Ever since the lockdown was announced, many of us found ourselves disconnected from the natural world. Kushi Sethi, an ecological gardener and urban forager, will help you find ways to explore nature from the safety of your home.
Since humans dominate what survives around them, let's spot life forms that exist freely and ponder over why they flourish; weeds in the garden and on walls, flying insects & reptiles indoors, birds that visit us and leave, insects in the garden, the microbes in our food and the ones in the food waste.
29 August 2020
The workshop was conducted in two parts:
Walk and Talk
During a walk-through of his home, Kush Sethi showed us how the building where he lives is just another nest in the middle of a larger ecosystem that has existed before humans began constructing homes with concrete.
Using attachment lenses on a phone camera, we focussed on macro and distant action from a balcony, under the mulch in pots, inside compost pits, in a pickle jar, behind a bookshelf, on the ceiling etc. We also briefly explored how to make sense of what we see using local field guides and more.
Materials required -
Magnifying glass
Binocular
Local plant/bird field guide
Scavenge and Grow it Yourself
In this hands-on exercise, we built a wild planter for our work desk or garden. Participants learnt how to identify different plant species and study their natural habitats in order to recreate similar conditions for the best results.
Materials required -
Containers to grow the plant in
Components for the potting mix - earth, compost, coconut husk, dried leaves, small & medium stones, some dried up spent coffee/tea
Plants as either a cutting, seeds or a wild sapling carefully uprooted with roots intact
About the Facilitator
Kush Sethi is an ecological gardener and forager based out of Delhi. Formally trained in Chemistry, he transitioned into urban ecology while working as a researcher in the Delhi Ridge. After spending a few years in the field, he started training himself in gardening & basics of botany. Inspired by resilient forest ecosystems, his practice seeks to understand problems in manicured urban horticulture formats and finding wilder, self-sustainable approaches.
Thank you for visiting PHYTOPIA. We would love for you to share your thoughts and experience about this programme here!