Lamyai Farming

[slapout]

Hello Thai farmers. I am the proud owner of 12 rai of lamyai (240+) trees, 9 year old. Does anyone know where to find info on water requirements during bloom, number of fertiliaer applications per year, is bloom set used etc. I have googled this and have not had too much luck getting real answers. I have a proper watering system installed for the dry season. The trees themselves are daw variety from the Lampun area the land is located north of Chiang Mai 120 klicks. The Thai's I visit with in the area can not seem to agree on much, as well as having some wierd suggestions. The last one was to mix condensed milk in water and spray during bloom or after fruit sets???? Any info or suggestions would be appreciated. slapout

[Tim207]

Hello Thai farmers. I am the proud owner of 12 rai of lamyai (240+) trees, 9 year old. Does anyone know where to find info on water requirements during bloom, number of fertiliaer applications per year, is bloom set used etc. I have googled this and have not had too much luck getting real answers. I have a proper watering system installed for the dry season. The trees themselves are daw variety from the Lampun area the land is located north of Chiang Mai 120 klicks. The Thai's I visit with in the area can not seem to agree on much, as well as having some wierd suggestions. The last one was to mix condensed milk in water and spray during bloom or after fruit sets???? Any info or suggestions would be appreciated. slapout

Here is some info. If you search the FAO site you will probably find more.

http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/ad523e/ad523e03.htm#bm3.1

[JungleBiker]

Hi Slapout,

Google the key words longan potassium chlorate and you will find loads of stuff. Problem is potassium chlorate is also an explosive material so I think it is difficult to get in Thailand unless you are a member of some longan growers' group or have a special license or something like that.

Also check these pages:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/X6908E/x6908e00.htm#Contents

http://www.actahort.org/members/showpdf?booknrarnr=665_6

Best regards,

JB.

[lannarebirth]

The people I know who get the best return on lumyai, do absolutely nothing to their trees. the people I know who spend money on fertilizer and "hormones" have that additional cost to subtract from the pittance the lumyai buyers make. Personally, I give my entire lumyai production to the puyai ban as a goodwill gesture.

[MrSquigle]

So sounds like this is a new purchase, do you mind telling how much you paid for 12 rai of these trees ??

[Lickey]

The people I know who get the best return on lumyai, do absolutely nothing to their trees. the people I know who spend money on fertilizer and "hormones" have that additional cost to subtract from the pittance the lumyai buyers make. Personally, I give my entire lumyai production to the puyai ban as a goodwill gesture.

We have about 60/70 lumyai trees on a hillside, all they get is the run-off water from the Papaya irrigation in the dry season, we keep the grass and weeds down, also prune any branches touching the ground to stop ants eating the fruit, also cut the creepers that will strangle the tree, 1 tree was completley white with a bug or diasease problem in february this year, i sprayed it with red diesel and burnt it, i think this stopped the spread to other trees,

Picking and preparing is labour intensive, unless you can sell yours to somebody who will do all this in the price,

Lannarebirth is right, if you start putting money into fertilizer ect, you will never see a profit, i would think the irrigation cost you enough allready, let nature take its course and look after the trees for you,

Our local market pays 7bht 1 kilo for our lumyai, takes 5 people to pick and prepare 1 kilo every 10 mins, then you have cost of plastic bags and transport,

All in all, i dont think you will make a living from Lumyai, for us,its a sideline, we have lots of other fruit and veg available, diversify if you can, the more different things you have will attract more buyers to your farm and create a regular income, not just a seasonal income.

Good Luck with whatever you decide, Cheers, Lickey..

[slapout]

Thanks for the replys so far. I bought the land 13 years ago and have planted, drilled well. laid irrigation etc. so Mr squigle cant answer your question as to cost of purchase. My total cost, I could figure but prefer not to as they say ingorance is bliss ha ha. The wife's family have taken care of orchard but they are rice and garlic farmers so they listen to the thai experts (a bottle of whisky in 1 hand, sitting in the shade of a tree) I am not thai so I cant possibly know how to farm ha ha. I am aware of the use of potassium chlorate, but prefer not to use. Thanks lannarebirth for input on doing very little if it costs money. last year pric was 11, 7, and 4 baht depending on size of fruit ( kilo) so yes not a real profit maker. When I planted fruit was selling for 30 to 35 bhat a kilo. and it looked like a good investment, ??? Lickey, we also have about 70 mango trees lemon and various other fruit trees and a small fish pond, I use it as a hobby for me and as much income as it will generate for the wife's family, (keep them from asking me for money) The last 2 years we have not had a good fruit set 5 or 6 where there should 25 to 30. I thought maybe watering during bloom or lack thereof but cant get a stright answer as to was done. Did find they sprayed condensed milk on flowers, I dont get too involved except through a guiding hand thru the wife (when possible) know what I mean. slapout

