gardening tools

Drip Irrigation System – DIY Drip Irrigation Watering Techniques And Automated Kit Installation

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Drip Irrigation System – DIY Drip Irrigation Watering Techniques and Automated Kit Installation

Drip Irrigation System

There is nothing more worrying for a plant lover than watering plants when they are away from their garden. If you love to travel and do gardening, this makes it even more difficult to work. In this post, we will discuss some of the simplest and the easiest DIY Drip irrigation watering techniques. Also, read till the end to know how to automate your drip irrigation system in case you wish to use one for a medium to large garden. Happy reading and happy gardening to you!

So when you are not around, the following options may help:

  • Someone at your home shares your responsibility. This is the simplest and easiest option.
  • You hire someone professional to water your plants. Occasionally you can spend some money but you have to be sure about the reliability of the service. A typical gardener in your society’s garden can also do this job but do not expect them to show the same care when they water your plants.
  • You ask for help from neighbors or relatives. Well, you may have similar concerns as point b.

So all the above may work for some time or if you have a relatively less number of plants. But, no one can care for your plants the way you do, as you know about each of them and their requirements. That’s where gardening beginners fail after all those options are exhausted.

Drip Irrigation System

Well, we do not want you to skip your travel plans for watering your plants! These days ready-to-install drip irrigation kits are easily available with user manual and guidance. It is quite easy setting up the system on your own for your terrace garden.

The drip irrigation system is a watering system that has the potential to water the plants directly at the roots. Therefore, there’s far lesser scope for water wastage and evaporation. This system can be used for almost everything from your container plants to a huge field of crops. Although the technique is quite similar in both cases, the components involved in the system differ depending on the area. In any scenario, there are some factors to consider when installing a drip irrigation system:

Water Storage:

Drip irrigation works best if the water is supplied from a storage tank that is installed at least 8 feet above the ground where your plants are placed. If this is not possible then you have to rely on a low-power water pump like a water cooler pump.

Water outlet:

If you already have a water storage tank, then you may have to set up a tap or water outlet with an On/Off valve. This is where you will connect the mainline.

Organization of containers:

organizing containers for drip irrigation

Perhaps the most important and challenging aspect of drip irrigation. If you have one single large roof or terrace then it’s easier to organize. A row & column layout works best if you have so many plants however that’s totally up to you if you have plants scattered across space.

If you have multiple terraces/rooftops then a more planned approach would be required. You can either install separate systems for each space with their water storage and supply or you can centralize the storage and supply by introducing multiple outlets.

Another great option is to have one single storage and one outlet that takes care of all your spaces by spreading the main pipeline across spaces.

Timings and Control:

When drip irrigation is in place, all you need to do is open the main valve for a certain amount of time and then close it again. That’s it. Now, this process can be outsourced to a family member, friend, relative, or neighbor in your absence without worrying about their mistakes.

This eliminates a lot of scope for error and quite some dependency. But wouldn’t it be great if your system just works on its own without human support? The valve opens at 6 am for 15 minutes and then closes automatically while you were doing your yoga, meditation, or traveling.

6 Easy Drip Irrigation System DIY Techniques

Well, before getting into installing an automated drip irrigation kit all by ourselves, let us first know a few simple and easy DIY watering techniques that work best for small balcony gardens and our regular container gardens.

Here are some of the favorite and most reliable drip irrigation system DIY techniques of pro gardeners. You can pick any of these based on the requirements. These methods can help you water your plants when you are away from them for a few days. In the later sections, we will look into how to install an automated drip irrigation kit.

1. Using a plastic bottle

Using a plastic bottle

This DIY drip irrigation technique is everyone’s favorite.

  1. Take a plastic bottle and punch a few holes in the cap. The number of holes depends on the amount of water that you’d like to drip into the roots.
  2. Fill the bottle with water and close it with the lid.
  3. Place the bottle upside down into the pot.

2. Watering wick and bottle

Instead of placing the bottle upside down into the soil, you can use a watering wick to water your plants.

  1. Take a few plastic bottles (preferably of the same size and water capacity), and punch two to three holes depending on the size of the bottle and the diameter of the wick.
  2. Take the wicks and insert them into the bottle thoroughly via those holes.
  3. Now, stick the other end of the wick into the soil.
  4. Fill the bottles fully with water and place them on the soil surface and let the water seep through the wick.

