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Smitten with Green, Dubai (2026)

10/09/2019

11.09.2019

Would you believe if I say that this bunch of mint stems is more than 2 weeks old? This was labelled as Kenyan mint at a supermarket in Dubai… Was priced slightly more than usual Indian Pudina but it has a sharp, minty fragrance. Since the mint in my garden is drying because of summer heat, I need backup supply for my cooking needs.

Earlier, when I would bring mint from the supermarket and store in vegetable compartment of the fridge, it would hardly last one week. Some stems would rot and smell. This time, I decided to try a new method for storing mint and now that this bunch has stayed fresh for 2+ weeks, I am ready to share the simple tweak😊

Take a glass bottle with wide mouth, fill it with water upto ¾ level so that the lower part of the bunch stays immersed in water. I did not separate the stems but removed the lower leaves so that there is no rotting leaves because of contact with water. Cover the top portion of the bunch with a plastic bag (I used the same bag which was used to pack in the supermarket). Secure the bag around the bottle tightly. Change the water in the bottle once in 2-3 days and rinse the stems thoroughly to clean. The water doesn't get cloudy or change colour if there's no leaf floating or stem rotting.

I am seeing all the stems rooting and the leaves still super fresh, which means this is one of the best ways to store the mint stems. May be once all the leaves are used in the kitchen, I can put the rooted stems in soil and try to grow this Kenyan mint. By then, our superhot Dubai weather would sober down..hopefully.

Planning to try storing Pudina in similar way in the fridge. Also I am planning to try my hand in storing coriander leaves bunch. Storing them the usual way in boxes with paper towels doesn't work for me more than a week. May be I can try storing leafy veggies also this way?

25/07/2019

25.07.2019

Hi dear friends,

It's been a really long time since I posted anything on my page Smitten with green. Not that I am lazy.. I do my bit of gardening in my tiny balcony space and work hard to keep it looking green and beautiful. Lot of thought goes into maintaining a green space and also hard work, physical energy and sweat, if you can imagine the summer temperatures of Dubai.

Let me be frank… I have been thinking of closing down my page for a while now, because of poor response. I started this page, Smitten with green in May 2015 and it is 4+ years now. But so far liking on my page is only 300+ wherein numbers of likes increases/decreases on its own. This page is a part of my experiment since I wanted to start my own gardening blog, with which I could communicate, teach and share my knowledge with gardening enthusiasts. But now seeing the response to my Page and level of appreciation, I have struck off plans of starting a blog and may be one fine day, this page will also stop. Poor appreciation is equal to zero motivation.

Writing a post on gardening, clicking pictures, sharing accurate information, adding hashtags are not only time consuming but also mentally draining because I can't be dispensing wrong gyan and incomplete details. Whatever I put down in my post are straight from my heart. My own words, own gardening experiences and knowledge I gained from my experiments, learning and observing. .

Sad part of it is, the ones whom I considered friends also have let me down and the same set of 'friends' when they have gardening query, send me private messages for solutions and once they get the help, don't even remember to post a 'thanks'. I have stopped answering their queries because they don't spark joy in me….the fair weather "friends". Why people become so mechanically thankless or are we moving towards becoming a society without gratitude?

I wanted to share my thoughts on this and have been pondering whether it is worth it to make the people known about this… But I had to, if my conscience reminds me.

However, my gardening efforts will stay with me till I can and so does my knowledge. No one can steal that from me (few bitter experiences in the past where my articles and writings were stolen and published by some crooked people to sponsor their meals. I will not get into details. God has a way to deal with them, may be I have forgiven them.. Not forgotten)

In the end, a small video of my cactus garden on the garden shelf. The picture quality may not be good because of bad light and camera not able to adjust with outside heat. My plants are probably the only ones who appreciate my efforts and love and they return the same by staying in shape and healthy🙂🙏

17/05/2019

17.05.2019

CLOSED BOTTLE TERRARIUM:

I made this closed bottle terrarium last Thursday (9.5.2019). It is one week old now.

I used a medium sized canning jar (purchased for storing lemon pickle which I never made) 🙄😅

The layers from bottom to top of the bottle are: Pebbles, claystones, shredded coconut fiber, soil mixed with sand and dry natural moss (soaked in water for two hours) and plants.