[Gary A]

We have a number of trees on the two rai around the house. Two of them are bearing fruit for the second year. My wife does no spraying. She puts manure around the trunk and mulch on top of the manure. Just when the trees start to blossom, she waters them everyday. Since they are now heavy with fruit, it must work. I certainly wouldn't want her to try that with twelve rai of them.

Edited July 9, 2007 by Gary A

[Lickey]

Slapout, from what i can understand from the websites others have posted here is that as with all fruit trees they have good years and bad years regards fruit production, and i think that whatever you do will not increase yield or fruit set, my Mrs talks about digging a small trench around the trees { about the same distance as branch span } and putting in some 50-50-50 fertilizer in the trench,and let the rain do the rest, Im not particularly keen on fertilizers or insecticides but when needs most!!

We havent given any fertilizer this year and the trees are doing well, 12/25 every sprig and most are 1 inch in diameter,and now down to 5bht kilo on local market.

Footnote!! the Greengage tree in UK would give its best crop once every 7 years, perhaps its the same as lumyai??

[Texpat]

I live in Nong Khai and have 2.5 rai with about 60 lamyai trees on it.

I do nothing but prune branches and water in the dry season.

This year about 70% of the trees have fruit. Some very good, others average, some absolutely nothing.

I give the same treatment to each tree and don't understand the variance.

The land is flat and the size and shape of a football field.

I don't sell the fruit, just give it to friends and family.

Any ideas why some trees produce and some don't?

[AlbertTatlockDeceased]

Thanks for the replys so far. I bought the land 13 years ago and have planted, drilled well. laid irrigation etc. so Mr squigle cant answer your question as to cost of purchase. My total cost, I could figure but prefer not to as they say ingorance is bliss ha ha. The wife's family have taken care of orchard but they are rice and garlic farmers so they listen to the thai experts (a bottle of whisky in 1 hand, sitting in the shade of a tree) I am not thai so I cant possibly know how to farm ha ha. I am aware of the use of potassium chlorate, but prefer not to use. Thanks lannarebirth for input on doing very little if it costs money. last year pric was 11, 7, and 4 baht depending on size of fruit ( kilo) so yes not a real profit maker. When I planted fruit was selling for 30 to 35 bhat a kilo. and it looked like a good investment, ??? Lickey, we also have about 70 mango trees lemon and various other fruit trees and a small fish pond, I use it as a hobby for me and as much income as it will generate for the wife's family, (keep them from asking me for money) The last 2 years we have not had a good fruit set 5 or 6 where there should 25 to 30. I thought maybe watering during bloom or lack thereof but cant get a stright answer as to was done. Did find they sprayed condensed milk on flowers, I dont get too involved except through a guiding hand thru the wife (when possible) know what I mean. slapout

Good to hear someone is managing to grow them OK,

I bought land about 7 years ago, when we were seeing 40-50 Baht/Kilo, all fertiliser and hormones were provided by the kind Taiwanese company in San Patong for free, (until they blew up in an explosion a few years back). I of course, missed the boat, and planted the trees as the price tumbled.

What I am curious to find out, is why suddenely, perfectly healthy trees (over 6 year old) suddenely (within two days) turn yellow and die. There doesn't appear to be any insect or bacteria, I know that the soil is not the best, but they have been around for 6 or more years. Have lost around 15 trees in the past two years.

I too am unable to gain any unbiased opinions, (Experts whisky...ha ha) Too little water, too much water, you know, you sound like you have been there!

Tried different fertilisers, 15-15-15 seems the best, but is expensive, and with this years prices looking at 10baht/KG/AA not really worth the effort.

Still, for the cost of watering them, it is still better than putting money in the bank.

