Gardening On The Islands

[samuijimmy]

Here you go & I always thought it was a coleus.

They look vary similar.

Hmmm...... well, I thinks Rooo needs to take Flower Gardening ID 101 course!

Just for info: Caladiums are toxic ..... all parts of the plant & bulb........ don't add to your salad!

As are Poinsettias (now being sold in garden shops.... too bad they don't seem to survive here..... )..... I guess Christmas is coming?

[sbk]

I have NEVER had luck with Poinsettias but saw them growing wild on the roadside going up Doi Suthep when I visited Chiang Mai with my parents years ago. Mom was really impressed with that!

[samuijimmy]

I have NEVER had luck with Poinsettias but saw them growing wild on the roadside going up Doi Suthep when I visited Chiang Mai with my parents years ago. Mom was really impressed with that!

Another one of those plants, that prefer cooler night temperatures, I think, which they would get in Chiang Mai & northern regions of Thailand... Here in the southern areas, they just seem to fade away when it gets hot in April.... Too bad, because they would be a nice garden plant! ( You see some nice specimens in Hawaii!) .....

The garden centres sell Chrysanthemums here too, but again they need the cooler night temperatures.... to survive to the second & subsequent years.... !!!.....

List needed for plants to avoid, unless you have too much money!

[joe84330]

reasonable to assume that there are no chipper/shredders or tillers for rent on the island?

Maenam Trading had a shredder for sale several months ago.... forget the price, looked fairly heavy duty........I suspect still there.... left side as you go into the main building....

thanks i will look soon.

[sbk]

I have NEVER had luck with Poinsettias but saw them growing wild on the roadside going up Doi Suthep when I visited Chiang Mai with my parents years ago. Mom was really impressed with that!

Another one of those plants, that prefer cooler night temperatures, I think, which they would get in Chiang Mai & northern regions of Thailand... Here in the southern areas, they just seem to fade away when it gets hot in April.... Too bad, because they would be a nice garden plant! ( You see some nice specimens in Hawaii!) .....

The garden centres sell Chrysanthemums here too, but again they need the cooler night temperatures.... to survive to the second & subsequent years.... !!!.....

List needed for plants to avoid, unless you have too much money!

Another one I've always wanted but never seen outside the North is the very lovely bottlebrush.

Oh, and the Angels Trumpet.

and.... and... haha

[samuijimmy]

I have NEVER had luck with Poinsettias but saw them growing wild on the roadside going up Doi Suthep when I visited Chiang Mai with my parents years ago. Mom was really impressed with that!

Another one of those plants, that prefer cooler night temperatures, I think, which they would get in Chiang Mai & northern regions of Thailand... Here in the southern areas, they just seem to fade away when it gets hot in April.... Too bad, because they would be a nice garden plant! ( You see some nice specimens in Hawaii!) .....

The garden centres sell Chrysanthemums here too, but again they need the cooler night temperatures.... to survive to the second & subsequent years.... !!!.....

List needed for plants to avoid, unless you have too much money!

Another one I've always wanted but never seen outside the North is the very lovely bottlebrush.

Oh, and the Angels Trumpet.

and.... and... haha

Interestingly I saw a large specimen tree of a Bottle Brush tree in Krabi, when visiting a few months ago.... must make the Aussies feel at 'home".... It was at least 20 or 30 feet tall.... if memory serves! Fairly close to the Krabi Immigration office, towards town on same side of road. I would have thought the Krabi climate would be fairly similar...

I guess there are no "Angels" on the islands, certain I have seen in BKK though... certainly remember seeing in the Mae Song region in the north...

The plant I have been trying to get my hands here on is the true Bird of Paradise, not what the Thai's call B of P .... which is a nice show, but not same same! I have asked the local garden centre to try & find & bring in a number of times now, to no avail.(yet!) .....

There is a new Hydroponic lettuce growing operation down the road from me, mainly growing the best tasting lettuce I have had in Thailand (I usually find it bitter), but he's got some Rosemary cuttings on the go, as an experiment, it will be interesting to see if they survive.... He's mostly selling to high end Hotels at the moment and if surplus to the local Makro... The lettuce has little foam cubed attached for the roots.... worth trying if you see at Makro.... ! He's doubling the size of his operation. presently.... 45 days from seed to selling....

Edited December 29, 2010 by samuijimmy

[samuijimmy]

I came across something I had never seen growing before in Thailand, a plant that one usually associates with Columbia & South America / Caribbean .... (actually I would have just kept on walking, not noticing the fruits)...

There is an "orchard" of them growing on a Soi near me, (probably better not to give an exact locale!)

