Mother Nature has her own way of safeguarding her creations. Life’s mandatory survival instinct continues to get transferred from one generation to another, whether flora or fauna. Man, too, focuses primarily on his safety once all his physiological needs, such as food, clothing and shelter are met.

Safety comes first — whether it is seeking shelter from harsh weather in caves or homes, using goggles or helmets when driving a motorcycle, protecting a country using light weapons to bombs, the list is endless. Once you’re sure you, your family and community is protected, you move on to safeguard animals and plantations that provide food.

Just like domestic animals are kept in different enclosures or supervised by a faithful guard dog, plants and trees also need peoples’ support to ensure they continue to grow and provide food for your family and community.

People have used methods varying from scarecrows to reflecting mirrors and even CDs — whose reflecting light in the sun startles birds. However, this week, I will focus on equipment that can be used primarily to cover the soil, seeds, seedlings, plants, trees and their harvests. Think of it like covering your car with a plastic cover when you’re not using it.

Nature has its own ways of protecting its creations. But sometimes humans can help with small interventions

One of the most common and frequently used covers in gardening, especially in Pakistan, is known as green net. This can be used to save the newly planted seedlings from the sharp beaks of starved and thirsty birds, as well as flies and insects. The seedlings are thus able to fulfil both their requirements for water and food.

Sometimes, this green net also saves the plant from direct, scorching sunlight. Green nets are easily available at all nurseries and planting stores, and you may even find it at hardware stores. Indeed, many gardeners even get large-sized used green nets from construction sites for their garden, at throwaway prices.

A very popular gardening technique is to sow small seeds in a pot, the soil of which is already generously watered. It is done to ensure the seeds continue to remain in their sown place. The pot is then covered with a plastic bag and kept aside for a week until the seeds start germinating.

Once the seedling starts to germinate, the plastic is removed and you can resume a normal watering schedule. The application of a plastic cover for a week ensures moisture retention and helps slow down the evaporation process.

Many use aluminium foil instead of plastic wrap, but the latter is more cost-effective here in Pakistan. Aluminium foil is especially beneficial in colder areas, where it helps to keep the seedlings and soil in the pot warm for longer periods of time.

Many people wrap and cover the growing produce with black fabric. The fabric reduces the fruit’s visibility to the overhead flying birds and mischievous passersby as well. At an appropriate time, this covering fabric is shaken, which allows the harvest to fall into it, like a collection bag. You may have seen such fabric used on papaya or date trees.

On farms and in agricultural practices, covers are regularly applied for a multitude of reasons. Sometimes, it is done simply to ensure the moisture and mulch remain within. It can also be done to safeguard the growing seedlings from pests, birds, animals and harsh weather as well.

While travelling from Mardan to Charsadda in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, I came across a different kind of cover: there were field-long, coffin-shaped, white-coloured, plastic cover set-ups — almost 18-inches high — going across the field. According to the locals, these are used to save the growing seedlings from the devastating effects of kohra (overnight frost).

Nature always knows how to protect its creations while ensuring ecological balance. It is usually humankind that gets in its way. Sometimes, however, little supports and adjustments like providing a cover can go a long way in helping a germinating seed produce a family-feeding plant or a robust tree.

Please send your queries and emails to doctree101@hotmail.com. The writer is a physician and a host for the YouTube channel ‘DocTree Gardening’ promoting organic kitchen gardening

Published in Dawn, EOS, September 3rd, 2023