4.

 ROOF GARDENING/TERRACE GARDENING

Garden is an embellished area with plants. The importance of gardening has been well
understood by every individual. The gardens not only serve as a place of recreation, it also serves
as a place for education by the way of establishing a home garden or botanical gardens. 

The art of creating the greenery and maintaining the greenery is known as “Roof
Gardening”. This is also known as Terrace gardening. The existing roof top can be effectively
utilized for growing fruit plants, vegetables, spices, homestead medicinal plants, flower plants
and ornamental plants. The population explosion occurs every day resulted in the migration of
peoples from rural areas to urban areas for income generation. Due to migration of peoples most
of the agriculture lands are converted into residential areas, resulted with decreased production of
fruits and vegetables. This can be circumvented by kitchen gardening and roof gardening. 

In urban areas, due to escalating population, more land area is brought under the construction of
houses; therefore there is hardly any space for growing vegetables. Especially in multistoried
buildings, roof gardening is the only way to grow fruits and vegetables by using the pots and
containers. This practice is known as container gardening. Psychiatrist recommends that working
in garden refresh the body and mind by reliving harsh stresses. Gardens become the integral part
of the family life benefited by the supply of toxic free fresh fruits and vegetables.

Physical and psychic utility 

Owing to the seat bound office jobs, there is hardly and physical activity in our lives. This lack
of exercise has lead to a number of health hazards. Roof garden system of vegetable cultivation
provides an alternative to people living in all kinds of dwellings – individual houses, flats, or
apartments. A family can tend the garden as a team. This can be a healthy family time to interact
and talk, while doing a useful activity from the point of health and economy. This physical
exercise helps us to forget the tensions of office and our minds can freshen up. 

With the passage of time, the traditional joint family system is breaking up in India and most of
the families are fragmenting into nuclear families on account of struggle for money and job
strains. In families where grand parents are a part, the older generation feels left out. With a roof
garden at home, even the old people can participate and feel one of the group and work rather
than feeling left out. Thus having a garden is not only a physical or monitory need but a
psychological too. 

Aims of roof gardening

 Year round supply of fresh fruits and vegetables

 Reduces expenditure on purchase of fruits and vegetables
 Effective utilization of space available at the roof top
 Supply of toxic free fruits and vegetables
  To grow our own favourite vegetables
 Rare and unavailable vegetables can be grown in roof garden
 Apart from the above, working in a roof garden will relieve stress and strains.
 Maintaining the greenery through roof garden reduces the pollution
 Increases the monetary value of land / apartment

Location of garden

1. Roof top/ verandah / window sills

2. Preferably open areas with plenty of sunlight and water supply

Roof gardening can be established in a best manner with the availability of sun light and water.
Plants produce quality fruits and vegetables by using sunlight and water. Since there is not
enough place in the flats these days, this garden can be laid on roof tops, there by effectively
utilizing the available space on the roof tops. In multistoried buildings, not all the apartments
have a roof.  Thus the pots can be placed in the verandah and window sills.

Fruit crops in roof garden

Vegetable crops in roof garden
 Flower crops in roof garden

Cacti and succulents in roof garden

 Medicinal plants in roof garden

Method of cultivation in roof top

1. Trough / Benches 

In the open roof top, based on the bearing load, cement benches of convenient length and depth
can be constructed and the soil mixture (2 parts of red soil + 1 part of sand + 1 part of compost)
filled up and utilized for growing the fruit or vegetable crops. Leave 1” space at the rim, to
facilitate irrigation.

2. Trough (For newly build houses)

For efficient utilization of roof spaces, an inward trough is formed in the unutilized spaces of
roof top i.e., like sunkened trough. The length and depth of trough may be designed as per the
requirement. The available area is properly coated with water-proofing materials to avoid the
seepage of water into the roof area. The inner side is designed with a gradual slope to facilitate
the drainage. The drainage hole is covered with wire mesh and gravel for ensured drainage.
Finally the entire area is laid with geo-textile material and finally filled up with the soil mixture
for raising fruits and vegetable. 
Bearing of Brinjal
3. Pots / Containers :Pots and Containers can be used for raising the fruits and vegetables.

