drtreelove

10 hours ago, Liviu2023 said:

 

Hi all,

I have a date palm tree who is sick. There are hard spots on the back of leafs. New leafs grow clean but after a while they develop the same spots. I uploaded photos.  Please if anybody has seen this before ? if knows which type of disease and if it can be cured or not ?  

 

 

Possibility: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pestalotiopsis_palmarum#:~:text=Pestalotiopsis palmarum is the causative,sometimes bud rot of palms.

 

General information:

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/PP142

 

See "management" notes. Consider all factors, especially the soil and possible nutrient deficiencies as a contributing factor.

10 hours ago, patman30 said:

not clover afaik
don't ask me the name
i got that growing, you should see some small yellow flowers soon
it is great for ground cover and provides nutirients to other plants according to the wife

Your wife should be acknowledged for a profound statement of understanding. Perennial ground covers and mixed species plantings, some better than others, are highly beneficial in channeling photosynthate root exudates into the soil  that nourish the beneficial soil biology and the rhizosphere, facilitating soil aggregate structure buiilding, nutrient cycling and plant heatlh. Much better for surrounding and intermingled plantings than grass alone.  See posts and links and videos shared in the Regenerative Agriculture discussion on the Farming in Thailand Forum. 

Controversy over the benefits of cultivating it aside, you want to eradicate it and establish a uniform grass lawn. 

I don't know the species ID. Google Lens is rapidly becoming the superior plant ID app. 

 

Chemical control has some disadvantages and uncertainties. I would dig it out (ship it to Patman30 who appreciates it) 10 to 15cm beyond the margins of the grow, and 10 - 15cm deep. Replace the underlying soil.  Purchase and install sod (pre-grown grass mats) of the same species as your surrounding turf. Top dress with fine topsoil and/or compost, water until muddy-wet and then compress to level and settle into place. Water daily if no significant rain. until its rooted and new growth appears. Then back off on watering to a less frequent schedule, to be determined by conditions and need. Avoid foot traffic, kid's play or pets access.  Fence it temorarily if necessary. Don't mow it for a couple of weeks or a month, until well rooted and growing, it needs grass blade surface to photosynthesize carbs for rooting. 

 

Monitor daily, or at least weekly, throughout the growing season. If it flowered and seeded, or if it has persistant roots or rhizomes you will have more come up. Hand pull or dig undesireables at an early stage. Deferred maintenance, advanced "weed" growth is always harder to control. 

I ran this by my friend who is a landscape irrigation specialist in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo horticulture degree and over 20 years experience. Here are some of his comments.

 

I've known of these for some time.   They come in many different flow rates and would allow really good fine tuning of a system. 

They would be a great system if they were gardener proof. 

The downside is they would be foreign to other professionals so I've had challenges where I've put in a nice system and then somebody else comes along and bad-mouths my system and then the homeowner gets confused and doesn't know who to believe. 

A few times I've had my systems replaced because it was new and unfamiliar. And the gardener talked trash about it and put in a traditional system.

 

And more from our discussion about irrigation if anyone is interested: 

 

It is unreasonable to expect a homeowner to become a proficient irrigator.

Concept of "adequate soil moisture" seems impossible for most homeowners to comprehend.

I have tried numerous analogies that they may relate to such as "you want your soil to feel like moist cake, not cake batter" 

But that means they still got to get their hands in the soil.   And that means they've got to do some "work" before they set their next irrigation cycle.

The idea of irrigating to "field capacity", and then letting the soil moisture level fall safely close to "permanent wilting point" is not something most homeowners want to consider understanding.

And so we have the conundrum that it's really not application method it is irrigation programming that plays the biggest part in plant problems.

 

I'm seeing people in this cold Spring already irrigating their lawn 3 days a week for 15 minutes.  Watching that water run off the lawn into the shrub bed that's now all mud, and knowing that that shrub bed is getting irrigated 3 days a week for 15 minutes as well.

The average homeowner has a kindergartner's understanding of irrigation, infiltration, percolation and evapotranspiration.

