Advances in Agricultural practices have led to the introduction of many new methods in raising different kinds of plants. Floriculture, Mushroom Culture and Hydroponics are a few of these techniques. In this lesson you will leam about these three methods.

• identify different types of ornamental plants
• understand the difference between flowering and foliage shrubs and the methods of raising them.
• classify different types of trees, climbers and bulbous plants with few examples of each.
• appreciate in what different ways indoor plants can help to decorate our homes and the techniques of growing them.
• learn some facts about designing a home garden.
• learn the two systems of growing mushrooms and the techniques of mushrooms cultivation.
• define Hydroponics, state the two methods of hydroponics and recall the composition of nutrient solution.
• appreciate the importance of hydroponics and its limitations.

Indoor plants are those plants which thrive in the living room of a house under normal conditions of light and humidity.

Plants are grown indoors because:

(i)  Indoor plants are never out of season.

(ii)  They are specially useful in places where people live that may not have spaces for gardens.

(iii) They provide charm and beauty to the house and add to the interior setting.

1. Foliage plants with green or variegated leaves in different shapes e.g. Asparagus, Tradescantia.
2. Ferns which are attractive, non-flowering and shade loving e.g. Maiden hair fern, silverfem, etc.
3. Palms with a single stem and large leaves suitable for growing in large rooms or halls e.g. Dwarf palm. Pygmy date palm.
4. Cacti and succulents are plants with thick fleshy leaves or stem which store water. They are of various forms, shapes and sizes and bear attractive flowers e.g. Cacti like Opwitia, Epiphyllum and Succulents like, Bryophylhim and Euphorbia.
5. Bonsai are dwarf adult plants grown in shallow pans which add to the decor of drawing rooms and are grown by a special technique.

Terrarariums can also be set up in glass cases like those of an aquarium, and using different types of plants. They add beauty and variety to the internal decor.

Common techniques for propagating indoor plants are cuttage, layerage and budding.

When there is no space for growing plants in the ground, plants are grown in pots. Also ornamental foliage plants and some other indoor plants are normally grown in pots of different types e.g. earthen, metallic, plastic, wooden or cement.

A garden in a home not only adds to its beauty but also increases its real estate value.

The following points may help in designing a home garden. It can be changed according to the plant and size available.

1. It is essential to have variety in colour size and type of plants
2. It should be properly maintained with the hedges trimmed, lawn properly mowed and the flower beds regularly weeded. Some vegetables may also be grown.

The use of mushroom as human food dates back to time immemorial. Today with the development of better technologies and greater realization of their nutritive value, mushrooms have come to occupy an important place in the diet of people in serveral parts of the world including India. It is therefore necessary to have a knowledge of growing mushrooms.

The three species of mushrooms cultivated in India are white button mushroom (Agaricys bisporous,) paddy straw mushroom (Vblvwiella volvacea) and oyster mushroom (Plewotus-sajol-caju)

In North India, -the climate conditions prevailing, during different seasons can be exploited for growing mushrooms through out the year as follows:

Mid - November to mid-March : White button mushroom

February to mid-September : Paddy straw mushroom

September to November : Oyster mushroom.

Since the white-button mushroom (Agaricus bisporous) is a most popular mushroom. Its method of cultivation is discussed here.

The optimum temperature for vegetative growth i.e. spread of the mycellium is 22° to 25° C and for the reproductive stage is 14° to 18° C.

The following steps are required to be followed:

Compost is prepared by mixing wheat or paddy straw chicken mannure with a number of organic and inorganic fertilizers in fixed proportions, the compost is kept at a high temperature (app. 50° C) for one week and then mushrooms cultivated.

This is the process of introducing the' spawn which is the "mushroom seed"

comparable to the seed in crop plants, into the compost. Spawn is merely the vegetative mycelium from a selected mushroom grown in a convenient medium. The success of mushroom cultivation and its yield depend to a large extent on the purity and quality of the spawn used. The amount of spawn used should be sufficient to help rapid and vigorous coverage of the beds with the organism.

Casing means covering the compost with a thin layer of soil or soil-like material after the spawn has spread in the compost. It gives support to the mushroom, provides humidity, prevents quick drying of the spawned compost and thus helps in better growth of the spawn. Casing also helps to regulate the temperature.

The arrangement is made for maintaining circulation of fresh air around the beds. Temperatures have to be kept low to prevent growth of pests and diseases and regular spraying of insecticides is also required to be done for the same purpose, It generally takes 7 to 8 days to come to the button stage from the first appearance of the formation of a pin head.

Plants growing without soil require the same amount of light and warmth that they would if they were growing in soil. Growers who use hydroponics indoors provide a source of light and heat.

There are two main methods of growing plants without son.They are water culture and aggregate culture.

In water culture, plants are suspended with their roots submerged in water that contains plant nutrients, The roots absorb water and nutrients, but do not anchor the rest of the plant. Therefore, the plants must be mechanically supported from above. Air must be regularly puinped or mixed into the nutrient solution.

