Comments on: Starting off http://geekgardener.in/2008/01/07/starting-off/ Terrace, Container, Rooftop, balcony, Kitchen gardening and Hydroponics Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:46:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: geekgardener http://geekgardener.in/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-2580 geekgardener Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:22:04 +0000 http://geekgardener.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-2580 Hello Raj, Cocopeat is available in most of the garden shops. Get any cocopeat and give it a good soaking of water and drain it few times, all the salt content will go off. If you don't get it anywhere you can take it from my place. you can also get it from Keltech. Hello Raj,

Cocopeat is available in most of the garden shops. Get any cocopeat and give it a good soaking of water and drain it few times, all the salt content will go off. If you don’t get it anywhere you can take it from my place. you can also get it from Keltech.

]]> By: Raj http://geekgardener.in/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-2552 Raj Wed, 09 Feb 2011 11:50:10 +0000 http://geekgardener.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-2552 Hi, Iam from bangalore and not able to find cocopeat for my first Home pot garden. could not find with any nursery. one plant nursery owner told me that varsha enterprises on KR road has cocopeat. but they too said they dont have it. went lalbagh, it was available but has no specification as to how old is it, what is the PH value and EC etc all it says is sterelize coco peat. not sure if it suits for the plants or not. hence my pot garden idea is only a dream for me till i get cocpeat. Anyone, please help as to where can i get cocopeat suitable for plant growth. in other countries like srilanka and other western countries (say UK, US, etc.) not just cocopeat but other gardening materials too are made available to home users in a convinent(retail sales) way, just check their websites, but why not in india. cocopeat is exported to other countries from india but here we the indians ourselves have to struggle to buy cocopeat. Hi,
Iam from bangalore and not able to find cocopeat for my first Home pot garden. could not find with any nursery. one plant nursery owner told me that varsha enterprises on KR road has cocopeat. but they too said they dont have it. went lalbagh, it was available but has no specification as to how old is it, what is the PH value and EC etc all it says is sterelize coco peat. not sure if it suits for the plants or not. hence my pot garden idea is only a dream for me till i get cocpeat. Anyone, please help as to where can i get cocopeat suitable for plant growth.

in other countries like srilanka and other western countries (say UK, US, etc.) not just cocopeat but other gardening materials too are made available to home users in a convinent(retail sales) way, just check their websites, but why not in india. cocopeat is exported to other countries from india but here we the indians ourselves have to struggle to buy cocopeat.

]]> By: geekgardener http://geekgardener.in/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-2464 geekgardener Tue, 11 Jan 2011 07:58:11 +0000 http://geekgardener.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-2464 Hello Vidhya, Thanks for the comment. SFG(Square foot gardening) is a nice way to grow veggies in terrace and there are many experts in this sites forum). When you buy vermiculite, do check the grade. Most of the times in bangalore, you get very fine grade which is not useful. GG Hello Vidhya,

Thanks for the comment. SFG(Square foot gardening) is a nice way to grow veggies in terrace and there are many experts in this sites forum). When you buy vermiculite, do check the grade. Most of the times in bangalore, you get very fine grade which is not useful.

GG

]]> By: vidhya radhakrishnan http://geekgardener.in/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-2455 vidhya radhakrishnan Fri, 07 Jan 2011 04:58:01 +0000 http://geekgardener.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-2455 many thanks for the info. ii have just moved to blr from chicago and looking to continue with gardening. in chicago we were in an aptmt so had to do with container kitchen garden but here im about to start 'square foot gardening'[ http://www.amazon.com/All-New-Square-Foot-Gardening/dp/1591862027/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294376185&sr=1-1 the above method has been practised in India as well and is more efficient by way of resource utilisation ] in my back yard and am in need of vermiculite and peat moss . So this info is certainly helpful. will post my results thanks again many thanks for the info. ii have just moved to blr from chicago and looking to continue with gardening. in chicago we were in an aptmt so had to do with container kitchen garden but here im about to start ‘square foot gardening’[ http://www.amazon.com/All-New-Square-Foot-Gardening/dp/1591862027/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294376185&sr=1-1
the above method has been practised in India as well and is more efficient by way of resource utilisation ]
in my back yard and am in need of vermiculite and peat moss . So this info is certainly helpful. will post my results thanks again

