Growing herbs in Thailand

[thomasbkk]

Hello everybody,

did anyone of you successfully grow herbs like dill, parsley, chive, lemon balm or the like in Thailand?

I tried almost anything in different locations of my garden. The result has always been the same.

The germination is unproblematic but after a couple of days -two weeks at the most- the seedlings dwarf

and finally die. I tried in sunny places, in half shade and shady places, always the same result.

I appreciate your advice. Thanks

[Oxx]

Clearly it's possible.  Dill is a traditional Thai herb (phàkˑchii laaw), and parsley is grown commercially here and is readily available in supermarkets.

[cooked]

Clearly it's impossible to grow everything everywhere. Some stuff JUST WON'T GROW here, depending on where you live. Most years I can grow dill, two years ago they caught mildew (maybe the seeds...) so I only tried again this year, grew well and seeded out all over the garden.

Anyway, let's not assume that Thais are stupid in your area because they don't grow the stuff you want. Nobody grows chili in the village here, but 1/2 kilometre away in the rice fields it grows very well.  I have had limited success with it.

It sounds like your problem is the same as mine, soil borne diseases, in my case probably verticillium, apart from chili all members of the nightshade family (potatoes, tomatoes, aubergine, bell peppers etc)  do as you say, they sprout and die. 

I missed certain herbs when I came here, but discovered that many Thai herbs were just as healthy and tasty, it took me some time to find them and grow them.

How about turmeric, ginger, maraa ki nuk, etc? 

[thomasbkk]

thank you very much. i will not stop trying ...

[SimpleMan555]

Some herbs such as Italian Basil and Rosemary grow well here if in the proper location.

I read you have tried different locations, have you tried growing in pots with the soil adjusted to the herbs prefered soil type & growing conditions?

 

For small amounts of potting soil, you may also be able to sterilize it with prolonged steam or heat and then inoculate with EM to give the soil microbes a jump start.

Cheers.

[cooked]

13 hours ago, SimpleMan555 said:

Some herbs such as Italian Basil and Rosemary grow well here if in the proper location.

I read you have tried different locations, have you tried growing in pots with the soil adjusted to the herbs prefered soil type & growing conditions?

 

For small amounts of potting soil, you may also be able to sterilize it with prolonged steam or heat and then inoculate with EM to give the soil microbes a jump start.

Cheers.

Yes, I managed to keep Rosemary alive for three years without sterilising the soil. I don't think anyone will be sterilising soil using steam or heat, steam  treatment took us days back in Europe. There remains the option of solarisation (Google) which requires leaving the land fallow for some time. Villagers did something similar here 50 years ago, nobody bothers now.

[thomasbkk]

actually rosemary is the only herb i have grown successfully so far.

i think i will try to grow in a raised bed with well prepared soil.

thanks to everybody again. 

[drtreelove]

Your plants are possibly experiencing "damping off" disease.  IssanAussie called attention to this phenomenon in a previous similar discussion in the last year or two in the farming forum. 

Damping off - Wikipedia

 

Good water management is first, overwatering can cause root rot, water deficit can cause die-back.

Complete soil fertility and plant nutrition is essential for enabling plants to build natural resistance to disease. 

Complete organic fertilizer will help, like OrganicTotto bokashi, which has complete nutrition including calcium and micro-nutrients that most high NPK chemical fertilizers don't have. 

Don't sterilize the soil or you will kill the multitude of vital, beneficial soil organisims along with the few pathogens.

EM can help, but I would use a specific biological fungicide with Trichoderma harzianum strain to combat the various fungal pathogens that are a possible cause of the damping off. 

Trichoderma harzianum - Wikipedia

 

Edited November 27, 2020 by drtreelove

[faraday]

As always, a big thank you to Dr Treelove for his advice & recommendations. ????

 

Growing Rosemary.....well, I have had no real success, despite different combinations of soil, shade, watering etc.

 

They start off ok, then later after 8 weeks: brown & dead!

 

Can't fathom as to why; in the UK I had a big Rosemary plant that was given no care, & it flourished, having the beautiful little lilac flowers in summer.

 

My wife has grown Coriander very successfully, as well as mint.

 

Any suggestions about the Rosemary?

[drtreelove]

Rosemary Plants: Care and Growing Guide (thespruce.com)

Soil

Grow rosemary in sandy, well-draining soil. This plant is native to the rocky hillsides of the Mediterranean and doesn't do well if its roots stay wet.

 

Water

Water rosemary plants when the soil is completely dry. Be careful not to over-water and avoid making the soil soggy (especially when growing in containers), as this leads to root rot.