 

An interesting fact I learned through regenerative ag study:

 

Evapotranspiration is nonsensical in a good regenerative system. You don't have any significant evaporation in a good regenerative system.   You just have transpiration as your primary loss of soil moisture. 

Cover crop, crop residue, or mulch will do such a tremendously good job of cooling the soil that evaporation is cut to near insignificant level.

Evapotranspiration assumes that you're going to have big expanses of bare, hot soil between your plants. 

Evapotranspiration goes along with dead soil devoid of a living microbial community, which now we agree is just dirt-hydroponic.

 

Primarily, overhead irrigation is considered inefficient because application rate exceeds infiltration rate and therefore you have runoff.

Additionally overhead irrigation is considered inefficient when you have small droplet evaporation, and wind drift.

Any wind drift skews distribution uniformity and so you end up with excessively wet spot downwind excessively dry spot upwind.

Irrigation with overhead systems in the wind is totally insane.   And the finer the droplet size the more drift.

Which is part of the reason that big lawns use stream rotors.   Huge droplets tend to resist drifting far in the wind.

 

Companies like Netafim have design manuals that can show how to calculate precipitation rate with drip.

Most people don't lay out a drip system in a way that would provide uniform "precipitation".  As you know, two drip emitters at the root crown is total BS.

 

We have to lay out our drip system over the root zone similar to netafim in concentric rings. And then netifim provides all the charts necessary to calculate precipitation rate so that you know that your tree got a very specific amount of water.

 

It's all in the tables. It just requires a human to lay out the netafim on uniform spacing (12 in. space grid if the emitters are 12 in on center. Netifim also sells 18 in spacing and a couple other variations)

 

So if the system is built correctly and we know the flow rate and we know the spacing we can calculate the precipitation rate. And still we may have runoff because many soils are so <deleted>ty that even 0.5 gallons per hour runs off!!

 

But if we're doing it right, then we have addressed the crust and compaction and we should have infiltration adequate to keep up with 0.5 gallons per hour.

 

The guess and check model is: irrigate the system for 3 to 5 hours, and then monitor weekly until soil moisture in the top foot (or so) drops to a level that is "dry" enough to irrigate again.

 

Then set up your irrigation system with a weather sensing timer and tell it to adjust up or down based on CIMIS data that it gets through the pager network every day.

 

In fact many of these smart irrigation timers are smart enough to keep most homeowners out of trouble once they get set up correctly. My gut tells me they are 70% more effective than the homeowner and maybe only 20% more effective than a smart horticulture expert who knows irrigation.

 

The one thing they do is they provide consistency over great periods of time. So that a human doesn't have to run around and soil probe every property and play with the clock and adjust for every heat wave and cold spell.

 

 

 

This is an interesting development, thanks for sharing.

 

As a tree care professional, that's what I do almost every, is get called to diagnose tree problems and make recommendations. In the top two of problematic issues that I see is water managment, too much or too little.  Drip emitters, drip lines and sprinkers all have their strengths and weaknesses, and water efficiency usually comes down to how they are set up for thorough coverage, frequency and amount of water being put out.  

 

Thorough coverage of the soil surface and depth of water infiltration into the soil profile throughout the absorbing root zone is a key to good management. Drip emitters just can't get that kind of coverage. Emitters water spots and not the full soil surface, so this highly unnatural method of watering may keep plants alive, but by missing so much of the natural fertility resources that exist in the full soil volume, the plants cannot thrive.  I often see drip emitters placed too close to the tree trunks and left in those placements for the long term, where they create over-wet conditions and crown rot. 

 

Netafim-type drip lines and soaker hoses are better, depending on how many lines are installed, the placement and spacing, and how much water volume is applied and at what frequency.  Usually this is shortcut to a single line and minimal volume, and therefore this setup still only delivers to a limited amount of root zone with shallow watering. Sprinklers have some  disadvantages, but overall I see much better coveage and tree health promotion possibilities this way, depending on setup, programming, with frequent monitoring and management. 