]]> By: geekgardener http://geekgardener.in/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-1976 geekgardener Sun, 19 Sep 2010 18:23:10 +0000 http://geekgardener.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-1976 Hi, Good idea. You can mix cocopeat with compost and use it as a medium. Findout how many litres of media you need by calculating the volume of your growing bed. The depth can be 8-10 inches. If you buy a compressed bale of Cocopeat (weighs 5Kg), it expands to 80L on adding water. You do the math. I am very poor at that. gg Hi,

Good idea. You can mix cocopeat with compost and use it as a medium. Findout how many litres of media you need by calculating the volume of your growing bed. The depth can be 8-10 inches. If you buy a compressed bale of Cocopeat (weighs 5Kg), it expands to 80L on adding water. You do the math. I am very poor at that.

gg

]]> By: Shyamal K Mitra http://geekgardener.in/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-1975 Shyamal K Mitra Sun, 19 Sep 2010 13:35:23 +0000 http://geekgardener.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-1975 Great info indeed. It is practical and to the point and something doable too. I am a late joiner and intend to use my roof with plenty of sun for gardening but have a problem with the weight of soil. Can I use coco peat with something else to make the potting medium really lightweight? If I want to have a bed measuring say, 5' X 3' what will be the thickness of the bed? For this total volume how much of dry coco peat should be procured and what are the other ingredient needed? Thanks in advance, Great info indeed. It is practical and to the point and something doable too. I am a late joiner and intend to use my roof with plenty of sun for gardening but have a problem with the weight of soil. Can I use coco peat with something else to make the potting medium really lightweight? If I want to have a bed measuring say, 5′ X 3′ what will be the thickness of the bed? For this total volume how much of dry coco peat should be procured and what are the other ingredient needed?
Thanks in advance,

]]> By: geekgardener http://geekgardener.in/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-1911 geekgardener Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:50:26 +0000 http://geekgardener.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-1911 Hi Srihari, You get bone meal in New tharagupet. It costs somewhere between 30-40 rs /kg. If you don't find any Let me know I have some stock. gg Hi Srihari,
You get bone meal in New tharagupet. It costs somewhere between 30-40 rs /kg. If you don’t find any Let me know I have some stock.

gg

]]> By: Sri http://geekgardener.in/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-1910 Sri Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:04:08 +0000 http://geekgardener.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-1910 Hi GG, Can you tell me where I can get Bone meal in bangalore and how much it costs? Thank you Hi GG,

Can you tell me where I can get Bone meal in bangalore and how much it costs?

Thank you

]]> By: geekgardener http://geekgardener.in/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-1440 geekgardener Tue, 01 Jun 2010 04:19:27 +0000 http://geekgardener.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-1440 Vijay, Thanks for the detailed write up. I am sure this will help the readers. gg Vijay,

Thanks for the detailed write up. I am sure this will help the readers.

