Living with Nature

Living with Nature

by | Nov 28, 2024 | Lifestyle, Winter Issue

Living with Nature

The pursuit of ‘forever fit and healthy’ has never been more popular with people throwing themselves into various diet and fitness regimes and products. From ozone therapy, fasting schedules to cold plunges; collagen powder, celery juice to gym workouts, people are not going to give up trying. But a more complimenting approach is to switch to conscious living. Being mindful of our choices, how they affect us, our health but also well-being of the environment. The crucial thing here is to understand that the most important factor is the affect on environment as that in turn affects everything.

A life consciously lived is based on  healthy diet, regular exercise, stress management and most importantly a healthy environment. And when we say environment it starts right from our immediate primary environment, that is our home or office and ends on the planet as a whole. 

Probably the best way to go about here is to align with nature. ‘Biophilia’ as we call it, all living beings show a natural inclination to be with nature. Hence Biophilic Architecture and Design attempts to include natural elements and materials in built surroundings to create spaces that enhance the well-being of people. It aims at bringing us close to nature even in an urban set up. 

Somewhere the philosophy of ‘panchtatva’ also stands for the balance of the five elements of nature-the earth, the sun, the air, the water and the sky as the basis for all life systems. Let us explore how architects play with these elements to create healthier and harmonious space to live.

Let the Light come in

Natural light through windows, doors, skylights is prime consideration, both for health as well as aethetics in building design. It not only brings in positive energy, uplifts the mood but sunlight is directly connected to our digestive ‘oorja’

Remember that dependence on artificial light throughout the not deprives you its health benefits but also increases your energy consumption.

Let there be Water

Water is the essence of life on earth. Its not only cool and refreshing but sustains many other life warms around us.  A small khurli, pond or a magnificent water landscape, each creates an ecosystem friendly to life. 

Making a water body in any architectural design will also reduce the heat in warmer regions that further makes it energy efficient. A big water features added to public spaces can go a great way to cool down the cities and also contribute to rainfall. 

Let it be Natural

Modern synthetic materials are neither healthy for us nor the environment. Use local  natural and recycled materials like bamboo, mdf, clay, stone and dead wood to save environment degradation and to eliminate harmful chemicals around us. 

Designers today are experimenting sustainable materials even in hotels and resorts to create a bigger impact on environment

Let the Air Flow

Ventilation promotes air quality and availability of fresh air which is so important in times when oxygen levels in the air are already going low. Good size doors and windows in every room keeps a continuous flow of fresh air. This challenge needs special attention in corporate buildings that are slowly becoming air tight cabins. 

Make it Green

Find space for greens in all possible way both indoor and outdoor. From indoor plants, outdoor gardens to roof tops, just make your homes and offices green.

And those who find space constraints, go vertical, go hanging but go green. They are not only your tireless purifiers of air and temperature controller but also bring you a lot of medicinal value and food. 

Look at the View

As humans we naturally crave for view of the outside. Plan openings that treat you with a piece of nature. Be it the blue sky or lush green view outside, your visual senses are enough to keep you calm and stress free. 

Tomatoes for the Neighbourhood

Tomatoes for the Neighbourhood

by | Nov 27, 2024 | Gardening, GreenStreet, Winter Issue

Tomatoes for the Neighbourhood

All home growers would agree that its one of the most exciting veggy we all want to grow. Be its bright colour or beauty or a more than a hundreds way to use it raw and cooked or just the love for tomatoes, most of us are super thrilled to see the red bunches hanging in the garden. Unlike easy greens, fruiting plants and specially tomatoes need a little expertise in care to bring success. Of all, I myself took a few years to get the hang of it and still learning. So here are a few tomato hacks I slowly learnt over the years that will help you bring a bumper harvest.

Like they say,” teach a man to garden and the whole neighbourhood will get tomatoes.” And that is going to be perfectly true once your really get these hacks into practice its one crops that gives you a raining harvest all through the crop cycle. And once you are tired of enjoying salads and gravies, making dips and chutneys, sun dry them to keep, freeze them for summer, you will still have them enough for neighbours.

6 Hacks for Growing Tomatoes

1. Perfect Soil Mix

Tomatoes love well drained, slightly acidic soil that high in nutrient value. So make your soil mix rich in compost when you start. Give a side dressing once or twice through the season. Add calcium and phosphorous rich bone-meal or egg shells before flowering time.