Any advice would be appreciated

[slapout]

Thanks for the replys so far. I bought the land 13 years ago and have planted, drilled well. laid irrigation etc. so Mr squigle cant answer your question as to cost of purchase. My total cost, I could figure but prefer not to as they say ingorance is bliss ha ha. The wife's family have taken care of orchard but they are rice and garlic farmers so they listen to the thai experts (a bottle of whisky in 1 hand, sitting in the shade of a tree) I am not thai so I cant possibly know how to farm ha ha. I am aware of the use of potassium chlorate, but prefer not to use. Thanks lannarebirth for input on doing very little if it costs money. last year pric was 11, 7, and 4 baht depending on size of fruit ( kilo) so yes not a real profit maker. When I planted fruit was selling for 30 to 35 bhat a kilo. and it looked like a good investment, ??? Lickey, we also have about 70 mango trees lemon and various other fruit trees and a small fish pond, I use it as a hobby for me and as much income as it will generate for the wife's family, (keep them from asking me for money) The last 2 years we have not had a good fruit set 5 or 6 where there should 25 to 30. I thought maybe watering during bloom or lack thereof but cant get a stright answer as to was done. Did find they sprayed condensed milk on flowers, I dont get too involved except through a guiding hand thru the wife (when possible) know what I mean. slapout

Good to hear someone is managing to grow them OK,

I bought land about 7 years ago, when we were seeing 40-50 Baht/Kilo, all fertiliser and hormones were provided by the kind Taiwanese company in San Patong for free, (until they blew up in an explosion a few years back). I of course, missed the boat, and planted the trees as the price tumbled.

What I am curious to find out, is why suddenely, perfectly healthy trees (over 6 year old) suddenely (within two days) turn yellow and die. There doesn't appear to be any insect or bacteria, I know that the soil is not the best, but they have been around for 6 or more years. Have lost around 15 trees in the past two years.

I too am unable to gain any unbiased opinions, (Experts whisky...ha ha) Too little water, too much water, you know, you sound like you have been there!

Tried different fertilisers, 15-15-15 seems the best, but is expensive, and with this years prices looking at 10baht/KG/AA not really worth the effort.

Still, for the cost of watering them, it is still better than putting money in the bank.

Any advice would be appreciated

Albert: I caught the family 3 years ago (after the fact) had applied pottasium chorlate we lost about 10 smaller trees the following year. It happened quickly as they had been taken out and replaced with mango which I happened to notice on a trip up there. Tried to find out what happened and could not get much of a answer tree die. My suspected culprit was they may have put too much of their good thing on the previous year (a little left over so use it) It was near the whiskey house/ shelter. Did you apply the potassium? I have asked, told, and suggested not using any more of this stuff. The only other thing is if you are near where someone used roundup and you got wind drift, that should put them near each other. But in a word I dont know as have not seen this yet....

[Lickey]

Our Lamyi trees have no fertilizer or water i n the dry season, they get a lillte water from papaya irrigation in the dry season but not much, and this year we have a real good crop, the local market traders were buying 8bht a kilo, then 2 weeks ago, only wanted to pay 3bht a kilo, so my mrs took a trip to the market to find out why!, our lamyi have a max diameter of 1 inch, the market traders were selling at 1inch and a 1/4 -1.5 diameter lamyi, she had some of our lamyi with her, and asked buyers to test sellers and ours, {mrs is strong willed and will go a long way to prove a point! } the buyers preffered our lamyi because they were juicy, now the way to achieve this is pick fruit that has been out of the sun, in the sun, half of the fruit will get tough and tasteless, fertilizer will make it big but bitter, good news is we are up to 6bht a kilo and advertised as organic lamyi..

[JungleBiker]

Our Lamyi trees have no fertilizer or water i n the dry season, they get a lillte water from papaya irrigation in the dry season but not much, and this year we have a real good crop, the local market traders were buying 8bht a kilo, then 2 weeks ago, only wanted to pay 3bht a kilo, so my mrs took a trip to the market to find out why!, our lamyi have a max diameter of 1 inch, the market traders were selling at 1inch and a 1/4 -1.5 diameter lamyi, she had some of our lamyi with her, and asked buyers to test sellers and ours, {mrs is strong willed and will go a long way to prove a point! } the buyers preffered our lamyi because they were juicy, now the way to achieve this is pick fruit that has been out of the sun, in the sun, half of the fruit will get tough and tasteless, fertilizer will make it big but bitter, good news is we are up to 6bht a kilo and advertised as organic lamyi..

