Transform a patch of terrace into a greenhouse where you can grow practically anything in a controlled environment and literally enjoy the fruit of your labour...
Smiti Munwani Jayant Ghosh an IIM Lucknow business management graduate has turned agriculturist with a difference.
He took two acres of barren land in a village near Ranchi and constructed three greenhouses there to grow green, yellow and red peppers, broccoli, French beans and cherry tomatoes.
He expects to double his returns in two years, a feat which he could not have done in any other business.
There are many people like Jayant who are turning to greenhouse farming on a large scale because of the sheer economics of the business.
Besides its commercial potential there are many people who are setting up greenhouses at home to grow their own exotic plants and fruits in controlled environment.
Imagine having a place of your own where you can grow almost any plant that your heart desires, watching it grow from seed to plant to flower to fruit.
A place that you can walk around in, enjoying the sights and smells of growing vegetation; a hobby that de-stresses you as you work hard at it - that is what a greenhouse can do for you.
Obviously you have to be interested in growing plants whether they are decorative, ornamental, or useful as in flowers, vegetables and fruits.
You also need a place to have a greenhouse.
This can be a part of a lawn or backyard attached to your house, a terrace or a large balcony, if you are a flat dweller.
If you have a large enough greenhouse, you can enjoy the fruits of your labour and spend some quality time your family.
A greenhouse-also known as a hothouse or a glasshouse-is an artificial structure to grow plants in a controlled environment.
As all elements including water, temperature and soil are controlled, it is possible to grow almost anything indoors because the climatic conditions in a greenhouse will mimic that of an outdoors environment and yield optimum results for growing the desired produce.
It works on the principle that the sun's ultraviolet light passes through and heats the interiors.
This heat gets trapped inside and warms the air and the warm air helps in the growth of plants.
Greenhouses in India are generally made of polycarbonate sheets, fiberglass, glass, acrylic or other transparent or translucent materials which enable light to pass through and trap the heat.
While such greenhouses can be expensive, a low-cost wooden model which can be covered with plastic or other sheets is a cheaper alternative for a hobbyist or farmer who wants to cut costs.
Shielded Environment Flowers, vegetables, fruits and even tobacco can be grown in a greenhouse.
The shielded environment protects plants from the extremes of heat and cold, dust storms, blizzards and helps keep out pests.
There are also special seeds and plants available which are especially suitable for greenhouse growing.
There are fruits and vegetables which will grow from seeds and others from seedlings or leaf propagation.
You can plant the seeds or seedlings in small pots and when they have reached the correct stage of growth, you will need to replant them in bigger pots.
Plants have to be watered regularly and tended to as required.
Dead leaves and bits have to be cut away and thrown.
The greenhouse has to be kept clean and the plants need regular care.
Firstly you have to decide what kind and size of greenhouse you require.
It should fit in your budget and the space you have for it.
Then you have to figure out what you want to grow - flowers, ornamental plants, herbs, fruits or vegetables or a mix.
It is best not to get over-enthusiastic and plant too many things.
After all a greenhouse has space limitations and though small plants will not take up too much space, when they grow, they will need more space.
If you are growing plants for the first time, it is best to restrict yourself to those that are easy to grow.
In other words, plants and flowers which need little care and grow fast.
Once you are experienced, you can grow plants which need more time and effort.
Among flowers you can grow roses, chrysanthemum, carnations, tulips, gerberas, alstroemerias and more.
Flowers like anthuriums, aster, asclepias, spray carnation, gypsophila, liatris, limonium, heliconia are some varieties that can be grown through out the year.
Even exotic and expensive blooms like orchids, tulips can thrive in a greenhouse.
Believe it or not, the output of roses grown in a greenhouse is double that grown in the open.
The benefits of a green house are many..
>You can grow plants from seeds.
>You can experiment with unusual plants.
>Off-season crops can be grown at any time.
>You can grow plants right from tender shoots.
>Your plants will grow faster and give four to five times yield.
>Plants are in protected environment so there are fewer chances of pests.
>You can regulate temperature inside by opening doors if it gets too warm >You can invest in heaters, fans and misters to regulate temperature effectively.
>As temperature is controlled there is greater humidity and resulting saving water Greenhouse Herbs Herbs, too, can be grown in a greenhouse.
The herbs you can plant are coriander, parsley, chives, tarragon, mint, basil, aniseed and cumin are some of the herbs that can be grown year round in the greenhouse.
Fruits like strawberries, grapes, peaches, lemons, nectarines, oranges and tangerines can all be gown successfully in the greenhouse.