3. Using a milk jug

This works best for a small to medium-sized garden.

  1. For this project, punch a few holes in the milk jug and bury the jug into the ground beside your plants (do not destroy the roots while burying the jug) leaving the mouth of the jug open to fill it with water.
  2. As you fill it with water, the water gently seeps into the soil underground.

4. Indoor plant watering DIY

Indoor plant watering DIY

As the name suggests, this works best for indoor plants.

  1. Place the pots that you need to water in a corner.
  2. Take a large container or a bucket and fill it with water.
  3. Now, place the container with water at 1 foot higher than the ground level.
  4. Cut the wicks as per the distance from the container to the pots.
  5. Immerse one end of the wicks into the container and stick the other ends into the soil of the pots.

5. Olla technique

Olla technique

To let you know what olla is in simple terms, it is basically a big size clay pot.

  1. Like we do in the case of the milk jug technique, bury the olla underground and fill it with water as and when needed.
  2. Oh yes! Do not punch holes!

6. Gravity-based DIY irrigation technique

Gravity-based DIY irrigation technique

For this technique, you need thin water pipes, T-shaped plastic valves, steel air valves, a large bottle, and cable ties.

  1. Firstly, punch a hole for the bottle’s cap, and place it upside down at 5 feet higher than the ground level (you can tie it to a pipe in your balcony or a railing in your garden).
  2. Take the water pipes and cut them depending on the distance between the bottle and the pots.
  3. Place one end of the pipe into the hole of the bottle cap and fix a T-shaped air valve at the other end.
  4. To the air valve, fix a smaller piece of pipe and let the end of it face the soil of the pot.
  5. Fill the bottle with water and use the air valve as a tap to regulate the water flow.

Installation of an Automatic Drip Irrigation System Kit

Installation of an Automatic Drip Irrigation System Kit 

There are two ways you can automate the entire process:

  • Buy a readymade controller designed for your drip irrigation system and connect it to your main supply.
  • Gather some parts and build your controller. It’s easier than you think.

Readymade controllers are easy to set up. They are expensive and usually come as one single unit. The downside here is that if they go out of order, you have to buy a new unit unless you buy a good quality commercial-grade controller which comes with a warranty, and may be quite expensive too.

They work and you can certainly choose them. They may also offer features like controlling your water supply using wifi connection using a mobile app.

But if you are like me who want to save money and enjoy a little DIY project. You can make your little controller that works just the way you need. It’s cost-effective and made up of simple parts that can be purchased separately if one stops working.

Drip Irrigation System Parts and Steps

To make your fully automated drip irrigation system you would need a drip irrigation kit as per your needs (usually available in terms of the number of plants like 25, 50, 100, and so on) and a ready-made controller. If you’d like to make one, we will see how to make a DIY controller in the last step of this section. Here is the step-by-step process to build your fully automated system:

Step 1: Space Inspection

While inspecting the space, the following are key things to consider:

  • Location of water supply/tap. You have to make sure that you have enough main pipe to reach your source.
  • The water storage tank must be placed at a height of 8-10 feet above.
  • Location of power supply/socket/switch. It is not always the case that you have a power source next to the water supply therefore arrange to provide a power extension using an additional wire. Warning: Never install a power switch near the water supply.
  • Location of your containers. How many plants are you trying to cover using a drip irrigation kit?

Step 2: Placement of your containers

It is a good idea to organize your containers systematically for example in a set of rows. There are several advantages of it:

  • It is tidy.
  • There is no waste of the pipes because you can calculate easily the length of each pipe and cut it accordingly.
  • It’s safe. You may not want to stumble by getting your foot tangled in one of those pipes lying here and there.
  • It’s extensible. You can add more containers in the same organization.

Step 3: Calculating the length

Calculate the length of the main supply pipe and the length of the feeder pipes. Cut them accordingly.

Step 4: Connecting the pipes

Connect all components to complete the installation as guided in the kit (usually they come with a manual). Keep all the emitters at the end turned off.

