drtreelove

6 hours ago, KarenBravo said:

Slightly off topic.

 

I have quite a few bats in the garden. During the day, they live at the centre of the drooping palm fronds of the Fan palms.

Every day, I find the skins, or half eaten yellow coloured figs. They are only about an inch in diameter.

I have never seen any kind of fig for sale at the markets.

Does your fig tree also have these yellow fruits, or are they the same kind of figs that you find around the Mediterranean?

I love eating figs, but the only ones I see are the dried ones at Xmas.

Ficus carica is the tree species of the mediterranean edible figs.  They are difficult to grow for fruit production in Thailand due to climate limitations, and a grower that I just met has moved his production into green houses after failures outside.  Some members here have posted of sucesses with edible figs, Soidog 2 was one. 

There are many other native tree species in the Ficus genus which produce fig fruits, but they are not suitible for human consumption. Your bats are probably feasting on the fruit from Ficus microcarpa (Chinese banyan), F. altissima (strangler fig) or another one of the 90 species of Ficus listed in Forest Trees of Northern Thailand, and there may be more in Southern Thailand.  

6 hours ago, Rastatoto said:

Nice and informative topic, from where do you buy your "Bat Guano fertilizer"? any address ? thanks a lot..

The 'bat guano' fertilizer that I pictured was purchased at an ag shop across from MaeJo University outside of Chiang Mai city.  But its not the pure stuff, its mostly chicken manure I believe, with some bat guano.  This week I visited the Best Garden State facility in Nakhon Pathom and saw the great additions to their organic products line.  Pure bat guano is now available. although not yet posted on the BGS Facebook products page. Lazada may have other resources. 

Disease transmission awareness and use of PPEs should be considered with all manure products, especially bat poo that can be powdered and airborne when handling. Mask and wash. 

I'm sorry to say that I don't trust most fertilizer vendors and its impossible to get an honest list of ingredients because everyone is rightfully scared of copy cat product thievery or they are trying to get around regulations.  I trust Organic Totto and BGS for quality and business integrity.  

BGS and Biosurge Thailand are now working together to make a superior calcium-enhanced vermicompost that will, in my opinion be one of the best organic fertilizer products available in Thailand.  They supply some big CBD-hemp grow operations, but the vermicompost will be excellent for food production, tree and landscape soil fertility too. 

On 11/6/2021 at 10:28 AM, Bredbury Blue said:

Wise words. We bought the house from someone with the tree planted too close to the house and right next to cables / wires requiring the trimming. We have also planted trees on an additional house plot we bought to extend our garden, and as trees grow they need trimming. If we had loads of land and no complaining neighbours we could probably let the trees grow untrimmed.

Yes, tree trimming is usually required in a residential setting. And after over 50 years of getting calls for neighbor disputes over tree issues, and sometimes involving lawsuits, outright hostilities and vandalism, I learned first hand that us Americans are on a mission to be master complainers, and often prove not to be good neighbors and peaceful people. 

But tree trimming does not always have to be radical and disfiguring to the natural form and beauty of the trees. I have spent my life, as did my father before me, offering moderate, aesthetical and tree friendly alternatives to radical topping and removals. 

And now there is a whole new movement of training and certification of arborists in Thailand, through the Thai Arboriculture Association (TAA, on Facebook). And there are now tree services with certified arborist tree workers who are capable of safe and professional workmanship, and aesthetic pruning. So we are no longer limited to hiring the local hack, and living with the consequences.

On 11/1/2021 at 8:54 AM, Bredbury Blue said:

No don't be sorry to hear that. It's worked pretty well for 18 years. It's either trim the trees or cut them down as they are close to the house, near wires, allow access on to low roof for rats to gain entry to downstairs ceiling, etc. - we choose trimming over cutting down.

I understand. Its true that sometimes the situation is such that you are faced with choosing the lesser of evils due to poor original planning for mature tree size.  You may be stuck with either tree mutilation or clear cutting.  

But for others who may be planning and planting their landscapes, its a good heads-up to always consider the eventual size of the trees you are considering. Get informed and choose wisely. 

Look for a slow release COF (complete organic fertilizer) with NPK values under 10%.  

I'm all for soil testing, but for a single tree or two or three it may not be cost effective.  A general purpose soil improvement approach would be my choice.  If you have planted an orchard, then yes, hire BGS (Best Garden State) and pay the approx 5000 baht for a comprehensive soil analysis.  Its well worth it to get it right. 

Since you are posting this on the Organic subforum, I will assume that you may be interested in the organic and regenerative ag approach, and not wanting to get into the endless chemical dependancy with higher and higher need for high salts fertilizer and pesticide use. Harsh chemistry suppresses benefical biology which is all-important in building resistance to pests and diseases, like mites that vector fig mosaic virus.  

