Gonsalviz

Kasikorn did it for me with a copy of a Thai friends ID card and address. ANY Thai person can help you.

Telephone number so they can call if your friend does not go with you.

Poetic justice.

Hi all well heres my bit, don't know if it is worth much and my skills as a technical writer leave a lot to be desired. Anyway when the next newbie asks he can at least get a rough idea as to what is involved. Jim

RUBBER 101 FOR BEGINERS a rough guide

First requirement is land, on which to plant. Rubber is a jungle tree and likes rain, but does not like wet ground. So rice paddies, swamps, marshes and flood plains are generally not suitable for rubber. Measures can be taken to utilise this type of land, but the long term cost will be prohibitive.

Ideally gently sloping land, that does not flood. As I am from Issan this is the area that I know. Here rubber is planted along the Cambodia, Lao border, near the mountains and Mekong river. Inland areas are just too dry for long periods of the year. Again measures can be taken, irrigation etc, but long term costs have to be looked at.

Now we have found our bit of rubber tree heaven and want to prepare the land for trees. Remember that in 7 or 8 years men will be staggering around in the dead of night tripping over old stumps. rocks and falling in holes. Level the ground as best you can and if you have access to animal manure [which includes septic sam the toilet man] plough it in to the ground. Put up your fences, don't want cattle and water buffalo wandering around and standing on or eating your young trees. Build a workers hut, the nicer the better. Workers and you may spend a lot of time there over the coming years. Be comfortable after all a cold beer with your workers, swinging in your hammock at the end off a hot day of grass cutting is one of the better moments and will help to bond you with the locals.

THE TREES

Which type of tree [clone] for you.

RIMM 600 your basic tried and tested rubber tree, grown throughout Thailand.

RIMM 251 a better rubber producer, twice as much as the 600, but with all things has some draw backs. Shorter life, less lumber value and worst of all, fall over in the wind. Not suitable for coastal regions or windy areas.

JVP80 New tree type and I know nothing about the pros and cons for it. Allegedly tappable after 5 years. Think the jury is still out.

Best advice go to the Government Agriculture Office for your district and ask what's best in your area. That's what these guys are paid to do, give advise. They may not be the smartest people in the world, but they will know what's doing well and what's not.

BUYING OR GROWING TREES.

To buy from a nursery or grow your own, that is the question.

If you are going the nursery way, do your home work and find the place with the best reputation, not the wifes 2nd. cousin, who started a nursery last week. I would not go the way of ordering and placing a deposit. If the nursery can get a better price they will sell the good trees and you will be left with what is left. It may cost more ,but just pay the price when you need them and get the good trees.

Personally I favour making your own nursery. It is not difficult or costly, just time consuming, but you will get trees that you know have been cared for.

THE BIG MOMENT PLANTING

Much debate has gone on about spacing and number of trees per Rai. For this we will stick to the Governments recommendation. 76 trees per Rai, 3 metres between trees and 7 metres between rows.

Mark out your land for the trees and await the rains. You want your trees in the ground as soon as possible, but not too early as the rain may stop and your trees start dying. Much of the timing will depend on where you are. The lack of rain [water ] will be your biggest enemy in the first 12 months. If you have the money buy a water tank on wheels and a good tractor to pull it. I being a poor man used a 2 wheeled rice tractor with 4 100 litre drums on the trailer.

Labour will be a problem, as planting falls at around the Cassava and rice planting times, most people will be busy on there own land. What you can do is pay by the hole and they will come and go as they see fit.

Holes should be 1 metre in diameter and 1/2 a metre deep, so as to form an earthen bowl. Check the hole sizes or they will get progressively smaller as time goes by. Just get 2/ 1 metre sticks make a cross and tie a 1/2 metre string with weight to it. Easy and fast to check.

When planting the trees remove them from the plastic bag, tickle out the roots and plant them. They are a very hardy tree and you don't have to be gentle. Water in if necessary ,

the hole my be half full of rain water already.

When all the plantings done have a party for the workers. You are now a planter.

PART 2 THE LONG HAUL

Now that the excitement of starting has waned and the family are not getting new toys, pickup trucks, tractors, scrub cutters etc You need a foreman, you maybe blessed by having an in-law who is hard working, loyal and given up all worldly greed, if not you need to be there to make sure what you pay for gets done.

FERTILISER

I won't go into too much depth on this subject as best practice changes as Agriculture researchers refine and learn better ways. Common practice for most Thais is one 50 kilo bag per Rai twice a year. The area around the tree is roughed up and the fertiliser is sprinkled around, then rice chaff or grass is place over the area to stop the fertiliser blowing or washing away. This method works fine, but is not best practice.

Here again we want our friend the local Agriculture advisers help. He can give you a booklet on the best method at the time. Which is currently the 3 hole varying amount and fertiliser type. The plan is worked out for the age of the tree and will save you money, as well as give you trees a little added help.