2. Plant it Right

Plant the saplings really deep or go multiple transplants i.e. From sapling tray to 6″ pot  to 12″ pot or beds.
Burrying the hairy stem helps develope a better root system which in turn leads to healthy growth

3. Remove Suckers

Small shoots that grow from junction of a main branch are called suckers. Pruning them early improves the quality of fruit as they squeeze away nutrition.
Its can be a great idea to root them they are capable of flowering and fruiting.

4. Pinching

When your plant is 10″ pinch the apex. Every pinch brings new branches and bushier growth to bear more flowering

5. Stake them Early

Both bush and climber varieties of tomatoes need support. As soon as you transplant them in their final pot or bed, stake them firmly with good quality sootli or sticks. This protects the plant from limping with weight, once the fruit sets in.

6. Clear Lower Leaves

As the plant grows, keep clearing the lower leaves which will protect the plant from pest and disease from the soil. It also brings concentrated energy to fruiting as spent leaves no longer waste water and nutrients

House Plants that make you Breathe

House Plants that make you Breathe

by | Nov 26, 2024 | Gardening, Winter Issue

House Plants that make you Breathe

Believe it or not, plants can contribute a great deal to reduce our carbon foot print, increase oxygen level in air, minimize toxic gases and chemicals as well as trap particulate matter. All plants naturally release Oxygen and absorb Carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and in that capacity they are our natural support system to provide us balanced fresh air.

Also there are some intelligent choices which go an extra mile to handle the current levels of pollution in the air. So next time you go plant shopping to the nearby nursery, remember to pick up some of them that appeal you with their looks, suit your space, light conditions and ease of maintenance.

Trees Top the List

Due to their size and height, canopy, high emission of moisture and maximum surface area as trunk, leaves or stems, trees top the list in purifying the environment. A research team from Delhi University has zeroed down five trees that are most effective to fight pollution-Peepal, Saptaparni, Jamun, Devdar and Plumeria.

  • A single mature tree can absorb carbon dioxide at a rate of 48 lbs. per year
  • On average, one tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen each year, sufficient for two persons.
  • Remove gaseous pollutants by absorbing them through the pores in the leaf surface. Particulates are trapped and filtered by leaves, stems and twigs, and washed to the ground by rainfall.
  • So let’s try and accommodate at least two trees in your homes and you shall enough oxygen for a family of four. A generous green cover around city roads and highways can balance the huge amounts of pollutants generated by urban living.
  • Some trees like Neem and Peepal release oxygen even at night and become real oxygen boosters

Best Choice for Houseplants

For those of us who lives in small spaces or apartments and cannot accommodate too many trees, a NASA study suggests several common house plants that can neutralize common toxins as well act as our natural oxygen cylinders.  Luckily when I turn and look around the house, I find most of them plenty. Hmm! I take a deep breath! So let’s make some space for them as vertical arrangements, pots around the patios, balcony trails, hanging baskets or creepers up the boundary walls. They shall promise to make your living spaces come alive as well as give you a puff of fresh air.

Boston Fern

Ferns are champions and remove more formaldehyde than any other plant and are highly efficient at removing other indoor air pollutants, such as benzene and xylene that can migrate indoors if you live in heavy traffic areas. They love shady verandas and like to be watered regularly. Thrive during wet months and need regular watering during dry summers.

Palms

Palms seem to be particularly good at removing indoor air pollutants, specifically formaldehyde, and they’re relatively easy to care for. Dwarf Date Palm, Bamboo Palm or Areca Palm all are superstars of filtering toxins. They filter good amounts of air as they can grow to be pretty big, as tall as four to 10 feet high, making them exciting outdoor as well as indoor additions. 

Chrysanthemum

Mums are a gardener’s favourite and the first among winter blooms. They have a perfect timing with Diwali when quality of air is expected to worsen. Chrysanthemums are perfect air-purifiers for removing ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, and xylene and bring a touch of colour to home gardens and balconies.

Sansevieria

Sansevieria or Snake Plant is also called ‘The Bedroom Plant’ as it produces oxygen even at night when most of the plants release Carbon dioxide and is this sense a great booster of Oxygen. It also removes benzene from the air. This easy growing is the best choice for non gardeners to balance their air at home. Grows well even when neglected and performs photosynthesis both in bright and dim light. Six of these well grown plants are sufficient to provide enough Oxygen to one person. So it’s a good idea to plant as many of these  in the most neglected side of your garden or patio so as to accommodate plenty of them. They are a hardy choice for roadsides or wastelands as they hardly ask for much care or water.  

