Plastic Bag Trick

Friends
Just wanted to share this trick that I use.. when some plants do not grow or do not give leaves out I cover with plastic bag to create a moist and humid environment inside..
The first 2 show how the new growth came up.. next 2 pictures are with plastic bag..

AC:

Neat trick, isn't that? I tried leaving the seed propagator lid on for most of the day (which unfortunately did not go well with my tulsi plant - it just rotted away) and surprisingly found most of the baby plants to have grown a lot.

My cucumber and tomato plants are in a growing frenzy but have a long way off before they start to flower and fruit.

The pictures show the cucumber plants, beetroot and basil (thanks to your blog!) about 1 to 1.5 months ago.

The second one shows the 'wee' tulsi (left most and hardly seen) that rotted away - thanks to my over enthusiasm. To the extreme right is bittergourd.

Let me stop before I bore you with the rest of their stories:)
Sindhu

Sindhu dear
I am so happy to see your plants.. You can never tire me.. i find your posts very interesting... your plastic tray looks green while mine is black.. and the plants look healthy too! keep going ..

Originally Posted by anandchitra

Sindhu dear
I am so happy to see your plants.. You can never tire me.. i find your posts very interesting... your plastic tray looks green while mine is black.. and the plants look healthy too! keep going ..

That is very kind of you, AC.

My plastic tray trick is that it is new:)

Here is how a few of the plants have grown so far.

Sunflower(then and now), bittergourd, basil and lavender.

Sindhu

that is a wonderful idea Dear AC, thank you for sharing with us.

How long should we keep like that? My curry leaves plants (planted this year) is not growing fast. They look okay, but not very healthy. Any suggestions?

Also spraying the fungicides on flowers(roses), does it affect the flowers?

Dear Sindhu, nice to see your plants, they are coming up very well. What kind of plant is in the last picture?(DSC00090)

Cheerful

Originally Posted by sindhurao

That is very kind of you, AC.

My plastic tray trick is that it is new:)

Here is how a few of the plants have grown so far.

Sunflower(then and now), bittergourd, basil and lavender.

Sindhu

my dear dear Sindhu
I am so very proud of you.. all the plants look healthy and green. way to go my friend!

How long should we keep like that?

Hi Cheerful:

Good question. I'm quite apprehensive of keeping the plants covered for more than a day.

AC:
Do you keep them until they sprout additional new growth?

Dear Sindhu, nice to see your plants, they are coming up very well. What kind of plant is in the last picture?

Thanks. That is lavender. I'm not sure of the variety. This is the first time I'm growing lavender. Hopefully, by the time it is ready to flower I should know.

Sindhu

Originally Posted by anandchitra

my dear dear Sindhu
I am so very proud of you.. all the plants look healthy and green. way to go my friend!

Thank you, thank you.

Now comes the hitch - I am leaving for India for summer holidays and I am already going nuts - not knowing what to do with the plants. If I tell my husband I'll cancel my holiday, before I know he would have made sambhar out of the baby plants!!!! - well, just kidding!

Have to blame myself. Did know what I was doing but didn't know I will be so possessive of the plants!?! Have to find another plant lover and then barter on the veggie output:) Hahaha.

Sindhu

I can share the plans my dh did for our travels..
He got a timer and connected a hose to the water outlet. He then connected a soaker hose to the regular hose. the soaker hose is laid neatly on the vegetable bed.
Timer is set to go on at certain time day and days.
we tested it works
so no one needs to be present. ofcourse if veggie grow someone might ebe needed to pluck them..
hope this helps:)

Originally Posted by sindhurao

Thank you, thank you.

Now comes the hitch - I am leaving for India for summer holidays and I am already going nuts - not knowing what to do with the plants. If I tell my husband I'll cancel my holiday, before I know he would have made sambhar out of the baby plants!!!! - well, just kidding!

Have to blame myself. Did know what I was doing but didn't know I will be so possessive of the plants!?! Have to find another plant lover and then barter on the veggie output:) Hahaha.

Sindhu

Originally Posted by cheerful

that is a wonderful idea Dear AC, thank you for sharing with us.

How long should we keep like that? My curry leaves plants (planted this year) is not growing fast. They look okay, but not very healthy. Any suggestions?

Also spraying the fungicides on flowers(roses), does it affect the flowers?

Dear Sindhu, nice to see your plants, they are coming up very well. What kind of plant is in the last picture?(DSC00090)

Cheerful

Curry leaf plant requires lots of care... maybe even shade cloth might help.. depends on what zone you are in.
sprayin will not affect flowers. in my zone i must spray.. no choice.. otherwise all leaves would fall in no time.. i dont spray very regularly.. once in spring and once in summer.. most gardeners i know maintain a regular spraying schedule.
I keep the plactis bag on till I see new growth. the plastic is just grocery bag draped over.. theres plenty of space for plant to breathe.. will not harm plant at all..
Many times i have revived plants int his manner.
Hope i helped:)