It's Cocoa! The word is the same in Thai....

The young Thai neighbour I was with, asked me if I new what it was, to which I said I have no idea... usually when he asks me to taste something it's usually very sour or bitter....that always gets a good laugh, to see me gag! .....

But this has a very bland flavour, however it obviously has the effect of Exlax, as by the time I got home, let's just say there was an urgent need to run.... I'll say no more!

I am presently drying out a few seeds just to see if it will grow....(from "wind falls") I think making chocolate might be a bit complicated!

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Aside from that, I see the Mealy Bugs are back, especially on the Hibiscus, lots of caterpillars too, chomping away on various plants............. time to make up the concoction previously mentioned... but it looks like we have a week of rain coming, so not sure how effective that will be...?

[joe84330]

i'm on a mission to find some seed trays locally. anyone? i've tried each of the large nurseries and even the hydroponics place near big c with no luck. closest i got was the larger individual transplant pots that really aren't appropriate for starting seed.

[Rooo]

i'm on a mission to find some seed trays locally. anyone? i've tried each of the large nurseries and even the hydroponics place near big c with no luck. closest i got was the larger individual transplant pots that really aren't appropriate for starting seed.

Plastic egg container, just put holes in the bottom.

[samuijimmy]

i'm on a mission to find some seed trays locally. anyone? i've tried each of the large nurseries and even the hydroponics place near big c with no luck. closest i got was the larger individual transplant pots that really aren't appropriate for starting seed.

Plastic egg container, just put holes in the bottom.

Yes! the egg containers would work....

I have never seen these seed trays on Samui ... which surprises me.....

I have some which I brought on Koh Phengan (at the shop they refer to as the "Garage" in Tongsala, sells gas & some garden supplies, on Main street) a couple of years ago, which much to my surprise, they are still going strong... cost was about 50 baht each if I remember... worked out to being a good deal!

For Hydroponic growing they use a type of foam....

[joe84330]

thanks guys. ended up using the paper egg cartons. would still prefer actual seed trays for portability, sturdiness etc. i've grown plenty in rockwool and hydroponically however this is an organic effort as much as possible. next effort will be aquaponics.

[Rooo]

thanks guys. ended up using the paper egg cartons. would still prefer actual seed trays for portability, sturdiness etc. i've grown plenty in rockwool and hydroponically however this is an organic effort as much as possible. next effort will be aquaponics.

Would get the plastic ones, last a lot longer. Paper ones will break down quick.

[Bluebell]

i'm on a mission to find some seed trays locally. anyone? i've tried each of the large nurseries and even the hydroponics place near big c with no luck. closest i got was the larger individual transplant pots that really aren't appropriate for starting seed.

Looked for some a while back with no luck. Ended up improvising with small (cat) litter trays from a pet shop with holes drilled in the bottom - worked well. Some of those roadside 'shops' that sell a whole host of plastic stuff sometimes have shallow plastic square bowls/trays that would do a similar job.

[Bluebell]

Would appreciate advice from experienced gardeners out there on plants available locally that can survive/thrive in a frequently windy seaside environment. Apart from Bougainvillea and frangipani everything else I've tried so far (admittedly not a lot) has turned brown in the salty wind and eventually died off. Thought Raphis palms were pretty hardy but within a few weeks of planting and despite a lot of TLC, same thing happened.

[joe84330]

thanks guys. ended up using the paper egg cartons. would still prefer actual seed trays for portability, sturdiness etc. i've grown plenty in rockwool and hydroponically however this is an organic effort as much as possible. next effort will be aquaponics.

Would get the plastic ones, last a lot longer. Paper ones will break down quick.

actually i want them to break down quickly, i'm germinating seeds in them so whenever i have a dud it's quite easy to add the egg tray to the compost pile and start over.

[samuijimmy]

Would appreciate advice from experienced gardeners out there on plants available locally that can survive/thrive in a frequently windy seaside environment. Apart from Bougainvillea and frangipani everything else I've tried so far (admittedly not a lot) has turned brown in the salty wind and eventually died off. Thought Raphis palms were pretty hardy but within a few weeks of planting and despite a lot of TLC, same thing happened.

Hello Bluebell.

First off, it begs the question, are you planting in some reasonable soil, or a very sandy soil? If very sandy you probably need to add something more "organic" ... even coconut fibre mixed with the existing soil would help, the initial new root development ....

With the rains we've been having lately I find it hard to believe the plants are dying out so quickly...(or are they too wet?)

Having said that, the root zone of newly planted plants are going to dry out much faster until new roots have grown into the "garden" soil. which even despite the rain, may need extra watering if the zone that was in the pot has established & grown out... usually a few months.... so you may need to actually hand water the plants at the roots zone for a while....... Perhaps rinse off the salt spray after a wind storm... unless it rains too....

