CHENNAI:Have you heard of an ‘Insulin plant’, the consumption of whose leaves tends to lower blood glucose levels? As per reports in National Institutes of Health of the US National Library of Medicine, Costus igneus, commonly known as insulin plant, does help diabetics in reducing their blood glucose levels.
These and many other plants are nestled in a terrace garden in the quaint and serene surroundings of Eshwaripuri Colony in Sainikpuri in Hyderabad. What began in 2012 as a pastime of growing flowering plants, it now has an enviable variety thanks to Sailaja and her son Sai Prakash. Today, the duo oversee more than a 100-plus potted plants neatly stacked in rows across the terrace. Among flowering plants, different kinds of roses such as button, white, red, yellow and chrysanthemums, hibiscus, and others dot the place.
Among vegetable plants, tomato, brinjal, green chilli, snake gourd, gherkins, okra, cabbage, coriander, spinach, fenugreek, cucumber, and more greet the eyes.
Speaking on the care being taken for the plants, Sai Prakash says, “We only use cowdung and vermicompost as fertilisers, and Gomutra for pest management.”
With summer bearing down, the duo have installed a shade net across the entire length of the terrace. It certainly works. One does not feel the heat standing under the net.
While not tending plants, Sai Prakash works as a business analyst in a software company.
On future plans, Sai Prakash says he is exploring the idea of setting up aquaponics on his terrace, where fish are grown alongside plants. The waste produced by fish would supply the needed ingredients for the plants’growth.
(If you have any questions or gardening tips, feel free to contact Sai Prakash at 9849735895)