Types of containers

 Cement pots
 Earthen pots
 Plastic barrels
 Wooden barrels
 Boxes
 Crates
 Paws
 Plastic jars
 Damaged buckets
 Tin boxes
 Drums and different sizes
 Plastic covers
 Cement / Fertilizer bags
 Damaged sink / wash basin
 Damaged bowls / water tanks
 Unused water cans
Seed pan and seed boxes

Seed pans are shallow earthen pots about 10cm high and 35cm in diameter with a drainage hole
at the bottom. Seed boxes are made of wood, porcelain and earthen pots of 40cm wide and 60cm
long and 10cm deep, with 6-8 properly spaced holes drilled in the bottom. Against each holes a
crock is placed with its concave side down. Some large pieces of crock are put over it and also
by the side of this crock, some coarse sand 2 or 3 handfull is sprinkled on the crock pieces
forming a thin layer to prevent fine soil from clogging the drainage hole. Over this, required soil
mixture is added and kept in open sunlight for raising the vegetables.

Earthen pots

Earthen pots made of burnt porous clay in various sizes to hold enough quantity of soil and roof
space for cultivating different kinds of plants. They have straight sides and are made wider at the
top than at the bottom to hold the greatest bulk of compost and also to facilitate easy removal of
soil, intact with roots (ball of earth) at the time of planting or repotting.

In our country, pots of varying sizes viz., tube pots, ¼ size, ½ size, ¾ size and ‘thali’ are used
commonly. Tube pots are used to raise the rootstocks of mango and sapota for grafting purposes.
¼ size pots are used for potting singly very small seedlings during first transplanting and also for
layering in plants like West Indian Cherry and Guava. ½ size pots are extensively employed for
growing well rooted cuttings of several kinds of plants and small plants of all kinds. ¾ size pots
are preferred for growing Dahlia, Cannas, Palms, Shrubs, Roses etc. In addition to the above, the
earthen pots were filled with soil mixture and used for raising vegetable crops. Apart from the
above, the soil mixture is filled in polythene covers and used for the cultivation of vegetables
like tomato, brinjal, chilli, turmeric, coriander, amaranthus etc.,
Polythene bags

Small polythene bags with punched holes at the bottom for drainage and filled with a porous
rooting medium are used for propagation of cuttings like jasmine, duranta, crotons etc., in the
mist chamber. Some times, young seedlings which are raised in the nursery are subsequently
transplanted in these polythene bags are kept there till they attain required growth for
transplanting them to the main field (e.g., papaya, curry leaf etc).

Plastic pots: Plastic pots, round and square are used to keep mostly indoor plants. They are
reusable, light weight, non-porous and they require only little storage space.
Fibre pots: These are available in small size varying from 5-10 cm width and are either round or
square in shape. They are bio non-degradable and last longer periods with the soil and plants
inside.

Paraffined paper or Styrofoam cups

They look like ice-cream cups with drainage holes. They serve satisfactory as temporary
containers for growing and transferring young plants on a large seed bed. They are light, cheap
and require little space. Recently, thermocole molded pots have been gaining popularity as they
are light weight and attractive.
Tools

a. Hand hoe
b. Spade / showel
c. Rose can
d. Hand sprayer
e. Gardening hose with sprinkler
f. Bamboo stakes and jute strings

Other inputs

a. Quality seeds from reliable sources like Agricultural University and Research Stations
and National Seed Corporation.
b. Good soil free from stones, weeds and other undecomposable materials
c. Well decomposed organic manure (compost / FYM / leaf compost / digested coir
compost)
d. River bed sand
e. Chemical  fertilizers
f. Insecticides
g. Fungicide
h. Organic inputs (Neem oil, Neem seed kernel extract, Panchakavya)

