Organic rules for a lush garden
Advice on gardening from the experts is always welcome, particularly advice on organic gardening. So a seminar on the subject held by the Hellenic Society for the Protection of the Environment and Cultural Heritage last week was particularly useful, coming at a time of the year when many people start to rethink their gardening practices. As emphasized by the experts at the seminar, organic gardens really should be planned from scratch, given that all good gardens begin in the soil which, organically speaking, means compost. The seminar organizers had samples of small commercially available compost bins suitable for use on apartment verandas or small gardens. Horticulturalist and garden designer Yiannis Spantidakis compared gardening to bringing up a child; it’s a job that needs continuous and hands-on attention. «We can all become parents, but how many of us can become good ones?» he asked. In other words, if you leave your garden in the care of others, and don’t get your own hands dirty, you can’t really complain if the result isn’t quite what you wanted. Spantidakis advised people planning a garden to first think about what they can afford to maintain. «We have to bear in mind the four dimensions of a garden – not just length, width and height but we also have to take into account how it will develop over time,» he said. «From the moment we create a garden we are playing at God creating a world. We trying to use our own limited means to do what God did using other powers. What is done wrong will have to be paid for at some point; what is done right will be ours to enjoy,» he said. He also pointed to the fallacy of thinking of a garden simply as a collection of our favorite flowering plants. «One can’t just take any plant one likes and plant it just anywhere. Just as a person’s development is affected not only by the environment but by the community, so a plant’s growth is affected by neighboring plants and the conditions in which it is planted.» There are important factors such as water requirements, for example, which are non-negotiable in a garden. Also, if one’s garden is in an area where water is in short supply, one should not use plants that need a lot of it, even if one can afford high water bills. «Remember that a lot of plants sold in Greece come from Italy, and parts of it where there is a lot of rain. For example, Pistoia, where a lot of plants are grown commercially for export, is about the same latitude as Belgrade. So plants that have been grown there will not transplant well to most parts of Greece,» he advised. Pest control Garden designer Antonia Moutafi explained natural methods of pest control, such as using predators like ladybirds that eat greenfly and other insect pests. «There aren’t many organic preparations available on the market, but they are very effective as long as you know how to use them. They are not the same as the homemade preparations people often make, which can do harm if they are used in too high a concentration or in the wrong way,» Moutafi explained. «However, one effective home preparation which is effective against many fungal diseases of plants is a teaspoon of baking soda in a liter of water. As for using soap against greenfly and other insects, it is better to use green soap – two to four spoonfuls dissolved in a liter of water.» Moutafi warned against spraying a plant with any kind of preparation during the hottest hours of the day. Nematodes Also available are beneficial nematodes that prey on other pests but do not harm plants or animals. Nematodes, tiny invisible organisms, are available in packages along with enough food to enable them to survive until used. The contents of the package are mixed with water and sprayed or poured onto the plant. «A very popular trap is the one used against the olive fruit fly and the Mediterranean fruit fly that attacks all fruit trees. Each trap, a plastic bottle or bag containing a solution that attracts the pest, is hung on the tree and can attract hundreds of insects every summer. The solution used in the trap is non-toxic and can be replaced when the bag is full of insects. Another method is to use insect-proof nets over trees.» Moutafi emphasized the importance of maintaining a good equilibrium in the garden to avert disease. «Much of this is common sense; proper ventilation, for example. It is important to prune properly to allow air to circulate in a plant. Diseased plants or parts of plants should be removed altogether. Diseased leaves should be collected from the ground beneath the tree to prevent a recurrence of the problem.» «The chemical industry has done a good job of convincing people that a garden should be flawless,» she said. «But the shape and size of a plant is achieved naturally and without force. Choose the right species of plant for what you want in order to avoid too much pruning in the future. Let nature work for you. It knows its job very well, so cooperate with it!»
