[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Quick fix pesticides / fungicide / vermicide.

1. Turmeric powder
2. Turmeric power + lime paste (the one used with paan - NOT the scented one; NOT the lemon).
3. Water soaked with tobacoo leaves for a few hours. Ttobacoo leaf WASTE size of a choclate bar will do for 2-3 liters of water; sufficient for about 10 potted plants.
4. Bar soap dissolved in water. Bar soap size of TWO eclairs in one liter of water for 4-5 potted plants.
5. If you can get kerosene, and a medical syringe, heat #4, and inject kerosine into that. This will create kerosene suspension. Use only for persistent pests. Add #3 for added effect.

For tulsi plants, use only 1 or 2.

[TaureanBull]

A really nice and much needed thread.

I was just wondering if someone has succeeded in making bonsais at home. I mean not buying off the shelf. I have tried many times but failed. Everytime the plant dies down specially after the first trim.

It would be nice if people start sharing some pics of their bonsai and plant collection.

[maddy42]

My mom has been quite successful in Bonsais and has made around 4 pots till now. Too painful a process and results take years to start showing. Will ask her for tips and if possible pics and will post it.

Best of luck on your effort though. Patience my friend this plant will look beautiful soon

[Gany]

Hi @BaCkSeAtDrIVeRDoes this work on white flies? Lots of my plants are getting this now-a-days. Sprayed some neem extract but not of much use. What is the frequency one need to apply these/

[androdev]

Nice thread.

I recently started growing vegetable plants in the backyard and very disappointed so far. ants, insects, pests, etc. are damaging the plants. i definitely do not want to use chemical pesticides - any other options?

also where to buy good quality vegetable seeds (organic, native, non-hybrid sorts) in Bangalore?

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Garry = for insects, try plain haldi / turmeric powder. Most bio- pesticides would not work for more than 7 days. That applies to tobacco water too.


androdev - I have made some suggestions on some home made bio-pesticides in previous posts. Please chedk.

If you are interested, you can order seeds from Pocha seeds - you ought to get the address from google, and they send seeds by VPP. I have purchased them.

Problem is that they are outrageously expensive. What costs Rs. 10/- elsewhere costs 100/- from Pocha; but quality of the seeds are very good.

You do get some fancy varieties from them. (obviously hybrid, sorry :-) )

Try them, your efforts may be worth.

For non-hybrid seeds, what I usually do is to use the seeds from what we buy from the grocer's / market. This works only for few vegetables. Like chillies (take the seeds from red / dry chillies) capsicum (buy extra ripe capsicum and use the seeds), pumpkin (buy very ripe pumpkins) etc. And also by germinating things like green gram / beans, etc.

[carboy]

There are couple of plants which show a lot of buds but the buds have stopped opening up. What can be the reason?

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

What plant? Car? Scooters? Trucks?

heheheh!!!

[carboy]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Quick fix pesticides / fungicide / vermicide.

1. Turmeric powder
2. Turmeric power + lime paste (the one used with paan - NOT the scented one; NOT the lemon).

Is the turmeric power/limepaste to be dissolved in water?

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by carboy

Is the turmeric power/limepaste to be dissolved in water?

Makes no difference.

I usually use power if turmeric alone is used; but dissolved when used with lime.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Makes no difference.

I usually use power if turmeric alone is used; but dissolved when used with lime.

The tobacco, lime paste thing seem to be have got rid of the pests (or may be reduced it). Some of the plants which weren't flowering or flowering less have started flowering very well now. However, there is still a problem with one variety of hibiscus (it gives yellow not red hibiscus). This plant had totally stopped flowering. Now after the tobacco/lime paste thing, it has started flowering. However the flowers are horribly shrivelled (they look mutant almost). What can be the cause of this? Is this a side effect of the treatment? I also read somewhere that overwatering can cause shriveled flowers. So started to reduce watering that plant from today. Any tips here?

[Aroy]

Hi a few tips on gardening.

1. Soil has to breath hence the pot must have a soil which is a mixture of clay, sand and manure.

2. Water is to keep the moisture in soil so that nutrients can be absorbed by roots. Ensure that the pots are moist but not water logged. Excess water will stop air and the plants will "drown".

3. Best fertiliser is home made one. Fill a spare pot (the bigger the better) with 1-2cm of soil. Add vegetable peelings and waste to it and cover with a thin layer of soil. Do it every day, till the pot fills up. Keep it for about 4-6 months and the waste would be transformed to compost, a good fertiliser. Mix the compost with soil to get the best results.

Ground Fish bones added to soil will enhance rose blooms.

4. Neem is the best and safest pesticide. If you have access to neem oil that is the best, else collect neem leaves, make a pulp in a blender. Use the juice as a spray, and the solids mixed in soil to act as a fertiliser+pesticide. In lawns neem oil spray will inhibit mosquitoes, and mixed with soil keep most termites away!

5. Money plants in bottles and pots make excellent indoor plants. In case of bottles change the water weekly. If water has excess chlorine, you can use bottled water.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Carboy, how are fertiliser levels? Small flowers can also mean inadequate manure.

@aroy - some good, nice advice. Particularly, the one making bio fertiliser. However, what about the stink?

Also, good neem oil ought to be available in shops where they sell ayurvedic herbs. (not the drug stores). Not sure if that line of business exists in other places, but all over Kerala, such shops exist.

Also, neem cake ought to be available in most fertiliser shops, especially in rural parts.

Speaking of bio fertiliser, even ground nut cake and coconut cake are good bio fertilisers, provided they are put in water for 3-4 days.

[maddy42]

Well did anyone try this. We usually dispose old torch batteries in the rose garden. The ones with the metal covering not the plastic duracel ones.

Comments?

[carboy]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Carboy, how are fertiliser levels? Small flowers can also mean inadequate manure.

Flowers aren't small. They are horribly misshapen, shriveled & mutant. It's as if their ancestors were affected by nuclear radiation or something.