Spider Plant

Spider Plant is one of the easily propagated plants and a very giving source of oxygen as it can perform photosynthesis in bright as well as dim light. It absorbs toxins like carbon mono oxide, gasoline, styrene and formaldehyde. So grow it in baskets beds or pots and place them in any kind of light conditions, they will simply multiply on their own and be at your service to clean up the toxins from the air.

 

Pothos

This common indoor vine in anything from whisky bottles to ceramic containers occupies the kitchen windows or heads up on the fridge in many homes for its obvious belief in feng shui. The easy growing money plant is an absolute friendly soul that is happy even in just a water arrangement and grows all over if in a pot or basket. Cannot say if it will brings you greater wealth and prosperity but Money plant surely is a powerful air purifying plant that will clean the air in your house very effectively. It has a particular affinity for formaldehydes and other volatile organic compounds most commonly in the form of off-gassing from synthetic paint or carpets.

The Sacred Marigolds

The Sacred Marigolds

by | Nov 25, 2024 | Gardening, GreenStreet, Winter Issue

The Sacred Marigolds

The peculiar yet homely fragrance of marigolds fills the air in every home with the onset of festive season in India.

Be it adorning the gods and goddesses, wedding and festive decorations or honouring the guests, marigolds are thread into our culture in countless ways. The heavenly fragrance of these saffron colour petals is sprinkled in every religious and social occasion

There is something sacred in aroma of this bright pompous blooms of golden hues that feel like it’s our very own.

Very few of us actually know that the flower was brought to the land some three centuries ago by Spanish and Portuguese traders and ever since it has been a symbol of worship and celebrations in every Indian household. Because of its popularity, it is one of the most widely grown in the floriculture industry almost all through the year. Commercial growers encash it’s popular demand and phool mandis or flower markets are mostly overloaded with marigold flowers and garlands every morning.

Traditional love and attachment for this easy growing seasonal is favourite for home gardeners too. Marigolds are not only  grown for their beauty but also as an ideal companion plants as they not only attract pollinators but  also guard your plants from white flies and other pests. Among many varieties, French Marigolds (Tagetes patula) and African Marigolds (Tagetes erecta) have a more pungent scent but are still technically edible and used in teas, salads and garnish.

Tips to Grow Marigolds

  • Autumn is a great time to start Marigolds with seeds or saplings and are generally ready to bloom within 45-60 days
  • Sow the seeds in cocopeat and compost mixture. For transplanting saplings make a soil mix of soil, peat and compost.
  • Select a bright sunny spot to get great flowering though saplings can be made ready in semi shade
  • Once your saplings settle, you may pinch them frequently to make them bushy
  • If you see early buds in small plants pinch them too.
  • Add a little phosphorous booster like bone meal after the plant has attained good bushy growth.
  • Marigold enzyme spray could further improve flower quality and quantity.
  • Keep a check on dried flowers. Keep clearing them by snipping them off which will give you repeated flowering to enjoy till late spring
  • Never throw away the spent flowers. Dry them to collect seeds, add them to compost or make enzyme as it’s the best one to enhance flowering as well as acts as pest repellant.

Spice It Up!

Spice It Up!

by | Nov 22, 2024 | Food, Winter Issue

Spice It Up!

Christmas is the time for everything nice and surely some spice. The delicious aroma of of cinnamon and cloves fills the air. From the food on the table to the Christmas decorations on the mantlepiece hot-spicy flavours and fragrances have been enhancing festivities since centuries.
While sipping my favourite toddy, late evening, I wondered, how food traditions across cultures are so scientific and aligned to seasons.
So let’s spice it up on Christmas. Give yourselves a warm hug with a hot and spicy mug to cover from the chill. And here, of course mulled wine and hot toddy recipes are gonna evoke some nostalgia for  all.

Mulled Wine

The tradition of spiced and heated wine dates back to ancient Rome where it was used to preserve wine as well as fight the cold. This practice spread across Europe during the Middle Ages, evolving into the festive drink we still love today. The rich, spiced aromatic  mulled wine is  symbolic to making merry and holiday spirit.

