fredge45

We tried giving this company a call with a Thai speaker. They were most accommodating. At that time we were looking for a supplier in Chiang Mai but they said there wasn't one carrying their products. But there is one in Chom Thong, where we live, who has a warehouse full of the stuff - both in granular and powdered form. Seems that the hilltribe farmers have found that applying gypsum is really good in their clay soils.

You don't say where you live so I don't know if this will help you or not...

Re Gypsum.

Company that produces gypsum for agricultural end use. D.K.T. Co, Ltd.

29/4 J Building Phaholyothin 3 Phayathai, Bangkok 10400

tel. 0-2272-4051-30 fax 0-2270-0879

Website www.dktgypsum.com

E-mail [email protected]

Their product is called Green Cal, and usually can be bought from shops selling fertilisers.

I feed several bags to newly planted mangoes a couple of years ago. The trees have grown very well.

CHEERS

BAYBOY

Came across this copy of an article by Eric Danell of Dokmai Garden which appeared in the Chiangmai Mail last year.

I also understand that there is another suspect in the form of a nocturnal moth... I'll post what I can find on that.

My thanks for the input by the responders... Don is an important and knowledgeable member of this board and I really appreciate his input.

Boring beetles.doc

This year I am experiencing attacks of stem boers in some of my longan trees. The larvae seem to start at the small end of a limb and eat their way down.

The limb will die as the larvae progress. Even if it doesn't die it is weakened and won't support much fruit without breaking.

In that most of the affected limbs are well up in the trees, climbing around to find the tell-tale holes just isn't very feasible. Attempting to apply any insecticide to kill the larvae isn't an option right now with the fruit on the tree and the, seemingly, impossibility of getting anything inside to do the killing.

We have been cutting the affected limbs as we see them, cutting further down the limb until we can no longer find the hole inside.

I do not know what forms the rest of the life cycle of these bugs may be nor when the adults may be around to lay eggs. I would like to spray with a soluble oil to smother the eggs and/or knock out the adults.

Any suggestion or directions are more than welcome.

Thank you to Lickey for the suggestion of using lathe cooling oil... I had searched in vain to date for a soluble oil for use in spraying. Never did the necessary lateral thinking to go for the lathe oil. :jap:

The soluble oil is great for smothering the eggs, and some larvae, of pests as it coats them making it impossible for "breathing" to occur. Wahes off from rain or sprinler action but just being there for several days to a week did the trick for me when I used it before.

Here's another thread which may be of interest to you:

Good that you had the second opinion and are on the way to recovery. I've had prostatitis in the past and immediately recognized it from your symptoms. Ciprofloxacin seems to be the best drug of choice. The most sound advice I have received regarding urologists is to find a treater, not a cutter. Seems that many would like nothing more than to push the biopsies and rush to surgery.

Rather than trying to find oat seed perhaps a far better green manure crop will be sunn hemp (paw teung)... legume well adapted for tropical growth... check some of the other postings here. I've been growing it for 3+ years now and it works wonders.

CM4Me has asked that I send along his thanks for the good replies to his query.

While composing a response his computer (FRED) took the easy way out and died on him. As soon as he can get repairs he will respond, with even more questions I'm sure!!

My many thanks for the informative replies and my apologies for the delayed response.

About 50% of the orchard got "hat-racked" before I realized that the 'experts' had no concept of pruning a tree. I've spent a lot of time and effort attempting to create some good trees after their attack! In the open spaces we've planted some ornamentals, avocado, mango etc etc. Now that the rains are so helpful sunn hemp seed has been broadcast for a green manure crop and to compete with some of the more aggressive weed varieties.

Most of the land is sloping which lead me to using sprinkler irrigation. What I had seen of the flooding was that it was not very consistent in the amount of water/tree and the erosional gullies formed from lack of attention while flooding. By mulching I have been able to irrigate less while keeping the trees well watered. I have dug test holes to check the effectiveness of the sprinkler irrigation and find the I'm getting good penetration. Besides, I like the sound of the rainbird-type of sprinklers chugging away while they work... ;-)

Now I have a much better idea of timing for those nudges of fertilizer for more fruit thanks to your efforts.

Would the same, or similar, advice given apply to an old longan/lomyai orchard drtreelove?

Been getting lots of conflicting information from the locals and I would like to get it as right as possible, w/o using much if any chemical fertilizers. I shudder when the use of a strong dash of Potassium Chlorate is suggested to shock the tree but a lot of people are doing just that. I notice that an application kills off anything growing around the tree so it must not be doing the tree all that much good...

Presently each tree gets a bag of cow manure spread along the drip line after harvest and then a mulching of 4 - 6" of rice straw when that comes available. Sprinkler irrigation during the dry season rather than the previously used flood irrigation.

They're a hobby for me but the mother-in-law likes the income when she gathers the troops and does the harvest.

Paw tuang (Crotalaria juncea)is a great cover crop... several threads here previously. Spread some cow manure into the soil to make sure your have the bacteria present for inoculation. Seeds readily available in the Chiang Mai area, sometimes free from the government agencies but cheap enough from private seed companies.

Soya beans will add nitrogen to the soil as well, if the correct bacteria are present, if that's what you're looking for.

Atch is in Thai but gives you some idea of the suitability of the plant.

Soak some of the local tobacco in water to make a strong "tea"... paint the perches and spray the chickens with some... nicotine sulfate on the cheap.

Hey guys hope you are all well,

Im in Melbourne at the moment and heading to Chiang Mai on the 28th of this month. I have been having a few bleeding gums problems recently and want to go to a dentist to get my teeth cleaned. I am not due to return to the UK (im british) till May so i want to get them looked at before i return home (worried about the onset of gum discease!)

I hear Grace Dental clinic is pretty good, is that true? How much will it cost for a checkup/cleaning session? If any of u guys have been there and can give any advice, i would love to hear from you!

Cheers!

Ed

Big Smile Clinic, 053 815179, does excellent work at very reasonable prices ( no double pricing). He solved my gum bleeding problems several years ago. I'm impressed by the modern facility and equipment.

Bought my Phantom through Nat Motors on Huay Kuew Road in CM last year. They got me an English manual direct from Honda. I pointed out to them that the bike is sold in Singapore so I was sure that it was available in English. The saleslady there has has borrowed my manual a couple times to make more copies. Seems that Honda won't give her any more original manuals... TIT.