Post monsoon, its important to replenish the top soil of most house plants. Replace the top soil with 2’ of a mixture of well rotted cowdung manure and soil.It is also your last chance to repot any of the perennials before winter sets in. Pinch multi branched plants to get compact shapes. Plumeria, Murraya, Raat ki Rani, hibiscus, Oleander, Plumbago, Verbina, Chameli and almost all creepers like Clematis, Madhumalti, Allamanda, Cleodendron, Tichoma and Bougainvilleas will almost all be flowering to create a rich landscape of colour and aroma. Pruning is a crucial activity for flowering plants in order to encourage more blooms. the best time to prune is after the flowering is over and before the next round of budding begins. Add NPK and most importantly DAP to the soil around the flowering plants and fruit trees and make sure to water thoroughly. Look out for diseases such as leaf spot, powdery mildew and rust.

September is a time of moderate temperatures and Indoor plants are still in their growth stage. The rains will be receding, but when you get the chance and it is raining, put all your indoor plants out so they can get washed by the rain. Its extremely good for them. If you need to show light to the plants then put them out after sundown, leave them out the entire night and let them get the gentle morning sunshine. And be sure to bring the plants in before the heat of the mid-day sun. This is also a good time of the year to add to your indoor plant collection since the nurseries are well stocked with them this time of the year. The plants will need regular watering but please stick to the GOLDEN RULE OF WATERING PLANTS. Touch the soil with your finger. If it feels dry then drench the soil so water comes out of the drainage hole at the bottom. Best to water with a sprinkler, so the plants feel its raining on them. If you are in doubt as to whether the soil is wet or dry, then wait another day before you are completely sure and only then water. Spray the plants everyday. Wipe the leaves gently with a soft cotton cloth or sponge, while supporting the leaves with the palm of your hand. One can create and INDOOR GARDEN JUNGLE. Keep the humidity up round the plant and make sure plants are kept away from the draft of ACs, Air Purifiers, Coolers or fans.

Roses: Stop watering the roses to prepare for pruning in October. New rose plants can also be planted. Desi Kashmiri Gulab in my mind, beats all the angrezi roses. It flowers without any fuss, and the fragrance is out of this world.

Chrysanthemums need constant spraying, feeding and training. Add liquid feed to the chrysanthemums, once a week. Liquid feed. The recipe for Liquid Feed is as follows : In a recycled 100 liter drum, take 25 kgs fresh cow dung (Send your maali with a couple of recycled paint buckets to get it, because it is quite heavy), 5 kg Mustard cake, 5 kgs Neem oil cake, 500 ml Dursban ( Cowdung, unless well fermented is a source for termites, so its important to use any anti termite treatment when using cowdung ) and 500 grams NPK 20: 20: 20. Fill it with water. Keep it covered and stir it daily. Let it ferment for 10 days. Use 1 litre of this mixture, strained through a dhoti or cotton muslin, and dilute it with 10 litres of water. Important to water the plant and then add this liquid feed every week. This mixture is like wine for the plant.

Apart from that, once a week, add a top feed to of 2 parts of Neem khali and 1 part of Bonemeal, a couple of teaspoons in every plant, and turn the topsoil, to make sure it gets mixed evenly. Make sure to water after the feed.

Bulbs are extremely easy to grow and maintain. The only attention bulbs need is while choosing and storing the bulb in their dormancy. Whether growing in a ground garden or pots, abundance works from the aesthetic point of view. It is ideal to grow a few or more bulbs together; it puts on a much more pleasing spectacle than lone warriors growing out of the soil. Less marks and injuries, big size and more weight is the key. An injured bulb has more chances of rotting in the soil, while a big size indicates a mature bulb and ensures more flowers.

Asiatic Lily, Oriental Lily (Stargazer), Daffodils, Chincherinchee, Muscari, Rananculous (Butter Rose) are the ones that make me weak in my knees. Plant these in a rich mixture of equal parts of soil, Gobar, leaf compost and Okhla khaad. The bulbs store their own water so water sparingly in the first few days. These need a little more nutrition before they flower. Each pot will take 2 tbs od Neemkhali, 1 tbs of bone meal, half a tsp of DAP and .25 of Single Super Phosphate. Once the bulbs flower these need regular watering.

Land can be prepared after adding manure for sowing Potatoes, Ginger and Turmeric. These should be earthed up after removing weeds. Seeds of Coriander, Spinach, Methi, French beans, radish and Turnip can be planted. Seedlings for Parsley, Cabbage, Brinjal, lettuce, Tomatoes, Cauliflower can be transplanted.

It’s the right time to grow celery and ensure you have unlimited supply for the next 6 months.

Seeds for winter flowers can be planted on raised small beds. Since I am a big fan of flowers that grow easily and last the longest, I love to grow Petunias, Dianthus, Dahlias and Sweet Peas, for sunny areas and Sannaneria, Salvias and Impatience for the shady areas. (For Impatience it is best to buy seedlings, as it is not the easiest to grow from seed) Aster, Antirrhinum, Carnation, Phlox, Gerberas, Holy Hock, Linaria, Marigold, Pansy, Poppies, Lupins, Sweet William, Cornflowers and Larkspur can also be grown.

All herbs do well in the Delhi Winter. Celery, Parsley, Oregano, Chives, Basil, Thyme and Oregano can be easily grown. Best to buy ready plants in small polybags and transplant into terracotta pots.

· Aerate the lawn using a garden fork, use a rake to make holes in the lawn.

· Feed it with neemkhali and bonemeal and/or finely crushed Okhla khaad or Sieved patti khaad. Water and mow regularly. A note of caution: do not leave an open pipe on the lawn. Always sprinkle. An open pipe will nourish the deep rooted dreaded Motha and other weeds and will also make the grass grow needlessly long

· It’s a great time to lay a new lawn..

These would have just survived the monsoon and need attention. Repot, replant and/or divide the succulents using a fresh potting mixture. Water only after a week. I keep reading about succulents doing well indoors, and it works for Sanseveria, but hardly works for anything else. Even the hardy jade will start looking dull indoors and if left for a bit longer, it will show its unhappiness by dropping its leaves. The only succulents which has worked well indoors and without any fuss is Zebra Haworthia. The nurseries in Delhi will come out with the most beautiful looking succulents, but please note that they will stock them only from September to March. It's because they barely survive the heat and don’t survive the Delhi monsoon.