"One and Only" wrote in message
...

"Vivek.M" wrote in message
...
snip intro

We don't have much of a garden right now though Dad had great stuff
growing ( hollyhocks, tons of asters, coxcomb, gladiola, sunflower and
heaps of veggies ). Right now we have some Banana, 1 small mango tree.
We have about 4000 sq feet of garden and another 3000 sq feet of roof.
I'll be going to buy some seeds tomorrow; hopefully I shall get some
nice stuff.
Begs the question....

What *can* you grow on a roof?

loads :~))
http://www.ljconline.nl/garden/indexgarden.htm
jenny

Yeah ! Seriously ! Heaps even ! Anyway It's June end here and the sky
is dark with the monsoon.

I've bought the following ( Flowers: Chrysanthimum, Antirrhinum,
Cockscomb, Candytuft,
Sunflower, Aster, Salvia, Larkspur, Hollyhock; Veggies: Pumpkin,
Radish, Egg Plant and Bell Pepper ).

No doubt this was a brilliant move on my part, *grin*, anyway, i should
have started this earlier like in Feb, but i didn't want to wait till
next Feb ! I'm resigned to nothing sprouting, but i now know what stuff
is available in that place and can research stuff on them.

The seeds were cheap ( paid pound 1.50 for the lot ); I need to see how
many sprout !
There's another seed shop, but we weren't going that way.

If i plant the stuff in beds ( on the ground ) the light will be low
and I'll have to protect the stuff from the rains ( Chrysanthimum needs
moist soil ). I'm thinking of using 1 liter milk packets and placing
them on the roof till they sprout and the main leaves pop up and then a
wee bit more; then I'll move them to beds. Or can i scrap the 2 stage
process and just directly heave emm in to the soil ? I could aereate
the beds by digging deep ( 1/2 a foot deep ) and making emm fluffy and
soft and covering them with plastic.

The roof receives a lot more sunlight ; no trees and shadows.
Temperatu 18-32 deg Centi and light-level: dull grey sky. But we do
have patches of brightness !

Are there any wily tricks and cunning strategem's that i can use to get
good results.

Vivek.M writes
Yeah ! Seriously ! Heaps even ! Anyway It's June end here and the sky
is dark with the monsoon.

Sounds a bit like Leeds this morning.
--
Kay

Hey Jen, neat site !! How do you prevent dampness in the roof ? Have
you given it a incline; won't the plants slow down evaporation of water
from in-between the gravel? What about in winter? Have you had any
problems with the roof? And how did you figure out the load bearing
capacity off the roof - structural engineer?

"Vivek.M" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hey Jen, neat site !! How do you prevent dampness in the roof ?

It was meant to be a terrace when built. It's concrete and I just added pots
and gravel :~))

Have you given it a incline

No. Any excess water runs away through drain[pipes at the corners.

won't the plants slow down evaporation of water from in-between the gravel?

Ys :~)) I have a theory that the gravel keeps the roof damp and therefore
make the lead coping dry out less and therefore keeps the roof in better
condition.

What about in winter?

About half the pots stay where they are. Some tender plants are bought into
the greenhouse.

Have you had any problems with the roof?

Not where the plants are. The upper roof of the second floor with no plants
ect started to leak and had to be repaired!

And how did you figure out the load bearing capacity off the roof -
structural engineer?

I got in touch with the architect and the builder. It's 150 kilos per square
meter. My original plan was to have a shallow pond with the water being
pumped round, but that was too heavy :~((

Most of the heavy pots are around the edge or on top of a load bearing wall
about 2/3 way down the 'garden'.

What's your roof like??
Got any pictures??

Jenny

In article ,
"JennyC" writes:
| "Vivek.M" wrote in message
| oups.com...
| Hey Jen, neat site !! How do you prevent dampness in the roof ?
|
| It was meant to be a terrace when built. It's concrete and I just added pots
| and gravel :~))

Designing flat roofs for such use is the key.

| Have you given it a incline
|
| No. Any excess water runs away through drain[pipes at the corners.

The normal problem with those is bowing in the centre, forming a
semi-permanent lake - see above and below!

| won't the plants slow down evaporation of water from in-between the gravel?
|
| Ys :~)) I have a theory that the gravel keeps the roof damp and therefore
| make the lead coping dry out less and therefore keeps the roof in better
| condition.