Hi Lickey,

Longans need a period without irrigation in the dry season otherwise they will not flower well. According to the link I provided above, Thai farmers water from flowering through to after the time of the new growth flush after harvesting the fruit. It says irrigation is the most important factor for good yields.

That's interesting info about the difference between fruit in the sun and out of the sun, but I don't see how you can do much about that, I mean some of the fruit will be in the sun and some in the shade, so when you harvest and sell the fruit do you then sell two different lots? I doubt it.

The line about fertilizer making the fruit taste bitter sounds like organic farming propaganda to me. I think the market prefers bigger fruit and the way to get bigger fruit is to thin the flowers and later the fruits if necessary - too many fruits on the tree means small fruits, less fruits means bigger fruits. Many fruit growers around the world practice thinning to get bigger fruits (including apples, peaches, durian, grapes, you name it).

Longans often suffer biennial bearing - they have a good crop one year (like this year for your trees) and a bad crop the next year.

JB.

[JungleBiker]

What I am curious to find out, is why suddenely, perfectly healthy trees (over 6 year old) suddenly (within two days) turn yellow and die. There doesn't appear to be any insect or bacteria, I know that the soil is not the best, but they have been around for 6 or more years. Have lost around 15 trees in the past two years.

I too am unable to gain any unbiased opinions, (Experts whisky...ha ha) Too little water, too much water, you know, you sound like you have been there!

Tried different fertilisers, 15-15-15 seems the best, but is expensive, and with this years prices looking at 10baht/KG/AA not really worth the effort.

Still, for the cost of watering them, it is still better than putting money in the bank.

Any advice would be appreciated

Hi Albert,

There could be many reasons why your trees died and I don't know the reason, but if they suddenly die only during the wet season and not in the dry season it could be that your soil is waterlogged/water table is too high.

So then you may say why didn't they die during the first 4 years, but that could be because (1) they are bigger now so they need a bigger root system to support them and due to waterlogging there is not enough oxygenated soil to support the bigger root system and (2) if they are bearing fruit then that increases the stress on the tree and so when this is combined with the stress of growing in wet soil it's just too much total stress and so the tree gives up.

If this is the problem, then the solution would be to dig drainage ditches/channels through the orchard - but this will only help if there is somewhere lower for them to drain into (I mean if your orchard is in the bottom of a hollow then it's going to be difficult to do anything). Perhaps one ditch down the center of each alley between the trees and about 2 feet deep might do the trick. ideally this would have been taken care of before planting by moving soil from the alleys and putting it on the rows, so that you would not just be digging drains but also raising the rows/beds where the trees will be planted. A lot of fruit orchards around Bangkok/Nonthaburi are planted in former rice paddy land using this approach. Also for growing citrus this is often done even on high ground because citrus are very sensitive to poor drainage. In your case, you can't raise your rows/beds now because you would just bury the roots and the lower trunks deeper under soil which is not a good thing to do.

JB.

[AlbertTatlockDeceased]

What I am curious to find out, is why suddenely, perfectly healthy trees (over 6 year old) suddenly (within two days) turn yellow and die. There doesn't appear to be any insect or bacteria, I know that the soil is not the best, but they have been around for 6 or more years. Have lost around 15 trees in the past two years.

I too am unable to gain any unbiased opinions, (Experts whisky...ha ha) Too little water, too much water, you know, you sound like you have been there!

Tried different fertilisers, 15-15-15 seems the best, but is expensive, and with this years prices looking at 10baht/KG/AA not really worth the effort.

Still, for the cost of watering them, it is still better than putting money in the bank.

Any advice would be appreciated

Hi Albert,

There could be many reasons why your trees died and I don't know the reason, but if they suddenly die only during the wet season and not in the dry season it could be that your soil is waterlogged/water table is too high.

So then you may say why didn't they die during the first 4 years, but that could be because (1) they are bigger now so they need a bigger root system to support them and due to waterlogging there is not enough oxygenated soil to support the bigger root system and (2) if they are bearing fruit then that increases the stress on the tree and so when this is combined with the stress of growing in wet soil it's just too much total stress and so the tree gives up.

