Experienced home gardener Dr. Dulekha Kasturiratne, Associate Professor at the University of Plymouth, UK has helped and nursed injured birds, lizards and butterflies back to health and released them into the garden turning her home garden into a rehabilitation center at times. Green Thumbs features Kasturiratne who says - “Give home gardening a try. Space should not be an issue as we can grow in balconies and small garden spaces as well. Your first crop will give you a joy that is so fulfilling and gratifying that you will wonder why you didn’t start earlier.”
If you have plenty of time and space your options are endless. You can try out various plants, growing methods, propagation and learn new techniques.
“Although you may be a bit more restricted with less time and less space, there is still a lot you can do with that little time and space. You could try instantly gratifying plants to get you going such as with herbs, succulents and cacti. Mint, parsley, oregano, rosemary, basil, karapincha, lemongrass, araththa, lime, chilies and aloe are easy to grow. Cacti and succulents are particularly easy to grow even for the newest of gardeners with very little time. All you need is a bit of patience and to go easy with the watering which is probably the only thing that can kill cacti and succulents. Some of the above plants I listed can also be grown indoors as ornamental plants and look great on tables and home furniture. Plants such as the money plant, spider plant and snake plant can also be grown indoors with little care near a bright window as these plants help purify the air which is great for when we’re working from home,” explained Kasturiratne.
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| Dr. Dulekha Kasturiratne |
Cow dung is accessible for many of us be it in cities or villages. Many nurseries and plant shops now sell cow dung. Some gardeners also use chicken and goat dung. These must be dried and well -rotted before using in our plants without which it could be too strong and almost ‘burn’ the plants.
“I also use my own compost which is made from the material which we throw away as kitchen scraps on a daily basis. A lot of people fear that having a compost bin close to the kitchen means another container that emits smells, gathers flies and rats and oozes worms. This is not the case if you follow a few simple principles. What not to throw into the compost bin includes fish, meat, oils, dairy, dog/cat waste, pesticides, insecticides, disease-infected material, and weeds that have gone to seed. Most other kitchen waste such as fruit and vegetable skins is just perfect, which makes very nutritious compost for plants within a few months,” said Kasturiratne
Hot composting is a method our readers may be unfamiliar with. A new composting method for Kasturiratne has been Hot Composting. She has tried this method a few times and it has been very successful. The main ingredients for composting is water, air, nitrogen and carbon.
“In Hot Composting we need to use the right ratio of carbon to nitrogen material which is roughly 30 Carbon to 1 Nitrogen. Rotting leaves are a good source of Carbon while grass clippings are rich in Nitrogen. This material should be mixed together and piled up to be about 3 feet wide and 3 feet high which enables the pile to heat up and compost faster. The pile should be kept covered although it should be turned and re-watered every few days to provide aeration and mixing. This process makes compost faster than the normal composting process.”
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Batu growing in the sunshine |
| Butterfly caterpillars just before making Chrysalides |
Vermicompost is another wonderful type of compost produced by a particular type of earth worm she points out. A handful of this rich compost sprinkled in to pots and beds works wonders with plants. There are specialist producers of vermicompost in Sri Lanka who sell this amazing stuff. Of course you can make your own with a little bit of patience and know-how.
According to Kasturiratne, inoculated biochar is another amazing substance for the soil, but in her opinion there are arguments for and against this. However, just so that you know, in Sri Lanka biochar is often made by burning ‘dahaiya’ or the husk of rice grains. Dahaiya is set on fire in a controlled manner and then put out at the right time to retain the best porous material. Inoculation of this material creates inoculated biochar. Inoculation merely means making this material active which then releases its goodness slowly back into the soil when scattered in pots and beds. Inoculation can be done by immersing the biochar in nutrient-rich material such as compost and manure for a few days.