FIRE and WEED CONTROL

You have now entered into an on going war with grass and weeds, if not controlled they will out grow your trees and in the dry season will become a very serious fire hazard. Plough the field a least twice a year for the first 2 years. This not only keeps the weeds down, but allows the soil to soak up water. Scrub cutters [weed wackers] will be constantly on the go and you will need to poison. All it takes is one ember from someone burning off his rice stubble and all your work can go up in smoke.

BUGS MOULDS DESEASE and BANCHES

One of the constant on going jobs will be removing the small branches that grow on your trees. You only want the top branches, all others that grow from the trunk need to be removed. A small pair of side cutters will be your companion for a few years. Branches are removed to the 3 metre high mark. While doing your branch patrol you will see if a tree is having problems or has died. Dead trees can be replaced the next planting time for the first 2 maybe 3 years, after which the canopy of the existing trees will stop new trees growing. If you are smart you will have kept a percentage of your original trees and potted them [bigger grow bags] then you can replace dead or under preforming trees with healthy strong trees of the same age.

Other problems such as termites, moulds and diseases which may occur, will be seen on your branch patrols. Now just like our pig farmers you don't have to be a vet to know your pigs are sick. Same with your trees, if something is wrong hire an expert, you are the manager and your job is to manage.

TAPPING TIME HAS COME

The years have passed, your money and hair have gone, but you have made it to those magic numbers. 7 years old, 46 cm in circumference 1 metre from the ground. In reality after all the years you will be taking no notice of these numbers and will tap by tree condition, but for now we will stick to the generic numbers.

First problem tappers. Good tappers are hard to find. A good tapper will take a shaving of bark so fine that it will float to the ground like a feather. He will not touch the wood of the tree and latex will flow. A bad or inexperienced tapper will take a slice of bark with some tree wood and hurt the tree. Moral of this story is a good tapper us worth his weight in rubber, take care of him, it will pay in the long run.

Tapping schedule

Basic rule tap 2 rest 1. Many Thais will tap 3 rest 1. By this stage you should know what's best for your trees. If a tree stops growing or starts to struggle stop tapping and let the tree rest.

That's about it, now all you need to do is decide, liquid latex, cup or sheet. The rest is just sit in your comfortable tappers hut watching your workers toil in the hot sun, while you drink cold beer and think of your friends back home doing the 9 to 5 grind.

1/2 meter deep I do not doubt. We found that there big rocks underground and the trees would die. Had to move several away from the rocks. My question is why you would make the hole 1 meter across?

What they really need to do is concentrate on a 12 year education. But no faction in Thai government is interested in that as it would put their corrupt practices out of business.:jap:

It`s not how soft or hard it is, but who`s in there with you that counts.

Well, not strictly true....when someone is in there with you, it matters a lot how soft or hard it is.

I'll have to agree with that.

You may find that variations will be expensive too.

Variations are the things that happen after you get the quote and sign up for it and then you say to the builder "No I actually didn't want that, I really wanted this" when you are part way through the building and the builder has to tear stuff down and rebuild it differently. Perhaps you change your mind about the quality of this or that and you have to re-order new stuff that is not in stock and then you have a delay and maybe pay the builder for down time.

It is all good fun and the first thing you get the builder to do is to make a very strong wall about 2 x 2 metres so that you will have something to bang your head against in frustration.

Good luck to you.

:cheesy::cheesy::cheesy:

I wish I could stay there full time.

This is what got me going crazy today:

So i went to a supermarket, i rode there on my moped, saw a few ducatis and late model cbr's and R1's parked near by, lookd around for the riders, saw them sitting down having some coffee and drinks at a table,the first thing i noticed was that they were in FULL GEAR, im talking about some had leathers, others had protectors that made them look like a robot, nice thing on. I chatted them up for a while, hoping that maybe we can ride together, they seemed nice, so i asked if they were busy next weekend,most said no, so i asked "how about a ride to........" and i got the most stupid excuses....too long to type here....the i though "wait wait wait, what???" why are u guys dressed up like you about to go to participate on motoGP? then i asked, "are you guys riding anywhere today?" some said no, maybe just down the street...then i asked the question i been dying to ask, "where do you guys live?" the answer mostly was "oh,just right around the block".....

and sadly, this is most of you......

Atleast they don't trailer the bikes to Phuket and beyond and ride around the corner, American style.:cheesy::cheesy:

American Style???? When I was still living in the states there were more riders doing 2-3 day trips or 300 mile day trips than anything I have seen out here. Hell most guys i knew crossed state lines (while riding, not trailered) at least once a month. Not sure where you got that American style perception from but that is definitely not the case. I mean as much as I hate Harleys those guys even ride more in the US than most "bikers" out here.

It got so bad in the states the real bikers started buying trailers for the bikes shaped like cars as a rub. Not all but a lot. there even a website that had a gizmo that you hooked to the bike and put miles on it while it was on the trailer. We think that was a fake site tho.

It will mostly be what you choose for materials. Mine will end up costing around 2.6 million for 150 sq meters but everything is at high end of quality. Granite floors, a western kitchen, bathtub and shower cabinets. Q-con block walls.

It also depends on how far you have to run the electric. I had to pay 300,000 to get it run 2 km.