If this is the problem, then the solution would be to dig drainage ditches/channels through the orchard - but this will only help if there is somewhere lower for them to drain into (I mean if your orchard is in the bottom of a hollow then it's going to be difficult to do anything). Perhaps one ditch down the center of each alley between the trees and about 2 feet deep might do the trick. ideally this would have been taken care of before planting by moving soil from the alleys and putting it on the rows, so that you would not just be digging drains but also raising the rows/beds where the trees will be planted. A lot of fruit orchards around Bangkok/Nonthaburi are planted in former rice paddy land using this approach. Also for growing citrus this is often done even on high ground because citrus are very sensitive to poor drainage. In your case, you can't raise your rows/beds now because you would just bury the roots and the lower trunks deeper under soil which is not a good thing to do.

JB.

Thank you!

You may have hit the nail on the head. My soil is pretty compact, and almost clay, it does hold water and may very well be waterlogged.

Will try a drainage channel, see if it helps.

Many thanks!

[AlbertTatlockDeceased]

Thanks for the replys so far. I bought the land 13 years ago and have planted, drilled well. laid irrigation etc. so Mr squigle cant answer your question as to cost of purchase. My total cost, I could figure but prefer not to as they say ingorance is bliss ha ha. The wife's family have taken care of orchard but they are rice and garlic farmers so they listen to the thai experts (a bottle of whisky in 1 hand, sitting in the shade of a tree) I am not thai so I cant possibly know how to farm ha ha. I am aware of the use of potassium chlorate, but prefer not to use. Thanks lannarebirth for input on doing very little if it costs money. last year pric was 11, 7, and 4 baht depending on size of fruit ( kilo) so yes not a real profit maker. When I planted fruit was selling for 30 to 35 bhat a kilo. and it looked like a good investment, ??? Lickey, we also have about 70 mango trees lemon and various other fruit trees and a small fish pond, I use it as a hobby for me and as much income as it will generate for the wife's family, (keep them from asking me for money) The last 2 years we have not had a good fruit set 5 or 6 where there should 25 to 30. I thought maybe watering during bloom or lack thereof but cant get a stright answer as to was done. Did find they sprayed condensed milk on flowers, I dont get too involved except through a guiding hand thru the wife (when possible) know what I mean. slapout

Good to hear someone is managing to grow them OK,

I bought land about 7 years ago, when we were seeing 40-50 Baht/Kilo, all fertiliser and hormones were provided by the kind Taiwanese company in San Patong for free, (until they blew up in an explosion a few years back). I of course, missed the boat, and planted the trees as the price tumbled.

What I am curious to find out, is why suddenely, perfectly healthy trees (over 6 year old) suddenely (within two days) turn yellow and die. There doesn't appear to be any insect or bacteria, I know that the soil is not the best, but they have been around for 6 or more years. Have lost around 15 trees in the past two years.

I too am unable to gain any unbiased opinions, (Experts whisky...ha ha) Too little water, too much water, you know, you sound like you have been there!

Tried different fertilisers, 15-15-15 seems the best, but is expensive, and with this years prices looking at 10baht/KG/AA not really worth the effort.

Still, for the cost of watering them, it is still better than putting money in the bank.

Any advice would be appreciated

Albert: I caught the family 3 years ago (after the fact) had applied pottasium chorlate we lost about 10 smaller trees the following year. It happened quickly as they had been taken out and replaced with mango which I happened to notice on a trip up there. Tried to find out what happened and could not get much of a answer tree die. My suspected culprit was they may have put too much of their good thing on the previous year (a little left over so use it) It was near the whiskey house/ shelter. Did you apply the potassium? I have asked, told, and suggested not using any more of this stuff. The only other thing is if you are near where someone used roundup and you got wind drift, that should put them near each other. But in a word I dont know as have not seen this yet....

Thanks for the advice,

I haven't used pottasium chlorate, I trust none of the "chemmy" here. What advice I had came from some guys who worked for Mae Jo University, it goes against what a lot of the farmers practice, but certainly gives you "BIGGER" Lam Yai.

Most of our crop 89% last year was AA!

Basically, we cut/ pruned each tree to allow as much sunlight in as possible - 1: it stops mould forming, 2 it keeps a lot of insects out and 3 the tree is happier. and 4 you don't need to go round propping the ###### things up with bamboo as the strong winds just blow straight through win win!

The tree is much more thinned than the Thai "BUSH" version, you obviously get slightly less Lam yai, but what you get is much better grade, and so much easier to harvest.

Another post has suggested waterlogging as the problem with my dying yellow trees, I am going to try a drainage ditch on some and see if it helps.