Attached photos is what I use. The Totto bokashi is EM-inoculated and pre-digested mineral and biological amendments, so not as harsh as some other products.  The Bat Guano fertilizer product is mostly composted chicken manure with some bat guano. 

Plus I would apply a good quality compost, like the excellent vermicompost produced by Biosurge Thailand 

Organic Fertilizer Worm Winner Vermicompost from Thailand (biosurgethailand.com)

This product is also distributed by Best Garden State (on FB), which also carries their own COF products, like their 444 general purpose. 

Spread the COF over the root zone, well past the 'dripline' (foliar canopy spread), Mulch on top of that with the compost. Any tillage should be very light surface raking and not deeply disturbing to the lateral root zone.  If you have a number of trees or an orchard, then seriously consider mixed species cover cropping. This is one of the best things you can do for soil and plant health.

Good water management is vital through the dry season.  Think once or twice a week deep watering for young trees. Avoid daily watering or drip emitters on a frequent schedule. As your soil organic matter, biology and root fungal associations improve, the trees will become more drought tolerant and you can adust the deep watering to a less frequent schedule.

Untill your soil building and tree resistance to pests and diseases is fortified (a couple of years), consider preventive spraying with botanical arthropod pest repellent, like Azadirachtin concentrate from neem seed oil extract. (Thai Neem on FB and Lazada).

I had cataract lens replacement surgery a month ago in Chiang Mai.  SriPhat Hosp OPD Ophthamology Clinic, Dr Atitaya, a sharp young CMU med school grad. She also works at Bangkok Hosp in Chiang Mai.  The cost was about 47,000 baht total, (monofocal IOL, multifocal is 80,000).  There was no waiting time, I scheduled the surgery for one week after my initial exam. 

Its an easy, painless, out-patient surgery with local anesthetic only, that takes less than a half hour. Dressing is removed the next day and there is a noticable improvement in vision immediately. There is some recovery and adjustment time, a month later I have mild double vision that is supposed to clear with time.  I plan to schedule the second eye with the same doctor. 

I really like Rutnin Eye Hospital in Bangkok and Dr Jutarat there, but the quote was much more. 

Rutnin:

The estimated cost of the cataract surgery only as follows:

1)            Monofocal lens is approximately THB 80,000-90,000* per eye

2)            Toric lens (for astigmatism) is approximately THB 110,000-120,000* per eye

3)            Multifocal lens is approximately THB 120,000 – 130,000* per eye

The estimated cost of a preoperative examination is THB3,000-5,000*.

The cost of RT-PCR for COVID-19 is THB3,000*.

On 10/30/2021 at 2:45 PM, Bredbury Blue said:

Have 'beep' or Indian cork trees is our garden. Like them a lot. We chop them back when they get big but they grow back so quickly.

I'm sorry to hear that. 'Chopping them back' violates best management practices and destroys natural form and beauty.  'They grow back so quickly' because its a natural vigorous growth response to the loss of foliage and capacity for essential photosythesis of sugars to support life of the tree.  Moderate crown reduction, size and safety managment can be achieved with proper  pruning practices, while maintaining BMPs for tree health and structural integrity.  

Why Topping Hurts Trees (2018_05_25 14_55_25 UTC).pdf Why Topping Hurts Trees_thai (2018_05_25 14_55_25 UTC).pdf

6 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

The times , they are a changin ...

What always was , will not always be ...

Hear! Hear!

In my opinion there is some very misleading information in the replies here. 

Its always best to positively identify a pest, and then determine the entry route and method, fly in, crawl in.  Small red biting insects may be ants. If so, it may be possible to DIY with a simple tracking of the ant trail and spot spraying with Chaindrite Crack and Crevice (cypermethrin and bifentrin, low toxicity for mammals) or with a boric acid bait (organic program compatible). 

Did the pest control company disclose the pest ID and what they were proposing to do for treatment?  If not, get another assessment/estimate. 

I interviewed and scrutinized CNX Pest Control in Chiang Mai several years ago for a friend's termite control project. If its the same owner, he was an informed, trained, and certified pest control applicator who gave what seemed like a fair estimate for a fully disclosed appropriate treatment. 

And do you know this intoxicating fragrant flowering tree, in full bloom for the last two months or so, all over Chiang Mai, widely planted in road median strips, like along  the 1001 between Raum Chok and Mae Jo.  

  ปีบ pip (Central) Sounds more like ton peep or beep. 

Millingtonia hortensis species page - THAILAND NATURE PROJECT

Last week I saw the largest specimen I've seen, at the admin bldg on the McKean hospital property in Chiang Mai. 