Step 5: Connecting the main supply pipe

Connect the main supply pipe to the water source and test if the water is reaching the end i.e. one of the emitters. Take a small plastic mug or container and pour water into it through the emitter. Start a timer on your mobile and check to see how much time it was required to fill the mug. This is the time required to keep the water supply on for drip irrigation to water the plants. You can increase it as you fill more mugs or bigger mugs.

If all your containers are of equal size then you can set the same settings for all emitters but if some are bigger or small, you have to adjust the water flow accordingly. This takes time to figure out but it’s usually not a big deal.

This is it, your drip irrigation is installed and ready. All you need to do now is turn on the water supply at a particular time or at various intervals to water your plants.

Step 6: Automating the system

If you have a readymade controller, all you need to do is connect the controller to your water supply and connect your main supply pipe to the device’s outlet. Connect it to a power source and set the interval and timer in the controller. Test it and you have a fully automated drip irrigation system.

  • Now given the advantages of a DIY controller, let’s make one. Connect the solenoid valve to the water supply. Make sure you connect on the inlet side. Clamp it if required.
  • Connect the solenoid valve to the main supply pipe. Connect the switch to its power adapter and plug it into the power supply. Turn it on and off to check if it is working as intended.

Now the final step is to set your manual timer or separate timer device. Let’s say you set it to 7 am every morning for 15 minutes. Insert the timer switch into the main power socket and make sure to leave it on. Insert the power adapter of the solenoid valve into the timer socket. Voila!! Your automated drip irrigation system is all set.

Takeaway:

  • Like any other system, it would require maintenance like cleaning of emitters, pipes, and connectors.
  • Over time, you have to replace some parts.
  • If you have a hard water source, there are higher chances of emitters getting clogged frequently.
  • Drip irrigation systems for commercial uses have a lot of other aspects like
    • Micro misting sprinklers for maintaining humidity
    • Sand or sedimentary filter
    • Regular flushing of the system using acids or chlorine
    • Screen filters

You may keep these factors in mind should you plan to expand your garden.

When it comes to technology and gardening we must agree that the sky is the limit. Inventions like IoT (Internet of things) have taken various gardening automation to next level and simplified a gardener’s life. But hold your horses from buying everything fancy that claims to solve your gardening problems. We hope this article on DIY Drip Irrigation Watering Techniques And Installation could help you gets your hands on some amazing DIY hacks and understand how to install an automated irrigation kit.

Gardening Safety Tips – Precautions For a Safe and Beautiful Gardening Experience!

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Gardening Safety Tips – Precautions For a Safe and Beautiful Gardening Experience!

Gardening Safety Tips

We, gardeners, believe that everything that belongs to nature is pure and sacred. This is true and that’s the reason we can work with nature to build our natural spaces in the form of home lawns and terrace gardens. Gardening is often considered a safe hobby and majorly it is but it can certainly lead to illness or injuries if you are not careful with the tools, or even some varieties of plants.

Unfortunately, safety and self-care are often taken for granted while gardening. Let’s understand some of the most important gardening safety tips, self-care routines after gardening, and life-saving tips on gardening equipment safety. Happy reading and happy gardening to you!

5 Safety Practices in Gardening – Gardening Equipment Safety

5 Safety Practices in Gardening

Before we begin discussing gardening safety tips, one of the most important tasks that we need to do is inspect the gardening tools that we use. The safety suggestions include the various things from the beginning to the steps for inspecting your tools. Take a look before you take a leap into actual gardening.

  • If you are a beginner in gardening, we advise you to attend a class on using various gardening tools, safety measures, their uses, etc., or learn from an experienced gardener.
  • Check for damages in your gardening tools. before you start working with them
  • Check for cuts, breaks, molds, etc. in the handles of your gardening tools before working with them.
  • Wear protective eye glasses while working closely with sharp gardening tools.
  • Also, it is always best to wear gloves while working with gardening tools, lawn movers, etc.

Gardening Safety Tips – Backyard gardening safety precautions to be observed

Well, we tend to learn some of the most important things in life only after we experience them. So, the smartest thing that one can do is to learn from others’ experiences. Since we think that you are smart enough to grab these life-saving garden safety tips, let us dive right into the topic!