Also, when you are planting (rain or not!) are you soaking the root zone area, to fill in "air pockets" around the roots? Pull (cut ) some of the roots when taking from the pot & spread out, especially if root bound...

Observe what is growing in your area, (near the beach) as that would be a good indicator of what should do well... when one visits beach areas there are many plants that do well.... the list could keep me going a few hours! So perhaps you could indicate the sort of size of plants you are looking at planting...

Other that what you have mentioned, Ixora, a shrub which comes in several colors, red, Orange, yellow, pink, always seems to do well in seaside locations..... Hibiscus too, comes to mind... but I know the list can go on!

[Bluebell]

Thanks Samui Jimmy for the excellent advice. I will certainly walk around and see what plants are growing well in the surounding area.

The soil is indeed sandy but supposedly better quality soil was mixed in when the ground was prepared. As I did not do the original planting I do not know how this was done but will follow your advice about the root zone and watering when planting in future.

I have tried to rinse off the plants when it has been particularly windy and there's no rain.

I'm really looking at having a few areas of a variety of plants of different heights and foliage that go well together and give a more tropical feel to the garden. It's not huge and has a lawn area which is doing quite well.

The plants you suggest will be a good starting point - thanks again for the great advice.

[joe84330]

what about night blooming jasmine? we had it growing all over our coastline and interior in the caribbean. not particularly pretty but certainly makes up for it in fragrance.

[samuijimmy]

Thanks Samui Jimmy for the excellent advice. I will certainly walk around and see what plants are growing well in the surounding area.

The soil is indeed sandy but supposedly better quality soil was mixed in when the ground was prepared. As I did not do the original planting I do not know how this was done but will follow your advice about the root zone and watering when planting in future.

I have tried to rinse off the plants when it has been particularly windy and there's no rain.

I'm really looking at having a few areas of a variety of plants of different heights and foliage that go well together and give a more tropical feel to the garden. It's not huge and has a lawn area which is doing quite well.

The plants you suggest will be a good starting point - thanks again for the great advice.

Bluebell, I just looked at my book: "Plants for Landscape Architectural Uses in Thailand 1" which lists about 3.5 pages (perhaps about 200 Coastal plants) ... many of which I am not familiar with by name ... when you do a walk about the neighbour hood, perhaps take a digital camera & then head to the nursery...& show them what you like ! or post some pictures here...

I know the nurseries in Maenam & Ban Tai (the big one on the left side heading to Nanthon from Maenam, have this book) The pages are 370 to 372 in my edition..... Available at the Seed Book Store at Tesco, Chawang.

Some things I've wanted they do not carry....(also, some may not necessarily do well on the Islands here, but then too they sell plants which don't do well here anyway!!! ) so it becomes a bit of a hunt... or if you are lucky you can easily make cuttings of quite a number of plants.... I often do "horse trading" with people for cuttings.... just a matter of asking! Many things grow so fast anyway... with all this never ended rainy weather we are still getting, you don't need to spray the cuttings with water so often!

As for organic or better soil, which I think is hard to get ... or expensive to buy, by the bag... A landscaper neighbour tells me coconut fibre is available by the truck load here on Samui, but I am not sure from where, although I think I have seen a couple of places that look like they do it, about 8 to10 km from Lamai, heading towards Thaling Gnam... perhaps one day I will stop & ask or ask the landscaper!!

But with fresh fibre, (work it into the soil) you would need to supplement with a fertilizer ... perhaps 8 20 20 to start.... then 15 15 15, after a month or too, repeat every three months or so for optimum growth... make sure plants are well watered before fertilizing!

I am very fortunate, the much of the soil in my garden is not too bad in most areas of the garden.... But I notice when the Thai's plant in sandy or rocky soil, they don't seem to add much to any soil... which in turn means more initial watering.... especially for the first year... until roots established...

Well sun has come out, time to venture out & do some weeding!

[itishothere]

Ok, I will admit I am no gardener, but a friend of mine is doing the landscaping of some villas at Choeng Mon. All face the sea and I am sure get a lot of salt. The villas are on the hill but some are at sea level, and so quite exposed I would imagine. I am guessing the word is 'hardy' for the type of plants he buys. His work is quite impressive and he uses;

Coconuts obviously.

Bismark Palms

Betal Nut Palms.

Frangipani.

Golden Shower.

Pandanus.

Ficus.

For shrubs and groundcovers he uses:

Heliconia.

Birds nest fern.

Raphis Palms.

