xen
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Posts posted by xen
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There are two ways you can solve your problem with the sand -
- Build up the composition of your sand with the addition of fine clay particles or by the addition of organic matter such as compost. Do not add this in layers but mix it in as well as possible.
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- The other alternative is to use plant material that will grow in sand or well drained soils - have a look at coastal vegetation for ideas. There are palms and casurinas ,that will do okay. Malay Grass will handle low fertility sandy soils quite well for turf . There are succulents for colour and plants like lavender (think Mediterranean style) that will adapt. Numerous other plants that will survive in sandy soils if you do a bit of research.
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As a cheaper point and shoot camera they were a good product . i use a cannon IXUS 110 in preference to a phone camera for a lot of on site work . I would guess they , the repair shop ,would rather you upgrade to a newer model . Then repair yours and sell second hand.
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Cooked , a couple of suggestions although i no doubt you have checked them
- the kick-back brake is jammed on
- cooling fins are filled with sawdust / oil / dust
- wrong mixture of oil / fuel
- even a blunt chain will make the saw work harder and therefore get hotter.
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It is because we take so much oil and coal from the ground it leaves a void and will eventually collapse in on it self.
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Politics, Poetry and Philosophy - is there anything more the intellectually well rounded TV member would prefer to discuss ?
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Just before On Nut road ,on Sukhumvit, there are a few shops selling sewing machines. The tailor i go to is in that group of shops but in the sois /area behind them there are a lot of shops that do sewing for the local tailors. Inquire there !
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I still get the occasional emails from Hi5 reminding me that they haven't heard from me for the past 11 years or so.
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maybe you can try an engineering shop that has a lathe - they most likely throw out steel shavings.
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Un-protected sex - you are not only having sex with her/him but everybody else who has bravely ventured unprotected before !
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I remember spending hours in Tower Records in Emporium and in the one in Siam Paragon (also Singapore and their was one in Pattaya renamed CD warehouse i think - upstairs in Garden City nr Ripleys ) trying to find music with their often strange cataloguing system . First names before the surname and that system was thrown asunder with duos or bands. Meant the kept you searching and finding more music to walk out of the shop that you ever intended to buy.
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If you have limes in concrete rings i would be
a) checking the pH in the soil
adjusting the pH to neutral - iron chelates will be the first additive with micro nutrients . -
I think you sentiments are admirable.
However how do define "Green Space" - Do you include all the vacant lots full of overgrown vegetation with piles of rubbish. What about roof gardens that are not suitable for bike riding, private gardens , road verges and all that vacant land under or adjacent to the freeways , - All will contribute to oxygen and carbon sinks because of the vegetation . I would suggest the 3% that is quoted for Bangkok would be designated parks of a particular size or volume and divided by perhaps 25 million which wiill return a low percentage . A country town in the middle of nowhere with a population of 400 could therefore return a figure of 60% for example with population/green space ratio. just saying .
That is not to say that Bangkok is not ready for new ways of thinking about Green Space and recreational needs . I often look at the spaces under the freeways that some enterprising Thai has began to landscape or have turned in community gardens. However, the gardens will only remain until somebody more powerful sees more value in the land .
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Many karaoke bars are Thai only.
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Dude, IDP is like $39 at NRMA or whatever state you are from and takes 5 minutes
but it is only valid for 12 months so in 12 months time it is another 39 dollars for the NRMA .
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After a while the bizarre becomes the norm .
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Oppo Blue Ray players have been getting good reviews if you need to play SACD and HD FLAC files , if i understand your post and you are looking for source players as well as speakers. I agree with you about using good headphones for your real listening , then most of your to speakers will be between background music to listening music. Only you can judge what you what speakers sound the best .
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I would choose Singapore . I would choose boring !. I have had enough of excitement and need to spend the last few years just on that slow slide into peaceful oblivion . A Gin and Tonic at 6.00 every night type of life . I would choose somewhere tropical and safe . I can obey most laws especially if they are sensical and do not harm me or my family.Now that i am older i can shut my mouth and reign in my indignation with firm legislation. With that i don't expect to be shook-down at most police stops. And i won't see great slabs of public money intended for infrastructure getting chewed up by politicians .
I also think Singapore is one of the best and most beautiful tropical cities i have been to . They are areas around Geyling for example that are a bit iffy but generally the appreciation of the natural and built landscape is sought after.