gg

]]> By: Vijay Aiyar http://geekgardener.in/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-1439 Vijay Aiyar Fri, 28 May 2010 08:43:59 +0000 http://geekgardener.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/starting-off/#comment-1439 Fantastic blog. Thank you for your tips on gardening in India. I am at the moment living abroad and I have my own balcony garden. I was thinking about the possibilities of doing the same in India and I know how hard it is to find some simple stuffs in India that are easily available in the western world like peat moss and vermiculite/perlite. I have been thinking about a replacement for perlite/ vermiculite that could be easily available in India. While doing my research, I found that perlite/vermiculite does not add any nutrition to the plant and their main use is to provide proper aeration in the soil. Besides these are artificially manufactured and some may have contamination through the use of asbestos and other banned materials. Therefore I was seriously thinking that 5mm gravel pieces that are very commonly available in India and are very cheap could be a wonderful natural replacement for perlite/vermiculite. You need to choose the gravel size almost equal to the size of perlite. I think 3mm to 5mm would be the best choice. I am also glad that you are using coconut coir as a replacement for peat moss. Peat moss is already depleting and soon the world would run out of it. n the other hand, coconut farmers in India are stuggling to find an effective way of disposing their coir residues. I am glad that you can find coconut coir blocks easily in India. Therefore, my ideal potting soil would be a mixure of coconut coir peat, 3mm-5mm gravel, cow manure, neem cake and come vermicompost. I would also add some garden grade chalk such as dolomite to add calcium and magnesium content into the soil(when you buy dolomite, make sure it has magnesium and not just calciu. Calcium is very important for tomato plants and magnesium add the chlorophyll for the plants, thus making is very green) . In addition, the key to maintaining a healthy soil is through constant feed of organic nutrition. My ideal nutrition would be compost tea once every week. This is produced by soaking vermicompost(about 1kg) in a bucket(15 liters) of water for 24 hours and using this brew for feeding the plants once a week. Some people use fish tank pumps in this bucket to add oxygen, but I would prefer just stirring this bucket once every two hours during the 24 hour brewing time. even if you don't stir it up, it works absolutely fine when you keep the bucket in some airy and sunny place for 24 hours. Also, I would suggest to germinate the seeds indoors in small cups containing vermicompost and once the plants reach about 5 inches tall, I would transplant them in their permanent container or land. After tranbsplanting them, it is also important to mulch them using saw dust or tree bark pieces so that the roots are not burnt due to extreme summers in our country and also this mulch helps in moisture retention. Thanks for allowing me to share my experiences and ideas and wish you a very happy gardening and a rich harvest. Cheers, Vijay Fantastic blog. Thank you for your tips on gardening in India. I am at the moment living abroad and I have my own balcony garden. I was thinking about the possibilities of doing the same in India and I know how hard it is to find some simple stuffs in India that are easily available in the western world like peat moss and vermiculite/perlite. I have been thinking about a replacement for perlite/ vermiculite that could be easily available in India. While doing my research, I found that perlite/vermiculite does not add any nutrition to the plant and their main use is to provide proper aeration in the soil. Besides these are artificially manufactured and some may have contamination through the use of asbestos and other banned materials. Therefore I was seriously thinking that 5mm gravel pieces that are very commonly available in India and are very cheap could be a wonderful natural replacement for perlite/vermiculite. You need to choose the gravel size almost equal to the size of perlite. I think 3mm to 5mm would be the best choice. I am also glad that you are using coconut coir as a replacement for peat moss. Peat moss is already depleting and soon the world would run out of it. n the other hand, coconut farmers in India are stuggling to find an effective way of disposing their coir residues. I am glad that you can find coconut coir blocks easily in India. Therefore, my ideal potting soil would be a mixure of coconut coir peat, 3mm-5mm gravel, cow manure, neem cake and come vermicompost. I would also add some garden grade chalk such as dolomite to add calcium and magnesium content into the soil(when you buy dolomite, make sure it has magnesium and not just calciu. Calcium is very important for tomato plants and magnesium add the chlorophyll for the plants, thus making is very green) . In addition, the key to maintaining a healthy soil is through constant feed of organic nutrition. My ideal nutrition would be compost tea once every week. This is produced by soaking vermicompost(about 1kg) in a bucket(15 liters) of water for 24 hours and using this brew for feeding the plants once a week. Some people use fish tank pumps in this bucket to add oxygen, but I would prefer just stirring this bucket once every two hours during the 24 hour brewing time. even if you don’t stir it up, it works absolutely fine when you keep the bucket in some airy and sunny place for 24 hours. Also, I would suggest to germinate the seeds indoors in small cups containing vermicompost and once the plants reach about 5 inches tall, I would transplant them in their permanent container or land. After tranbsplanting them, it is also important to mulch them using saw dust or tree bark pieces so that the roots are not burnt due to extreme summers in our country and also this mulch helps in moisture retention.

Thanks for allowing me to share my experiences and ideas and wish you a very happy gardening and a rich harvest.

Cheers,
Vijay

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