tirumala.This strain comes from the seeds distributed from the gardens of Venkateswara temple.
I will be glad to give them to any one who wants them.
I will put them in a zip lock bag.
Please send a SASE with 2 stamps (large envelope).
If you PM me I can give my address, both postal and e-mail. I can also send instructions about the medical value and other growing instructions Etc collected from several sources and from my own experience.
What to do with Tulasi plants?
Good as companion plants in the garden with egg plants and peppers.
Feng shui people and someVastu guys are recommending them putting them on four sides (N_E_S_W) or on four corners of the house. (Cheaper than braking walls)
Keep them in the living areas with sun light. They are considered to be auspicious and holy. They do have some protective influence from Drishti (evil eye, Buri Najar- evil planets Etc)
Eat few leaves in the morning.Good as a mouth freshener, good for cough and colds, Good to reduce triglycerides and cholesterol)
Exemptions those who are pregnant- some say it may cause bleeding)
Make tea out of leaves. Grow more plants in Styrofoam cups; give away to a temple for their find raising. I keep them on a table in a Hindu temple ask them to pick one and put 5 dollars in the Hundi.
Give them as a gift to fellow Indians at dinner meetings or any auspicious occasions such as Griha pravesam, satya narayana vratham etc.
regards