Yes. The normal reason for leaks in lead is that it cracks after the
expansion and contraction due to extremes of temperature.

| And how did you figure out the load bearing capacity off the roof -
| structural engineer?
|
| I got in touch with the architect and the builder. It's 150 kilos per square
| meter. My original plan was to have a shallow pond with the water being
| pumped round, but that was too heavy :~((

That's about half standard office loading. Anything designed to have
another story (in the UK!) will be that or higher. Roofs not so designed
may not be.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 18:46:50 +0200, "JennyC" wrote:
What's your roof like??
Got any pictures??

I'll post pics if things go as planned, next week end or perhaps the
week after.

Our roof is similar to yours in that it's got two distinct levels.
Both the ground floor and first floor roofs can take another level,
however the roof has got something called surki ( left over brick
powder, fibre from some plant, jaggery, cement and other stuff ) put
over the roof slab and compacted. It's water proof and we haven't had
any problems in ages..it's also inclined, but not sure if i can let
water stand on it. In fact i'm fairly sure i'll get killed if i try a
roof garden. Dad won't mind the odd potted plant, but i'll have to
make sure the whole area is dry.

BTW would anyone know what the word "berrain" in "doing berrain work"
means? Is it English or Irish? I'm sure it's a valid word.

"Vivek.M" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 18:46:50 +0200, "JennyC"
wrote:
What's your roof like??
Got any pictures??

I'll post pics if things go as planned, next week end or perhaps the
week after.

Our roof is similar to yours in that it's got two distinct levels.
Both the ground floor and first floor roofs can take another level,
however the roof has got something called surki ( left over brick
powder, fibre from some plant, jaggery, cement and other stuff ) put
over the roof slab and compacted. It's water proof and we haven't had
any problems in ages..it's also inclined, but not sure if i can let
water stand on it.

Pots will probably only be damp underneath. You could stand them in trays -
this would be a good idea anyway as a water reserve for the plants. You can
use almost any container to grow stuff.

In fact i'm fairly sure i'll get killed if i try a
roof garden. Dad won't mind the odd potted plant, but i'll have to
make sure the whole area is dry.

I presume you have a LOT of rain at monsoon time??

BTW would anyone know what the word "berrain" in "doing berrain work"
means? Is it English or Irish? I'm sure it's a valid word.

A P.G. Wodehouse word :~))
http://www.google.nl/search?hl=en&ne...rain+w ork%22

Jenny

Pots will probably only be damp underneath. You could stand them in trays -
this would be a good idea anyway as a water reserve for the plants. You can
use almost any container to grow stuff.
Yeah, we have some empty plastic buckets and left-over paint cans that
could be used. Look good too

In fact i'm fairly sure i'll get killed if i try a
roof garden. Dad won't mind the odd potted plant, but i'll have to
make sure the whole area is dry.

I presume you have a LOT of rain at monsoon time??
Yeah, a fair bit! It's not too bad though. I'll try K's suggestion for
plastic sheeting. It will protect the leaves from the force of the
rain and keep the ground from getting too soggy. Been busy the whole
day ( Sunday ) mucking around the garden, making beds - though it
was drizzling. I'll let the water dry a bit before planting. Hopefully
tomorrow will be a bit sunny!

BTW would anyone know what the word "berrain" in "doing berrain work"
means? Is it English or Irish? I'm sure it's a valid word.

A P.G. Wodehouse word :~))
http://www.google.nl/search?hl=en&ne...rain+w ork%22
LoL! yeah, i did check that; in fact i read about it in that very same
novel. Nice short-story, that.

On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 18:46:50 +0200, "JennyC" wrote:
What's your roof like??
Got any pictures??
I've put up the pics on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68561759@N00/
They aren't all that great ; Just some silly Banana and Mango. Lots
of work needs to be done and the garden is topsy-turvy. Been weeding
and digging. Anyway maybe you could give me some cool suggestions!

"Vivek.M" wrote in message
news
On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 18:46:50 +0200, "JennyC"
wrote:
What's your roof like??
Got any pictures??
I've put up the pics on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68561759@N00/
They aren't all that great ; Just some silly Banana and Mango. Lots
of work needs to be done and the garden is topsy-turvy. Been weeding
and digging. Anyway maybe you could give me some cool suggestions!