 

Besides delivering water to the existing root zone, irrigation should be set up to cover a little beyond the existing root zone, in order to encourage root growth to the largest area possible. Facilitating an expansive absorbing root zone  means more soil moisture and fertility resources for the tree. Frequent shallow watering promotes shallow rooting and reduced drought tolerance, so deep watering should be preferred

 

Mulching and/or cover cropping aid soil microbiome management, soil aggregate structure building and will increase fertility, soil moisture retention and drought tolerance.

 

I'm tree and landscape, home orchard and home veggie garden oriented.  Commercial growers have their own considerations. 

 

Container plantings are a little different for water managment strategy and sprinklers usually don't fit in that model. Compatible plantings and species-specific irrigation requirements should always be considered. 

 

https://www.fertileearthlandcare.com/watering-trees/

 

On 5/29/2023 at 7:12 PM, Reginald Prewster said:

Cheers @drtreelove to giude me to this post.

 

Unfortunately many people found out about the quality of a good mulch and with 17 rai bare soil after I designed my food forest, this high demand of soil building mulch and raising prices I do not accept.

 

I shifted a few gears down and rented rice fields (10 rai)

On these I let my family do what they did since ever. Growing Rice, peanuts, Beans .....

 

They can have the main income, but the straw is all for my land.

I guess fair deal isn't it?

 

I have seen on your turf some "huge" piles of Coco husks and rice bran. 

I am still looking around, but all I can find is people selling it by the bag.. (too expensive) 

 

For so long I stick to plan B..

Has also a good side. 

The Vetiver Grass barrier should be tight enough no to float the built up soil away

and the first cut of Vetiver Grass gives another few centimeters on top of the mulch mix... 

(Vetiver Grass I planted about 70.000 stalks all along the river, lake and island..)

Consider an economical, cost and labor saving alternative to importing mulch material,  which is "green manure" cover crops.  See the Regenerative Ag discussion on this forum for links to info on the incredible benefits of cover cropping for modern 'Soil Food Web' based soil restoration, soil aggregate structure building, photosynthate root exudates that nourish beneficial soil biology and nutrient cycling.  

  

I don't know if the land dept still offers free cover crop seeds, but that was a great service when my wife and I were managing our orchards. We went to the local land dept office and filled out some simple paper work, and went home with sacks of jack beans and black beans for legume cover cropping. I spread the seeds by hand onto bare ground at the beginning of the rainy season (now), let it grow for two months or so, and before the plants get woody and go to seed I would cut and leave lay (aka chop and drop) as mulch. 

 

For agroforestry there is also the option of perennial cover crops. For field crops there are other cover crop management techniques like roller-crimper machinery discussed in the Regen Ag thread and in the book Organic No Till Farming. 

 

Bare ground is an "oxidation" factor for Redox-oriented soil management. Mulching, cover cropping, shading of soil surface are "reduction" practices that should be emphasized for best soil and plant health. 

Interesting about the Brazil nuts.  Great food, high in selenium, hard to farm so most of the Brazil nuts we can get are foraged from natural, high nutrient density growing conditions. 

 

Your young plantings have promise, but the photo screams of bare ground and mulch or cover crop deficiency.  

 

 

 

7 hours ago, Grafting Ken said:

It is leaf miner.. through and especially towards end of hot season can get lots along with thrips that love the citrus leaves. If it’s bad give them a 1 shot spray with abamectin to clear them up then spray every 10 days to 2 weeks with neem oil or wood vinegar.

Please share what products you are using for abamectin and neem oil. 

 

Abamectin would be a good choice for leaf miner control in an active infestation, because it is a "translaminar" and one of the few insecticides/miticides that can penetrate the leaf surfaces to get to the feeding  larvae without going full systemic and contaminating the fruit. Unless you spray the fruit.

 

Translaminar is a type of insecticide that travels only shorter distances in the plant. Translaminar insecticides penetrate into the plant tissue and move within a plant organ such as a leaf. After penetrating leaf tissues, they form a reservoir of active ingredients within the leaf. However, they do not travel to other parts of the plant. For example, these chemicals may move from the upper to the lower surface of a leaf.