How to start

i. Wash the container thoroughly and make drainage holes at the bottom
ii. Mix soil, compost and sand with the help of hand hoe and shovel. 
iii. Fill the containers loosely with a gentle tap. The soil should settle, bearing one inch head
space at the top for irrigation.
iv. a). For the transplanted vegetables, where nursery has to be raised, shallow pans and
troughs can be filled with the fine mixture of soil, sand and compost (1:1:1) and the seeds
 should be sown. The container should be irrigated immediately after sowing. A layer of
dry grass or straw is spread on top of the soil till the seedlings emerge, and thereafter it is
removed. Most of the seedlings are ready for transplanting with one month of sowing.
Recently, protrays are employed for raising vegetable seedlings. Protrays are the plug
trays of 2-3’’ depth with a drainage hole. Initially ¼ portion of plug are filled with
compost and one seed is sown in each plug and cover the remaining portion with compost
or sand mixed compost. The watering and other operations are similarly to the above
method.

b)The seeds of certain vegetable crops which can be sown directly, should be sown in the
selected pots/ polythene bags etc., The depth of the seed sowing should be about two and
a half times of the seed size. Most of the vegetables are raised by sowing their seeds
directly in containers. The seedlings of brinjal, chilli, tomato, capsicum and onion are
transplanted in containers / pots after 30-40 days of germination. Their seedlings can also
be raised in earthen pot or pans. A single healthy seedling may be transplanted in each
container. Several seedlings, each of onion and knolkhol, and can be transplanted in a
container of the same size. Two or three seeds are sown directly in such containers and
later thinned out retaining healthy seedlings. The number of plants per pot may be varied
with shape and size.

Fruits crops suited for roof garden

1. Banana, Guava, Acid lime and Papaya

Vegetable crops suited for roof garden

1. Transplanted vegetables: Tomato, Brinjal, Chilli

2. Direct sown vegetables: Bhendi, Amaranthus, Cucurbitaceous vegetables like – Bitter
gourd, Snake gourd, Ridge gourd and Bottle gourd, Radish and Beet root

Spice crops suited for roof garden

1. Turmeric, Coriander and Fenugreek

Medicinal crops suited for roof garden: Agathi, Adathoda, Aloe vera, Oomathai, Lemon grass,
Oomavalli, Karisalanganni, Perandai, Keelanelli, Thuthuvelai, Ponnanganni and Manathakali

Cultural practices

Watering

Plants in pots and containers need a lot of care and attention. It is essential to water the plants
judiciously depending upon the season, kind of crop, size of the plant and size of the container.
Plants need extra water during summer season and hence the plants should preferably be
irrigated twice a day. Too much watering will also lead to problems; hence we should strike a
intelligent balance. The thumb rule for irrigation is that the top soil should be scratch about one
inch and seen, if the lower soil is damp, there is no need of immediate irrigation. Due to
evaporation, the top soil generally dries even though the soil may have enough moisture to
sustain the plant. In general, watering can be done as and when required.

Staking

Depending on the growth stage of plants, they need staking (i.e) support. Plants like lab lab,
ribbed gourd, bottle gourd and snake gourd needs staking or it has to be trained in pandal system
for proper support. In addition to the above, plants like tomato, brinjal and chilli also need
staking on 60th day of planting.

Fertilizer application 

For maximum growth and yield of crops can be achieved not only through organic manures and
can be improved better by the application of inorganic fertilizers. Top dressing with nitrogenous
fertilizers improves plant growth and yield of vegetables. This can be done by applying urea or
DAP or ammonium sulphate in small quantities. In general, 5-10 g of urea may be applied in
moist soil once in a week or 10 days starting from 3 weeks after sowing or 2 weeks after
transplanting. In general, 5 to 10 grammes of complex fertilizers (17:17:17 / 20:20:20)
containing NPK mixture is applied in three stages as follows:

 30 days after planting (i.e) on set of vegetative phase = 5 to 10 grammes/plant

 60 days after planting (i.e) on set of flowering phase = 15 to 20 grammes/plant
 90 days after planting (i.e) on set of fruiting phase = 15 to 20 grammes/plant
In addition to the above, vermicompost 100 grammes/plant should be applied at monthly
intervals. Care must me taken that vermicompost should not mix with any inorganic fertilizers.
Hence the application of vermicompost and inorganic fertilizers should not be practiced
simultaneously. Heavy doses of fertilizer are very harmful. Immediately after fertilizer
application, the plant should be watered. 