Wear Gardening Gloves

Wear Gardening Gloves

The thing about gardening is that you can never know what you will begin to do in your garden.

  • Plant lovers love to feel the texture of the soil with their bare hands but wearing gloves protects me from nicks and cuts, sharp tools, blisters, fertilizers, pesticides, bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
  • Buying a good-quality garden glove is worth an investment.

Wear protective clothing

Whenever you are up for gardening, make sure you have a separate set of clothing for the purpose.

  • Wearing a simple apron can protect your clothes and you from direct exposure to any unwanted materials that may be harmful to your body.
  • Wearing a long sleeve top, with a cap can be of additional help.
  • Wearing safety goggles while cutting, pruning, and drilling is an absolute must for the protection of your eyes. Better safe than sorry.

Wear mask

If there is one thing the Wuhan virus pandemic has taught everyone is to wear a mask. So, why wear a mask while gardening?

  • It saves you from dust/droplets/pollens which can be a cause of allergic reactions plus asthma attacks.

Use right tools

Use right tools

Choosing the right tool for the right job can help you prevent a lot of fatigue during gardening and injuries.

  • For example: while a pruning shear is used most frequently, using a pruning saw for thicker branches is efficient, saves your energy, and is safe.

Correct body posture

While you are fully involved in gardening chores it is easy to get into the habit of working with incorrect body postures. We don’t blame you for that! It is all in the happiness and pleasure that gardening gives you.

  • Pay attention to your postures while doing heavy-duty tasks like lifting pots, and stretching your body to reach difficult-to-reach places.
  • You should not use your back to carry heavy objects. You can emphasize your legs and keep the load close to your body when carrying.
  • Avoid bending your back, instead, try kneeling as it will put less strain on your back. For extra comfort, you may choose to wear knee pads.

Avoid working under the hot sun

Everyone loves the sun but gardening in extremely hot weather is a big no-no!

  • Plan your gardening activities according to the season and time of the day.
  • Working in hot weather can lead not just to tanning but can also badly dehydrate your body, which may lead to serious health issues.

Work in breaks

You may have just ten plants or a hundred of them in your garden, if you get caught in the habit of working till you are dead tired, you may end up doing a lot of harm to your body in the long run. So use this pro tip for almost everything you do in daily activities including gardening and thank us later!

  • Take breaks while working in the garden. You can use a Pomodoro timer.
  • Make sure to work in slots of 25 minutes and then rest for 5-10 minutes.
  • After about 4 such intervals, take a longer break for 15-30 mins. This way your body does not get tired and at the same time, you can finish the task at hand more efficiently.

Drink water

Even if you are not working under the hot sun, getting yourself hydrated at regular intervals is extremely important.

  • Make sure to keep a water bottle at a distance. As soon as your Pomodoro rings, go have a gulp of water between your gardening sessions.

Self-Care Tips while Gardening

Safety and self-care go side by side in terms of gardening. Caring for yourself is important before you think of going into your garden the next morning. Well, you can not pour from an empty cup after all! Over the years, you will learn that putting yourself first not just helps you stay hygienic and healthy but also protects your home and family, and of course your beautiful garden.

Washing hands

Washing hands

As simple as it sounds, washing your hands is the first line of defense against viruses like tetanus (present in the soil), E. coli (cow manure), etc.

  • Whenever you are back from your garden be it just a casual walk while inspecting your plants, touching leaves, or checking the soil, always remember to wash your hands with soap.

Nails Trimmed

Do you ever recall your school days or the hygiene lessons that your mum taught you? The most important lesson at school that we forgot is to keep our nails always trimmed.

  • Believe it or not a majority of disease-causing pathogens found in different organic matter go inside our bodies because it gets stuck in our nails and sometimes even after a good handwash, it is not cleaned.
  • Well, we are not against your acrylic and gel nail sessions! But as a gardening lover, you need to keep your nails clean all the time.

Take a shower

Taking a shower after a good tiering session of gardening has two benefits!

  • After working in the garden for a couple of hours, a good shower will not only relax you but will also clean and protect you against a lot of unhealthy substances that you may have come in contact with while working in your garden.

