Gardener
PROFICIENCY BADGE
Gardener
Syllabus:
(1) Dig a piece of ground not less than 12 sq. metres.
Plant and grow successfully six kinds of vegetables or
cites where digging is not possible wooden cases or pots
may be used.
(2) Know names of 12 plants pointed out in an ordinary
garden: understand what is meant by pruning, budding,
grading and manuring and demonstrate any one of the
following –pruning, budding, grating.
(3) Adopt a public park or a neighbour’s courtyard and
look after garden/plants for at least two months. Note : In
cities roof garden can be the alternative.
1.How to prepare soil for planning?
The soil is a storehouse for all the elements plants need
to grow: nutrients, organic manure, air, and water. Soil
also provides support for plant roots.Almost all garden
soils can be improved by adding organic mater to make
soil more workable.Some common organic matter that can
be added are:
Plant materials
: This includes leaves, straw, and grass clippings.
Manure
: Use composted manure and incorporate it into the soil
well ahead of planting.
Compost
: Compost consists of decayed plant materials.
Sawdust
: Compost the sawdust before adding it to the garden.
Green manure
: Plant rye or oats in the fall and plow or spade it under
in the spring.Do not add more than a 4-inch layer
of organic material.
Tilling
The soil should be lled as deeply as possible, at least 8 to
10 inches. Deep lling loosens soiland lets vegetable roots
go deeper. Turn each shovelful of soil completely over.Till
soil when it is moist but not wet. Working soil when it is
too wet can cause it to become rough. Spade the soil in
the winter to prepare for spring planing. Winter
temperatures and moisture help mellow soil. This is
especially important if the soil is being worked for the first
time.Add organic matter each year during soil preparation
to build and maintain the soil. Be sure all plant material is
turned under the soil. If organic material is added before
planning a fall garden, it should be well-roped, such as
compost.
Before planning, rake the soil clean and level it. Remove
all sticks, rocks and other material.
Row preparation
Vegetables should be planted on raised beds, Raised beds
allow water to drain away from plant roots, provide
furrows for irrigation, allow air to enter soil and help plants
through periods of high rainfall.If the garden is large
enough, make rows 36 inches apart. Where space is a
problem, some vegetables can be planted in rows closer
than this, but they will require more care during the
growing season.Use a shovel or rake to pull the soil up
into beds 8 to 10 inches high. Pack beds or allow them to
settle before planting. Also level the tops of the beds and
widen them to about 6 to8 inches before planting. Plant on
top of the beds.
2.Planning and taking care of
various plant saplings Chilli
This important ingredient of Indian cuisine is extremely
easy to grow. You can procure the seeds for the same
from dried red chillies in your kitchen.
Mix equal amounts of cocopeat, compost and perlite (or
any pieces of thermocol).
Put the potting mix in a small pot and soak it in ample
water overnight.
Next day, press each of the chilli seeds gently into
the so soil and cover it with mulch/hay.
Water daily all the seeds germinate into any saplings.
As soon as the leaves appear, transfer each sapling to a
bigger pot with a height of at least 20 inches.
Water daily till the plant fowers. Reduce the frequency of
watering after flowering happens. Harvest fresh chillies
when fruited.
Tomato
From a bowl of garden salad to tasty gravy, tomato is
indispensable in almost every cuisine.Here’s how you can
easily grow your own tomatoes at home.
Prepare the potting mix by mixing sand, red soil, compost,
cocopeat and neem cake in the ratio 30:20:20:20:10.
Sow the tomato seeds in the pottng mix, equidistant from
one another. Sprinkle with water after sowing.
Mulch the seeds with hay/dried leaves and cover partially
to create a semi-greenhouse effect.
Continue spraying water every 2-3 days all the
seeds sprout. After four sets of true leaves appear,
transplant the sapling into a big pot and stake it with
sticks on all 4sides.
Add a handful of compost to the tomato plant once in
a week till it flowers.
Since the tomato plant is vulnerable to attacks by
mealybugs and leaf miners, spray diluted neem oil in dish-
wash solution's once in 15 days.
Brinjal
Craving for that fragrant baingan ka bharta or a regal
plate of kathirikai kulambu? Now you can handpick the
brinjals straight from your home garden. Here’s how:
Soak brinjal seeds overnight and sow them in well-drained
soil.
Prepare a potting mix with 30 per cent soil, 20 per cent
compost, 20 per cent cocopeat, 20 per cent sand and 10
per cent neem cake powder.
