Mulching potted plants

In balcony kitchen garden one can use kitchen waste- like bad leaves, leaf stalks, peels, tender stems etc for mulching. I have been doing this for years together. This not only is very beneficial for plants but helps one to reduce pollution to some extent. Only cooked food should be avoided for mulching; because it stinks as it decomposes. Cooked food can be used for making compost outside the house. As the mulch decomposes in pots, it provides the plants with nutrients. With this method soil in the pots remains friable and rich.

Extra kitchen waste, which cannot be accommodated in pots as mulch is kept in a mineral water bottle. The cap is removed and the bottom of the bottle is cut off. The cap side is kept suspended on pot surface in which a plant is growing. The bottle is supported on a grill or with a stick in the pot. Watering to the potted plant is done through the mineral water bottle only. This not only keeps the waste moist but also nutrients from the decomposing kitchen waste are automatically fed to the potted plants. When fully decomposed, the bottle could be emptied and the good compost from the bottle can be used for other plants.