With 10 mill you can afford the best of both worlds , the East and West , Bollywood and Hollywood, Chinese and Euro operas, Jazz Rock and Musicals, Libraries and Art Galleries , Great shopping, botanical gardens and parks plus and it is only a short flight to BKK, HK, Penang, KL, and Oz for me. If you have a real need to go tom-catting then it is only a short ferry ride over to Indonesia .
Failing somebody lodging that 10 mill in my bank account the second place i would choose would be Palau and if you don't know where it is then i guess you will miss out on the G&T's at 6.00.
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If ur in bkk theres a shop selling headphone amps in exchange tower by the asok bts....the walkway from bts connects direct to it and you'll see it just as you walk in....
Thanks for that - Asoke bts is easy to get to for me - i will have a look . Head phones and headphones amps should go together .
i found a good headphone booth in the Paradise Centre in Sirikhan Rd ( i know i can't spell and spell check doesn't help) and it had Grados and Shennizers etc , i think HT's as well . Some very nice stuff along with the ear candy level and dr dre beats stuff that is made for a different market to me . i wasn't looking and i don't think they had to many headphone amps if any. must go back and have another look.
For the Thais with money and taste and who appreciate real audiophile gear - stuff that makes my ears swoon and i will never afford but will appreciate , but these shops keep on moving .
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If i could add some thoughts - If the area had pigs then it is probably compacted by the trotters - try breaking up the compaction to improve the oxygen / water exchange . This will also help greatly if there should be a risk of soil fungal infection as well as drainage . The top layer sounds like it is probably nearly all pig poo organic matter.
IA is probably the man to sound out for more info about this and his experiences.
The other thing is , did you do the pH tests ? The reason i ask is because they can be quite misleading depending on method used.The H of pH is for the measurement of Hydrogen atoms in the soil so if it clay or heavy in organic matter then the the number of hydrogen atoms will be higher then giving a more acidic reading in general. I know somebody will dispute this and give examples where it does not apply and that is good , but to understand pH (or potential of hydrogen) (measures the amount of hydrogen in H2O) then this explains why soil pH readings will be different on different days according to weather, and location . So it is good to test a few spots on different days to get an accurate reading. Even if you send it to a soil laboratory they will get you to do the same.
If you do have phytophthora which is a common root rot -google that for more info . Avocardo farmers seem to be having some success with using mollasses as a natural remedy and also if your drainage in the sub soil is good , using very thick mulch to prevent a lot of rain reaching the soil . Easier said than done though. Incorporate Sand as well in the soil as previously mentioned.
Hope that helps you and does not confuse you too much .
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What I have found here in most garden centers and garden markets of bagged soil is junk and will get plants starting to grow but after that they don't want to. I have tried the bags marked with the "flower" its more of a sandy soil with coconut by product and the "Train" much the same content but has rice hull filler added. While it looks sort of ok it has no nutrients in it to sustain plant growth. I then found a bag of what they call composted soil at Thai Watsadu while it looks good with much darker soil with rice husks it to falls short. The only bag stuff that I found will grow well it contains more organics with leaves and stick wood product and a heavier clay soil. But it's full of unwanted seeds and will grow a garden of its own with out you adding seed to it.
I now find myself mixing all three together after screening it. Adding worm castings some EM, steer manure and 15-15-15 will it only then let plants to grow. It allows water to penetrate good but drys out a bit quick so maybe needs some coir or peat moss added. I have found small bags of peat but scared to buy it only to open it and find out its not what you call peat moss. Much like the potting soil they try to sell its like opening the Christmas gift containing that sweater you don't want to wear.
Guess I might need to bite the bullet and buy it. So the soil is still work in progress. It seams to be the never ending battle here in Thailand with soil. Much like I have been reading here with soil samples comming back piss poor and needing major work and time to get it back into shape. Good Post .
Could i add my bit about potting/soil medium mixes . I usually use what is known as a John Innes mix developed in 1880's i think in Kew. Basically it is 50% peat and 50% sharp sand and then the percentages are varied according to requirements . A Succulent mix would be 10/90 for example. Then i use slow release fertiliser and organic /fish /manure teas or other as a foliar fertiliser . A general all purpose mix that i would 40% coconut coir /peat , 50 % sharp sand and 10% organics such as compost .
About 12 months ago i attended a seminar on potting mixes and soil mixes , with some of the leading soil scientists in Australia speaking , and it was interesting and it certainly challenged my thinking , but they said that the current thinking is to keep organic mater in the growing medium to about 10 % . Various reasons for this but a lot of it was to do with the calcium ratios and how they affect the chemical balances.
