THE TRIBUNE Real Estate CHANDIGARH | SATURDAY | 17 DECEMBER 2016 CHARU CHHIBBER Shrinking spaces as well as the vertical expansion of urban areas has lead to scarcity of space and land for gardening enthusiasts. In such a scenario many are exploring hydroponics or soilless gardening. This practice involves growing crops without the use of soil. It uses mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent. Jaspal Singh Anand, a resident of Sector 33, Chandigarh, has been growing plants, including different varieties of exotic vegetables and fruits, in his terrace garden using this form of gardening. The retired Merchant Navy officer, who started gardening about three years back, is one of the very few practitioners in India of the ‘art’ of hydroponics agriculture. In an exclusive tête-à-tête Anand elaborates on the intricacies of the multi-beneficial agricultural practice that has taken the world by storm and is slowly but surely garnering support in our country. What is hydroponics? Hydroponics is the method of growing plants without soil, using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent. Terrestrial plants are grown with only their roots exposed to the mineral solution, or the roots may be supported by an inert medium, such as cocopeat, leca balls, gravel, etc. The nutrients in hydroponics can be from fish waste, animals manure, or nutrients that can be easily bought from the market. There are many ways to set up a hydroponic garden. Which one/s have you found to be the best and why? Gardens that thrive A hydroponic kitchen garden on terrace JASPAL SINGH ANAND IN HIS SOILLESS TERAACE GARDEN IN CHANDIGARH TRIBUNE PHOTOS: NITIN MITTAL Setting up a hydroponics garden is not too difficult. For a beginner the raft system is the best suited, as it is easy to maintain. Growth can be fairly decent. However, this system is best for greens — lettuce, spinach, celery etc grow well under this system. For other vegetables, you need an inert medium, which can be cocopeat, leca balls etc. These basically hold the plant, while the nutrients are administered by dissolving these in water. This is basic, but works well with a little care. Demonetisation hits cement prices While cement prices have been affected in the southern and western markets, volume growth has been adversely impacted in all regions in November following demonetisation, rating agency Icra said recently. “In the southern market, the prices have shown a decline of ~30/bag in October and November together, with the current prices hovering around ~300/bag. On an average, in the southern market, the cement prices during 8M FY2017 stood at around ~305/bag, lower by ~20/bag when compared to 8M FY2016,” Icra said in a statement. A similar decline in prices post demonetisation was witnessed in the western markets wherein the price, after having recovered by ~15/bag in October to ~265/bag, slipped to ~240/bag in November 2016. “On a Y-o-Y basis, the average cement price during 8M FY2017 around ~260/bag is down by ~10/bag, compared to 8M FY2016. The November prices for the East and the North remained stable at ~325/bag and ~335/bag, respectively,” it said. While cement prices have been affected for the South and West, volume growth has been adversely impacted for all regions in November 2016, following demonetisation. “Given that a significant portion of the cement demand is driven by real estate, it is likely to get impacted in the near term. “The demand slowdown from the realty sector is expected to be offset to some extent by infrastructure demand, specifically backed by Central government funding,” Icra Ratings Senior Vice President Sabyasachi Majumdar said. “Nonetheless, overall, the demand for the cement sector is expected to be adversely impacted by this development in the next two to three quarters,” Majumdar said. — PTI Nivan in Mumbai LAUNCH PAD 75 pc cos not disaster ready without soil IN CONVERSATION Paradigm Realty, a leading real estate company of Mumbai Suburbs, catering to the luxurious & elite segment has recently unveiled a new-age iconic residential development project Nivan. Located in Khar (west), this midtown project is a premium tower that comprises specifications like ample parking in basement, G+2 which occupies a shopping center on the ground floor while the first two floors feature commercial spaces for boutiques and offices, while the remaining 13 storeys cater to the luxury residential segment. What are the most important items you need for hydroponic gardening? Clean water, good quality of nutrients and control over temperature, PH balance and electrical conductivity, to be done regularly. What all plants (fruits and vegetables included) can be grown using this system? Any crop can do well under hydroponics, depending on the medium. Root crops are usually not grown, but salad greens do well. I have grown a large variety of crops ranging from tomatoes, brinjal, | SPACES 3 spinach, cabbage, coriander, multiple varieties of lettuce, Italian parsley, basil, radish, sweet potato, oregano, strawberry, mulberry, guava, bok choy, aurugula, succulents, herbs, olives, fruits and lemons. invariably get various types of insects/pests. How can these be dealt with? For vegetables, the first safety from insects is a net house. I also hang sticky paper all over the green house as protection against the insects/pests. How do you determine the nutrient requirement of every plant and does the same nutrient work for a wide variety of plants? Nutrients are very important. But the best part is that the same nutrients can be used for all crops. However, what varies is the concentration of individual nutrients for different varieties. Where there are greens, you How can one implement hydroponics gardening on a commercial scale? Implementing hydroponics on a commercial scale is very doable. The input costs are higher, and as usual, vagaries of weather and market conditions decide the cost factor. Finally, why hydroponics? The biggest advantage is that crops grown under this system are absolutely free of chemicals, which is a rarity these days. The food grown not only tastes better and is more nutritious, you can monitor what goes into your food. You also know you are not adding to the environment degradation. Another added benefit is that this method helps you grow more in less space. Other than that, hydroponics is proved to have several advantages over soil gardening. The growth rate on a hydroponic plant is faster than that of a soil plant grown under the same conditions. The yield is also greater. Nearly 75 per cent of Indian companies are not prepared for disaster management, a recent survey by real estate consultant CBRE says. According to the study, which included over 100 top corporates in the country and over 350 respondents found out that 75 per cent