Pune: Garden nurseries in the city, many of which operate under a dual poly-house and open-farm setup, are facing about 20% spoilage this monsoon amid intense rain spells . Stagnant water and flooding have caused issues such as root rot, yellowing of leaves, de-foliage and damage to seasonal flowering plants at nurseries. “This time, the rain is more intense than usual.
Some 10% to 20% of my plants are damaged due to the heavy rain. The most affected are seasonal varieties such as Ixora, Murraya Dwarf and Bougainvillea,” said Amol Jagtap, the owner of B2B nursery Venkateshwara Nursery. Some business owners have moved their plants into poly-houses, which are types of greenhouses made of glass or polytheene sheets.
Plants can be grown in poly-houses under controlled climatic conditions. Other nurseries, meanwhile, have created better drainage in their farms to ensure the rainwater gets an outlet. Pritam More, who runs More Gardens on Pune-Solapur Road, admitted that plant growth and quality improves with rainwater, but it also leads to issues such as root rot.
“We are also facing an issue of over-stocking at present because builders who had ordered plants in bulk for plantation in their new constructions have paused deliveries as fresh plantation is not possible due to heavy rain,” he said. Many of the plants have either grown too much or have been damaged, he added. Smaller retail nurseries have cut down on purchases during the monsoon as it becomes difficult to manage a high volume of plants that have to be moved in and out of shade.
“Demand is less during monsoon as people find it messy to work with wet soil,” a nursery owner in Wanowrie said. Shalini Goswami, who runs the Shadenium nursery in Hadapsar, said small stores lack infrastructure to protect plants that require a certain environment. “We stock expensive exotic plants, which are sensitive to extreme weather and are difficult to maintain during this time.
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Piyush Mishra highlighted their lower cholesterol and saturated fat content, aiding heart health. However, some products are highly processed and may lack essential nutrients. Dietician Parmeet Kaur emphasized the need for balanced, varied diets and careful planning.
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