Manasi Danukhe, a data scientist from Pune, had been working from home for a while and all she needed was a quiet place to complete her work. Thanks to the two balconies she has made into small forests, this was far from a tiring task.
"All I need while working is comfort, which my garden provides in spades." "Every virtual meeting takes place between the greens," the 37-year-old explains.
Manasi claims that she has never planted a tree by hand before 2016. Her enthusiasm for visiting attractive locations, on the other hand, gradually piqued her interest in gardening. Her partner is a wildlife photographer, and when they first moved in together, they both found the time and space to pursue their passions.
They eventually found a property with two balconies, each measuring 150 and 180 square feet. All that remained was for them to begin their gardening adventure. They began with only two or three plants and gradually increased in number, much like the climbers in their heavenly habitat.
A Slow Start
Manasi started by going to different plant nurseries and picking up whatever seemed appealing. The plants, on the other hand, would die in a matter of days, she recalls. This prompted her to learn more about each plant and how to plant it. "As a data scientist, I believe that old data may be used to create new data."
In my garden, I used the same logic. I kept in mind the issues that arose at first, such as dryness due to overexposure to sunshine, overwatering, bug infestations, and so on. Following that, I carefully picked plants and fertilizers." I used green shades to protect myself from direct sunlight and neem water to repel pests," she reveals.
This trial and error strategy was used for the first three years. She claims that this time period helped her learn more about each plant's characteristics. "Succulents, for example, do not require daily watering. It requires water once a week. Otherwise, the plant will succumb to the elements quickly.
Manasi claims that the lockdown was beneficial to her plants because the couple could now devote more time to caring for them. During this time, several more varieties were added.
Manasi’s Balcony Mini Forest
Manasi’s tiny woods now contain over ten different flowering plants, including bougainvillea, geranium, thunbergia, jasmine, and morning glory. There are ferns galore, including philodendrons and pothos, as well as tillandsia, 50 hanging plants, and Spanish moss air plants.
All of these, according to Manasi, require minimum water and pesticide care. "However, make sure you check each plant every day and remove any yellow or dry leaves," she advises.