Just another comment, i think you will find it difficult to find true peat or peat moss marketed anywhere in the world now or if you do, it will be incredibly expensive . This is because of the environmental damage done to eco systems , not only in the peat moss bog or swamp but in surrounding areas plus downstream and in catchment areas upstream . Peat moss bogs act as filter systems for water and if removed it will have consequences. Nowadays most nurseries and Parks and Gardens have moved to Coconut Coir which is a renewable resource and , if anything can be slightly more water retentive than real peat or peat moss . This is one reason i am amazed at the quality of purchased potting mixes in Thailand as it is either high in coconut coir giving poor drainage and is ready available as a by product in the South.
Incidentally by Sharp Sand i mean that it has a angular grain and is better if more than 0.2 mm dia . It has a lot of different names - but sharp sand is what i know it as. You can always tell a pile of sharp sand as it will be cat shit free unlike beach sand. It is not common in the nursery industry as the building industry uses it in concrete mixes. Look for it there.
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There is a real dilemma here. If you use the the poisons to kill your emerald beetles then you also harm, if not kill all your natural predators including bees and birds .
Relying on natural predators takes time and the Emerald Beetles as you call them (are they harlequin beetles?) will have done the damage . Plus if a lot of your neighbours are using heavy chemical control for insects and bugs then your efforts in using natural predators are in vain . The other thing to do is watch the area that the trees are in and look for them ,if possible in the pupal / cocoon/egg stage and take measures to control them then . (Integrated pest management)
Usually infestations of beetles or other pests indicate poor cultural practices - too much water/ not enough/water stress, poor drainage & compaction of soils , fertilizers used incorrectly, sometimes poor pruning and so on. I am not saying you are guilty of this but something to be aware of . I think you mentioned they are only young and as the trees establish they should become more resilient to insects and pests .
Hope this is of some assistance.
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Not Bang Na but there is always the Nasa Vagas on the BTS line to the airport .
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Sai Kaew beach in Sattahip . It's a nice and clean, sandy beach . Perfect for a day trip. Only 30 minutes away from Pattaya.
Looks nice. Any relatively easy way to get there via public transportation? I suspect a roundtrip taxi ride would be more than I would prefer to pay, but if my GF is with me I would do it. Going by myself I don't mind taking some time via bus or whatever.
I think you can take the normal baht bus on Sukhumvit all the way up to Sattahip, (20 baht). But then it's another 5 km to the beach so you need some sort of transportation. Expect to pay 100-200 baht for a private ride . Also there is an entrance fee of 100 baht , opening hours 9 to 6 pm, since this is a private beach owned by the navy base located in this area. But I can promise you it¨s the cleanest beach you will find in this area with crystal clear water so well worth the trip.
Nice Beach - there are several beaches actually in that area but they do all get packed on Weekends . I can't remember if there are shops there either for drinks etc. We always bring our own .
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Yesterday, found about 30-40 of these sad-looking things in Khon Kaen's main exercise park-lake, Bueng Kaen Nakorn. Deprives the jogging trails of much-needed shade. Defies logic.
Probably doesn't defy Thai Logic. Maybe they think perverts won't be able to hide behind the trees and jump out on unsuspecting joggers. Who really knows.
Terrible job though - they really need to be removed and replaced with good trees.
Garden Built on Sand
in Plants, Pets & Vets in Thailand
Posted
Looking for clay particles - if not available at a nursery which i doubt then find some clay and dilute in water and then apply the water infused clay to the sand. There is also a clay available for use in sealing dams and ponds called Bentonite (sorry i don't know the Thai word for it) that if used sparing could be used as an absorbent. Also Vermiculite or Perlite commonly used in Hydroculture could be used instead of clay .
Organic matter can be added by not only compost but by tilling in coconut fibre, grass clippings as somebody else suggested, green manure crops may be worth a trial, or any other "organic material one finds in the garden. It will take time and some effort but it will work.
There are many different forms of composting - i doubt if all of them would attract snakes . A Barrel compost tumbler bin may be one solution.
" Relying on the 'right' plants is problematical - as it depends on sun/shade etc."
That is why i suggested looking at coastal sites and the vegetation it will support ,particularly if the base growing medium is sand. One always has to consider sun /shade and other factors when planting out a garden.