Create a forest: The Miyawaki technique helps create dense green patches in a span of a few years

NT Features

Everybody wants a soothing patch of green lush in their backyard. You can now have a compression of the layers of a forest – shrubs, trees, canopies – on small plots of land, your own tiny forest by following the Miyawaki technique of gardening. These urban forests will help lower the temperature around your concrete island, and reduce air and noise pollution. They will also attract local birds and insects, creating carbon sinks.

The Miyawaki afforestation method, pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki is a unique way to create an urban forest. Taking this method of plantation, an urban forest can be grown only within a short span of 20-30 years while a conventional forest usually takes around 200-300 years to grow naturally. In the Miyawaki technique, various native species of plants are planted close to each other inorder to provide the greens sunlight only from the top, leading them to grow upwards rather than sideways. As a result, the plantation turns out to become approximately 30 times denser, grows ten times faster and eventually turns maintenance-free after a span of three years. Here are the steps to follow, to turn your courtyard into a tiny forest.

Know the texture of your soil
A combination of perforators, water retainers, fertilisers and microorganisms should be mixed with the existing soil. Perforator materials like biomass, rice husk, wheat husk, corn husk or chipped groundnut shells allow the plant roots to grow quickly. Water retainers like coco peat or sugarcane stalk allow the soil to retain more moisture and water in comparison to the soil’s natural water retention capacity. Organic fertilisers like manure or vermicompost nourish the soil.

Choose different species
Aim for planting a variety of native species to promote biodiversity. Native species also require less long-term maintenance and are more likely to survive and thrive in the local environmental conditions. What’s more is that they provide an ideal home for endangered species. Make a list of native species of plants and segregate them into evergreen, deciduous or perennial plants. Also, the native trees of a region can be classified into four layers. The first is of shrubs that grow upto six feet, the second layer is of trees that grow upto 25 feet, the third of trees that grow upto 40 feet and the final layer is the canopy which grows above 40 feet. Visit a nursery and purchase saplings with a height ranging between 24 to 32 inches of as many native species for biodiversity.

Design the forest
On an average, there must be 3-5 saplings in one square metre. Do not follow a repetitive pattern while planting your saplings. Once the saplings are laid to grow, it is ideal to have a thick layer of mulch evenly laid on the soil to insulate it and prevent the water from evaporating. Create a random and dense plantation of native species of plants that will grow in different layers. All the species must be staggered and make sure similar species of plants are not planted together. If required, tie the plants to support sticks with a jute string so that they do not stoop or bend in the initial months of plantation.

Water and monitor
This forest requires watering once a day and needs to be kept away from weeds for at least the first two years. Do not use any pesticides or inorganic fertilisers during the growth period. Monitor the forest every two months to check the growth of all the plants and do not cut or prune the forest. After following all the above-mentioned steps, you should have a dense and thriving forest in your hands in only a few years.