 

Neem oil and wood vinegar, with the right timing, will have preventive action for the moth that lays the eggs that become the larvae that mine and feed inside leaf surfaces, but will not cure an active advanced infestation.

 

Commercial growers who are monocropping and using high salt index, high NPK chemical fertilizers and pesticides will have more challenges with this and other pests and diseases. They will need to have a vigilant monitoring and spray program. 

 

I prefer not having to resort to the chemistry, even the botanicals, by using a purely preventive organic approach, cultivating good soil fertility, with good water management, enhancing plant nutrition and natural resistance to pests and diseases. 

1 hour ago, Jai Dee said:

That I am interested in... where can you buy them?

Are they harmful to fish?

https://www.organictotto.com/shop/

 

FB and LINE too

 

beneficial for fish

WATER TREATMENT MICROORGANISMS - ELIMINATE ODORS FORMULATED SPECIFICALLY FOR ALL TYPES OF AQUACULTURE PONDS.

Solve the problem of rotten, smelly, black, viscous water in fish ponds, shrimp ponds, shrimp ponds, and various aquaculture ponds. Used as microorganisms to adjust the water condition, making the water clear, transparent, still color, and decomposing sediment sludge. Eliminate animal excreta. food waste left in the pond Prevent and solve the problem of rotten bottom soil. for the good health of aquatic animals Helps aquatic animals grow fast, strong and gain weight

On 4/21/2023 at 6:42 PM, Reginald Prewster said:

In the temperate and seasonal climates you won't have such big issues that in tropical climate.

My opinion is: this generalization is a myth.

I'm back in California for the season and dealing with customer's trees, landscapes, home orchards and gardens and there are far more pest and disease problems here where soil regeneration has not been utilized.  Through years of study and trials in the US and Thailand I became convinced of the efficacy of soil fertility improvements in pest and disease suppression. even with the most aggressive tropical pest types. 

 

BTW, weaver ants are not a plant pest, they do not feed on the trees, but are a natural biological control for some plant pests.  They are evil little kamakaze dive bomber pests for people, but soil improvements or bio-pesticides do not apply for control. Ask your local village neighbor to collect the weaver ant nests.  

 

Those interested in Permaculture may appreciate Matt Powers: The Permaculture Student - YT Channel with a wealth of information, and Matt's new book on Regenerative Soil:  https://www.thepermaculturestudent.com/shop/regenerative-soil-science-amp-solutions-manual-pre-order

 

Regarding "food-forest", = agro-forestry, you might find value in the pinned discussion in our organic subforum. 

 

Also, there is an excellent book on Agroforestry from Nepal, by my friend and fellow member of ISTF (Intnl Soc of Tropical Foresters) 

 

These principles regarding the inherent 'integrated' nature of agroforestry are a brilliant observation and should be taken into account by all farmers, to move away from monocropping and it's inherent problems:  

 

Agroforestry Systems and Practices in Nepal  by SWOYAMBHU MAN AMATYA

(From the Forwards and Preface)

Agroforestry systems are, by definition, more complex than mono-cultural production systems, it is important for the student to understand the many interactions between the components of an agroforestry system: trees, crop plants, livestock, soil, water, climate, as well as the farming household. The knowledge of the principles of these interactions is essential for scientifically informed innovation of agroforestry systems that meet the developmental needs of the rural economy.

 

The combined use of land for different crop types in agroforestry systems often leads to increased productivity and other added benefits as compared to a segregated use of land either for agriculture or for forestry. The multifunctional approach of agroforestry systems may consequently help solve or alleviate many problems associated with increasing human population densities, poverty, and scarcity of land for food production and for goods and services derived from trees.