On 10/26/2021 at 3:01 PM, CLW said:

From the leaves I would say its Plumeria / Frangipani. But usually they have different flowers....

Flowers don't lie - better for ID if present. 

1 hour ago, rodknock said:

american husband dieing, is thai wife eligible for benefits?

If qualified (5 yrs etc) send the attached form to the FBU US Embassy Manila in order to get her on record. I don't know how it plays out of course, as I'm still kickin', but she would need your death certificate and all other appropriate documentation. And probably a lot of patience and determination, and maybe some help from an attorney or beaurocracy-literate friend.  

SSA-21 (2).pdf

12 hours ago, kickstart said:

Look at the label and see what the chemical is if it is MPCA ?,it is available on Lazada.

As for a lawn fertilizer why not just use an  N. P. K . mix ,grass will still grow ,some lime applied say once a year ( Boon-Khow in Thai ),would help .

 

Thats guess work. May help, may be detrimental.

High NPK ferts kills beneficial soil biology, which is the most important aspect of soil and plant health. 

1 hour ago, drtreelove said:

The problem is, from my experience, that if you ask for boon khow, you may get a calcium product, but it may be calcium carbonate, calcium oxide, dolomite, or a construction plaster with a lye component. And it may be mis-labled and the extreme differences for soil building not even slightly understood. 

 

A few years ago I was searching for an ag gypsum supplier for a COF I was blending.  My wife and I drove to a major company head office in Bangkok, which mines and distributes gypsum. We had called ahead to pick up a sample 50 kg sack or two. We were greeted by a whole team of sales and product development reps, including a staff PhD scientist. 

 

I questioned the package labeling as CaO2, which is Calcium oxide and not Calcium sulfate, gypsum. They swore up and down that it was actually calcium sulfate in the sack, but they had to label it as ca oxide to get around some regulatory restrictions. Go figure!

When I got it home and opened it, it appeared and behaved like calcium oxide, not gypsum as the company had represented. And thats just one story of many disappointments in searching for organic grower supplies. 

 

I bought gypsum from another major supplier, and it was mostly brown, hard rock chunks of unscreened material, probably mined gypsum, but labeled differently as CaO2 plus other ingredients. I had to break the rocks and screen it to get some usable material. 

Correction: Calcium oxide is CaO. 

21 hours ago, farmerjo said:

Boon khow = lime in Thai?

The problem is, from my experience, that if you ask for boon khow, you may get a calcium product, but it may be calcium carbonate, calcium oxide, dolomite, or a construction plaster with a lye component. And it may be mis-labled and the extreme differences for soil building not even slightly understood. 

A few years ago I was searching for an ag gypsum supplier for a COF I was blending.  My wife and I drove to a major company head office in Bangkok, which mines and distributes gypsum. We had called ahead to pick up a sample 50 kg sack or two. We were greeted by a whole team of sales and product development reps, including a staff PhD scientist. 

I questioned the package labeling as CaO2, which is Calcium oxide and not Calcium sulfate, gypsum. They swore up and down that it was actually calcium sulfate in the sack, but they had to label it as ca oxide to get around some regulatory restrictions. Go figure!

When I got it home and opened it, it appeared and behaved like calcium oxide, not gypsum as the company had represented. And thats just one story of many disappointments in searching for organic grower supplies. 

I bought gypsum from another major supplier, and it was mostly brown, hard rock chunks of unscreened material, probably mined gypsum, but labeled differently as CaO2 plus other ingredients. I had to break the rocks and screen it to get some usable material. 

I recommend that you not try to alter the pH with lime, but allow the soil chemistry to balance out naturally. The acidity from a single vinegar application will be rapidly leached with the rain we are having in CM.

The grass dieback may just be a foliar burn, and not a major affect on soil pH, .  Did you actually test the soil pH or just assume it was altered?

A pH of  5.5 to 7 may not be a problem for re-establishing the grass. In fact it may come back on its own from the existing root system if you give it a little more time. 

Using a complete organic fertilizer will do more for creating a balanced soil chemistry than using a single concentrated component like lime. 

On 10/14/2021 at 6:42 PM, digbeth said:

the condition of acidic soil is ดิน เปรี้ยว 'Din Preaw' literally sour(ed) soil

ปูนขาว 'white motar' is also used but can be imprecise as it could mean anything from lime to calcium oxide or calcium carbonate

Imprecise is too polite. I would add possible misinformation, mislabeling and blatant deception in product descriptions.  

Eric, what are you considering as too acidic and how did you determine this, pH alone, or a complete soil analysis. Because to try and alter soil chemistry and the underlying factors for imbalances, there is much more to it.  Adding lime alone could create futher imabalance, if Calcium is not the primary factor.  Consider why is the soil low pH and is this consistent throughout the year, or only now in rainy season where leaching of other cations and decomposition of soil organic matter may be at a peak. 