This years prices looks GREAT...NOT! We started off at 11B/KG last week, they are down to 10 already, still I'm not in it for the money, but will certainly not be replacing any dead lam yai with new ones - maybe I will start a market for weeds and oversize grass, anyone want to buy some, I got a few rai with 3 metre razorblade grass fore sale, probably charge 10 baht a kilo, Ha Ha

Thanks for your help

[slapout]

albert : We have a drainage canel about 1 and1/2 foot deep by 4 foot wide between rows of the trees (for 3 years now) this does help on drainage and during dry we put burlap sacks of dirt in to hold water for irrigation purpose. As tree drip line is out to canel now we may be able to do all irrigration this way instead of using sprinkler system. We also have clay soil, these canels may be why we havnt seen tree lose as you described. One thing I will try to montior next year is water during flower as this does appear to have a affect (too much water = bloom drop, no set.) We have also thinned each year but hope to forgo this, this year, after picking what few fruit we have. Thanks to everyone who have answered my orginal post and I learn something new every day on this forum. Now if we can just get it into practice and get prices at a reasonable level. Maybe we could get our better halfs to borrow money and ask govt. to forgive our loans as I see in paper.

[Lickey]

Our Lamyi trees have no fertilizer or water i n the dry season, they get a lillte water from papaya irrigation in the dry season but not much, and this year we have a real good crop, the local market traders were buying 8bht a kilo, then 2 weeks ago, only wanted to pay 3bht a kilo, so my mrs took a trip to the market to find out why!, our lamyi have a max diameter of 1 inch, the market traders were selling at 1inch and a 1/4 -1.5 diameter lamyi, she had some of our lamyi with her, and asked buyers to test sellers and ours, {mrs is strong willed and will go a long way to prove a point! } the buyers preffered our lamyi because they were juicy, now the way to achieve this is pick fruit that has been out of the sun, in the sun, half of the fruit will get tough and tasteless, fertilizer will make it big but bitter, good news is we are up to 6bht a kilo and advertised as organic lamyi..

Hi Lickey,

Longans need a period without irrigation in the dry season otherwise they will not flower well. According to the link I provided above, Thai farmers water from flowering through to after the time of the new growth flush after harvesting the fruit. It says irrigation is the most important factor for good yields.

That's interesting info about the difference between fruit in the sun and out of the sun, but I don't see how you can do much about that, I mean some of the fruit will be in the sun and some in the shade, so when you harvest and sell the fruit do you then sell two different lots? I doubt it.

The line about fertilizer making the fruit taste bitter sounds like organic farming propaganda to me. I think the market prefers bigger fruit and the way to get bigger fruit is to thin the flowers and later the fruits if necessary - too many fruits on the tree means small fruits, less fruits means bigger fruits. Many fruit growers around the world practice thinning to get bigger fruits (including apples, peaches, durian, grapes, you name it).

Longans often suffer biennial bearing - they have a good crop one year (like this year for your trees) and a bad crop the next year.

JB.

Junglebiker, selective picking is easy, we useually start at 7am, opposite where the sun comes up, and work our way round the tree, its even easier now we have a lot of cloud cover and storms, not so much of the half-baked rubbery taste as when the hot sun played on the fruit for several hours,

Yes, i know bigger the better and ---- the consequenses of eating fertilizer born fruit, but ours get no help, tottally natural.

Was in Udon today and street vendors were selling 15bht kilo, ours are still 6bht and natural, we dont have to cover price of fertilizer, hence the price,

Lamyi is a sideline for us, Papaya is the main attraction for market traders, along with watermelon,cucumber,kanoon,mango,salad items,sweetcorn,banana ,tamarind ,Its a good year for Lamyi, and if they want to rest next year, no problem, hope to make a few bht on the other stuff.

Kind Regards, Lickey.

[Gary A]

Here in Loei, my wife was offered five baht per kilo. That's a ridiculous price! Not even worth the effort to pick them. Neighbors friends and family were invited to take what they wanted. I have eaten enough of them that I will be happy to wait another year for the next crop.

[jubby]

We have about 250 trees also, perhaps 7 years old, they have had a few issues such as a couple of devastating fires, but this year the crop looks good.

