The Maalis (Gardeners)
Looks like there were quite a few mistakes I learnt from in my initial forays into gardening, so in continuation to the earlier post, here’s an account of my experience with the maalis. At least here in Gurgaon where I live, it’s difficult to get a maali who is passionate about plants or actually knows about them, OR at least is willing to learn.
Here are some issues I faced with them, and my learnings therein:
Supervise their work – I had a lemon tree in my front yard that I had planted two years ago, and it was just not growing well. After trying many things and thinking that the plant is not getting enough sun, I finally asked my maali to transfer the plant to another sunnier spot. To my horror I saw that the plant still has its roots packed in a plastic bag – the original one that the sapling came in. I was aghast and also surprised at how the plant survived such disaster.
LEARNING: Never leave the maali to do any work in the garden in your absence, or if he is reliable - without clear instructions.
When you start a new pot, you MUST have a good layer of crocs/ gravel at the bottom for good drainage. Most maalis don’t do this - they will just put one piece of stone and think it’s enough.
LEARNING: Even if you don’t know much gardening, don’t assume that maalis are better. Do guide them at every step.
See what they propose and get for you Maalis generally will get some small bags of what they would call chemicals and some fertilizers but they might be just some ash or some waste. So its important to observe what he is getting for you.
There are some training programs for gardeners organized by All India Kitchen Garden Association and you could get in touch with them. It’s a very nominal charge of about Rs. 400/-, so it might be a good investment J
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