 

Agroforestry has been practiced all over the world since time immemorial. Farmers have developed sustainable agroforestry systems that produce crops, trees, livestock, fish, medicinal and aromatic plants, and other related forest resources. In our country empirical evidence suggests that agroforestry can provide a sound ecological basis for increased crop and animal productivity, more dependable economic returns, and greater biodiversity. In view of these, agroforestry is increasingly becoming an important landscape feature of Nepal and the entire hill farming systems of the country. Agroforestry practice in Nepal generally aims for meeting the present and future requirements of fuel wood, small timber, fodder, and Non-Timber Forest Products including Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, and for environmental services to include watershed functions, slope stabilization and erosion control, environmental protection, and microclimate amelioration.

 

Farming system in Nepal generally depends on the various types of products that are obtained from forests. Rural people collect green biomass (fodder) as livestock feed and leaf litter from forests for animal bedding. They take livestock to forests for grazing throughout the year. As a result, forests are degraded and receding from villages. This type of systems is being practiced in Nepal since time immemorial. In other words, forestry is an integral part of farming system in Nepal. Our forefathers have been planting tree species for multiple uses such as food, shelter, medicine, and spices in and around their farmland. Agroforestry practices are seen to improve livelihood through increasing the asset base for households, increasing productivity of both tree and agriculture crops, help conserve ecosystem and biodiversity, and improving agriculture landscapes including protection against environmental degradation.

 

 

 

Check with member Grafting Ken, our citrus propagation specialist, (who has high quality citrus plants for sale too).

 

My father was a prolific grafter, I grew up with "coctail trees" in our yard (multiple fruit varieties on one tree); I don't remember him using air-layering with citrus. He primarily used and taught me cleft-grafts and shield-grafts with citrus. 

 

Timing is usually at peak growing season, now, as long as the trees have adequate fertility and water management. But with soaring temps right now it is probably wise to shade the plants and grafts, or hold off for early rainy season. 

If you put that much attention on building the soil fertility you wouldn't need all the bio-pesticides. 

Get in touch with Soil Food Web - Regenerative Ag science, principles and practices. It works. 

 

 

Lemongrass may help, but something else to consider:  Use EM (effective microorganisms) in the drain water to suppress odors. The excellent proven product from Organic Totto is on the shelf at HomePro, not in gardening section but with home cleaning supplies. They also make EM balls for pond water clarity management. 

 

On 3/18/2023 at 2:45 PM, carlyai said:

Thanks. Yes I think our helper may have caused the problem with too much cow poo.

Methods and materials options for mitigating over fertilization with high salt index materials:

Scrape the surface organic layer containing high salts material, replace with a clean mulch; 

copious watering/leaching; 

humic substances (humid acid, fulvic acid) drench with liquid solution;

gypsum (Calcium sulfate) not the Calcium oxide that you usually get in Thailand sold as gypsum. CaO is 'quicklime' a Calcium product, but is a very different chemistry than ag gypsum CaSO4. 

 

If planted too low - (uppermost root flare should show at soil grade or above) - dig out with a good root ball intact and re-plant at a higher level as Cooked has recommended in previous post. 

On 3/18/2023 at 2:45 PM, carlyai said:

Thanks. Yes I think our helper may have caused the problem with too much cow poo.

Especially fresh, un-aged, un-composted manure.

 

Cooked is right, avocados worldwide are notoriously susceptible to Phythophthora crown rot, and that often happens by planting too deep in a clayey soil, where drainage is poor, the root crown stays wet and can't dry out in between waterings. 

 

But crown rot signs in the foliar canopy, in my experience, usually presents as wilting and branch tip die-back in the top  Your photos don't look like that too me and the leaf tip and margin drying are characteristic of water deficit or salt burn or both. Sunburn can be a contributing factor when foliage moisture content is compromised, from water deficit or root damage that prevents good hydration. 

With chlorotic (yellowed) appearance of foliage, leaf tips and margins drying/dying, dried up grass, I would consider nutrient deficiences, water deficit/drought stress, high salts fertilizer (manure and/or high NPK chemical fertilizer that dessicates roots and destroys beneficial soil biology and soil aggregate structure and therefore limits soil moisture retention). 

13 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

During  the rainy (flood) season we open one of our higher fields to local people who keep cows and so have in exchange a good supply of cow dung which I compost for 12 months before use.