The four major causes for soils to become acid:

Rainfall and leaching

Acidic parent material

Organic matter decay

Harvest of high yielding crops

Nitrification of ammonium

The above causes of soil acidity are more easily understood when we consider that a soil is acid when there is an abundance of acidic cations (pronounced cat-eye-on), like hydrogen (H⁺) and aluminum (Al³⁺) present compared to the alkaline cations like calcium (Ca²⁺), magnesium (Mg²⁺), potassium (K⁺), and sodium (Na⁺).

Inquire with AA about "LUMA Long Stay Care" . Enrollment up to 80 yo. 

Caterpillars are seasonal, and are probably long gone by now, past pupa and adult stages and in overwintering egg stage by now. So spraying of pesticides including insecticidal soap or botanicals like Aza neem concentrate may be a waste. 

Snails, grasshoppers and cutter bees also munch and take chunks out of foliage. 

The damage shown in the photos is minimal in relation to the volume of the foliage in the entire plant, and maybe could be tolerated. 

The manual method of removal presented by Denim is good,  but you have to be vigilant in spring and summer, because like he says, they can defoliate a plant overnight. 

The best prevention is to build healthy, bioactive soil and plant nutrition for resistance to pests and diseases.   See why:  

Why insects do not (and cannot) attack healthy plants | Dr. Thomas Dykstra | Regenerative Ag - YouTube

There are local beekeepers with whom you can arrange to have set up hives on your property. They do all the managment and take the honey, you get the advantage of pollination for your trees.  When we managed orchards in Nong Han, out behind MJU, this worked out very good for us and our trees and yields. 

19 hours ago, thaiclan said:

Thanks for all your info and help. I will PM you.

The guy on the 331 I bought from did a great job of delivering and planting the trees. He advised me not to plant for 3 months and when the time came he organised the crane and his men constructed metal frames to support the trees for the first 1 year+.  I was very impressed and the trees now are larger than my house!

I found a very informative site here which lists the types of trees.  I have discovered that the umbrella/acacia type tree I am seeking is call a Cham Cha or Kam Kram here in Thailand.

http://www.fao.org/3/AC775E/AC775E03.htm

This from the Nong Nooch manager: 

Acacia are brittle wood and often brake. Most are also potential invasive so we do not produce those.

Not sure what a african umbrella tree is but a quick google shows it is a acacia as well. see above.

Both species are from the cool and dry african savanna and that is very different from Thai climate which is tropical.

I would recommend Central american Mahogny trees and also thai native trees like most Ficus.

Cham Cha is 'Raintree' Albizia saman, (formerly Samanea saman) see my article attached.  It is a great choice but only if you have the space for it to grow into maturity, they are a very large growing/spreading tree.  

Hawng nok yung (tail of the peacock), Delonix regia is another common large unbrella shaped tree, with striking red flowering. One of my favorites. "Flame tree" , "Flamboyant", "Royal Poinciana" in Hawaii. 

Raintree (2018_05_25 14_55_25 UTC).pdf

OK, I have made contact with a manager at Nong Nooch. He replys that yes they do have retail trees for sale but no catalog. So we have to provide some information to narrow down the search and availability. 

Nong Nooch would have better tree growing and tree moving and planting standards than most side of the road providers. 

If you are still looking for a tree or trees, PM me, or preferrably email to my TV user name at g mail dot com. 

No, I am not looking for any financial interest in this, just happy to help a tree lover to connect. 

On 9/11/2021 at 1:08 PM, thaiclan said:

Do you know where inside Nong Nooch in particular?  I have visited there many times over the years (I live close by). They used to have a nursery selling plants and shrubs (no trees), but that closed down about 5 years ago or more.  I have enquired several times about buying trees but I have always been told by various people there (office, vendors, gardeners) that they don't sell.

If you have more specific info then please do share. ????

Sorry, I missed this reply and question.  No, I am out of touch for several years. I have purchased trees from their nursery in Chiang Mai during the era when they installed the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek , but not Pattaya.  They are reportedly the largest landscape contractor in SE Asia and they have vast nursery operations.  My American friend used to be the palm and plumeria collection manager and I knew the dutch operations manager and the Thai owner, but that may have all changed.  

I'll see what I can find out and let you know.  But consider this, that Thai standards of digging and moving of large trees is usually pathetically insufficient to international best managment practices. Although there are many successful transplants, physiological stress, root damage and root rot is common and may turn up later as decline and dieback or structural failure.  It's best to plant smaller container trees and have patience for a more healthy root system development, natural growth and structural integrity.