The Urban Gardener 7

7th Issue Vol.2, No.4

ISSN

April 2009

A PRIMER IN URBAN AGRICULTURE

Leafy vegetables like Mustaza and Petchay are ideal crops for Urban Agriculture With Rizal Technological University taking the lead in the implementation of Urban Agriculture in the Mandaluyong Area, the Research and Development Center, through its staff, has taken the initiative to create a primer in order to guide the participants in the implementation of the said project. Urban Agriculture is the practice of cultivating, processing, packaging and distributing food in or around a village, town or city. It involves principles in horticulture, animal science, fisheries, and business. Focused on food production, but may also include recreation and relaxation purposes. The goal of Urban Agriculture is : Food Security and Safety. This is to increase the amount of food available to the people living in the city and allows fresh vegetables, fruits, meat products to be made available to urban consumers. Some of the activities to be involved in the project are:: 1. Planting / raising of small quantities of vegetable crops / small fruit trees 2. Cultivation of freshwater fish in containers 3. Raising poultry and small livestock 4. Raising of houseplants for indoor use (residential or office) 5. Vermi-composting of garden wastes 6. Gradual introduction of organic gardening concepts Urban Agriculture aims to encourages bio-intensive method of food production, to make the activity more efficient. The Objectives of Urban Agriculture are: (1). To make available and affordable food items especially common vegetables in the family household and in the city and in effect lower the expenses on these food items; (2.) To encourage the production of healthy, safe, pesticide-free vegetables; (3.) To make use of vacant lots, residential spaces, balconies and roof-tops for vegetable growing, urban greening, and landscape beautification; (4.) To create alternative means of livelihood to city-residents, especially women and out-of-school youth; (5.) To encourage entrepreneurship attitudes to

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citizens; and (6), To encourage composting or organic wastes, recycling of plastic, styro-foam, glass and metal wastes, thereby reducing total waste output To make the project viable, here are some of the suggestions: 1. Program Orientation and Trainings 2. Seminar Workshops for various sub-projects like vegetable gardening, captive fresh water fish cultivation, poultry production, mushroom production, small ruminants raising, swine production, vermi-culture and basic entrepreneurship. 3. Close monitoring, feedback and technical support for participating members 4. Raw materials (inputs), Planting Materials, and Market Support; 5. Field trips / Educational Tours to other Demo Farms 6. Continuous manpower / skills development 7.Creation of weekly Urban Gardeners Tiangge usually on Saturdays or Sundays Some of the vegetables which can be planted for urban agriculture are: Tomato, Bell Pepper, Siling Pari, Siling Labuyo, Pechay, Mustasa, Upland KangKong, Spinach, Kalabasa, Upo, Patola, Ampalaya, Eggplant, Onion, Shallots,Kinchay, Celery, Okra, Sitaw, Batao, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Pepino, Sweet Potato, Leeks, Basil, Alugbati, Labanos, Carrots, Saluyot, Mungbean, Wingbean, Yambean, Lettuce, Ube, Papaya, , Banana, Corn / Mais, Malunggay, Pandan, Pako/Fern, Katuray, Luya, Gabi FRUIT TREES: Mangga, Kamias, Sampaloc, Langka, Kayumito, Balimbing, Bayabas, Rambutan Guyabano, Pinya, Lakatan Banana, Chico, and Makopa. hOW TO START 1. Site Selection – Select a site or space within the property / in the baranggay where plants can receive morning and afternoon sun, secured from pedestrians and protected from roaming animals 2. Land Preparation -- Cultivate soil using a spade and rake. Remove large rocks, plastic litter and trash. Level the ground. Ameliorate soil using compost or coconut coir dust, and sand. Make plots composed of hollow blocks usually 1 meter in width and 5 meters or less in length. 3. Sowing of Seeds – pre-soak or moisten vegetable seeds in cheese cloth (Katcha) for a day or two. When small radicle (root) peeps out of the seed, sow them in germinating trays or in the seedling beds. Seeds germinate in 1-2 weeks. Place seedling tray in full sun to harden plants. Then transplant into vegetable plots or in individual pots. 4. Transplanting – carefully transfer seedlings, avoid damaging root ball into pots or in plots. Transfer early in the morning, then water regularly. Protect from roaming animals and spray with either organic or synthetic pesticides if necessary against insect pests. 5. Watering – water plants once or twice a day, making sure that the soil does not dry up. Gardening needs a dedicated person. During excess rains, plastic sheets maybe necessary. 6. Fertilization – fertilize your plants either with organic composts or synthetic fertilizers (complete 14-14-14, ammonium nitrate, urea, and muriate of potash) for optimum growth. 7. Pest and Disease Management – Closely monitor plants everyday. Control insect pest by netting or enclosures, or by applying organic or synthetic pesticides.

MOTIVATING YOUR GARDENING SKILLS BY GROWING AFRICAN VIOLETS By Norberto R. Bautista Saintpaulia or locally known as African Violets belongs to the Gensneriaceae family. The genus have about 6 species of herbaceous perennial flowering plants, which are native to Tanzania and adjacent southeastern Kenya in eastern tropical Africa. The common name was given due to a superficial resemblance to true violets.

