Fertilisers in India: what really works

VERY gardener's dirty little secret?

- Ekta Chaudhary

It’s not the pots, not the plants, not even the watering can. It’s fertiliser — The stuff you put in the soil decides whether your hedge looks like a lush wall of green or a scraggly bush pretending to be one.And in India, we’ve got quite the menu of fertilisers to pick from — some as old as farming itself, some straight out of a chemistry lab. Let’s break them down.

COW DUNG - THE GRANDMA'S FAVOURITE

Age-old, reliable, and the first thing any gardener will suggest. Dried and powdered cow dung is packed with nitrogen and organic matter - basically plant protein powder. But here’s the catch: the cattle are often pumped with hormones for milk production, and that load can trickle down into the dung. For edibles, that’s not great. Plus, it's a bug magnet. Beetles, flies, and their babies will happily join your garden party.