Skincare

Skincare

Any experienced gardener would say that rough hands and cracked heels are not something you can avoid while gardening. You won’t want to touch your beloved or children with those rough hands of course!

  • Applying a deep moisturizing lotion after you wash your hands or shower and some cream on the heels will protect your skin from getting rough and cracked.

First-aid

Well, having a first aid kit at home is all things fine, but we recommend having one first aid kit handy in your garden is extremely important.

  • You can even have some cotton balls, a tube of anti-septic lotion, and a couple of bandages stored in a container. Tightly close the container with the lid and store it on the top shelf of your tools rack!

Don’t push your limits

Don’t push your limits

Some of the studies from various universities across the world prove that having a garden and working on it is therapeutic and it can certainly help you feel better and recover faster from any kind of illness. However, pushing your limits to work in your garden even when your body is not cooperating much is not advisable, for obvious reasons!

  • Give your body some rest if you feel exhausted due to various things in life. You may give the responsibility of simple things like watering the plants, etc to your children or your spouse for a day or two and that’s okay!
  • Taking a walk, or just sitting in the middle of the garden while you are not feeling well is quite necessary for your to have a quick recharge.

Gardening is the most therapeutic activity one can ever pick up as a hobby or a passion. We hope that this article on gardening safety tips could share some knowledge about some of the most important tips on gardening tools to keep yourself as safe and beautiful as your garden is!

How to save money on gardening

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How to save money on gardening

Terrace gardening is like a regular investment. If done wisely it can bring profits. If not, it can be a big dent in your wallet. When you don’t have to think twice before buying stuff, you spend more than necessary and this habit can be a big problem on days when you don’t have enough to spend. I have been there and done that and it’s not pretty. The objective of this post is to learn about various ways to save money while enjoying terrace gardening to the fullest.

Before you know how to save money let’s take a look at where it’s going

  • Buying new plants/seeds
  • Buying new Pots
  • Buying tools/supplies
  • Buying pesticides/plant nutrition
  • Buying potting mix supplies like cocopeat, vermicompost, etc
  • Garden ornaments/decorative ascents.

Now add the word repeatedly at the start of each sentence to all the above.

Terrace gardening is trending so much these days that everyone is looking to get the above in the easiest possible ways and that’s where they spend a lot of money.

How to save money

Over the years after spending (read carelessly spending) a lot on terrace gardening, I learned quite a few ways to save money.

  • Recycle over buying new containers. We owe this to our ecosystem, our planet.
  • Figure out what kind of a gardener you are. Align your gardening objective to the real you. For example, if you wish to grow your veggies, focus only on that, to begin with. This approach will help you save money in the long run and avoid unnecessary purchases.
  • Buy local first then online
    • You will be surprised how many of the gardening supplies you need are already available in your city at a reasonable price. Should you need seeds, plants, tools, fertilizers, etc I would suggest that you search locally first, if they are not available then by all means buy online.
    • For a lot of gardeners buying online always take precedence because of many factors like where they live, availability at a local store, its cheaper to buy online considering the hassle, etc and that’s okay. But, you just have to make sure that you are buying from trustworthy sellers. Ask your fellow gardener friends if they had already made an online purchase.
    • Remember this is not just about supporting local business but saving your money & getting what you are looking for.
  • Don’t purchase, propagate, share
    • What is the easiest way to make your garden look denser with lots of foliage, flowering, and fruiting? You buy more than one plant or many sets of a plant. If you have a lot of money but little or no patience, just go for it.

But if you practice a little patience, you can practically have free plants. Here’s how:

  • When you are pruning your plants, take cuttings and make a nursery for plants.
  • Offer your fellow gardeners if they need a cutting and get something in exchange.
  • Check public gardens at the time of spring or before rains. They do a lot of pruning & maintenance and therefore you may easily get a lot of cuttings for free.
  • Offer free seedlings or rooted cuttings to new aspiring gardeners and in the future, they will become your resource for even more exchange.
  • Save seeds. Even though seeds are usually not that expensive but this way you will get fresh seeds every year which may help you increase your yield and help you save money.

