How to keep your plants from drying up in the summer? Gardening expert Monalisa Patnaik from Odisha shares easy tips to make cold composts at home to help plants.
The scorching summer heat is hard on not just people, but also plants. It’s the toughest period for gardeners to keep their plants fresh and green. Sometimes, watering alone is not enough to save them from damage.
Several methods can be implemented to help them survive the heat – moving them to a place with shade, or by ensuring that the roots and leaves receive constant moisture. Making a cool compost is also an easy yet effective idea to prevent plants from drying up.
Monalisa Patnaik, a gardening expert from Angul, Odisha says that summer is the right time to give liquid fertilisers. She says, “If you are storing bio-waste in your compost bin, then the water from it can be used for plants. I also make vermicompost at home, which produces a liquid, later used for plant growth. Both these fertilisers do wonders for plants during the summer. In addition to these, you can make some liquid compost too.”
Here are two best liquid fertilisers made to beat the summer heat:
Fruit and vegetable peels
Monalisa says that the skins of almost all vegetables and fruits contain many nutrients, but those are to be selected according to the seasons.
For example, during the summer, we throw away a lot of watermelon or melon peels. These contain potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and carbohydrates, along with many more micronutrients. Apart from this, onion peels can also be added to make a good compost.
- Take a container with a lid and add the peels.
- Fill it with water till the peels are immersed.
- Cover the mix and keep aside for a few days.
- Once a day, open the lid and mix the liquid well.
- The fertiliser liquid will be ready within 3-4 days.
- Mix it with water again and feed it to each plant.
Dung manure
“Dung manure is the best for summer,” says Monalisa.
- Take 5-7 litres of water in a bucket.
- Add fresh cow dung to the water.
- Dip it thoroughly in water and cover with a lid.
- Keep the mix for three days.
- The mix is ready to be used and can be poured under the plants.
“Make sure that you don’t add the dung directly to soil. Mixing with water is a must,” adds the gardener.
Furthermore, Monalisa recommends avoiding egg shells as manure to the plants during the summer.
Happy gardening!
Read this story in Hindi here.
Edited by Divya Sethu
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