Bougainvillea.

Golden Bamboo.

Red ginger.

Bua Din.

Lirope.

Dwarf Mondo.

Hymerocaliis.

Don't ask me what they look like. I think many of them might be green? it took me half an hour to spell them! But I do know he uses that Maenam nursery a lot and I also have a rough idea of costs if you are interested.

Hope this is useful.

[Bluebell]

Great advice from samuijimmy and itishothere - thanks a lot! Also to Joe84330 for the tip about Night Jasmine. Now just need to check out all these plants to see wat they look like.... think I need to get the book Jimmy mentioned (thanks for the info on where to buy.

By the way this gardening topic is a great resource.

[samuijimmy]

thanks guys. ended up using the paper egg cartons. would still prefer actual seed trays for portability, sturdiness etc. i've grown plenty in rockwool and hydroponically however this is an organic effort as much as possible. next effort will be aquaponics.

Would get the plastic ones, last a lot longer. Paper ones will break down quick.

actually i want them to break down quickly, i'm germinating seeds in them so whenever i have a dud it's quite easy to add the egg tray to the compost pile and start over.

Joe, I got thinking about this today, I can see some advantage of using the paper ones for some seedlings... things like squash & pumpkin ... the fine hairy stems do not like being touched.... if moved or transplanted....

Some seedlings can be a bit tedious to get out of the plastic flats...

[samuijimmy]

Ok, I will admit I am no gardener, but a friend of mine is doing the landscaping of some villas at Choeng Mon. All face the sea and I am sure get a lot of salt. The villas are on the hill but some are at sea level, and so quite exposed I would imagine. I am guessing the word is 'hardy' for the type of plants he buys. His work is quite impressive and he uses;

Coconuts obviously.

Bismark Palms

Betal Nut Palms.

Frangipani.

Golden Shower.

Pandanus.

Ficus.

For shrubs and groundcovers he uses:

Heliconia.

Birds nest fern.

Raphis Palms.

Bougainvillea.

Golden Bamboo.

Red ginger.

Bua Din.

Lirope.

Dwarf Mondo.

Hymerocaliis.

Don't ask me what they look like. I think many of them might be green? it took me half an hour to spell them! But I do know he uses that Maenam nursery a lot and I also have a rough idea of costs if you are interested.

Hope this is useful.

Yes very helpful! Thanks itsohothere! Writing out plant names can be very tedious that's why I suggested the book...

Blue Bell, the Maenam nursery has that book if you want to flip through it first... the ladies there are quiet good at helping... the young guys will even load and come & plant for you... (I think a small tip expected!)

[Rooo]

That Maenam & Sister nursery in Ban Tai, just charge astronomical prices.Get plants shipped in from mainland, better variety, hardier NOT infected like the ones here.

1/Between Tha Sala & Nakon Si Thamarat>

2T/ towards Surat.

3/ Between Surat & Chumpon.

Before you jump down my throat Jimmy, I am talking from a few years experience with their plants & few hundred thousand Bahts spent.

Eg" Middle sized Bougainvillia in pot, Bht 1,500 +++ here mainland 400 -600..

The one that killed me is the palms with the reddish trunks. Here 15,000 I wa charged, mainland 2,000 You are quite welcome to come over & check them out.

[joe84330]

thanks guys. ended up using the paper egg cartons. would still prefer actual seed trays for portability, sturdiness etc. i've grown plenty in rockwool and hydroponically however this is an organic effort as much as possible. next effort will be aquaponics.

Would get the plastic ones, last a lot longer. Paper ones will break down quick.

actually i want them to break down quickly, i'm germinating seeds in them so whenever i have a dud it's quite easy to add the egg tray to the compost pile and start over.

Joe, I got thinking about this today, I can see some advantage of using the paper ones for some seedlings... things like squash & pumpkin ... the fine hairy stems do not like being touched.... if moved or transplanted....

Some seedlings can be a bit tedious to get out of the plastic flats...

yep, melons and pumpkin are getting started now and they do not want to be disturbed. plus, the "crack crack pop" of the plastic is maddening.

[samuijimmy]

That Maenam & Sister nursery in Ban Tai, just charge astronomical prices.Get plants shipped in from mainland, better variety, hardier NOT infected like the ones here.

1/Between Tha Sala & Nakon Si Thamarat>

2T/ towards Surat.

3/ Between Surat & Chumpon.

Before you jump down my throat Jimmy, I am talking from a few years experience with their plants & few hundred thousand Bahts spent.

Eg" Middle sized Bougainvillia in pot, Bht 1,500 +++ here mainland 400 -600..