Diy your compost

This one is a no-brainer. Use your kitchen or garden waste to make home compost. This will not be much initially but as you gain a hang of it then you will be surprised how much money you are saving by not having to buy compost and you will be doing a huge favor to our ecosystem by doing this waste management. Here are a few waste management techniques:

  • Compost making by kitchen/garden waste.
  • Bio-enzymes using fruit peels, vegetables & flowers. This also helps in eco-friendly housekeeping.
  • Leaf manure. As your garden grows, you will be able to collect a lot of dead leaves and make highly nutritious leaf manure. If you don’t want to make leaf manure, you can save dried leaves in a bag and use it for mulching during hotter months

Mulching is a simple process of applying some material (dried leaves in this case) to the surface of the soil. Reasons for applying mulch include conservation of soil moisture, improving fertility and health of the soil, reducing weed growth, and enhancing the visual appeal of the area.

Mulching helps a lot in saving your plants if you live in a hotter region.

Diy your fertilizers and pesticides

Regular food for your plant may become expensive over time. Therefore I highly recommend you DIY your fertilizers and pesticides. They are practically free as you get most of the ingredients from your home or locally.

You may buy a cheap tool to save money that may not last longer or may not work as intended because of poor quality and you end up paying more for a new tool again. This is a classic example of “Pennywise pound foolish”.

I strongly suggest you always buy the best quality product that you can afford. In the long run, the quality saves a lot of money and prevents headaches too. And mind it, I do not mean to buy an expensive product. Do your research well.

Grow that’s not cheap in the market

This one is a real gem. Let’s say you like to grow your food. Here is a small trick, along with growing your regular food items, grow food that is expensive to buy from the store. For example, you may already be regular growing green bell peppers so learn to grow red/yellow/orange bell peppers too which are quite expensive when bought from stores. You will be surprised how cheap it is to grow them at home. You will get to eat organic food and your body will thank you for that.

DIY first buy later

These days almost everything that you need to help you garden more efficiently is available in stores. Sometimes they are so ridiculous that you would laugh and say “Who on earth would buy this” but then, if it’s available in store, someone may buy it.

But I think gardening is no fun unless you can DIY a lot of stuff that you need.

Simple advice, when you need it, think of making it yourself first and if that’s not possible for any reason by all means, please buy. But if you can DIY it, you will save some money and in turn, you also get a lot of satisfaction and fun.

Things you’ll need for terrace gardening in beginner, intermediate and advanced stages of gardening

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Things you’ll need for terrace gardening in beginner, intermediate and advanced stages of gardening

In this post, you will learn about things that you need to start with and maintain a terrace garden. Let’s start with the obvious one.

SPACE

The most obvious one, you need space. For sake of understanding I have divided space into the following categories:

  • Large spaces like a terrace or a large balcony, rooftops, etc.
  • Medium spaces like a medium balcony or a corner or portion of a large balcony.
  • Small spaces like small balconies in high-rise apartments.
  • Really small spaces like a French window sill
  • Ultra-small spaces like a small window
  • Hanging spaces like projection roofs over windows, balconies, etc.
  • A small balcony or corner in a terrace is a good place, to begin with, your Terrace gardening that may grow over time.

Characteristics of good space for Terrace gardening

Water drainage:

It’s a no-brainer but I cannot emphasize much how important it is. Make sure your space has water drainage so that there is no stagnation of water. This is extremely important :

  • To prevent roof seepage.
  • To prevent mosquitos from laying eggs.
  • Accumulation of soil drained from containers over time may damage the floor/tile texture.
  • May cause conflict with your neighbor below your apartment if it’s a balcony or window.

Waterproofing:

If you are planning to have a Terrace garden that will grow continuously (and it will when you pour your love in it) over time. Please make sure there is some sort of waterproofing on your terrace/roof. I know how it feels like when your newly designed false ceiling starts leaking water in the center of your bedroom.

Well lit:

Space should be well lit with direct or indirect sunlight. This will also impact your selection of plants forTerrace gardening

Provision for Shade:

East-facing space will receive morning light while West facing space will receive afternoon light that is hotter and brighter. When necessary you should be able to cover the space with a shade like a green garden net.

Ease of cleaning:

You would need periodic cleaning rituals to keep the space tidy. Though you should keep this in mind while packing this space with containers.