Weed Control : Hand hoeing and weeding helps in aeration in the root zone and help the plant
grow healthy. Weeds should be removed gently in leafy vegetable crops like amaranthus,
fenugreek, spinach, coriander etc. 

Pest and disease management

 Pick and destroy the larvae found on fruits and vegetables and then spray Neem oil @ 4
ml/liter of water + sticking agent 2 ml/liter of water or kadi soap or
 Neem Seed Kernel Extract @ 3 % + sticking agent 2 ml/liter of water or kadi soap
 Avoid spraying of toxic chemicals.

Based on the growth pattern and climatic factors vegetables are attacked by various pests and
diseases. Aphids and jassids are small sucking insects, injuring the plants especially in early
stages of their growth. Spraying of Dimethoate @ 2ml / liter of water + Neem oil @ 4 ml/liter of
water + sticking agent 2 ml/liter of water or kadi soap controls these insects. Fruit fly and fruit
borer are serious pests of some vegetable crops.  They damage young fruits and make them unfit
for consumption. 

The affected fruits should be plucked and destroyed. The plants should be sprayed once or twice
with insecticides. After spraying, fruits should not be harvested for 7-10 days for consumption.
Fungal diseases (damping off and wilt) and viral disease affect the plants particularly during the
rainy season. Fungal diseases can be controlled by drenching the soil with ‘Captaf’ solution @
2g / lit of water. Virus affected plants should be removed and destroyed.

Harvesting

Vegetables harvested at the peak of maturity and used promptly, are always superior in
nutritional content, freshness, flavour and appearance. Leafy vegetables should be picked up
frequently when tender. Root vegetables should be pulled out while tender otherwise they
become pithy. Tomato is picked at ripe stage, brinjal and okra are picked after they attains full
size but still tender. 

Rare vegetables like leek, fennel, and soya are not available in market always. Thus these can be
advantageously raised in containers. Curry leaf, Checkurmanis and gooseberry can also be grown
in medium to big sized containers in a roof garden. 

Post harvest operations

Digging of soil: As soon as the season is over i.e., after the final harvesting of vegetables,
remove the plant from the pot / polythene cover and dump the soil in open place and break the
clods.

Application of organic manures: After 15 days, add organic manures and mix the soil
thoroughly and refill the pots or polythene covers.

Choose alternate crops: In order to maintain proper recycling of nutrients, crop rotation can be
adopted. Hence choose alternate crops for the next season.   

Ornamental plants suited for roof garden

Ornamental trees

Bauhinia purpurea, Plumeria alba and Callistemon lanceolatus

Shrubs

Acalypha hispida, Allamanda grandiflora, Barleria cristata, Bauhinia tomentosa, Clerodendron

inerme, Dombeya spectabilis, Duranta plumieri, Hamelia patens, Hibiscus rosasinensis,
Mussaenda erthyrophylla, Nerium oleander, Poinsettia pulcherrima, Tecoma stans, Thevetia
nereifolia, Codioeum sp, Eranthemium elegans and Pisonia alba
Climbers: Allamanda cathartica, Asparagus densiflorus, Bougainvillea sp, Clitorea ternatea,
Ipomoea palmate, Quisqualis indica
Flowers: Impatiens balsamina, Celosia sp, Chrysanthemum sp, Cosmos bipinnatus, Gomphrena
globosa, Tagetus erecta, Petunia hybrida, Portulaca grandiflora, Salvia splendens, Solidago
Canadensis, Vinca rosea and Zinnia elegans
Lawn grass