It was the first crop I've seen as I was allways in the uk during july/aug. So I've had then for 7 years, spent a lot planting them and looking after them in the first couple of years, now I don't do anything with them, the mother-in-law prunes the branches occasionally, we keep the grass down . We've kept cows on the Land this year so they get manured. My neighbour fusses over his, gives fetiliser and hormone as they call it, and water in the dry season, must cost him a fortune, the fruit doesn't look any bigger or taste sweeter. I've just had my first week selling them, after paying for picking, I've made about 10,000 baht. The price is going down now and I don't think I can be bothered queuing anymore with the pickup (which is the only work I have to do). Simple economics, I spend 7000 baht a month for people to look after the land. (inlaws, don't want to give them money for nothing). This is my first profit/payment in 7 years! = 10,000 baht.

No money in farming mate, look around the village at the poverty, Lamyai's finished, over supply. now there ripping them out and planting Rubber. Everyones going to do this who can afford to, Thats Thailand, everyone sees a good Idea and copies it. Whats the chances of making a profit with rubber when everyones selling it in a few years.

On a positive note , my Cows love lamyai, and I love my Hobby Farm ;-)

I'd like to break even one day, but thats a distant dream.

[Lickey]

Jubby, I was sitting outside our shop this morning and 5 overloaded pick-ups went past in procession full with lamyai, i really dont know where they were going, perhaps Ban Phu,Udon Thani,Non Khai, even Laos? Udon for us is a 200k round trip, 360bht fuel in a ford ranger,plus wear and tear.

Last november, I treated 10 lamyai trees like you would an english rose, hacked it down to a stump and a few branches, and even before the rains they had grown to 8ft diameter span with lush green leaves ect, no sign of fruit this year though.When our farm caretaker cuts the grass and weeds, i make sure he rakes it under the trees as a bit of nitrogen replacement as it rots down.

Im thinking perhaps we could do the same as with our Tamarind trees, a buyer comes to look and gives a price for the lot, he suplys the labour,transport and hands over the money, 28,000bht 3 pickings, and same as the Lamyai they get no help, just a little pruning and weed control.

Cheers, Lickey.

[Pond Life]

Look on the bright side.

Lamyai makes great BBQ wood

[lannarebirth]

Jubby, I was sitting outside our shop this morning and 5 overloaded pick-ups went past in procession full with lamyai, i really dont know where they were going, perhaps Ban Phu,Udon Thani,Non Khai, even Laos? Udon for us is a 200k round trip, 360bht fuel in a ford ranger,plus wear and tear.

Last november, I treated 10 lamyai trees like you would an english rose, hacked it down to a stump and a few branches, and even before the rains they had grown to 8ft diameter span with lush green leaves ect, no sign of fruit this year though.When our farm caretaker cuts the grass and weeds, i make sure he rakes it under the trees as a bit of nitrogen replacement as it rots down.

Im thinking perhaps we could do the same as with our Tamarind trees, a buyer comes to look and gives a price for the lot, he suplys the labour,transport and hands over the money, 28,000bht 3 pickings, and same as the Lamyai they get no help, just a little pruning and weed control.

Cheers, Lickey.

Regarding your Tamarind trees; how many do you have? We've 20 or so full size tamarind trees that never bear fruit. Can you think of why that might be, or what could be done to reverse that? TIA

[jubby]

Yes, lamyai does make great firewood ;-)

As for Tamarind, we have two huge trees with lots of fruit when in season, someone in the village picked them for us and gave us 100 baht per tree. Again, doesn't look like a terrific moneyspinner, but maybe they are the wrong sort of Tamarind, or maybe the villager is smart ;-)

[Lickey]

Regarding your Tamarind trees; how many do you have? We've 20 or so full size tamarind trees that never bear fruit. Can you think of why that might be, or what could be done to reverse that? TIA

Lannanebirth, Mrs informs me that tamarind trees over 7 years old will not willinging give fruit without help, she tells me you should dig a trench around each tree about 6 inches deep just inside the branch span, put in 4 kilos of 15-15-15 fertiliser and cover over with ground, and pruning in december, make it look like an oak tree in a cow field where all is 1 mtre+ from the ground, she also said something about bamboo for the upper branches which i didnt understand, poor lady, shes had a busy day and sleeping now, bless her, Will ask her again soon and let you know, We have 61 trees all over 17 years old and every one has new fruit or buds, Cheers Lickey.