 

But I don’t think it has the necessary trace elements, the cows can’t add elements that aren’t available to them.

 I’ve found a foliage fertilizer that has the trace elements I’m looking for but don’t want to spray with the risks of inhaling.

 

If I can’t find an alternative I’ll use this by applying to the irrigation system. It is soluble and I could make an inductor to mix it into the irrigation lines downstream of the pumps.

Terminology issue. "Trace elements' means different things to different people. To me it means the minerals that occur in the soil and in soil amendments products in truly 'trace' amounts and are usually not included in a routine soil test for chemcial farming: Chromium, Cobalt, Iodine, Molybdenum, Selenium, Nickel, etc.  These are best obtained from excellent trace mineral souces like kelp, Azomite and granite rock dust, and chelated by additon of humic substances (All available from Best Garden State on FB and LINE)

Are you referring to those, or to what is usually called "micro-nutrients" or "secondary elements", Boron, Iron, Manganese, Copper and Zinc?  These secondary elements can be found in some fertilizer products, especially in a good COF (complete organic fertilizer) like Organic Totto's Bokashi, or some of the COF products from Best Garden State. And you can also find these mixed and formulated for foliar fertilizer. I buy packets of a mix like this from a local ag shop in MaeJo, Chiang Mai.   BTW, don't be afraid to spray foliar fertilizer. Be afraid of not researching what you are using and of not suiting up with PPEs for any concentrated substances that you apply, sprays, powders, etc, including biologicals, botanicals and chemicals. 

A better way is to cultivate the soil biology, which effectively mines these substances from the mineral soil and rock, and cycles nutrients without the need for so much input of expensive fertilizers. See Soil Food Web and Regenerative Ag literature and videos. 

On 2/15/2023 at 11:53 AM, NotEinstein said:

You are in a battle with nature that you cannot win, unless you concrete it over.

Even if you use the most efficient chemicals, earth is full of seeds laying dormant and that will do their thing when the circumstances suit them.

You could lay grass as effective competition, and then keep mowing, or just mow the weeds, as already suggested.

 

So true!  And "once and for all" is not an option.

  

Glufosinate ammonium is a contact herbicide primarily for top growth burn down, with only minimal systemic action, so it does not effectively translocate into the root system for a complete kill, like glyphosate.  And it is not a pre-emergent (inhibiting seed germination). Therefore what you are experiencing is regrowth from persistent roots, and possible re-seeding.  Also, weeds develop resistance to this chemical and you lose effectiveness over time unless you change up and alternate the class of herbicide for subsequent applications. 

 

But its true that chemical dependancy is a losing battle and is environmentally irresponsible. Consider some of the other suggestions for alternative plantings and management, because bare ground and repeated use of herbicides degrades the soil and will always be ugly and favor weed growth.

 

 

 

http://www.itfnet.org/gfruit/Templates English/durian.harv.pre.htm

 

13 hours ago, Dean1953 said:

I leave for Chiangmai in a week. Coming from my house in Bosang, is this shop just before I would cross the Ping river, to the right?  If so, they worked on the first Used Honda mower that I bought 20 years ago. I’m curious if honda dealerships in Thailand offer the same warranty offered in the U.S.?  I’ll probably buy it regardless but would feel better turning a brand new lawn mower to a neighbor while I’m in the U.S.

Correct. Somewhat.  If you come in from San Kamphaeng on the 1006 and cross the 11 (superhwy) you will be on Charoeng Muang Rd. Continue straight and turn right on Charoeng Rat (106, the road along the East side of the river). Go north past Goodview on left, Wat Ket Karam on right, and pass through the next major intersection which is Kaeonawarat Rd. Sriyont is on the right in that stretch before Rattanakosin Rd. Can't miss it. Ask for Khun Neung the owner /manager, he'll fill you in on warranty.