First impressions:

- looks a LOT greener than I have imagined :~) I have perhaps a warped idea
of how India looks as I've never been there :~))
- what on earth is a 'tadpole drain' ??
- back yard looks OK - at least you have soil, I only have concrete :~)
- What's the soil like? Looks a bit compacted.
- like the 'weird' shrubs - any idea what they are?
- why not plant the stuff in pots out into the yard?
- You are lucky to be able to grow some of those things outside - they are
houseplants here.
- love the mango !!!! how much fruit do you get?
- is watering a problem? do you have taps on the terraces?

jenny

Hey Jen, greetings and salutations,

- looks a LOT greener than I have imagined :~) I have perhaps a warped idea
of how India looks as I've never been there :~))
*grin* India's huge so, many different things to many different
people. People/shoddy/noisy/dirty/traffic/dust/heat - that's what hits
you most when you first arrive; It's definitely NOT like the West with
sqeaky clean roads and everything spick and span! Bangalore may be
greener and cooler than the average Indian city and it's been raining,
or perhaps it's the darn camera; The plants certainly don't look all
that green to my eye!

The place where i live is nice, even though our house is on a arterial
road! Lot's of parks and a nice playground; I just have to cut across
the road and walk down a bit.

My advice if you do visit is to go straight from the airport to Sikkim
(very nice place)! Try to stick to villages since the citys don't have
anything the west can't offer ( well, unless you have a taste for
grime or idiotic over-priced artifacts ).

- what on earth is a 'tadpole drain' ??
Well, many years back when i was a kid, the roads used to be deserted
and that park used to be mostly trees and shrubbery. It had a broken
down old room; the storm water drain used to be covered in undergrowth
and we used to fish ( tadpole and tiny fish ) in that . Err.. hence
the tadpole drain. There used to be heaps of snakes, geckos and birds;
we used to take dogs in there and root around the place!

- What's the soil like? Looks a bit compacted.
Clay; not particularly hard to dig, but it hardens if i don't water
and it's hard to powder properly! Do you need to powder the soil
properly? I notice that when i water the upper layer hardens and i
worry that the flowers won't be able to break through. Can i rake the
soil while the seeds are germinating? I can see tiny green shoots in
some areas..

- like the 'weird' shrubs - any idea what they are?
No idea. I asked my parents. Mum uses it for pooja's (prayers) and
stuff..I'll ask around and try to get a handle on it.

- why not plant the stuff in pots out into the yard?
- You are lucky to be able to grow some of those things outside - they are
houseplants here.
- love the mango !!!! how much fruit do you get?
It's a very new tree, so not much..about 10 mangos so far. There's a
huge tree on the pavement which cuts down on the light.

Great minds think alike! Unfortunately the head of this household acts
like a deranged loon when it comes to his precious pots!! The whole
back-yard had veggies growing about 5 years back. Dad doesn't find the
time now and i was never a keen gardner. The pots have seen better
gardening days, so i'll have to leave that for the time being or
he'll slay me! Once i've shown him i'm serious about gardening he'll
come around (i'll need to get some of my flowers and stuff going
before he'll allow me near existing pots).

- is watering a problem? do you have taps on the terraces?
Heck no! Plenty of water. We have a huge water tank on the terrace,
however if the roof gets wet and damp, then i'll get killed (that's a
understatement)! Right now there are a shortage of plants in the yard.
I'll tackle the roof later. Hopefully once the flowers sprout i'll
transplant them to key areas. The yard i'm keeping for veggies - It
gets a decent amount of sunlight..so..The weather is lousy (dark skies
and intermittent sunshine). I'm planing to sprout my next batch of
flowers in a boxed container on the roof; Once they are big enough
i'll move them elsewhere.

Vivek. M writes
Clay; not particularly hard to dig, but it hardens if i don't water and
it's hard to powder properly!

Good soil if you can incorporate lots of humus - garden compost. Here
I'd suggest putting a 6inch layer of compost and letting the worms mix
it in, but don't know what you have in the way of worms - they're not
particularly fond of 'hot' or 'dry'.

Do you need to powder the soil properly? I notice that when i water the
upper layer hardens and i worry that the flowers won't be able to break
through. Can i rake the soil while the seeds are germinating?

No - you risk upending some of the seedlings and letting their roots dry
out.

I can see tiny green shoots in some areas..

--
Kay

"Vivek.M" wrote in message
...
Hey Jen, greetings and salutations,

-Bangalore may be greener and cooler than the average Indian city ....

Went a googling and found this :~)
http://www.popular-india.com/modern-...re-travel.html
Bangalore was designed as the garden city of India way back in the 16th
century.
"The garden city of Bangalore indeed blooms with a passion of befriend you
with the southern passion,
and unfurls the spiritual and intoxicating fragrance of Indian Tourism".

-Can i rake the soil while the seeds are germinating?
I can see tiny green shoots in some areas..

probably best to wait until you can clearly see where the plants are.

i was never a keen gardner.

So what changed your mind?

Jenny