1.   Grassy area
2.  Charming effect
3.  Breaks the monotony and brings the integrity of garden components
4.  Cushiony layer for players who are engaged in sport activities 
5.  Checks the pollution
6.  Increase the monetary value of land

Types of lawn grasses

 S. No. Botanical name Common name Texture Situation
1. Cynodon dactylon Hariyali (or) Medium Suitable for open sunny
Arugu (or) Doob location; drought tolerant
grass
2. Stenotaphrum St. Augustine Coarse Suitable for shady situation
secundatum grass with frequent irrigations
3. Zoysia japonica Japan grass Coarse Can grow well in poor sandy
soil and suited for open sunny
situation
4. Paspalum vaginatum Paspalum grass /  Medium Suitable for open sunny
Sea Shore situation, highly drought
Paspalum tolerant

Selection of site

1. Open sunny places and preferably with little quantity of shade.

2.  Site should have ample quantity of water for irrigation.
3.  Free from hazards like grazing and use of pathways
4.  Site should not be under the tree canopy as the litter affects the quality of turf grass
5.  Poorly drained soils should be avoided.
6.  Soil and water should be medium to good quality.

Primary operations

Site clearing
(Uprooting of tree roots, stumps and concretes)

Back filling with soil mix

(Red soil: Sand: Compost – 2:1:1 ratio)

Laying of irrigation lines – main and laterals

Soil compaction
Final leveling with gentle slope for drainage

(Red soil: Sand: Compost – 2:1:1 ratio)

Methods of lawn making

 1. Seeding
2. Dibbling / Sprigging
3. Sodding / Turfing

Seeding

 30 – 32 kg of seed is required for planting one hectare area (10,000 ha)

  Seeds normally take 25 – 30 days for germination
  Seeds are mixed with double the quantity of fine textured soil preferably of sand and
sown uniformly on a windless day

Care

1.  Till establishment, flood watering and hose watering is avoided

2.  Mowing should be done after 50 – 60 days of sowing

Disadvantages

1.  Poor establishment when compared to other methods.

2.  The availability of good quality seeds.

Sod / Turfing

Selecting turf pieces

1.  Should be free from sod worms

2.  Free from nutritional deficiency
3.  Free from weed population
4.  Sod should be properly cut without any deformations
5.  Height of the grass should be optimum
6.  Free from other pest and diseases

Precautions

1.  Mowing should be done 20 – 25 days after planting or depending upon the complete
establishment.
 2.  The uneven surfaces and gaps can be fitted with turf plugs with sand.
3.  Turfing should not be practiced in winter seasons as it exhibits yellowing due to low
temperature and low light intensity.

Advantages  
 Quick and instant establishment
 
 Uniform turf surface
 
 Best suited for exhibitions, sports grounds
 
Disadvantages
 Costlier

 Poor establishment during winter season

Dibbling / Sprigging

 Turf grass are separated along with their root portion   is dibbled at 10 – 15 cm distances
  Sprouting at 25 – 30 days
  Complete coverage may take around 3 – 4 months     after planting

Precautions

1.  Mowing should be done 30 – 35 days planting.

2.  Mowing should be done at one-third level without affecting the foliage growth.
3.  Traffic movement should be avoided till the establishment.
4.  Light irrigation followed by rolling improves the turf appearance.

