Incredible Case of Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia Diversifolia) for Tropical Urban Greening!

Mexican Sunflower is an amazing plant that will serve effectively to increase the urban green content.

Because there is a superstition that the greenery goes against the development mindset, people are made to believe that greenery is an anti-development concept. This is unfortunate. It is possible to maintain perfect harmony between nature and the expensive real estate in urban context, it is an insult to the human ingenuity to do it otherwise.

Of course, it is practically difficult (still possible though) to go for a pupil tree in the middle of the downtown, but it is very important that the civilization needs to take up the question of maximizing green in the urban context by harmonizing both the concrete content and the plant content together for optimal harmony, space leverage, utility, aesthetics and green content (lung space).

Urban forestry is one such concept that needs more attention in urban planning and management. Urban gardening is another important concept. While there is a dire need to expand these concepts for more practical and impacting innovations in urban design, there is a need for one to go opportunistic and leverage easy solutions for maximum impact in the mean time.

Mexican Sunflower is one such plant crying for urban exploitation. This note is to highlight this case.

The Incredible case of Mexican Sunflower:

1. The Mexican Sunflower is well suited for tropical conditions, and is quite native to tropical countries including India. One can see natural vegetation of this plant in natural forests even under shaded / semi-shaded conditions.

2. Mexican Sunflower can be grown both as a trimmed bush or as a wild mini bush tree (Can go up to 25 feet high). So, it is ideal substitute for rearing optimal plant presence instead of having a massive tree which needs more space or maintenance.

3. Mexican Sunflower is soft wood, it can be pruned with bare hands. So, the maintenance of the plant against urban sophistication is easy.

4. Mexican Sunflower is beautiful, both with plenty of lush green leaves and potentially close to hundred sunflower like flowers on one plant in ideal conditions.

5. Mexican Sunflower is convenient to grow, it can be easily propagated with stem cuttings (can also propagate through seeds, less effective though), it grows even in the most neglected areas and has the ability to survive purely on water fed through the rains.  They are also known to be drought tolerant.

6. While the plant thrives better in the sunny condition, it survives and serves its purpose in the shady and semi shady areas too, but with lesser spectacle.

7. Mexican Sunflower leaves and soft stem portions are confirmed to be an effective feed for goats and sheep.  (Its viability as a feed to cows is pending confirmation from the writer's end.)  Therefore, there is a leverage in the animal husbandry too.

8. Because the Mexican Sunflower is of soft wood, when pruned, it serves as an effective urban composting raw material.

9. Mexican Sunflowers do attract certain bees, butterflies, and certain nectar loving birds. Therefore they help to enhance the vibrancy of the eco space it is growing in.

10. It is easy to create an urban jungle with the Mexican Sunflower as it splits into multiple and nested branches. Also it is possible to grow them closely next to each other creating a thick yet easily managable (for pruning) matrix of green. In fact, growing them closer helps them to survive heavy winds otherwise the soft stem could give away and break.

11. Mexican Sunflower plan is suitable for the container gardening too! It may be less spectacular in the containers due to limited space for the roots and nutrition, but it tends to make the best out of the given conditions.  It is a weed in that sense, but quite an useful and beautiful weed though.

12. While there is resistance or ignorance or capability gap on the part of citizens in a community towards greening the locality, Mexican Sunflower is an ideal bet, as even a dummy can grow it with no stress or effort, one needs to just plant a stem cutting. Therefore, it is ideal to extend the green on the road side, vacant sites, neglected parks, schools and other public institutions with lot of empty space and no readiness for enhancing the green, and of course the domestic spaces crying for green but with no readiness for gardening.
 
Other pertinent details:

1. There are different varieties of Mexican Sunflower, the color of the flower varying in different shades of red to orange to yellow.

2. Only care to take while growing is to ensure proper draining of water for the roots, and to prune out the spent branches (after completion of the flowering) to avoid decaying effect of such branches and leaves, and to induce new fresh shoot outs.

3. In conditions like Bengaluru, the plant takes 5-6 months to grow from a humble cutting to full flower bloom upon plantation.

4. Since the plant branches out at multi-level, it is easy to prune the plant and ensure endless propagation without having to lose out the effectiveness of the forestation it can influence. In fact, post flowering pruning of the branches can be directed to further propagation by cutting the branch into two 2-3 feet long stems and planting these stems one foot deep into the soil.  It helps to prune the leaves while planting the stems as the plant can quickly recover the shock and start blooming.

-------------

Keeping the case of Mexican Sunflower for the urban greening in mind, the stem cuttings of these (yellow variety) will be made available in the upcoming OFYT event (Aug 25, 26 2018) in south Bengaluru. Approx. 100 cuttings will be placed in the organizers pavilion (Hall #02) on both the days, visitors could help themselves by picking up these cuttings and help the cause of urban greening by planting them at various urban spaces under their access.
 
Event info:

Added bonus:

As part of this main event, there will be free seeds (saplings and produces too if any) exchange among the garden enthusiasts at the same pavilion during 12.30 noon to 3 pm on the second day only (Sunday, 26th Aug 2018). Typically, this sub-event is quite a fun, like a noisy festival due to the cheers of dedicated gardeners, the spirit of their giving away the excess from their sacred gardens with nothing expected in return, the loving attention the newbees get, and the opportunity they have for networking with gardeners from all over the city corners with scope for lot of follow up help in support, guidance and mentoring through these individuals or the regular local meets organized by more than a dozen area based teams these gardeners are part of. These gardeners are quite active in the social networking space via forums like Facebook and Whatsapp, and a lot more goes on among them, not just gardening, there is a spirit of sustainable living prevalent among them, and also there are dedicated activists, entrepreneurs and merry makers who could help one to bring in newer inspirations, healing, energy, value and purpose in one's life.

Best Regards

From the team of "Paint Bengaluru Green and More"

(ಬೆ೦ಗಳೂರಿಗೆ ಹಸಿರು ಓಕುಳಿ!)