The blistering heat of summer is catastrophic for potted plants. It is the toughest period for gardeners, who find it difficult to keep their plants fresh and green.
Sometimes, watering and moving the plants to shade is not enough to help them survive the scorching heat.
Odisha’s Monalisa Patnaik, a gardening expert, says making cool compost is an easy yet effective idea to prevent plants from drying up.
As per her, summer is the right time to give liquid fertilisers. She shares tips to make cold composts at home to help plants survive the heat.
Fruit and vegetable peels: During the summer, we throw away a lot of watermelon or melon peels. Monalisa says that these contain nutrients like potassium and phosphorus.
These peels can be used to make a liquid fertiliser. To do this, add peels to a container. Fill it with water till the peels are immersed. Cover the mix with a lid, and keep it aside for a few days.
Open the lid once a day and mix the liquid well. The liquid fertiliser will be ready within 3–4 days. Mix it with water again and feed it to each plant.
Dung manure: Take 5–7 litres of water in a bucket and add fresh cow dung to the water. Then, dip it thoroughly in water and cover it with a lid.
After three days, the mix will be ready for use and can be poured under the plants. “Make sure that you don’t add the dung directly to the soil. Mixing with water is a must,” says Monalisa.
The gardener suggests that while onion peels can also be used to make good compost, egg shells should be avoided as manure for the plants during summer.