Safe for kids/pets:

If you have kids or pets, please make sure that whenever required you can make your space inaccessible to your children or pets. This could be done with kid’s/pets door, doors with a grill, or just a door. It’s very important for their safety and also the safety of your plant babies.

Besides the obvious, let me tell you a few things that you may need to start your terrace garden. You don’t have to own all of them at once therefore I have categorized them as follows:

  1. Beginner
  2. Intermediate.
  3. Advance.

Think of beginner, intermediate, and advance as stages of how your terrace garden grows. It is not your experience that I mean.

Note: Feel free to buy these things whenever you need them.

Beginner

Assuming that you are just starting your Terrace garden. Here’s what you may need.

  • Containers: It’s a no-brainer, you need containers to provide your plants a home.
  • Potting Mix: To grow your plant you need a medium for them to grow.
  • Watering can: A 3lit or 5lit water can with a removable shower head is a must-have to properly water your plants. Watering can make watering easy, effective, mess-free, and fun.
  • mask or cover: For those occasional tasks when you might be exposed to dirt
  • Large plastic sheet: Working with potting mix, transplanting, repotting is a messy job, and cleaning the space afterward can be very frustrating and tiring. Using a large and good-quality plastic sheet to cover the space and work on top of it is extremely helpful in keeping your space clean and tidy.
  • Planter stands or a jugad: Whenever possible I try not to place my containers directly on the floor. You can buy or custom-made some simple stands but if you wish to wait till you have gained more experience then just place broken tiles/bricks to elevate the container level from the ground.
  • Warning: Whenever you buy/custom-made planter stands of iron, make sure that its legs are always made using solid iron like an angle bar, solid bar, or a bright bar and not the pipe. And never provide rubber (rubber shoes to prevent scratches) support at the bottom. The water will accumulate in those shoes or pipes and it will eventually cause rust and rot.

Some tools from the kitchen for gardening

A kitchen is a great place for garden supplies and you may easily get the following:

  • Spoons
  • Fork (useful for tilling, root pruning, root clearing)
  • Scissors
  • Sieve or stainer

Intermediate

Once you can manage your initial Terrace gardening setup, I recommend you to have the following items in your possession.

  • 1-liter spray bottle:  A good quality spray bottle is useful for spraying pesticides and fertilizers. A 1-liter size is handy to start with.
  • Long hose pipe: Invest in a good-quality hose pipe that is weatherproof, does not bend or twist. Very useful and saves a lot of energy watering the plants.
  • Long garden shower head: Watering is such a joyful activity and having a fountain-style shower head not only makes it more fun but also helps in cleaner and uniform distribution of water in a container. It does not disturb the soil unlike using a mug or direct hose pipe. Your plant baby will love this shower.
  • Small Trowel: While you may be proud of getting your hands dirty but having a handy trowel make it very efficient to work with potting mixes.
  • High-quality secateurs/Pruning knife: What a great knife is for a chef having a high-quality secateurs/pruning knife/pruning shear is for a gardener.
  • Neem Oil: Buy neem oil for your garden. It is my lone soldier for pest control and management. Buy a high-quality oil that’s unadulterated with chemicals or other oils.
  • Seaweed extract: In simple terms, this is a tonic for your plants. In scientific terms, it’s an excellent source of micro-nutrients for your plants and therefore it’s an excellent readymade organic growth promotor for your Terrace garden.

Advance

In my humble opinion, there is never an advanced level of gardening if you keep learning and expanding your garden, you will always move on to a superior level but if you have the following tools, it means you already have a sizable garden to manage