Ingredients: 

  • 1 bottle red wine (750 ml) 
  • 1 sliced orange 
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • ⅔ cup honey
  • ¼ cup brandy
  • 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 5-7 whole cloves
  • 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • Few strands of Rosemary

Method:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan.
  2. Cook the wine for about 15 minutes until steaming.
  3. Remove form stove before boil and let it rest to infuse for half an hour to be perfectly flavoured.
  4. Warm and ladle it carefully into mugs without the whole spices.
  5. Garnish with orange slices and Rosemary

Hot Toddy

The classic hot toddy is my favourite home remedy for sore throat or cold. But you don’t need to be under the weather to enjoy this traditional cocktail. Cheer up your winter evenings all through the season.

Ingredients: 

  • 1½ ounces whiskey
  • ¾ cup hot water
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 lemon round
  • 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 1 Anise

Method:

  1. Boil water in a kettle or on stove
  2. Pour hot water, whiskey, lemon juice and honey in a mug and stir well till honey dissolves.
  3. Taste and adjust the sweet and sour balance to taste.
  4. Garnish with lemon slice and spices

    Christmas Garden

    Christmas Garden

    by | Nov 15, 2024 | Gardening, Lifestyle, Winter Issue

    Christmas Garden

     The traditions around decorating the Christmas Tree is symbolic of the festival itself. Right after fall, people all around the world start looking for Christmas decor. And since olden days, a variety of plants have been favourite choices to do up homes, offices and even streets. 

    In the western world, many varieties of firs, spruce and pine are decorated as Christmas tree. While Araucaria, Cypress and Junipers are more popular in our side of the world. 

    Some plants are popular for the traditions associated with them and others simply because of the Christmas moods and colours. So here is a list of five most loved ones. 

    5 Popular Plants for the Season

    1

    Poinsettias

    Poinsettias are surely the most loved to create Christmas cheer. It’s bright red leaf bracts are the most popular though it comes in many colours of lemon, white, pink and even marbled varieties. Technically a perennial, it grows back every year in favourable conditions.
    Native to Mexico, the plant got its name after an amateur American botanist who brought it to US.

    How to Care :

    • Its a good idea to pick up Poinsettia timely when its still not freezing cold so that they can settle before Christmas.
    • Keep them away from harsh cold winds and protect them in warm cozy place once temp goes below 5 C
    • Always ensure them to be sufficiently moist but not wet

    2

    Silver Dust

    Soft woolly silver grey foliage of this plant will shine like snow in your garden. Often planted in bed borders, it creates a great contrast with bright colour foliage.

    How to Care:

    • Once Silver Dust settles to transplant, it needs minimum care
    • The plant is happy in full sun to partial shade.
    • Little pruning will make it bushy and regular watering is enough to keep it happy.

    3

    Holly Plant

    The tree has a traditional belief to be crown of Jesus and so the Christians have adopted the Holly Tree as symbolic to Christmas. The plant has more than 400 varieties but English Holly is almost synonym with Christmas. 
    Native to Europe, Africa and Asia is a densely branched tree with spiny leathery leaves. Though not very common but English Holly is available in some nurseries.
    How to Care:
    • Grows well in sun or partial shade
    • Is happier in slightly acidic soil so add some used tea leaves or coffee grounds.
    • In warm regions, it needs to go in shade during summer.
    • Pruning is good in winter

    4

    Rosemary

    Rosemary, native to the Mediterranean, does not love extreme cold conditions but this perennial herb has a cultural connect with Christmas. Its piney fragrance is supposed to bring good luck and that makes it a favourite not only in Christmas decorations but also for festive bakes, stews and roasts.

    Its needle shape foliage, similar to firs and pines further makes it a favourite buy for the festivities in spite of the fact it does not take severe cold conditions.

    How to Care:

    • Rosemary thrives in a warmer times so its a good time to buy before winter sets in
    • Keep in bright sunny spot but cover it with white net after Christmas to protect from frost.
    • Do not water unless the soil goes fully dry.
    • Harvest regularly to keep it bushy

    5

    Golden Cypress

    Cypress is the common name for conifer trees from the Cupressaceae that are found in warm regions of the world. After Araucaria, its the second most popular plant to be decorated as Christmas tree.

      Plants shops are loaded with Golden Cypress in all sizes as Christmas gifts and decor though they are difficult to keep in summer months unless in shade or in cooler regions. 

      How to Care:

      • Cypress thrives in cooler moths so its great to buy anytime around Autumn.
      • Keep in bright sunny or even bright indirect light.
      • Do not water unless the soil goes fully dry.
      • Bring it to shade after spring as it cannot with stand extreme temperatures above 35 C
      • Keep a constant check on potassium feed to raise immunity in warmer months as it is prone to fungal infections.