Why We Need Plants

Very good morning Friends! Paudhayan Welcome to Paudhayan! Here we will try to know more about our green fellows. We will talk about who likes the Sun, who loves shade and who is not afraid of the dark; which one needs more water to thrive and what kind of soil and pot they prefer.

As you know, we humans are very selfish creatures. We like to do only the things that are beneficial to us. So even before starting gardening, let’s have a little discussion about its pros and cons.

Many of us wonder why we should do gardening at the first place! We do not like this at all as it requires a lot of time, hard work and patience. We won’t work hard, have little patience and don’t have time at all. It’s the job to be done by enthusiasts or professionals like farmers, gardeners, botonists or agriculturists. Or the government should be concerned about it as it is responsible for planting trees and saplings on the roadside, for making parks and gardens and to increase green cover and forest area in the country. Some of us may think that the community and the RWA of the colony or society we reside should take up the job.

Let me ask some questions to all those who think that way like “Do you have a refridgerator or air conditioner in your house?” or “Do you own any kind of motor bike or motor car which runs on fossil fuels?” Or “If electricity is used in any way by you?” If the answer to even one of these questions is in affirmative, then you must keep plants in your home and around. You are polluting the environment by using such luxuries so you will have to compensate for that. And if you don't do it now, the day is no far when you’re your upcoming generations will bear the burden of their own plant and their share of oxygen on their backs! Unfortunately, its not a joke. Even your forefathers used to take it as a joke when someone talked about selling clean water in bottles!

Do you know that the gases which are used as coolants in air conditioners and refridgerators are greenhouse gases whose ability to increase global warming is several thousand times more than that of Carbon Dioxide! Yes, you read it right! Beacause of burning of fossil fuels in vehicles, many particulate matters alongwith Carbon Monoxide, Oxides of Nitrogen, Sulfur Dioxide, Lead, Benzene and Hydrocarbons spread in the air which cause various kind of diseases. Polluted air, in many cases is the cause of cancer, lungs damage, diseases of kidney, liver, heart and eyes. Similarly, to generate electricity, large amount of coal is burnt or dams are built over the rivers. These power plants also emit many greenhouse gases and particulate matters which not only pollute the air, but also pollute nearby water sources.

And these all are just the things you are using at individual level. You have a fridge for yourself in your own home. You are eating food at home and not in the community kitchen! There is an Air Conditioner in every room of your house. Often there are more than one vehicle per person in an average household. And the excuse behind this is the same old line that in the modern world all these things are not the luxuries but the necessities of life.

So, what is luxury then? oxygen? Or those trees and plants that produce the Oxygen? And should they only be grown by amateurs and professionals? You must find the answer. And before Oxygen becomes the luxury that you can't even afford; you've got to give these green companions a place in your home and around. Because it will take hundredes of years before science will find a way to live without Oxygen or a lab or factory may produce it in sufficient quantity for all the people on the earth. Until then, you'll have to meet your oxygen needs the same traditional plant-based way.

There are many disadvantages of gardening too – like, it takes time, your house may get dirty and messy, mosquitoes and some insects may flourish, even birds may start chirping and making noise, or if there is some open space, some squirrels may also start visiting. Yes, it definitely takes time to water plants and to take care of them. But you should also know that according to many studies and researches, people who regularly take care of plants, live up to thirteen years longer than those who don’t. And this is obvious, I think. Gardening is helpful not only in relieving from stress, anxiety, depression, anger and sadness etc., but it also develops the interest in green vegetables and fruits, the sources of vitamins and minerals. With the clean air around, lungs and heart stay happy and healthy. Fresh air and natural environment reduce the occurrence of many diseases as well. That is why even doctors advise patients with serious diseases to change their environment. Means in the long run, it will compensate to a great extent for your time wasted in gardening.

The second concern is about the house being dirty. It can simply be avoided by some extra care and attention and by adopting some easy measures. As far as birds and squirrels are concerned, they make the surroundings cheerful and pleasant and prefer being at open spaces like balcony and lawn but if you don’t like them, just close your windows and doors in the morning and evening. You can keep mosquitoes and other insects at bay by using nets at windows and doors, mosquito repellents and also by adding some plants that repel these jerks away. We will keep talking about all these problems and their solutions in our upcoming articles in more detail.

Whatever be the benefits or harm of having plants in the home, forget about them all as there are always options available. But the Oxygen, the single most necessary thing to keep us alive, is irreplaceable yet. So have some plants around only for some Oxygen and clean air. Instead of investing money in air purifiers which also operate on electricity, try to create a natural environment at home.

Wherever, whenever and in whatever way you can... keep as many plants as you can. Have them in the lawn or garden or terrace or bedroom or bathroom or kitchen. Plant them in the ground or if there is no open space available, keep them in planters, or if that much space or soil is also not available, keep them in bottles filled with the water. You don’t even need to have big trees or fancy ferns; Tulsi, Aloe Vera or Mint will do great... but have some greens around you anyway.

So how to to do gardening and from where to start, you need to keep visiting Paudhayan regularly! In our next post, we will prepare ourselves for gardening and discuss about what to do and more importantly what not to do before starting gardening.

Till then Happy Paudhayan and Good Bye!