Once the saplings reach a height of 5-6 inches, transplant
them into the new potting mix. You can accompany them
with companion plants like tomato, cabbage, broccoli,etc.
After the plants has started flowering, control the amount
of water given daily.
Fold the flowers and gently rub them to induce pollination.
For nutrition, add a handful of
compost/bananapeels/Jeevamrutham/eggshells/Panchagav
ya alternavely to the plant once everyweek.
Coriander
Who doesn’t love fragrant and fresh coriander on a
steaming bowl of gravy or on a tropical salad? These any
leaves are bound to add a beautiful aroma every dish they
are added to.And it’s extremely easy to grow them on
your own.
Mix sand, red soil, cocopeat, neem cake and compost in
equal quantities to make the potting mix.
Drain this pottng mix well and scrape lines through it to
sow the seeds.
Spread the seeds evenly along the scraped lines. Cover
the seeds lightly with soil and dry leaves. Sprinkle with a
little water.
After the seeds have sprouted, spray with diluted
buttermilk or Panchagavya onceevery 15 days. Do not
overwater the plants.
Harvest the Coriander once it’s ready.
Cucumber
High in potassium and Vitamin K, cucumber is another
indispensable element in almost all world cuisines.
Consumed raw, this crunchy goodness is be er when it
comes fresh from your garden.
Use a good quality potting mix with one part each of soil,
compost, perlite and cocopeat.
Using thumb, make 5 mm depressions in the soil to sow
the cucumber seeds. Cover with loose soil and water
gently so as not to expose the seeds. The soil should be
kept moist at all times.
After the seeds germinate and at least four true leaves
appear, transfer the saplings into bigger pots.
Expose the plant to direct sunlight at least 6-8 hours in a
day.
Manual pollination by hand might be required to ensure
fruiting. Harvest the fruits when ready.
Plants growing in my kitchen garden.
Chilli, Tomato, Brinjal, Coriander, Cucumber, Beans, Bottle
Gourd, bitter gourd, snake gourd, ladies fingers, curry
leaves and cucumber.
PRUNING
Pruning may be defined as the art and science of cutting away of
portion of plant to improve its shape, to influence its growth,
flowering and fruitfulness and to improve the quality of the product.
It is done to divert a part of plant energy from one part to another
part of plant.
Objects of Pruning:
Training of young trees
Maintenance of grown up trees i.e. to maintain the health of
bearing plant
Bringing vigour in old trees
BUDDING
. A horticultural technique in which a bud of one plant is inserted
into a second plant.
2. Budding is a newly-emerging technique of horticulture.
3. Budding is done during the active growing season of the stock.
4. Budding is performed on a small bud which used as a scion.
5. Budding is mainly used in fruits, ornamental trees, and nut trees.
6. Budding is less time-consuming than layering.
7. Commonly used fruit trees for budding – peach, apple, plums,
cherry, citrus.
LAYERING
1. In layering, the roots are induced on the shoots, while they are
still attached to the mother plant.
2. Layering is an old technique of horticulture.
3. Layering is done any time in the year except winter.
4. Layering is performed on only branches of the plant.
5. Layering is used for the propagation of which do not graft easily
or root readily from the cuttings.
GRAFTING
Grafting is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are
joined so as to continue their growth together.
The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion (/ˈsaɪən/)
while the lower part is called the root stock.
The success of this joining requires that the vascular tissues grow
together. The natural equivalent of this process is inosculation.
The technique is most commonly used in asexual propagation of
commercially grown plants for
the horticultural and agricultural trade
Adopting a neighbour’s garden and look after it for
two months.
I looked after the plants in the my neighbour’s garden for
two months.
The garden is surrounded by a fence to protect them from
stray animals like dogs, cats, or cows. Usually, these
fences are made of wood or bamboo.The garden is
designed into splits, the splits are the various parts. All the
sections split into flower beds.
While every bed is surrounded by an earthen uplift. For
these flower crops, fruit trees, vegetables, and medicinal
herbs, some parts are intended to be cared for
Regular habit of maintaining garden
Water properly. Your garden needs water to thrive and
survive.
Keep an eye out for bugs
Use the appropriate fertilizer. ...
Choose disease-resistant plants. ...
Plant on the right site. ...
Maintain distance between plants. ...
Clean up during the fall. ...
Allow yard waste to fully decompose.
We have planted tomato, brinjal, bean, bitter gourd,
chiles and other small trees trees drumstick, lime and
mango trees and creepers to decorate their garden.
Among these includes a money plant, various shrubs.
