By Andrea Pavee
The familiar roar of the grass cutting machine always brings smiles of glee to my face since it heralds a “Christmas-time” for my garden. Bags and bags of fresh cut grass means a good feeding for my plants. Even better, this fertilizer is abundant and free – who could ask for more?
While part of gardening does require active service, be it planting, watering, or weeding the garden, another part of gardening requires patience, powers of observation, and quiet reflection on how your garden grows, and where you can improve on it.
With my fledgling knowledge, I brushed up my gardening know-how by reading. The internet is full of sites with plenty of advice. Plus, friends were always at the ready with helpful tips, when needed.
As an avid hiker, much of my gardening know-how also comes from observing the flora and fauna of a jungle near home. Nature has its own ecology and the jungle thrives in season and out of season.
Fallen trees play host and home to a whole slew of flora, be it moss, fungus, ferns, or bottom dwelling plants. It also plays host to an infinite variety of flora, whether it be insects, arthropods, monkeys, snakes, squirrels and many a feathered friend.
From observation alone, I realized that nothing goes to waste in the jungle. Within the intricate web of life, everything is needed, and necessary. Dead plants and trees are broken down to provide nutrients to flora and fauna. Soil is created in this process of breaking down, forming eventually the very ground we tread on.
Gardens are a smaller version of the jungles which grow lush and green here. Likewise, nothing needs to go to waste.
With the monthly advent of trusty Maniam, our grasscutter, the time is ripe for a feeding of all the plants at home. As his machine roars around the house, I reap in the fresh cut grass and layer it thickly at the over the top of my potted plants.
As Maniam, with his trusty broom, sweeps up the excess, he piles them around the base of the trees scattered around the garden.
In time, this grass will become compost but as it does, it will provide the soil with much needed nutrients while locking in moisture to prevent the roots from drying out. The thick layer also helps regulate topsoil temperature, keeping it at a constant even during the hottest days.
Any excess grass can be stored in a compost container, providing more compost for your garden, in time.
To keep the grass from becoming fly-blown, I weigh it down with either a layer of compost or soil. This keeps my home clean, even as my plant “feeds”.
Then, watch your garden grow!
Posted by Chayo, HomSkil Editor 1, 25 April 2021
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