I used simple, small sized plants from my garden for this terrarium...like Alternanthera and Hydrocotyle verticillata (Marsh pennywort). To fit them into the bottle, I had to plant pruned cuttings. They are rooted, growing well and adapted to new surroundings in less than a week’s time.

When I started first, I just put plants and after two days added two river stones for more natural like atmosphere inside. Also added a small battery operated light stuck to the inside of lid to illuminate the scene inside during evening hours.

It is sheer joy to see the tiny ecosystem irrigating itself and forming its own version of natural water cycle process by way of condensation. There is a little quantity of water in the bottom layer of pebbles, but the soil is not soggy because of no direct contact with water. So no danger of plants dying because of root rot.

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10/04/2019

10.04.2019

EDIBLES FROM MY TINY GARDEN - MINT:

Propagating mint plant from stem cutting is easy for some and not so easy for others. For me, it was one of the most difficult process until I got it right. In a climate like that in UAE, most of the time we cannot put supermarket bought mint stems directly into the soil and hope for its survival. Best way is to preserve few good, healthy stems and allow them to root in water indoors. Even then, these rooted stems may not grow outdoors in a pot of soil unless it is given proper conditions for growing… favourable weather, controlled watering, well draining soil, etc. Once it adapts to the new surroundings, mint will grow, grow and grow invading all space inside the container. That's the reason why mint is not a great plant to grow directly on ground. It takes over and invades whatever space, depriving other ground plants of space they need.

I grew my first mint plant from stem cuttings almost 9 years ago and after that, there's been abundance of this lovely herb… Much more than I can use in my cooking. It is invasive - occupies whatever space it is allotted. There's one more use for this plant. I plant few stem cuttings in plant containers throughout my garden because mint is a pest deterrent. I rarely see aphids or mealy bugs on my plants. Maybe it's the lovely aroma of mint that these pests hate.

Still, there's one pest that seems to bother mint plant. “Cutworms” - Every year during March-April, cutworms invade the mint plants and turn the stems into skeletons. I would feel bad about it earlier but now accept it as nature's way of keeping things in balance. The cutworms eat their share of leaves and then leave to turn into moths. Within a few days, mint plant starts to grow new leaves.

That's the reason I am posting picture of my mint pot today. The cutworms are back and started chewing few leaves already and very soon this container will start looking like battleground after the war.

If you have mint plant in your garden and leaves look something like what I have posted…. You know who is responsible 🌿🐛

22/03/2019

22.03.2019

Happiness is……. Volunteer cherry tomato plant growing effortlessly in the Tulsi pot and getting ready to produce some future juicy tomatoes 🍅🍅

This plant sprouted out of compost. Regular watering, removing sucker shoots and feeding soil with crushed eggshells is all I am doing. Sunlight and breeze are doing the rest of the work to ensure good health of the plant.

Tulsi plant is protecting the tomato plant from pest attacks, though it is not getting enough room to grow. But like a good sport, it is a great companion plant😍

NOTE:
(thanks to Google)

1) In gardening and agronomic terminology, a volunteer is a plant that grows on its own, rather than being deliberately planted by a farmer or gardener. Volunteers often grow from seeds that float in on the wind, are dropped by birds, or are inadvertently mixed into compost.

2) A tomato sucker is essentially a small shoot that begins growing in the spot where a branch meets the stem of the tomato plant.

28/02/2019

28.02.2019

A little world inside the bottle….

Sharing few more pics. I have stuck a small battery operated light on the inner side of the lid for illuminating effect during evening hours. I had clicked these pictures few days ago but couldn't post since my children are having Final exams.

23/02/2019

23.02.2019

Today's Pic: A small piece of my Fairy castle cactus (ekdum Original name: Cereus tetragonus), which got separated from mother plant, thanks to bird population frequenting my balcony. Don't know exactly which bird was responsible though.. Kept it in shade to let the cutting heal and planted in this blue bowl. It has rooted well and starting to show signs of branching.

