Jotham79

You may remember that last Jan. my pla nin started to go belly up. I drained the lake and took out all I could find. I sold what I could and then put the large ones in the lower lake. Now the pla nin population is getting out of hand. Does anyone know if you put pla Jaramet in they will eat a lot of the small pla nin?

After one year, my pla suwai are averaging between 1-1.5 kg. I have started a fishing park in Doi Hang, Chiang rai, Ampjur muang. I do not charge admission but charge 60 Baht per kg. Not sure this is the best thing. We open the park, bar and grill on Fri., Sat. and Sun. So far the Thais have not bought one drink. I do my best to keep them from bringing food and drinks in but it is hard to control.

Have had good luck with growth of pla du, pla bu and Jaramet in the upper lake. I have put some pla baa in the lower lake. Hoping to get a good mixture for the fishing park.

It is next to impossible to hire help in Doi Hang. They plant rice and sell the other stuff and make a lot of money. When the army gets here I think that their program will be altered.

The few I have been to around Petchabun charge 50 baht per rod and Pla nin go for 40-50 baht/kg. In the market here you can get Pla Sawai for about 35 baht/kg so you won't have many takers. Pricing on different fish at the parks varies here. You will do better as your fish get bigger. Have a rule that everything over 2 kg gets returned. I would add Rohu (Pla Esok). Jaramet are fun, but I have not had good experience with them in my ponds......They will eat everything. To handle small fish, go to the market and pick up a few large Pla chon or let old ladies fish for free with cane poles . I would also stock Pla Duk, Pla Buk, and Pla Nuanjan.

You may remember that last Jan. my pla nin started to go belly up. I drained the lake and took out all I could find. I sold what I could and then put the large ones in the lower lake. Now the pla nin population is getting out of hand. Does anyone know if you put pla Jaramet in they will eat a lot of the small pla nin?

After one year, my pla suwai are averaging between 1-1.5 kg. I have started a fishing park in Doi Hang, Chiang rai, Ampjur muang. I do not charge admission but charge 60 Baht per kg. Not sure this is the best thing. We open the park, bar and grill on Fri., Sat. and Sun. So far the Thais have not bought one drink. I do my best to keep them from bringing food and drinks in but it is hard to control.

Have had good luck with growth of pla du, pla bu and Jaramet in the upper lake. I have put some pla baa in the lower lake. Hoping to get a good mixture for the fishing park.

It is next to impossible to hire help in Doi Hang. They plant rice and sell the other stuff and make a lot of money. When the army gets here I think that their program will be altered.

Hi Donald,

The few I have been to around Petcha

Depending on the type, 3m x 3m.  They can stand a fair amount of water, but there should be some drainage.  I would build up the rows some and drip irrigate.

This company will ship to you:     http://sustainableseedco.com/heirloom-vegetable-seeds/

d

Hi again Jotham79
I would like to know if it is possible to start raising frogs now, I mean in middle of the year (August or Sept.) with a breeding couple or must I wait the next beginning of the raining season?
Thanks a lot for your advice.

You should still be able to get new tadpoles, but you need to remember that in the cold season frogs grow slower.  I would recommend getting some (1,000) to raise first to see how it goes and keep back the 20 fastest growing males and females to use as breeders next year.  The frog farm in Nakon Sawon sold good breeders for 3,500 baht per pair.  We are just in the process of holding back stock to use as breeders next year. 

David, that is great. Konwan put up a spreadsheet for cassava years ago and that is where I got the idea. If anyone wants it, just PM me.

Over the last couple of years there have been some questions about making your own feed. Now that I am here full time I am starting to make and supplement my feeds. Sometimes I mix the regular feed and the supplement depending on what I am trying to do. I am not saying this is for everyone, but I find I can shave a few baht off my feed bill without hurting my output.

I don’t have a pellet mill so feed everything as a mash. I use soybean meal now, but when I did this a few years back I used feed for baby pigs that was around 34% protein. I don’t have access to fishmeal. I either let my animals free range or provide them with fruits and vegetables. There are some special things I do to fatten those destined for the pot.

I have a spread sheet I use, but have not been able to upload it so if anyone knows how, I’d appreciate hearing about it. I am including a photo of it and hope to upload it soon. Here is a picture of the spreadsheet:

Here are some photos of the contents and packages:

These are the corn sweepings.

Here is the soybean meal and photo of the bag.

Here the fine rice polishings are on the left and medium polishings are on the right

Here is the front and back of the calcium package.

Hi Jotham79,

could you please explain how to make the nets, how big ( size ) and from what material is the bottom made from; how to attach the blue net to the bottom? glued together?

Thank you

We have several different sizes as most are homemade. The small one with the new frogs is about 2.5 x 3 meters. To attach the plastic sheet, my stepson just sews it on the same way he stitches the sides together.  The ones we use on the banks is just the sheeting anchored in a small trench with a piece of bamboo.  The net going into the water is anchored about 1 meter above the waterline and extends out about a meter into the pond.  The fact that they are raised on soil gives them access to bugs and worms.  Someday we may start putting small light out there to draw in crickets.  We live down the road fro the provincial fisheries center and for a few hundred baht I can get someone to come down and help us sort out a breeding program.  We have held back some stock for breeders, but it takes a while.

I would try papaya, bamboo or bananas......as long as there is moisture they should grow.

Hi,

How can I attach an xls file to post.

thx

Hi Russ,

   Could you be a little more specific about what you are interested in?

