When weeds turn into miracles

Weeding is often a dreaded chore. So we mow the weeds down or pull them up without a thought. But have you ever considered looking closely at what you so badly want to discard? They could be the next big spice.

Weeds could very well turn out to be blessings in disguise, as Andrew Daka, Manager of Emmanuel Turyamuhika’s property in Kololo 1 has discovered.

Not only has he found the Cuban Royal Palm and the Sunday Palm growing by themselves, to his delight, but he has benefitted from the odd spice springing up on its own as well.
Below is an account of his journey with two spice species.

Mujaaja
“The Mujaaja came by chance. It grew by itself. We knew how good it was, so weeded around it. Maintain it by removing unwanted weeds.
Some diseases attacked it some time ago. We put some ash on it. There is also a fungus that attacks it. When you put ash on it, the fungus dies. You don’t need to water it or anything like that.
To use, put the leaves in hot water and drink it. The leaves have a good smell. Or you can pluck the leaves and either dry them and make a powder from them, to put in your rice or squeeze the juice from the leaves and put it in your rice. You can also put the leaves in your tea.

Citronella
“Ever since we were in the village, we found out that Citronella had a good smell. It helps people who don’t have tea leaves, because they can use it instead of tea leaves.

I got it from my village. To plant it, dig a hole, place it there and cover it. It has some small roots you can plant in the hole.

Planting, maintainance
It has no seeds. Propagate it from another plant, to plant it somewhere else. A week can be enough for it to grow, for so long as you put it in good soil. You only need to weed it for maintenance.
If you have chicken or goats, make sure they don’t go near it. Chicken eat it a lot.

If you want nice smelling tea, plant both Mujaaja and Citronella in your garden, because they both smell good.”
So, next time you set about weeding your garden, tone down the enthusiasm and look a little more closely at what you may be about to pull up.

It may not just be the miracle for the bald patch in the other part of your garden, but could end up spicing your meals and beverages as well.

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com