Advantages: Cheapest method

Disadvantages

 Slow establishment
 Cost of planting is higher, when compared to other method of establishment.
Quarterly fertilizer input ratio for turf grass

Murite of
Urea Superphosphate
Situation potash
(g/m2)
Low Maintenance
100 75 75
(Residential turfs)
High Maintenance
(e.g. Turf in public 200 100 150
gardens)
Intensive Maintenance
300 150 150
(e.g. Sports fields)

 Applied in two split doses (at 6 months intervals i.e., onset of summer and onset of winter
season)
 Irrigate the lawn after fertilizer applicati

Maintenance of lawn grass 

a)Mowing

 Cutting of grass
 Normal cutting height is 2.0 – 2.5 inches from the ground level
 Mowing should be done at 15 - 20 days intervals

b)Weed management

 Controlled by spot application / drenching with Glyphosate @ 5 ml/litre of water +

Ammonium sulphate @ 10 g/litre of water

c)Nutrient management

 Fertilizers are applied in split doses @ 40 days interval

  Irrigation is given immediately after fertilizer application

d).Pest and disease management

 Spray Dimethoate/Acephate @ 2 ml/liter  +  Dithane M-45 @ 2 g/liter

  Sprayed on rainless day

Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s
 1. Place the pots in available space, accordingly to sunshine requirement.
2. Always check the drainage in the pots.
3. Leave 1” space in the pot at the rim, to facilitate irrigation.
4. Always sow the nursery in separate pots or protrays.
5. Use deep pots for plants with deeper roots (perennials) and shallow for shallow rooted
plants (annuals).
6. Keep large and heavy pots in strong part of the building.
7. Irrigate as and when required, after checking the moisture regime of the pot.
8. Always keep the pots and plants weed free, disease and pest free.
9. Place pots away from each other to facilitate air circulation.
10.  Avoid spraying of toxic chemicals.

Don’ts

1. Don’t overwater the pots.

2. Don’t let the drainage hole clog or don’t block the drainage hole.
3. Don’t place too many pots together.
4. Don’t place heavy pots in apartments if the building is not constructed to bear the weight
since damp soil is much heavier than dry soil.
5. Don not grow perennial plants (fruit crops like mango, sapota and guava) at roof top,
since the heavy feeder roots may penetrate / damage the roof top.

Other considerations

1. In the safer point of view, the roof top has to be painted with anti damp or damp proof
paint to avoid seeping of water to roof of the house and staining the floor and roof. 
2. The garden work can be shared by all the members of the family. The strenuous work
like lifting the pots, pot filling and weeding can be assigned to the youngsters, harvesting
can be done by old people and children of the family.  Women can participate in weeding
and irrigation.
3. It is good idea to replenish the media with FYM periodically, say after every season or
harvest so that the nutrient status of the soil is maintained. After one year or 3 seasons the
media has to be changed using fresh soil and sand.
4. Large concrete pots of 2 ½ -3’ or waste / damaged plastic drums can be used to grow
papaya and banana.
5. When the inmates are out of station for 7-10 days the most important consideration is
irrigation for which the following can be done.

o The drainage plates can be filled with water to maintain the moisture level.
o Some mulch can be used on top of the pot soil, like a plastic sheet or straw / moss
mulch.
o For greens, since frequent watering is important, several layers of newspaper can
be tied to the body of the pot and the newspapers should be completely drenched
with water.
 6. To raise seedling like tomato or brinjal, “Protrays” which are trays with shallow depth (2-
2.5”) should be used. The seed can be sown in small quantity also without wastage.

A pot of 1m depth and convenient length width may be used for composting plant residue /
kitchen waste. Vegetable wastes like leaf waste, onion peels, waste vegetables, pulp wastes, tea
wastes, chopped pieces of cauliflower / cabbage can be effectively decomposed in the pits /
plastic barrels. The vegetable wastes are dumped and a layer of soil (1’’ thickness) may be added
at the top for efficient and quick decomposition. The rate of decomposition can be enhanced by
sprinkling water daily. 

The kitchen waste can be dumped daily or as per the availability. Few earthworms may also be
added for faster decompostion. The compost is ready for use within two and half months to three
months. The well composed material will be dark brown in colour. The partially decomposed /
undecomposed materials and earthworms were again dumped back along with the earthworms.
Avoid non vegetarian items as it may create a fowl smell. The best location for compost
preparation is shady to semi-shady locations.