Tomato plants need support and grapes will grow on vines.
Some of the plants are more susceptible to pests, so watch out and take care.
If you have a trellis you can grow peas, beans, cucumbers, watermelon, winter squash, nasturtiums, passionflower, bougainvillea and sweet peas.
Other vegetables like onions, carrots and radishes need to be harvested only once.
Even greens like spinach, mustard, fenugreek (methi) and dill (suva) can be successfully grown.
You can grow vegetables and fruits for your own consumption.
If you have plenty of space and are so inclined you can send it to your friends and neighbours or even make a business of it as many have done.
However, you do need time and patience and the initial investment with this hobby which is extremely rewarding in terms of the peace, pleasure and profit it gives you.
-(Newsmen Features) The Daily Business Of Shaving Hector Choksi Let's say that the average man shaves every day, and takes ten minutes to do it.
We'll subtract a few days for those Saturdays he gets up, looks in the mirror, and says "oh, the hell with it today - it's Saturday." So, ten minutes a day times 313 days (365 minus 52 Saturdays) equals 52 hours a year the average man spends shaving...
more than two full days.
If he starts shaving when he's 15, and lives to be 80, he will have spent roughly 141 days of his life shaving! If you are a stickler for fashion and insists on shaving on Saturdays too, you can add 24 days more per year, making the shaving chore take up nearly half a year of your life! In India the market for shaving blades has been pegged at Rs 550 crore, twin blades accounting for four per cent of the overall market for blades, while, the good old double-edge blades account for 96 per cent.
And the use of shaving soaps/gels/aftershave lotions etc is valued at 250 crores of rupees.
Roughly you can say that the annual market for men's shaving product in India is estimated at 800 crores or rupees, based on the fact, that the men who shave everyday, are from the just 18 million households, which have an annual income of more than 200,000 rupees.
Gillette surveys over the years have shown that 80 per cent of women prefer clean-shaven men.
74 per cent said a beard or moustache was unpleasantly itchy for kissing and 70 per cent of women said scented after-shave was "a turn on." While women love well groomed men, shaving can result in some not so pretty consequences.
You need to identify any problem you suffer from and arm yourself with knowledge that will assist you in both preventing and curing a number of common aggravations.
First junk off any cheap, disposable razors you may have lying around and invest in one with a swivel head designed to accommodate the contours of your face, and replace the blades often.
A good rule of thumb is to use a new razor head once every eight shaves.
Also you can decrease your chances of having a shaving related accident, by having selected a shaving tool whose blades are spaced close together, to reduce the amount of pressure you're putting on your skin.
Use shaving paste! Forget the gel and the mousse.
Only a thick shaving brush and shaving paste will do.
By applying the paste with a shave brush, even the tiniest hidden hair is made soft and loose from the root to the tip.
The friction that the brush generates also numbs the epidermis, further preparing it for the blade.
Before shaving, spend two or three minutes in a steamy environment, like the shower, making sure your skin is very wet and has time to absorb a lot of moisture.
Be sure to rinse your razor after each stroke.
For those times when a bloody slip up occurs, keep an antiseptic on hand and dab with a cotton swab or apply an ice cube, as the cold will constrict your blood vessels and help stop the bleeding.
Once your cut has healed slightly, use an aftershave that has a mild antiseptic in it and continue using the cotton swab to dab the damaged area.
The main problem while shaving are the ingrown hairs.
Ingrown hairs are unsightly and painful.
They result when the shaved hair gets trapped inside the follicle or grows back into the skin.
It can cause scarring, redness and swelling.
You will need to follow all four of the steps in this regimen for several weeks IMPROVE YOUR SKIN'S SURFACE Exfoliating (removing the upper layers of dead skin) is indispensable to manage ingrown hairs.
Daily use of a gentle face scrub with glycolic and salicylic acid is particularly effective.
Use a soft-bristle face brush and liquid cleanser in a circular motion on your beard to dislodge the tips of ingrown hairs, thus eliminating dead skin cells and clear follicles.
ADJUST YOUR SHAVING TECHNIQUE Shaving too closely is one of the triggers for razor bumps.
Hair stubs cut too closely will get trapped inside the hair follicle and dig inward or sideways.
Don't worry, the disappearance of unsightly ingrown hairs will more than make up for the "five-o'clock shadow" appearance.
To avoid shaving too close, don't pull the skin when you shave; don't put too much pressure on the blades; shave with the grain.
You will need to maintain this approach over time, as one extra-close shave will be enough to cause a recurrence of ingrown hairs that will take weeks to heal.