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The genus is named after Baron Walter von Saint Paul-Illaire , the district commissioner of Tanga province who "discovered" the plant in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) in Africa in 1892 and sent seeds back to his father, an amateur botanist in Germany. Two British plant enthusiasts, Sir John Kirk and Reverend W.E. Taylor, had earlier collected and submitted specimens to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 1884 and 1887 respectively, but the quality of specimens was insufficient to permit scientific description at that time. The genus Saintpaulia, and original species S. ionantha, were scientifically described by J. C. Wendland in 1893. Saintpaulias grow from 6-15 cm tall and can be anywhere from 6-30 cm wide. The leaves are rounded to oval, 2.5-8.5 cm long with a 2-10 cm petiole, finely hairy, and with a fleshy texture. The flowers are 2-3 cm diameter, with a fivelobed velvety corolla ("petals"), and grow in clusters of 3-10 or more on slender stalks (peduncles). Flower colour in the wild species can be violet, purple, pale blue, or white. Several of the species and subspecies are endangered, and many more are threatened, due to clearance of their native cloud forest habitat for agriculture. Over 2,000 cultivars have been selected for horticultural use. There are many different leaf and flower types found; cultivars are classified as Large, Standard, Trailing, Semi-mini, Mini, and Micro with Micro being the smallest. With these vast cultivars and varieties, various plant clubs were formed just to cater the needs of garden enthusiasts specializing in this plant group. These plants are prized for heir abundant and colorful flowers. They are the most popular of all house plants, and they are the ones which encourages Europeans and Americans to popularize indoor / window sill gardening. There are more than twenty species in the genus, but only a few are of interest to the average indoor gardener, who is likely to prefer striking modern varieties and hybrids to plants of the type species. The kinds recommended below includes outstanding modern form as well as the five species from which most new kinds have been bred. All saintpaulias have shallow root system and either a short stem topped by a rosette of leaves or a creeping, branching, trailing stem bearing alternate leaves. The leaves of the species are generally round or oval, somewhat hairy, medium green on the upper surface, and pale green on the underside. Leafstalks are fleshy and pale green. In mature plants flowers stalks grow from all leaf axils. Each stalks branches near the tip, and a small, pale green calyx bearing a corolla with five lobes grow from each branch. The corolla is tubular but no more than 1/8 inch long,, and the lobes spread so widely that they look like five separate petals.

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Flowers of the species are single, they have only one layer of this petals but a number of the varieties and hybrids are many-petalled, or double. In the most forms the two upper lobes of the flower are much smaller than other three, but some kinds have star-shaped blooms with equalsize lobes. Flower color ranges from white through numerous shade of blue, purple, pink and red. Tiny, golden yellow pollen sacs are highly noticeable in the center of the flower. Cultural Requirements. Light. Provide plants with bright diffused light, but not direct full sun. Two or three hours a day of filtered sunlight will benefit African violets, but they should never be exposed to hot noontime sunlight, or else their leaves and flowers will be scorched. Plants can be positioned near windows. African violets also grow well in artificial light. If fluorescent lightning is available, place plant 12 inches below the tubes for about 12 hours a day. Flowering can become continuous once the plant is given adequate light along with other satisfactory conditions. Temperature These plants flourish in ordinary room temperature. High humidity is essential; stand pots on trays of moist pebbles, and suspend dishes of water under hanging basket. Watering Water plants moderately, enough to make the potting mixture moist at each watering but allowing the top half-inch of the mixture to dry out before watering again. Too much water at any time can cause roots to rot. Fertilization. It is recommended that African violets be given a one-quarter-strength dose of liquid fertilizer containing equal amount of nitrogen, phosphate and potash every time it is watered. However, for majority, this is impossible, thus, fertilization can be made once every week, by pouring ½ cup of liquid fertilizer per week, or about 6 small pellets of controlled release fertilizer once every 2 months. Potting and Reporting. Use a mixture of equal parts of garden soil, sand and compost plus three or four tablespoonfuls of aquarium pebbles or sand for every four cups of the mixture. African violets are shallow rooted, thus use pots that have the diameter only of about 1/3 that of the plant. A 5 – 6- inches container should be the largest needed. Propagation. African violets can be propagated by leaf cuttings or seed (from which new cultivars are selected). Matured leaves with stalks can be removed from the plants by hand. Insert the petiole or leaf stem into loose moist potting mix, with the round shaped leaves on the surface of the soil. New plantlets will come out in two weeks time. African violets can also be propagated through plant tissue culture in the laboratory. African violets are very easy to grow, as long as you do not over-water them or expose them to too much sun. They are ideal plants for the beginning garden enthusiasts, specially children. The plant has inspired a lot of amateur gardeners to fully pursue a life-long hobby of gardening.

The Urban Gardener is an official electronic publication (in PDF Format) of the Plant Biotechnology Project, Research & Development Center, Rizal Technological University, Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City, Philippines. It is published monthly. For more information, please inquire thru email: [email protected] or [email protected] and landline

(+632) 534-8267 Local 135 or Fax (+632) 534-9710.

The Plant Biotechnology Project Committee is composed of: Alexander B. Quilang, Norberto R. Bautista, Jovita A. Anit & Carnette C. Pulma.

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