As they have said, don't let the delays get you down. I am in the making for about 2 years so far and haven't started building yet.

I had some really rude waiting times. Still trying to choose a builder.

I don't know how long you've been in Thailand, but you must be aware that what Thais tell you does not necessarily have a relationship to the truth as Westerners perceive it. One indication that the information might not be factual is if their lips are moving.

If that is how you feel, the truth being centered around yourself and people just like you, then perhaps you have been in Thailand a tad too long and perhaps it is time to go back to where you came from. But beware your home country politicians.

Chaoyang may or may not have made a mistake is his words. His words are most certainly wrong unless put into context.

A young girl at a company that sells bus trips to foreigners, will tell you the roads are clear without checking because they are always willing to please. Now was she lying? I doubt it. But was it the truth? Apparently not. In that instance he is not wrong but the truth has not been revealed.

Thais do not listen to the news. Soaps are infinitely more entertaining. I have even seen adult men in restaurant watching Soaps with their mouth open and no food going in or being chewed.

Now as to your average Thai, I doubt the words out of their mouth are any less doubtful than what comes out of the mouths of some Farang.

The Chinese do it too.

Large amounts of B complex spread out over the day. What you need is the B6 and B12 but that will cure it in a few days. Get a good comfortable pillow.

This is what got me going crazy today:

So i went to a supermarket, i rode there on my moped, saw a few ducatis and late model cbr's and R1's parked near by, lookd around for the riders, saw them sitting down having some coffee and drinks at a table,the first thing i noticed was that they were in FULL GEAR, im talking about some had leathers, others had protectors that made them look like a robot, nice thing on. I chatted them up for a while, hoping that maybe we can ride together, they seemed nice, so i asked if they were busy next weekend,most said no, so i asked "how about a ride to........" and i got the most stupid excuses....too long to type here....the i though "wait wait wait, what???" why are u guys dressed up like you about to go to participate on motoGP? then i asked, "are you guys riding anywhere today?" some said no, maybe just down the street...then i asked the question i been dying to ask, "where do you guys live?" the answer mostly was "oh,just right around the block".....

and sadly, this is most of you......

Atleast they don't trailer the bikes to Phuket and beyond and ride around the corner, American style.:cheesy::cheesy:

I assume the two previous posters either can't read or have broken hands so here:

As of July 2011 :

- Core Inflation 2.59 %

- Headline Inflation 4.08%

Don't you think that if a person can sign up to a forum and figure out how to ask a question and read the reply, that they could figure out GOOGLE? Trust me it is much faster.

Won't be sad to see it go. Entire lower suhkumvit needs to be cleaned up.

Sukhumvit is still fun. Pat Pong is what needs to go.

Sorry ,but you are quite wrong. The primary cause of Diabetes type 2 ,in Thai society ,is highly refined white sugar. Of which the Thais are ,per Capita ,the highest consumers in the world.They put it into everything ,including Main Course Meals. And if the cook doesn't put enough in ,they ADD. Sugar is on every restaurant table. You do have a point. Khao HomMali ,does have a high Glysemic index ,but the health system does not seem to have a problem with that. It is refined white sugar that seems to be the culprit.However ,the Thai people have never been informed about the dangers of over-consuming sugar. It is starting to happen ,now. My local hospital(rural , last town before Cambodia) is currently treating , over 800 diabetics. With the advancing hordes of american"fast foods" what will the situation be in the future? It is a major problem in BKK. How will it impact on health budgets ,all over the world. u.s. eng. ,oz .are rapidly approaching 50 % of their total population as being classified as obese. Why are they obese? Never where when i last lived on Oz.

Can't be,

The Malays put so much sugar in tea and coffee the spoon will stand on its own. They put sugar in curries to cool the heat and still think the food is spicy. The amount of sweets they consume just bothers me.

Thai Muslims are the same, of course, many are of the same blood and thought.

Used to be Thai food was not sweet. But now I have to specify when I order green curry at a restaurant to not make sweet. I think the farang coming here not being able to eat the spice made the Thais add it and now they put in more in their food. Didn't used to be that way. Now I won't eat at restaurants that are frequented by farang.

American passports also.

2 times I have overstayed by one day. I told immigration I made a mistake when I walked up. Never had to pay a fine.

I am? was not looking for a grand speech but this 'artist' that wrote this article rather under did the story, don't you think?

BBC? This is a joke right?

Mindless drivel.

I mean how could an electricity socket covered in water be so dangerous?

Freaking idiots.

Thai wiring leaves something to be desired.

What are your entertainment requirements?

Pla salit is a brown gourami. It is used to make 'pickled fish' or 'pala' in the north. For westerners it is an aquarium fish,

Good luck to you. If you can get the Thais to listen to you I will personally be amazed. Increase production? They know it all. Best to let them do it or you will be disgruntled at the minimum.

If you try a little it is not really difficult to distinguish a poisonous snake from the other kind. Some do not have the traits but mostly it is easy.

The only snakes I don't like are the ones I don't see.