I had a similar situation in Chiang Mai where my wife and I took over the 10 rai farm of a deceased horticulturist friend, with 3 rai of mature fruit trees,  73 longan and  55 mango.  We refurbished a bore well and tank tower, as well as pond pump water supply.  I went with bunds and flood irrigation where possible and hand held 1" hose watering where needed. 

 

I can't comment on the drip system you are asking about.  I am not in favor of drip emitters for trees.  As a tree care professional for over 50 years (mostly trees in landscapes and home orchards). And I grew up watching my father manage citrus orchards in the Arizona desert, with a very successful system of flood irrigation every 10 days. 

 

I have found that drip systems can keep trees alive, but is unnatural and not adequate for full absorbing root zone saturation, tree health and metabolic processes. One exception is well designed Netafim-type smart-drip soaker tubing systems. 

 

Infrequent deep watering is preferred. https://www.thespruce.com/watering-deeply-1402418

 

A lot can be done to improve and enhance soil moisture retention and water usage efficiency .  Soil aggregate structure is the key factor. This comes with building soil organic matter content, beneficial soil biology cultivation, especially AMF (arbuscular micorrhizal fungus) that produces glomalin which binds soil crumb structure and extends the absorbing capacity of tree root systems .  This is best achieved with Redox principles (reduction vs oxidation factors, including minimal tillage and avoidance of harsh chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides) and photosynthate root exudates from mixed species cover cropping. Plus bio-inoculants. 

 

Matt Powers with Dr Olivier Husson on Redox

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMACAg0ANCA

 

I don't know Chaiyaphum, but as for which manure, avoid fresh raw manure and go with well-aged or preferrably composted manure.  Ask around locally for dairy cattle or chicken manure.

 

For your berries, veggies and weed, if not needed in bulk quantities, you may want to consider ordering sacks of COF (complete organic fertilizer) from Best Garden State, on FB or LINE, or bokashi COF from OrganicTotto. And/or the excellent Takumi Fish Fertilizer and other products from Maruchu Bussan. I also use a composted bat guano and cow manure sack product from a local ag shop here in MaeJo Chiang Mai.

On 1/27/2023 at 2:58 PM, LivinLOS said:

So Malay it is then.. Thanks for the help. 

Soil preparation and good water management is everything. Incorporate (rototill) vermicompost to 15cm depth or more before planting if possible. With adequate soil fertility and irrigation, ya malaysia usually does fine in the sun.  Mow it high, 3 inches, because scalping it with a krueng tat ya will expose the soil surface to sunlight and rapid drying. Mow frequently enough (weekly during the growing season)  so that you don't cut more than 1/4 to 1/3 off the top of the grass blades. More than that is physiologically stressful and a setback for consistent health and appearance. Avoid high NPK, high salt index chemical fertilizers that are detrimental for the benefical soil biology,  dessicate roots and reduce drought tolerance. Use organic fertilizers and a mulching mower that returns the grass clippings to the soil. 

 

As for the old TV garden subforum, this is it, the dog and snake and sometimes plant forum.  Farming in Thailand is better for more experienced and helpful growers. Almost every farm has a farmhouse and a landscape, lawns and trees, birds and bees, and growers living there. 

On 1/27/2023 at 6:03 PM, StayinThailand2much said:

Sadly a growing trend worldwide, rowdies attacking ambulance drivers, firemen, etc., while they do their duty...

Nothing  new about that! It goes with the territory.  As a paramedic ambulance attendent in big-city California in the late 70s early 80s I've faced the suicidal, the homicidal and the criminally insane, I've been slapped, slugged, spit at in the face, drawn down on (gun to the head), stabbed in the back, and  had to fight for my life on the street a few times.  I remember a gang war in the SF east bay that raged for 3 nights, we had our ambulance windshield bashed with baseball bats and some of our crews were attacked, all because we were trying to help the fallen opposing gang members.  And we were unarmed first responder medics.  How the police get treated is far more hostile. That's just what you have to deal with all day, every day, the worst people and worst situations that a "civilized society" has to offer.  After 5 years of that I went back to tree work. The trees are hard work and sometimes dangerous, but are far more peaceful than humans.