The one that killed me is the palms with the reddish trunks. Here 15,000 I wa charged, mainland 2,000 You are quite welcome to come over & check them out.

Yes, Rooo, I can't argue with some of the prices being higher than on the mainland, at the Maenam nursery, (from what I understand is the "mother nursery" is in Ban Tai Koh Phengan)...or some of the other nurseries here, . although if you shop around some of the other nurseries you can find cheaper on some things...The multi-coloured Bougainvillea, which are grafted are too pricey for my wallet! But the regular ones can sometimes be found in small plastic pots. I have one which is huge, (12 feet) even after several prunings, in less than two years, from a small pot) .... there are some plants you don't need to be large when you buy!

As for the red stem palm, my land lord purchased some of those on the mainland, after being told what the local nurseries charge..... so not a case of "farang price"!

I generally always buy smaller plants and buy some fertilizer which is "cheap" & gets things growing or I make cuttings or divide plants... to me it's all an experiment ....some things work, somethings not... I've learned not to buy plants brought in from the north... Chrysanthemums, Begonias, Poinsettias or even petunias, (others too) we just don't get cool enough nights here on the islands.....

It's the cost of living on an island, with a relatively small market, it was the same on the island I used to live on in British Columbia.

I might take you up on the offer to head to look at mainland nurseries!

If anyone can give a home to some Heliconia (Lobster Plant) I have just finished dividing them up & have lots going spare... if anyone wants they are free for pickup ... just PM me... They could be good to help prevent erosion...or screening... The neighbours have taken what they need & still a lot left... just one of those plants that need dividing every couple of years... a bit like herbaceous perennials in colder climates... except these don't die back each year!

[samuijimmy]

OK, here is a "scoop" on bulk dirt! etc...on Samui....

Bulk Coconut fibre, mixed soil, sand, rocks etc!

I made my "semi annual" trip into inner Chawang/ Ban Rak, yesterday to check this out.... I actually ended up coming in from the other way from Chawang, as I missed the turn & Thai's don't know the term "Ghost Road" when I stopped to ask directions..... so it was a bit of a run around!oh the things I do, sometimes!

Anyway, there is a place on the so called "Ghost Road" ... If I remember correctly, you turn right at the second 7-11 on right hand side after the Bophut traffic lights...(the Elephant & Castle Pub close by, from directions I was given), although I missed that! (Ban Rak) It's bit of a drive from the Bophut lights... Then head about 2 km on the "Ghost Road".... on the left you may see green trucks on the right ... ...& well a "ummm er".... a giant Penis & piles of stuff in the back!'''' I guess the owner has a sense of humour .... ???I wish I had taken my camera....

The owners name is Mr Co-Poo, (very appropriate!) whom I did not meet, as he was having an afternoon nap, but his assistant showed me around the various piles... The "mixed soil" was not too bad, except for the plastic stuff mixed in But the soil would be OK for pots or planters, I think & adding to planting holes or for lawn preparation ... Probably a better mix than the bagged stuff, as it has some sand in it too...

Price from what I remember was 2600 baht to 3500 for 4 cu metres, this may vary to distance delivered & the type of material... I could not quite determine if you could take your own pick up for smaller loads... She did not have a printed price or material list....

Phone number is 089 873 5989

Hope that helps anyone looking for bulk garden materials! If anyone knows of other outlets, please post!

[samuijimmy]

Walking around a friend's garden today, I could help but notice how dry the planter soil was... after all these months of rain now and just a few dry days...!

This is a common problem, when the soil, in this case coconut fibre mix has dried out to a point that it resists water absorption... It's the same with Peat Moss in western countries that use that as a medium...

There is a very simple solution to this & that is to use dish detergent! Just pour neat over the soil & then water / soak several times...(don't be too skimpy with it!) Check soil below surface to make sure it is now wet... It's not going to harm your plants... so don't worry if you get some on the foliage.... wash it off though!

If you have smaller pots, you can set them into a container of water & let sit until you stop seeing air bubbles coming up....

It's hard to get back into the watering mode, each day.... but potted plants need to be especially watched now! The earliest tell tale sign is dropping leaves, that the soil is drying out.... Best to water first thing in the morning or at least one hour before sunset.... to allow the foliage to dry out ... when it does get really hot then perhaps water twice a day... size and type of plant & pot will differ, the smaller the pot the more frequent the watering... usually!

Happy gardening & watering!

Edited February 13, 2011 by samuijimmy

[canine79]

Jimmyman

Thanks so much for your help.

U are a super *Star*< (*_*)>

[canine79]

Btw see my avatar? That's C Ronaldo

Hawt huh? Lol ssshhh