MY DEHRADOON

DOON GARDENING SOCIETY MONTHLY MEET MARCH 2017 – DEHRADUN 18.03.2017

The monthly meeting of the Doon Gardening Society for the month of March, 2017 was held at the residence of Mr.Satyavrat, former DGP Uttarakhand. at his residence # 65, USHA Colony, Sahastadhara Road, Dehradun on 18.03.2017 at 5.00pm. Mr.Satyavrat and Mrs. Sangeeta have been inducted into DGS as new members.

Out of 18 members 13 members attended the meeting and 3 members had shown their inability to do so for personal reasons and 2 members was absent.

Both Mr. Satyavrat and Mrs. Sangeeta are keen gardeners and spend a lot of their time in gardening.

Mr. Satyavrat’s day starts with tea in his favorite garden spot. He enjoys the nature’s bounty, while observing the sprouting seedlings of the newly laid out vegetable garden or the change in size, shape and colour of the growing plants.

New buds formation on his Apple Tree and the formation of the small apples is indeed a thrill for him.

The members assembled in the lawn and introduced each other.

Capt. S K Bhandari was elected as the president for the day.

With the permission of the President, the meeting was declared open.

Capt. S. K.Bhandari, gave a talk on the various garden activates to be undertaken during the month of March, 2017 with special emphasis to the fruit trees and their care.

It was emphasized that overall in Dehradun there was a nematode and fungus attack on standing fruit trees. The white fly and Mealy bug attack was also prevalent. The nematode and the fungus attack the roots of the pants and are carried through the soil and use of infected garden tools.

The members were advised to spray the following combustion on all the plants specially the fruiting plants.

-In 1 liter of water dissolve 10gm Bavistin or Anustin (Carbendazin 50%) fungicide + 10gm Copper Oxychloride 50% WP and 10gm Fungo (Thiophanate Methyl 70% WP) and mix it well. Spray this on all the plants to be followed after 5-7 days.

If the damage in the plants is less than 50 % then these will survive. Plants with more than 50 % damage and discoloured or blackish brown stem and leaves should be de-rooted and destroyed by burning.

For Mealy bug infection the members were informed as under:

Prune out light infestations or dab insects with a Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol.

Do not over water or over fertilise — Mealy bugs are attracted to plants with high nitrogen levels and soft growth.

Then try to wash off the infected area with high pressure water.

Similarly insecticidal soap spray will help kill this pest. Insecticidal soap contains potassium salts of fatty acids, which penetrates and damages the outer shells of soft-bodied insect pests, causing dehydration and death within hours.

You can purchase the insecticidal soap from a shop or make your own as given below:

Homemade Insecticidal Soap Recipe

The simplest insecticidal soap is nothing more than a 2% soap solution. To make this at home, you will need:

Sprayer: Any clean spray bottle or garden sprayer will work fine for spraying insecticidal soap. Make sure the sprayer or bottle hasn’t been used for herbicides.

Pure Soap: Lux or any all-natural soap. The active ingredient in insecticidal soap comes from the fatty acids in animal fat or vegetable oil, so it’s important to use the real thing.

Don’t use detergents (which are not actually soaps), dish soaps, or any products with degreasers, skin moisturizers, or synthetic chemicals.

Pure Water: Tap water is fine for making insecticidal soap. If you have hard water, you may want to use bottled water to prevent soap scum from building up on your plants.

To make homemade 2% insecticidal soap, mix together:

5 tablespoons soap to 4 liter of water.

Other ingredients that can be added to homemade insecticidal soap

Homemade Insecticidal Soap Recipe Variations

Like any other home remedy, there are as many variations on this recipe as there are gardeners! You can also try:

Diluted Solution: If the spray causes damage or burns your plant foliage, cut the amount of soap in half and try a 1% solution. This is the concentration usually found in commercial sprays. The lighter solution might be less effective but is gentler on plants.

Cooking Oil: To help the solution stick a little longer, add two tablespoons of light cooking oil (such as corn, canola, olive, or safflower) per gallon of water to the mix.

Vinegar: To make a spray that also targets powdery mildew, add a teaspoon of cider vinegar per 4 liter of water to the mix.

Garlic or Pepper: To help repel chewing insects, add a teaspoon of ground red pepper and/or garlic per gallon of water to the mix.

If this does not affect, apply a pesticide combination Imidaclorphid17.8 % SL 2ml + Power Bio20 2ml in 1 liter water and drench the affected plants. To be followed after 10 days.

I have used it very effectively. The plants are now both green and healthier with no trace of the mealy bugs. Imidaclorphid17.8 % SL will kill the pests and Power Bio 20 will help the plants gain vigour.

This was followed by a question/answer session in which Capt. Bhandari solved the issues as well gave tips on various aspects of gardening

A visit to the garden was undertaken. There garden was blooming with flowers as the spring/early summer season was in full swing.

A good collection of Bonsai plants were also on display.

This was followed by a well laid out and sumptuous snacks and flavoured tea.

The meeting was then declared closed and a vote of thanks was given to the Host and Hostess.

A few pictures of the meeting are given in the attached album.