“I have inherited a passion for gardening. My father used to do gardening, then I have seen elder brother also doing gardening. I too have been cultivating vegetables on the terrace for the last several years. After retiring from my bank job in 2015, I spend all my time in the garden,” says Manoranjan Sahay, a resident of Patna in Bihar.
He has given the form of a beautiful garden to his terrace. Hundreds of different types of trees and plants are the pride of his garden. Fruits, flowers, seasonal vegetables, medicinal plants as well as some bonsai are also engaged in his garden.
64-year-old manoranjan The Better India Told to, “After retiring from the post of bank manager, I give all my time to gardening. I started gardening in 1990. Initially I planted plants like peepal, banyan, pakar, neem in a pot on the terrace and then kept pruning them. Even today I have all these plants in my garden and their height is not more than one and a half feet. After that I planted small bamboo plant varieties. Then planted many flowering trees. I have always been fond of planting different types of trees.
Today there are also trees like Brahmakamal and Kalpavriksha on the roof of Manoranjan. He tells that he has got plants from different places and then planted them on his terrace.
planted more than 500 trees
There are trees like pomegranate, jamun, chikoo, guava, lemon, grapes, almond, walnut on the terrace of entertainment. He says that he has tried to plant something different in fruits as well. Like they have two varieties of chikoo. “Similarly, I have three-four varieties of lemons. Their fragrance and taste are very good. I have two different varieties of guava, black and red guava. Similarly there are two varieties of grapes too,” he said.
Except almonds and walnuts, he is taking fruits from all his other fruit trees. Apart from the terrace, he has planted mango, amla, guava trees in his campus. “After fruits, I also focused on vegetables. But I plant only those vegetables which we eat at home. Like eggplant, beans, tomato, two or three types of chilies. I grow all-season vegetables on my terrace,” he said.
He also has medicinal plants like curry leaves, mint, aparajita, giloy in his garden. He says, “I have planted many saplings from cuttings and have also bought many plants from nurseries. I have brought many saplings from Allahabad and they are growing well in our house.” He himself makes manure for trees and plants from the wet waste of his house. In addition, he prepares his own potting mix for all the plants.
Gardening Tips
Manoranjan further explains that if someone is doing gardening for the first time then they should prepare a common potting mix for all the plants. Mix as you would with normal soil, coco peat, cow dung, sand, and vermicompost. Also choose the pots correctly. There should be a hole in the bottom of the pot so that the water does not stagnate. Because when water starts stagnation in the pot, the roots of the plant get rotten.
“Often people complain that the saplings brought from the nursery last only a few days and then start getting spoiled. The main reason for this is that people ignore certain things. For example, when you bring plants, you should remove their soil from below and then plant them in a pot. Because nurseries often apply red soil of Ganges around them while preparing the plants. This soil becomes very hard after drying and due to this the roots do not spread. So always after bringing the saplings from the nursery, remove the soil from the bottom and then plant it in a pot,” he said.
In addition, he sprays his plants with Epsom salts and alum mixed with water. He says, “Even though each plant needs different types of nutrition. When you do gardening, slowly you start to understand this. I recommend gardening to everyone, because it not only keeps the environment around you pure. But it is also good for your health. I myself spend all my time among the trees and plants and am perfectly healthy,” he said at the end.
If you also have a passion for gardening and you have also made the balcony, kitchen or terrace of your house a place for trees and plants, then share with us the story of your #Gardengiri. Write to us with pictures and contact details and send your story to [email protected]!
Editing – G N Jha
Also read: The hobby of gardening is such that a pond built on the roof, planted lotus, sugarcane, including more than 100 trees and plants
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