I knew about Obob farms and the pre-made nets, but we can make them for 1/3 the price (probably not quite as good)  Well, I was off on the final numbers.  As best as I can figure we lost over 400 frogs, probably to cannibalism, but some to family and friends.  I found out that my stepson sorted them out before my wife got hers so I am looking at a couple of problems.  We ended up selling around 250 kg and netting almost 4,000 baht which I am happy with.  I went with my stepson yesterday over to Nakon Sawan where he picked up another 5,000 frogs. He has moved his sorting pen farther out back and will move them to the farm when he starts sorting.

[attachment=275332:SAM_0330.JPG]

This is what they look like.

[attachment=275333:SAM_0329.JPG]

I will try to get better numbers.  I picked up some Big Oui and some Tabtim to play around with.

Hi Jotham - thanks for your words. I like the 4 bamboo stakes concept.

What do you mean about finding seedlings with 3 root bundles?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

When they make clones from grafts they graft root stock to a small branch. If they use 3 individual root stocks the small tree will grow much quicker because it has more roots. Of course it is more expensive.

I genuinely feel for the OP and understand that working with family can be tricky, but a lot will be determined by the individual. If you are able to roll up your sleeves and work with them, atleast they won't be able to get a s far off track as if you are in your house. I am not a big fan of "all Thais are lazy". My BIL who lives and works on my farm (the last 12 or so years) is a good worker.

Consider this: If you can roll up to someone's house and ask them to come work for a few days it is because they don't have a job. This may not bode well for them being motivated or intelligent. If they will do back breaking work for you in the heat it is not because they like it, but that it is all they can do. Remember that you are paying $10 a day and if they were motivated there are dozens of ways to make more. Try going to your own country and picking up someone to work like that for $10 a day and see how far you get. Understand that if they have ever done the work you want done, then they probably did it a different way. It is very difficult to get them to change, but once they do it the way you want they will continue to do it that way for ever. Have your wife or other close family member handle the workers (if this isn't an option, then you need to reconsider the activity). Know that workers are going into this with a way to avoid losing face if it does sideways. When proposing a new way of doing something, state that you doubt it can really be done they way you want it and are they up to trying it. Showing is better than explaining. I have had good luck getting my BIL and wife to visit other farms where a Thai is doing what I want. Also if you can find a Thai video on Utube. Understand that the way you want it done may be wrong and be willing to listen. I have had no luck with incentives with day labor, but a bottle of Loa Kao on the last day or end of the week is usually expected. Don't haggle on the pay, if they don't work up to par then find someone else. If you get a reputation as a penny pincher you will have trouble getting workers when you need them.

Traditionally the MIL lives nearby and helps with the kids and good luck finding a reliable house worker. They can start school when they are 3 so hang on and maybe consider not having any more children (easier said than done )

To some of the posters complaining I say if this: You are living here because it is the best place in the world for you to live. If it isn't you need to stop complaining and go to that better place. Thai culture does not need to change, I promise you I can find stupid things about any culture in the world.

It is hard to visualize exactly what is going on, but here are some thoughts. I am a big fan of permaculture, but have found over the last 22 years that you have to modify some of the guidelines. I think it would work better if we did not live in a monsoonal climate. Here goes: I think that 1.5 rai is too small for 2 ponds, you would have been better with a large one at the upper end if you can get it to fill when it rains. In either case you need to make sure that the water can escape without knocking out your dam. You will need this water to take care of your desirable trees and plants in the dry season so they can get established. Place 4 bamboo stakes around your trees and have someone with a backpack mower come through every 2 weeks and cut down all the undesirable growth( or do it yourself). I don't understand how the land was logged a few years ago and was over sugar canned, you may just be looking at the soil that is normal for that area. You are finding out that some trees will do better than others and you can either double up on these or try know ones if something doesn't take. If you plan on living there, then get the dirt in for your foundation and let it settle. Figure out where your drive and outbuildings will be and start landscaping around those places. I hope you put the Neem in on the borders, they do well and you can use them when you build. Make sure your fruit trees are planted properly. I like 40cm x 40 cm x 40 cm hole with dry cow manure in the bottom and a layer of dirt and rice straw then your tree. Try to buy trees that have 3 root bundles as they will grow much quicker. Manila Tamarind will grow quicker than almost any tree I know of and it is a nitrogen fixer. They grow great around ponds and can help prevent erosion I have found that citrus trees take a lot of care to get established. You might put some bamboo in as you can always use some bamboo. bananas like really wet areas as does the bamboo. I don't get the logs and swales at all, it sounds like a great idea that will end up causing you trouble.

Well, 1.5 rai is small enough you can stay on top of things without going broke and you will learn a lot as you go. If you survive the rainy season and are still interested, PM me and come for a visit.

Good luck,

Just curious, where are you located? Are you in Kao Koh?

I am not sure of this but my daughter says it is probably EM and you would just say you want Nam EM. If you want to make your own let me know and I will post my daughter's recipe.

My wife's cousin works at the government research farm around the corner and was talking about Rayong and a couple of others. I was looking to find out when they will sell stems again and place an order, but I wasn't sure what strain to ask for. The wife said they have many varieties. I plan to plant as soon as I can after we harvest our corn Hopefully in October, or maybe November or December (basically whenever I can get stems). I don't think farmers here dig the elevated rows so I may have trouble getting that done. I will irrigate with sprinklers until the get over 1 to 1.5 m high. You had mention trimming back earlier and I would like to know more. How far back do you trim? If I can trim in the spring and sell stems, that would be nice.

What are the 2 or 3 best strains of cassava around. I have heard of Rayong and there are a few others. I'd like to get some on order for the fall when we will be ready to plant.

Thanks.

Thanks,

I'll give these a look.