There are many different kinds of nutrient solutions. A basic solution might contain:

3.4 kg. — Potassium nitrate

0.65 kg. — Ammonium Sulphate

2.65 kg. — Magnesium Sulphate Mixed together in 5000

1.50 kg, — Monocalcium Phosphate litres of water

3.0 kg. — Calcium Sulphate

Once the solution is in the tank, 5 litres of water containing 37 grams of manganous sulphate and 4 to 6 drops of concentrated sulphuric add should be added to each 5000 litres of solution once a month. In addition, 150 grams of ferrous sulphate in 5 litres of water should be added once a week.

In aggregate culture although plants are grown without soil, the roots not only absorb water and nutrients, but also anchor the plant. Instead of being placed directly in a Water and nutrient solution, the roots are placed in a substrate meterii4, such as coarse sand, gravel, peat etc. A nutrient solution is then repeatedly applied to-the substrate material. The solution is either pumped up from below the roots or trickled down from above.

Growing plants without soil is an affective way to study the needs of plants. By varying the amounts of nutrients, we can find the best ratio for successful growth.

Some suggests that hydroponics can be used for commercial crop production. In places where soil is not available, such as on ships at sea, deserts and in covered Arctic areas, hydroponics is an effective alternative.

Hydroponics is used in large-scale cultivation of flowers and vegetables. The yield is the same as for soil-grown plants and the technique saves time by automatically watering and fertilizing the crop,

• Floriculture is the study of different types of ornamental plants and their cultivation.
• There are different type of ornamental plants like seasonal annuals, flowering and foliage shrubs, ornamental trees, climbers, bulbous and indoor pants.
• Seasonal annuals are grouped according to the season of their growth and flowering into summer, winter and rainy season annuals.
• Ornamental shrubs are both of the flowering and foliage types.
• Shrubs have to be properly maintained.
• Ornamental trees, climbers and bulbous plants add beauty to our gardens and the landscape.
• Shrubs have to be properly maintained.
• Ornamental trees, climbers and bulbous plants add beauty to our gardens and the landscape.
• Indoor plants are used to decorate our homes.
• A home garden adds beauty to the home and has to be carefully designed.
• The three species of mushrooms cultivated in India are white button mushroom, paddy straw mushroom and oyster mushroom.
• The main steps in mushroom cultivation are composting, spawning, casing, cropping and harvesting.
• Hydroponics is the method of growing plants without soil.
• Two methods of growing plants without soil are Water culture and Aggregate culture.
• The nutrient solution contains nitrates, sulphates, phosphates of potassium, magnesium, calcium. Manganese and Iron dissolved in water.
• Air has to be constantly pumped into the solution.
• Hydroponics is used for commercial production of crops, vegetables and flowers in places where soil is not available.

1. Water culture and aggregate culture
2. Seasonal plants and perenial plants
3. Ferns and palms
4. Casing and spawning

1. Foliage shrubs are grown for their decorative leaves while flowering shrubs are grown for their beautiful flowers.
2. Foliage Shrubs — Mehndi, croton, acalypha

1. Bulbous foliage plants — Alocasia, Caladium, Monsteria, Fems.

Bulbous flowering plants — Iris, Gladiolus, Tulip, Narcissus

2. Bulbous plants can be propagated through offsets, cornels, fragments and bulbils.

Intext Questions 39.3

1. Different types of indoor plants are foliage plants, ferns palms, cacti, flowering plants and bonsai.

2. Plants are grown indoors to decorate our homes specially flats where there is no space for an outdoor garden.

Intext Questions 39.4

1. (i) Mushrooms are richer in proteins, vitamins and minerals than most other vegetables.

(ii) Mushrooms help to reduce weight (iii) Mushroom cultivation opens new avenues for employment.

2. (i) Shelf system and tray system

(ii) White button, mushroom

(iii) rainy; organic matter.

(iv) substrate.

3. Composting, spawning, casing, cropping and harvesting.

1. Foliage shrubs are grown for their decorative leaves while flowering shrubs are grown for their beautiful flowers.
2. Foliage Shrubs — Mehndi, croton, acalypha

1. Bulbous foliage plants — Alocasia, Caladium, Monsteria, Fems.

Bulbous flowering plants — Iris, Gladiolus, Tulip, Narcissus

2. Bulbous plants can be propagated through offsets, cornels, fragments and bulbils.

Intext Questions 39.3

1. Different types of indoor plants are foliage plants, ferns palms, cacti, flowering plants and bonsai.

2. Plants are grown indoors to decorate our homes specially flats where there is no space for an outdoor garden.

Intext Questions 39.4

1. (i) Mushrooms are richer in proteins, vitamins and minerals than most other vegetables.

(ii) Mushrooms help to reduce weight (iii) Mushroom cultivation opens new avenues for employment.

2. (i) Shelf system and tray system

(ii) White button, mushroom

(iii) rainy; organic matter.

(iv) substrate.

3. Composting, spawning, casing, cropping and harvesting.