Managing greens as temperatures soar
Amarjeet Batth
AS the temperatures rise, the upkeep of plants becomes crucial and requires intense care. Foliage and flowering plants require different levels of watering and sunlight. The following tips will help keep your plants healthy:
Extra care for the exotic ones
Exotic plants kept outdoors need utmost care, else their leaves will burn and perish. First of all, bring exotic plants, especially the ones with foliage, like araucaria heterophylla (Christmas tree), dieffenbachia (dumb cane or leopard lily), ferns, pothos (money plant), schefflera (umbrella tree), dracaena (corn plant), syngonium (arrowhead vine), etc, under cover, either inside a green net or a tree or in the verandah. While evening is the best time for watering, misting can be done in the morning to build humidity.
Reposition those lying indoor
In tropical regions, frequent rains wash away the dust settled on leaves and give these a clean look. During extreme summer, however, the dry soil settles as dust on the leaves. This reduces the process of photosynthesis in the plant, besides affecting its appearance. Use a moist muslin cloth to wipe away the dust and mist it to increase moisture around the leaves. Fortnightly application of a fertiliser will be beneficial. The reserve food capacity of indoor plants gets reduced in low or indirect sunlight. Indoor plants must be repositioned and shifted at least once a week. Those kept in dark corners should be brought out in the bright spots, but not outdoors.
Looking after potted plants
It is a common practice to ‘top up’ the pots with water. This often leads to the water, along with nutrients, flowing into the ‘drip tray’. To avoid leaching of nutrients, give a calculated dose of water and re-use nutrient-filled water in ‘drip tray’. When going on a short vacation, group the pot plants under cover. Take an empty plastic bottle (1-2 litres). Make a fine hole in the cap and one at the bottom of the bottle by inserting a heated needle. Now fill the bottle with water. Insert the cap side of the bottle to the pot. If the bottle is large, support it with a staking. Use the same technique to hang baskets in which a very fine hole is to be made. Hang it on top of the basket. It will keep the soil moist for a few days and save the plant from drying up.
As summer annuals bloom
From April-end, summer flowering annuals are in full bloom. They have great tolerance towards harsh summer but to enjoy the real flush, the flowers need timely irrigation, continuous weeding, periodic application of fertilisers and nutrients, regular hoeing, and removal of spent flowers. In summer, there is a tendency to over-water the plants. Waterlogging puts the plant under stress. Keep the soil moist, and not wet. Good drainage is essential for plants in all seasons. Evenings are the right time for irrigating these too, but watering can also be done early morning. Never irrigate in the afternoon.
Under the net
Bricks or tiles lining the roof heat up the floor. Concrete, too, increases the roof temperature of the building, which becomes 4-5 degrees higher than the ground temperature. Bring all your plants under a net, preferably 50-70 per cent green. As the requirement for water increases manifold, it’s important to have a reliable water source. A small water pump can be installed to ensure that the water reaches the plants at the roof. If possible, a drip or misting system can be installed. As a thumb rule, observe the plant in the morning. If the leaves start drooping, they need water. Group them closely to lower water loss and improve humidity.
Upkeep and maintenance
Removal of weeds at the earliest will make the plant use its limited resources to the fullest. Prune the plants to remove the dead and diseased parts. Water-soluble NPK 20:20:20 fertiliser should be given fortnightly. Though during this harsh climate, pest attack is almost limited, but still be watchful of insects, pests and diseases. Cyperus rotundus or nut grass (motha) is the most serious weed. It has tuber at the end, which must be uprooted. To pull the tuber out, first deeply irrigate, followed by using a long blade ‘khurpi’. Dig deep and remove the tuber carefully. A tuber even if cut into pieces grows into a new plant. Do not throw the tuber. Burn it. Continuous removal of nut grass is important to keep it under control. Irrigate the lawn frequently using water conservation techniques like underground or portable sprinklers. Fortnightly application of urea is beneficial. As the grass grows vigorously, regular mowing is desirable before it grows leggy which leaves yellow patches on mowing. The grass must be scrapped once in three to four years before the onset of monsoon. Scrapping cuts the hard stems and soft stems appear. It rejuvenates the root system. Raking helps to loosen the soil.