[lannarebirth]

Regarding your Tamarind trees; how many do you have? We've 20 or so full size tamarind trees that never bear fruit. Can you think of why that might be, or what could be done to reverse that? TIA

Lannanebirth, Mrs informs me that tamarind trees over 7 years old will not willinging give fruit without help, she tells me you should dig a trench around each tree about 6 inches deep just inside the branch span, put in 4 kilos of 15-15-15 fertiliser and cover over with ground, and pruning in december, make it look like an oak tree in a cow field where all is 1 mtre+ from the ground, she also said something about bamboo for the upper branches which i didnt understand, poor lady, shes had a busy day and sleeping now, bless her, Will ask her again soon and let you know, We have 61 trees all over 17 years old and every one has new fruit or buds, Cheers Lickey.

Thanks for that Lickey, I'm going to apply your fertilizer suggestion tomorrow.I didn't quite understand the part about pruning however. You mean cut all lower branches so the bottom 1 mtr of trunk is bare? Anything further would be appreciated. They're quite large trees and I like to see evrything yielding what it can.

[Lickey]

Lannarebirth, you could prune the lower branches from stem, it would help, the idea is to keep all the branches away from the ground, I {as a quick guide} cut or snip off any branches lower than my belt buckle, this helps stop creeper and insect infestation, having said this, theres not much that will grow under a Tamarind tree, the ground under our trees is pretty barren, perhaps there is something in the dropped pods that keeps down weeds ect?

Bamboo, the mrs reminded me today! we had to do this last year, when the upper branches are heavily laden with fruit, they tend to sag and rest on the branch below,hiding new flowers/buds from getting pollination, so bamboo poles are used to prop up the heavy branches to keep them apart.

Hope this helps, Cheers Lickey.

[JR Texas]

Lannarebirth, you could prune the lower branches from stem, it would help, the idea is to keep all the branches away from the ground, I {as a quick guide} cut or snip off any branches lower than my belt buckle, this helps stop creeper and insect infestation, having said this, theres not much that will grow under a Tamarind tree, the ground under our trees is pretty barren, perhaps there is something in the dropped pods that keeps down weeds ect?

Bamboo, the mrs reminded me today! we had to do this last year, when the upper branches are heavily laden with fruit, they tend to sag and rest on the branch below,hiding new flowers/buds from getting pollination, so bamboo poles are used to prop up the heavy branches to keep them apart.

Hope this helps, Cheers Lickey.

Thanks for the information about growing lamyai. I am convinced that my farm manager is not telling me the total truth about expenses. He is overcharging me.

I no longer trust him. On the positive side, he took a run-down orchard and turned it into an excellent one. Unfortunately, he got greedy.

PLEASE NOTE that I have decided to sell my contract on the orchard. The orchard, located at the base of Soi Dao (near Pong Nam Ron in Chantaburi) is almost on automatic now—trees properly trimmed, new water pipes in place (river adjacent to orchard), pesticides applied, fertilizer applied.

The lamyai trees are old and large. There are 78 of them. The fruit will be ready to harvest in April at the top of the market cycle. Average yield is estimated at 40 tons. At a moderate selling price of 25,000 baht per ton, that works out to a possible income of 1,000,000 baht.

Even using less optimistic numbers, it is almost certain that this orchard will result in an income of at least 750,000 baht.

All that is needed now is for an honest, smart person to make sure the plants have enough water and fertilizer, and pesticides need to be applied when necessary to keep the red ants at bay.

If somebody is interested in purchasing the “contract,” I will sell for 500,000 baht. I can get them in touch with an influential Thai man in the area who owns most of the land (I am renting from him).

Please contact me if you are interested. Or, if not and you know an honest farm manager living in the area, please let me know. I will make him a great deal: 10% of gross income for a few months work.

I am serious about this……….please pass the word around. Thanks.

[slapout]

JR; do not know where your farm is located,but you should be able to hire a caretaker/day labor type for 3 to 4000/baht/month. he would keep grass and weeds cut, water when needed, apply fertilizer, and pesticide and you pay for expendables. This does require guidence but this seems to work in the Northern part of the country, especially if you have a small shelter where they can live. There are some honest people out there, even though at times we all wonder where they are hiding. Thai labor need a income to live each month so a proposal to work for a persentage of crops is tough, they could rent land themselves if that was of intrest to them. If your manager is getting toyou on expendables just wait until harvest time and you should expect all kinds of reasons for low harvest weights, wind storm, bats ate fruit, neighbors stole crop etc