  • Gardening net with the support structure:  Plants love light but we have to protect them during hotter months and that’s why we need garden nets.
  • 5-liter spray bottle: Unless you want to consider spraying your garden a cardiac activity for weight loss , it is better to have a bigger spray bottle. It saves a lot of time and energy.
  • Vermicompost: Made using worm castings. An excellent organic ingredient for potting mix and also great as a fertilizer additive.
  • Neem Cake Powder: A dried byproduct of oil extraction process from neem fruits. An excellent organic additive for potting mix and also great for pest management.
  • Cow Manure: Decomposed cow dung. An excellent organic ingredient for potting mix and also great as a fertilizer additive.
  • Mustard cake powder: A dried byproduct of oil extraction process from mustard seeds. An excellent organic additive for potting mix and also great as a fertilizer additive.
  • Bone meal (sterilized): Slaughter house waste. An excellent organic additive for acidic potting mix and also great as a fertilizer additive.
  • Humic Acid Liquid (Optional): An easily available organic liquid fertilizer that helps in improving the quality of soil, it helps in stronger roots of the seedling. I use humic acid in most of my plants when I’m repotting or transplanting.
  • Multi-pattern water spray gun: This spray gun is my all-time favorite. It helps to water the plant, clean leaves & dirt. Since the flow of water can be stopped with the lever it also helps saves a lot of water. I strongly recommend you buy this tool.

There are no rules to buying any of the above items so feel free to buy them as you deem necessary.

7 Plant-Care Staples that will help your greens thrive

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7 Plant-Care Staples that will help your greens thrive

7 Plant-Care Staples that will help your greens thrive

Greenery is not just decorative. Experts believe that plants can reduce stress hormones in the body and improve our work productivity. However, caring for plants can be difficult for people who don’t have a green thumb.

The first step in caring for your houseplants is to determine how much water they need. There are many products that can simplify the process of caring for plants, from choosing the right container to equipping yourself with the tools you need to fight gnat infestations. Who better to share their knowledge than experts?

We reached out to professional plant care experts to find out what they have on hand and how to keep their greens healthy. Here are their thoughts.

Moisture Meter

Overwatering is the leading cause of plant death. You can use a moisture meter to help you with this.

Plant roots require oxygen in order to function. So, watering them with water can cause oxygen pockets to burst and increase the chance of bacterial infection. If the roots can’t supply water and nutrients to the plant, they will eventually decline in size and eventually die.

A moisture meter is a handy tool for novice gardeners. Use it to test the soil’s moisture, particularly if the pot is too large for your finger to reach. Before you water the plant, make sure the soil is dry.

Plant Mister

Most leafy plants that thrive indoors are derived from tropical rainforests. These include common varieties like monsteras and anthuriums. They also thrive in humid environments.

Water mister can be used to provide moisture for your pets every day. This will help to improve their health. You can help them mimic their natural climate to make their home more successful.

Fertilizer

The best fertilizer for plants is the best fertilizer. It is essential for houseplant growth. However, they will not grow as well without it. It can supply plants with the necessary nutrients that they might not get from potting soil, and can replenish any nutrients they have lost over time. One capful per gallon is enough to make happy houseplants.

Watering Pot

While any vessel can be used for watering plants, a vessel with a longer spout is more useful for plants that are in clusters or in difficult-to-reach places. It is a plus to have a spout that allows for even water flow.

Mosquito Bits

They will eventually hatch from the soil they dig in and burrow under plants. Although they are harmless and only live for a few days you might soon see a lot of them around your house if you let them procreate unchecked.

These bits are effective in treating gnat infestations and can be used to prevent future ones from being cultivated. Sprinkle them on the affected plant. He says that they kill eggs in the soil. These products will kill all gnats in your houseplants within a matter of days if you apply them to them all.

Terracotta Planter

One of the most difficult aspects of caring for plants is knowing how much water they need. It is easy to tell if your plants have had enough or too much water. Plant them in pots that have drainage holes to determine if they are full.

It is possible to grow plants without a drainage hole. However, it is difficult to know when to water. If water is running out of the bottom of the container it means that your plant has been well watered. The excess water has drained from the bottom.

Use terra cotta pots or glazed pots depending on the plant. Even if your planter does not have drainage, it can still be used as a decorative pot. However, the plant must be in a container with drainage. After watering, remove the plant from the container and allow it to drain before re-attaching it.

Pruning Scissors

Houseplant pruning can be very relaxing, especially if it’s done in a quiet place. A reliable pair of pruning scissors for trimming old, dying leaves and removing any brown, dried tips from your plants.

You can encourage better growth by cutting back the dried leaves. This will also allow your plant to concentrate its energy on healthier leaves. Prefer long handles to reach the base of the leaves. A stainless steel finish is better for rust resistance.