of the Indian firms are not disaster ready. It said that 96 per cent of the respondents agreed that majority of losses from disaster occur as a direct result of damage to the built environment, lack of foresight and planning. Nearly 97 per cent agreed that an integrated and comprehensive approach is necessary to improve the safety of buildings from disasters, the survey said. “Unprecedented rate of urban growth, increasing dependence on complex technical systems, combined with climate change predictions, have increased the disaster uncertainty even more,” CBRE India Managing Director-Project Manage- ment Gurjot Bhatia said. According to the study, only 21 per cent of the respondents have attempted to include hazard mitigation measures in projects. Nearly 97 per cent have agreed periodic audits should be made mandatory for all buildings with respect to codal provisions and compliances with a quarterly frequency. “India is a disaster-prone country, with 85 per cent of Indian land vulnerable to one or more natural hazards, making it critical to have plan and gauge an organisations’ readiness to deal with such a situation,” CBRE Chairman – India and South East Asia, Anshuman Magazine said. He further said that integrated and comprehensive approach is necessary to improve the safety of buildings from disasters, thus we strongly advocate an increased private enterprises’ engagement with government agencies in disaster risk reduction activities. — PTI THINKSTOCK GREEN HOUSE AMARJEET SINGH BATTH With winter flowers offering a riot of colours at the ground level many gardeners yearn for a splash of colour on the walls and grills and boundary walls. A gardener can carry colour horizontally and vertically with the help of climbers that bloom in winter months. Because of their trailing nature these plants can be given different shapes and “wrapped” around different structures to make thing more interesting in your home garden. Clerodendrum splendens is a woody or semiwoody coarse-textured ever green vine which climbs by twining. The planting location should be a sunny spot where thaere is shade during the afternoon direct sunlight. It grows well in a complete shady location also. It has oval leaves and bears extremely showy scarlet flowers which attract butterflies. Clerodendrum splendens can be used as evergreen screen on trellis or walls. Irrigation requirement is frequent during summer and less during winters. To encourage branching and more flowers, cut previous season’s growth to a suitable pair of buds. The climber can be propagated from softwood cuttings in spring or by breaking off pieces of the root or removing rooted suckers. The project will have 48 two and three BHK apartments which are modular to undergo permutations and combinations in the form of customised 4BHK (2BHK + 2BHK) and 6 BHK (3BHK + 3BHK) units to suit spatial needs. Khar offers excellent connectivity to most of the western suburbs, including major business hubs like BKC, Andheri and Borivali etc via subways. Just few miles away Bandra-Sea link connects one to the Mumbai's Downtown like Lower Parel. The price of apartments is ~42,000 per sq ft and the project is likely to be completed by end of 2017. Pyrostegia venusta (Golden Shower ) is a vigorously growing woody climber with cascade of reddish-orange flowers. It grows lavishly in the tropical and subtropical regions. This climber forms dense masses and climbs by clinging with its tendrils over the trees and shrubs, on walls or over structures and forms a colourful veneer. However, be careful to prevent this plant from running over the nearby trees or shrubs which may crumble under its weight. Climbers which are not well managed bloom only on the top but flowers can bloom close to the ground also if regular trimming is done. A sunny location is the right place to have a good bloom. These flowers also attract Humming Birds and butterflies. Colourful climbers Mansoa alliacea is already in bloom and draws attention with its unique purple colour flowers. Its crushed leaves smell like garlic and this is why it is also called ‘lahsun bel’. It is a perennial creeper with woody vines and has bright green long leaves. Its compact growing habit and profuse flowering make it the favourite of gardeners looking for climbers. Early flowers are purple in colour with a white throat, which gradually change colour to lavender. This climber requires a sunny location and is almost maintenance free . It only requires normal irrigation to keep the soil wet. It is grown to cover the walls, over the fence and on arches etc. Jasminum multiflorum, is native to India and is also known as winter jasmine or ‘juhi’ which sparkles with white flowers during peak winters. The flower flush is so dense that the flowers cover most of the leaves making everything look white. The flowers are scented and are considered sacred. It is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions for its attractive small white flowers and intensely fragrant flowers which travels in the entire garden. Select a position where the plant can receive a few hours of early morning or evening sunlight and not direct sunlight. To maintain the climber, trim the weak shoots to give the climber a sense of direction. Also remove the dead wood regularly. As the blooms are sweet, birds are attracted and feed on its nectar and tender leaves. Why Amritsar is an emerging hotspot continued from p1 Prime locations for commercial space in Amritsar are: Ranjit Avenue, Mall Road and Lawrence Road, which are characterised by high absorption and limited supply. Prevailing average rental values in prime retail-cum commercial areas such as Mall Road, Ranjeet Avenue and Lawrence Road vary between ~40- 120 per sq. ft. per month depending on the grade of building, floor and specifications among others. These locations typically house buildings which have retail on lower floors with top floors occupied primarily by BFSI sector. With the increase in demand from BFSI sector and retailers, many big developers are planning to develop retail cum commercial office spaces in the city. The road ahead Due to comparatively cheaper realty prices and many proposed infrastructural improvements, Amrit- sar is expected to become a hub of residential, commercial and retail activity in the region going forward. Realty experts are upbeat about the growing interest from investors in Amritsar, which has not only augmented its economic growth but also positioned it prominently among the fastest-growing tier-III cities in India. Amritsar is now well on the way of transcending its image as a 'holy city' and transforming into a prime real estate investment destination. — The writer is National Director & Head of Operations - Strategic Consulting, JLL India
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