“I also use well- rotted leaves in my garden beds. Leaves from the garden are swept and left to rot in a pile for a few months. Other things I use for my plants and beds include comfrey and gliricidia leaves. I either chop up the leaves and scatter them in the beds about 10-12 days prior to planting or I soak these leaves in water for the same amount of days, dilute it with water, and either spray as a foliar spray or use it to water the roots of plants. I also use onion skins, eggshells and banana peels in my pots and beds in addition to putting them in to my compost bin. Banana peels are great in encouraging fruits and vegetables plants to crop due to its high potassium content,” said Kasturiratne.
She adds that if you’re new to gardening then you should try something that is easy to grow and one that gives quick results such as chilies, tomatoes and herbs. Quick results will keep you motivated until you get hooked to this activity. You often don’t have to buy the plants. You could ask for young plants from friends or family who like gardening or grow your own plants from seeds. She also encourages our readers to do a bit of research into gardening, including reading more about it and watching informational videos about things you like to grow. This is how she got started and what she still does today.”
She added that it will be a wonderful resource for Sri Lanka if our schools can further educate our children to identify plants and know their uses and encourage our children to be one with nature.
The kind of herbs we should grow in our home gardens depends on the space that you have. But even small spaces allow for herbs and medicinal plants such as karapincha, araththa, lemongrass, ginger, turmeric, kuppameniya, hathawariya, gotu kola, thebu, passionfruit leaves, nidikumba, kathurumurunga and anguna. There are literally hundreds you can choose from.
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| Garden produce |
“In my home garden, everything starts with enriching the soil. The health of the soil is core to strong and healthy plants which are better able to resist pests and diseases. If pests do appear, often they disappear within about a week or two and the plants recover quickly. Thus I try not to interfere too much. But if you prefer to nip pests in the bud, then natural pest control is what I recommend. You can mix these natural ingredients at home such as using neem oil sprays or sprays using a combination of ingredients such as neem oil, crushed garlic and a few drops of soapy liquid. Sometimes it also helps to alternate the natural pest control that you use, as some pests can turn resistant to the same type of spray,” explained Kasturiratne.
She pointed out that Crop Rotation too can help with disease control as any remaining disease in the soil will not react in the same way to different plants. In other words, a fungus or bacteria that could harm one plant may not be able to harm a different type of plant. So once a certain crop has been harvested and the plant is spent, you can grow a plant of a different plant family. For example, the space that you grew beans last year (or last season) could be used to plant okra this time around.
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Neeramulliya grown in the garden |
Heterorrhina Elegance being fed watermelon |
| Butterfly caterpillars on Anguna leaves |
“Companion planting too is a useful strategy in enhancing crops and reducing pests. Again, this is not something I am able to do all the time due to lack of space, but some plants do better together than others. Similarly, some plants are better set apart as these can alter the pH of the soil and hinder the growing conditions of plants set next to them. Also, the same pest that attacks one type of plant can attack another if planted in close proximity. Thus planting certain crops together can reduce productivity, increase spread of pests, and the damage caused by them.”
Gardening is also a great way to get kids away from TVs and computer screens. There is always something they can chip in to do, be it making compost and watering to digging holes and planting. It is a good place of learning for kids, for bonding with them, teaching them to understand where our food comes from and appreciating the hard work that goes in to producing what we eat she adds.
These days Colombo has experienced heavy rainfall. One of her strategies to minimize the impact of heavy rains on young plants is to grow them in pots until they are stronger and better established.
“Of course this is not possible for all plants but I try to do so with plants that take long to grow or are more difficult to grow because they need more care. The advantage of growing in pots is that you can adjust the position of the pots according to sun and rain. During the rainy season I check the forecast when I can and take the necessary precautions to keep the pots under shelter if possible. The position of the sun too can be seasonal. So the spot that was sunny in February may not be so in July. In this case growing in pots means that you can adjust the plant’s position to adapt to the weather. Once the plants are stronger and better established I transplant into beds and don’t worry too much about the rains as the plants are better able to adjust to the conditions. There is one thing to note about growing in pots however. The conditions in the pot is what we make it, thus adjusting the moisture of the soil in the pot and feeding the soil with the necessary nutrients must be looked into with some care without which the plants can weaken and be more susceptible to disease. Thus timely watering and feeding of the soil is important.”
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