Chysanthemums crazy

Going organic is having control over what we grow how we grow. It helps the environment too. This is not something new, Until 40 -50 years back we were growing only organic way. The easy access to chemicals have changed the way and we all went about killing the enemy of food crops and ended up having many other problems. Research shows now that pesticides, insecticides and fungicides could cause cancer risk! Another satisfying aspect is that one is doing a service , little bit perhaps, to the soil and conservation of eco system.
The first thing to do is to prepare a soil which is made up of farm yard manure, organic mulch, compost and rotten leaves; use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides is a big no – no. It is important to identify the good insects and bad insects and take precautions to weed out the bad one by using organic pest repellents.
Many people are turning into organic growers. People want to have healthy plants with tasty produce packed with nutrients, which in turn reduces the health risks. The problem about organic produce is cost. If you are grow your own produce , the cost is reduced a lot!
In india, of late garden enthusiasts are keen to grow organic vegetables in kitchen garden, terrace garden etc. It is a new interest and lot of trial and error is experienced. Thanks to the internet, useful exchange of ideas are taking place.
People are making use of indigenous Panchagavya, amrit mitti and come out with successful self-sufficient garden produces. For newcomers, making Panchagvya, Jeevamrithum Neem-asthra, are all formidable sounding one with use of cow dung and cow urine. It calls for hard work and continuous monitoring , then gardening is hard work combined with tremendous fulfilment too.
Once we overcome the initial troubles, of collecting the cow refuses, dry leaves, and other stuff, placing them in suitable areas in the garden etc. , the end result gives tremendous satisfaction.

People are tempted to give up in the process, revert back to chemical fertilisers and pesticides, but with a kind of apologetic sense of helplessness. Some people also question the wisdom of kitchen gardeners using the organic manures and pesticides, wondering whether the end result is worth at all.It all needs, to have faith in what you want to do and achieve.

I know of one person, who is a hard core Organic grower. I have already mentioned about Meduri Gayatri in my earlier posts.
I had been to see her Chrusanthemums , and it was a rewarding experience.

The plants looked healthy and the leaves were lush. The double beans plant was giving pods left right and centre. I did not find any symptom of infections in leaves, which is normal for the winter months in Hyderabad. It was a amazing experience. She is more into flowers right now and is planning to expand to veggies soon. She is having about 500 plants are so, and is slightly dissatisfied with her work. I would call that a perfectionist’s problem. She is a die-hard organic person, refuses to use any chemical in her garden, sticks to only Panchagavya, and other allied products and had a success.

The result of her dedication can be seen here.

Now in her own words she describes how she went about getting those pretty flowers.
“Potting mix: Red soil 4 parts, and one part vermicompost, and one cow manure. Mix could be prepared one month ahead of planting. I did not wait for a month. However, it did not affect the growing in anyway. A handful of used tablets that were lying in the house was thrown in ( wonder whether that is organic?). After transplants, the seedlings were sprayed with Panchagavya every 15 days , without fail. After the buds opened up the spraying was stopped.
For pest management I used Kanuga oil and Ginger garlic extract every 10 days. For these flower plants, whenever the black sucking pests appeared, I used the sprays. Sometimes 3-5 days intervals, and after reduction of pets, 10 days intervals.
Another thing I learnt was patience. While using organic pesticides, the result is slow, but steady, unlike chemical pesticides. So one needs loads of patience and faith”

This post is shining in borrowed flowers, though flowers are not from my garden , I enjoyed posting about Gayatri’s garden.

As you have guessed she is crazy about the flowers, I wish she would show more interest in growing vegetables too. She is starting some it seems.