18/02/2019

18.02.2019

I had posted the pictures of my closed bottle terrarium made from old, recycled Nescafe bottle last year. Originally I had planted fittonias and Ficus benjamina but somehow fittonia couldn't survive for more than two months. So had to replace with a tiny Aralia plant and it is growing slowly.

I had added very small quantity of water (roughly one tablespoon) last year while starting this bottle terrarium and it never dried up. The soil is always moist. I had added activated charcoal bits which has helped to keep the bottle odour-free.

Three weeks ago, I added miniature red & white wooden fencing and a small toy dog (bless my kids for parting with their treasures❤️….). I have sown few seeds of chamomile also which are showing signs of germination.

Will post more pics of this bottle terrarium soon👍

06/01/2019

06.01.2019

Simple grouping of different cacti always adds charm to container gardening.

I’m loving the affectionate look in the eyes of parent fox sitting on the ‘rock’ pebble. The baby fox is definitely adorable. Thanks to KinderJoy chocolate brand for adding such beautiful animal toys… They are worth collecting and using to enhance the miniature gardens.

Wish you all a very Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year 2019!!

09/12/2018

Awesome!!!! ❤️💚

06/12/2018

06.12.2018

I bought this beautiful grafted moon cactus from Friday Market, Masafi-Fujairah during recent UAE National Day holidays. Price quoted by seller: AED 25….. Bargained and finally bought at AED 15.

I have grown this variety earlier too, but they didn't last long because of zero knowledge about them and negligence in making them thrive. I am sharing the lessons learnt through their loss here. Hope these tips help you too:

1.You can shift this cacti to a slightly bigger container once bought home from plant nursery. Please ensure that roots are not disturbed while repotting.

2.The container should have good drain holes to let out excess water or If you are planting it in a pot without drainage, better to layer the bottom of the pot with some pebbles so that excess water doesn't cause root rot.

3.After repotting, don't water the plant for atleast 2-3 days.

4.It is better that soil is completely dry between watering schedule.

5.Never spray water on the cactus or grafted portion. It's always better to water the soil to moisten it.

6.Moon cactus does not need frequent fertilizing. If you are doing home composting, you can feed some nutrients once in 15-20 days. However, winter is resting time for cacti and Succulents. So you need not feed them compost and also be very very careful about watering.

7. Protect Moon Cactus from direct sunlight. They will do better in a place which does receive morning rays of sunlight but away from afternoon harsh sunlight.

8. The top grafted portion of cactus seems to grow fast and very soon the stock part of cactus will not be able to take the weight of the same. So watch out and remove baby plants carefully from top plant to balance the weight. You can graft these babies to new stock plant and get new varieties. (I tried few times without success since UAE doesn't have a favorable and pleasant weather throughout the year)

9. The stock part of the cactus might start rotting in some cases… May be because of over watering, pest attacks or any unknown disease. So carefully watch the plant for such distress signs. If neglected, it will make the whole plant to perish. To salvage, you can cut above the rotting part carefully, allow the plant to dry wounds by placing in shade for two days and re-plant it in soil.

Hope the above tips will help those who are interested in growing them. Moon cactus is a beautiful addition to any cactus garden. I am not sure how long they will last in my balcony…

I have copy pasted few detailed which was gathered from Google which is informative:

“Yellow Moon Cactus Gymnocalycium Mihanovichii. Moon cactus are lacking chlorophyll which results in a bright yellow coloration. In part sun they develop some pink and orange as well. These are grafted onto other fast growing cacti. Easy to grow, do well in succulent gardens or in a window sill”

“Gymnocalycium mihanovichii is a species of cactus from South America. The most popular cultivars are varied mutants which completely lack chlorophyll, exposing the red, orange or yellow pigmentation”.
(Source:Wikipedia)

Scientific name: Gymnocalycium mihanovichii

04/12/2018

04.12.2018

Total look of Part-1 and Part-2 of my cacti garden….. 🌵❤️💚 There are more thorny plants in other parts of my balcony. Will post pics. once I manage to clean up those spaces🙂

Smitten with Green

10/09/2019

25/07/2019

17/05/2019

10/04/2019

22/03/2019

28/02/2019

23/02/2019

18/02/2019

06/01/2019

09/12/2018

06/12/2018

04/12/2018

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