Approximately once a week place a warm, damp facecloth over you face to open your pores, which will make it easier to coax out stubborn hairs.
Then use a loofah along with a gentle facial scrub to slough off the dead skin on your face, which would otherwise be blocking your hair follicles.
Avoid using a loofah more frequently, as you don't want to dry out your skin, and doing so will actually increase your chances of suffering from ingrown hairs.
In our metros luxury 'shaving' for the well to do, has become a norm, and quite a number of hair dressing saloons are available.
Costing 1000 rupees (plus the customary ten percent tip), this 12-step shave includes hot towels to open the pores, cold towels to close them afterwards, two applications of almond-based shaving soap, two shaves and an application of a cooling menthol-based cream.
The treatment takes the barber some 30 minutes to administer, which seems to be the international average time.
-(Maharaja Features) I Am Scared Of New Comers: Akshay Kumar V.
Ananth Akshay Kumar has come a long way from the time,when he was a lowly assistant to photographer Jayesh Sheth in the late 80's, long before he embarked on his path to stardom, a fact which he has not forgotten at all, unlike others of his ilk, who tend to get a bout of amnesia when they taste success in a big way.
Success has not spoilt Akki as he is called affectionately by his friends at all, in spite of the fact that he has proved to be the box office king by delivering as many as five super duper hits consecutively in a row - Welcome, Bhool Bhulaiya, Namaste London, Heyy Babyy and Singh Is Kinng.ÿ Akshay is peeved, when you ask him whether Katrina Kaif has reached whatever position she enjoys today in Bollywood, only because of him since he has had a big hand in promoting her career.
"It is belittling Katrina if I am asked this question.
Why don't journalists ask Katrina whether she has had a hand in promoting my career, especially since I have got not just one or two, but three hits when I acted with her? Each and every actor who is working in a film is responsible for the success of a film", he shoots back.
Shilpa Shetty has now turned a producer.
I ask Akshay whether he would agree to act in her film, if she asks him to.
Akki does not bat his eye lids.
"If I am offered a good script which appeals to me, I am ready to work with Shilpa Shetty.
Why should I not do a film with her? Over the last two decades since I had started my career, I have delivered quite a few hits with Shilpa including Main Khiladi Tu Anadi and I would certainly love to work with her".ÿ Akshay is now eagerly awaiting the release of his next blockbuster film Chandni Chowk To China.
According to him, Chandni Chowk To China will be the first ever Bollywood Kungfu comedy, that will take you on a madcap journey from the by-lanes of Chandni Chowk in Delhi to Shanghai, the Great Wall and rural China.
"Chandni Chowk to Chinaÿis almost an autobiographical tale of mine starting from my days of struggle in Chandni Chowk," Akshay adds.
Though he admits that he got to do some heady action sequences in Chandni Chowk to China, directed by Nikhil Advani, the toughest part of the film was fighting with the Chinese martial arts master Gordon Liu.
"I had watched 36 Chambers of Shaolin 52 times before doing the film.
Doing action for it and fighting with the Chinese masters, particularly Sir Gordon Liu, was the most difficult in the movie.
Gordon Liu is known for his acts in Hollywood films like the Kill Bill series and the Shaolin series, including 36 Chambers of Shaolin".
Akshay vehemently dislikes being referred to as the King of Bollywood.
"I have worked in seven films with Mr Bachchan, who is like the pillar of this industry.
I am often asked who the king of the film industry is and I have always replied that it is none other than Mr Amitabh Bachchan.
You cannot discount the fact that he has been in this industry for the last 35 to 40 years.
All the rest of us whether it is Shah Rukh Khan or Salman Khan or for that matter I may claim to be kings, but are not".
Akshay has a sound advice to youngsters who want to follow him as far as physique and fitness are concerned.
"I have always believed that if you cannot give at least one hour every day to your own body, you should just kill yourself.
The best way to live life king size is to have a positive attitude in life which will help one go a long way".
Akshay has this dangerous reputation of chopping off his co-star's scenes in every film of his.
In his characteristic style, he states humorously, "If tomorrow, I find myself out of work as an actor, I would not be bothered at all because I can always take up the job of editing, since I am well known for chopping off all my co-actor's scenes in films in which I am working.
Jokes apart, I am not insecure of my co-actors.
There is room for every one at the top.
I was happy when I entered the industry almost two decades ago.
I am happy today too".
Akshay considers no other star as his competitor, because he feels that he is not in competition with any star on the scene today.
However he confesses that he is quite scared of the new comers, who are breezing in on the scene nowadays.
"It is all these new comers, who keep me on my toes."
