djayz

I live in Korat, not too far from Surin, and I plant my tomato seeds around mid to late August, in the grow house where they are protested from the rain. Then, just as the rainy season is abating (early-mid October), I plant them out in the garden. After that, they really just burst with growth. About 2 - 3 weeks after planting the first lot of seeds, I sow a second round. That way, I can extend my growing season well into January and even mid February when temperatures start picking up. Tomatoes here need the cool nights to blossom. When the fruit starts growing, I spray them every 7 to 10 days with wood vinegar to protect them from insects. I also plant insect repelling plants like basil (Italian) or Marigolds to protect from insects.

Your comment about the nematodes and molds reminded me of something I forgot to mention in my previous post. I rotate my tomato plats every year (by that I mean I plant them in a different grow bed every year). This helps to prevent a buildup of diseases in the soil.

I've been growing my own tomatoes here in Korat for the past 8-9 years, usually quite successfully. Baking the soil?! Never done this and never needed to. Plant seeds in good potting mix, good drainage around mid August. Plant out in mid October, just as the rainy season is coming to an end, in rich soil. I assure you, you don't need to bake the soil. Yes, I grow a lot of foreign toms here.

The big/expensive ones aren't better either.

I'm looking for a decent metal detector for my young boy who is becoming interested in looking for "treasure". He's not yet 10 years old, so I'm not looking for a top of the range device, but at the same time, I don't want the cheapest product on the market. Any recommendations in terms of brands? Also, is this hobby in any way regulated? By that I mean, do hobby detectorists need a license or something similar? Thank you in advance.

Strange. We have about 20 +/- trees in Korat and we don't have this problem. I'm wondering if it has to do with the number of trees? By that I mean, many trees = no noticeable loss; fewer trees = immediately notice the loss. Or could it eventually be neighbours helping themselves to your fruit while your back's turned?

I spray wood vinegar regularly to deter a lot of pests. Also, time permitting, I just pick the grubs off by hand and chuck them in the fish pond - a little treat for the fish.

I'm have practically no experience with or knowledge of electric units, solar panels, watts, etc. so here's my question: The pump advertised in the pic is 750 watts and it appears, based on the offer, that 3 solar panels are needed to feed it. If I were to opt for a 1,500 watt pump, does that mean I would need more / double the number of panels? Thank you

Did you just get off the plane yesterday?

Sorry, no hab. Mai mee dtang. Smile, turn around and walk away.

Hi Sailingmatt! I am now in the market for something similar and stumbled across the DR Field and Brush mower. Did you have any luck finding a store here in Thailand last year when you were looking for one? If yes, then may I ask where? If not, did you find an alternative machine? I found an online store in Indonesia offering a lot of garden equipment, plus the DR Field and Brush mower, at what appears to be very reasonable prices. https://sale-toolshop.com/ Have never heard of them or used them before.

Thank you.

Thank you Neal. That's quite interesting. Definitely something I'm going to try in early May.

A bit of background info first: I grew a mango, variety "nam dok mai" (มะม่วงน้ำดอกไม้), from seed some 7-8 years ago. Then, approximately 6 years ago I planted it out on our land and it has been growing pretty well since then and has grown to a height of about 2.5-3m. Here is my problem: About 8 years later and still no fruit and no blossoms. I know that it takes longer for trees to bear fruit when grown from seed (that's why I now only plant trees which have been grafted), but from what I can gather, mango trees do not need this long to bear fruit. I was wondering (1) when is a good time to graft scions from the same variety onto the mother tree. I have asked Mrs Djayz to help me locate scions, but she's annoyed with me because I "grew tree from seed" and didn't listen to her advice.... 🙄

Call it what you want, justify it anyway you want, but at the end of the day, it's just "take take take".

Call it what you want, justify it anyway you want, but at the end of the day, it's just "take take take".

Call it what you want, justify it anyway you want, but at the end of the day, it's just "take take take".

Thank you for the feedback. I thought about the lack of watering too, but the BIL, who planted grafted durian trees years ago and definitely waters them regularly, is having the exact same problem. Fruit just falling off, despite having had some fruit last year. Missus says it's "too hot". While it is hotter than usual, I fail to see how the extra degree or two can cause the trees so much stress.

Principles.

Get yourself a grill. I love me some BBQ chicken!

Why should he? He/they have already put up fencing. Chicken owner doesn't give a toss. Why should he/they go to the trouble of surrounding their trees on their property? How is that not obvious?

Much to do about nothing.

Don't you know who I am? All joking aside, why didn't the passenger simply notify a member of the cabin crew of this immediately?

We bought a bit more land just over a year ago and on this land the owner had planted about 20 durian trees (plus mangosteens and rambutans). All from seed. Anyways, this year was the first year that one of the durian trees actually starting bearing fruit (see photo) about 1 month ago. I checked the tree again a few days ago and all the newly forming fruit is gone! Same on the brother-in-law's land (adjacent to ours, also planted by the same man and also from seed as ours). All his durian fruit has also fallen off the trees. Nobody seems to know why and the closest I got to a plausible explanation was "perhaps too hot". Any durian growers/experts out there who can proffer an explanation? Just for info, the trees in question haven't been fertilized or watered (the water table is quite high where we are, so I assume that they are getting adequate water).

Yes, that's exactly what Thailand has needed over the past "15-20 years"; more sex tourists. That'll improve their image and reputation. Good one (sarcasm warning).