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| Farming & Gardening In Thailand Tips on how to achieve a beautiful tropical garden. How to grow those orchids, deter pests from your vegetables and anything else related to gardens in Thailand. Feel free to post your pictures and stories about Thai National parks, or any questions you may have about your pets and animals. |
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| | #2 (permalink) |
| Thailand Expat Last Online: Yesterday 07:05 PM Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: USA & Ban Chang-Thailand
Posts: 1,008
| Khun Loom, As U R only too well aware, any suggestings to alter the local practices for the way in doing something, especially by a non local, too often gets overlooked. Now U had the last laugh when it came to the cement truck but the agrivation one goes through to get stuff accomplished the way it one want's is of no consequence to the locals. Again, it might very well be a face thing. Anyway, I'm taking notes as my garden project will commence upon my return back to Thai in Jan. Keep the good stuff coming.... Ciao!
__________________ "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff....and it is all small stuff" |
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| | #3 (permalink) |
| Cacoethes scribendi Last Online: Yesterday 08:57 PM Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Southern England and Korat
Posts: 3,006
| Path extention - Part two After the briefest ice cold beer, and a quick coffee for the camera man, the team gerd themselves into a frenzy of inconsequence. The new guy assumes point and sprays a bit of water about. The others prepare for an exciting session of jodding and squelchy toes. ![]() About four hours after the cement truck pulled in, we are ready to start pouring. ![]() Progress is rapid but we have to add a lot of water to the mix to make it workable. This means that we have a wide splatter area and lots of mess. ![]() This old bit of roofing was pressed into sevice when the driver chickened out of any more complicated reversing manouvers. ![]() The point man (never did get his name) proved to be very handy with the float so the others let him get on with it. It was just starting to look fantastic, when the local fourlegged inspector came around for a quick sniff and thought that he was in Hollywood. ![]() Fortunately, we noticed it in time, ..and the team managed a very good job. The groove, between the old and the new, is to stop a large crack forming and is not deep enough to fall over. ![]() The driver wanted extra money because he had been there most of the afternoon and reckoned that he could have got another load in for someone else. Mrs. LoomB politely pointed out that when Papa (me) tells you to come in backwards and reverse to the pouring point, it is because he knows that the ground is wet, and now he has to pay people for five hours instead of three. The driver waied me and rapidly vanished. Loong kindly stayed late and filled in all the holes made by the mixer, ![]() ...and Mow posed with his Isaan style, ground worker's sock, before a quick wash and home to feed his Cows. ![]() |
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| | #4 (permalink) |
| Railay Beach Last Online: 14-07-2009 05:19 PM Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 114
| LoomB,What is Thai skin made from,don't they get concrete Burns?!!.I find it amazing that they can paddle around in concrete and nothing happens to there skin,the bladdy stuff burnt me oneday on site,and now I am very cautious when pouring foundations.Also it's good to see that it is not just British readymix drivers,that have a habit of getting stuck even when they are told not to drive on to a certain area |
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| | #5 (permalink) |
| Cacoethes scribendi Last Online: Yesterday 08:57 PM Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Southern England and Korat
Posts: 3,006
| ^No, for some reason they don't seem to be affected by cement. They don't even sneeze when there's powder in the air. As for the mixer, we always order from the same company and nower days, we get a better deal. We have had the same two drivers for most of the deliveries and they should know better by now. Mind you, if I was driving the truck and some 'jolly foreigner', with only a passing knowlege of English, told me what to do, or where to go, I would probably ignore them and seek further clarification. |
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| | #6 (permalink) |
| Cacoethes scribendi Last Online: Yesterday 08:57 PM Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Southern England and Korat
Posts: 3,006
| Lets try some planting! With the cementing completed and the edges removed, I figured that that was everything just about done and I was keen to get on with some planting. I had bought some baby Fu ang Far, in pots, ages ago. I had them just outside the door back at the bugalow and had been loving them every day. Unfortunately, they don't like a lot of water/tlc and had responded by dropping all the pretty bits and turning brown. Once moved to a lonely spot and forgotten about, they soon recovered. ![]() I had chosen my spot with care and had a number of colours that went well together. I really fancied a low hedge at the edge of the path opposite the front door so I made a little test area, to see what would happen. First we dig a hole, a bit bigger than the pot that the plant is in. As you can see, the soil is a mixture of sand, clay and that red/brown stuff. ![]() Next, we cut up the soil at the bottom to give some sort of transition from the good stuff at the top. ![]() Good stuff is available in many forms. This Panda brand is similar to potting compost and will give our babies a decent start. ![]() We mix a little good stuff with the soil at the bottom and end up with a bit of neat at the top. ![]() We are not going to firm it down yet, as the sharp eyed amongst you will have noticed that we haven't put the plant in. I always make the hole with my fist or fingers, if I am using neat potting compost. That way, it gets compressed outwards and down a bit and it saves having to top off the hole afterwards. These Fu ang Far things have a delicate root structure and do not like to be handled, for this reason, we carefully cut off the plastic pot and put everything in. Dedicated sharp sissors are good for this and don't let the mrs. know that you have any. ![]() One, in isolation, looks a little sad, so I have a few to make a run down the path and round the corner to run along the back. They will have one drink and then they will be ignored by Mr. Water-Inkan. ![]() Meanwhile, down in the front meadow, the local amatuer Cow keeping collective have popped over to trim the grass and top up their food bins. They arrived in this lovely, Isaan style cart, ![]() ..and quickly made a big impact. That's Naa on the strimmer. ![]() That's Naa's Dad on the wicker basket, sorting the good from the bad. ![]() Not to be outdone, Loong2 had started to trim out the bottom of the Bamboo clump. A close inspection of all the shoots and laterals was necessary, due to them being well sharp. ![]() Only two hours later, the Cow club has made a good start in the meadow. ![]() At the end of the day, both teams have made a big difference and left a nice pile of stuff for me to burn. ![]() I realise that there is still a tree in with that Bamboo, but I, sort of, like it so it stays. Teatime is full of talk about garden centres and I go to bed a very happy man. Unfortunately, the next day was the day I came off the bike....... |
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| | #8 (permalink) |
| Railay Beach Last Online: 14-07-2009 05:19 PM Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 114
| Looking Good LoomB,do you have to put any Fertilizer in the bottom of the holes when planting,like Blood,fish and Bone,or just let the plants get on with it?.Fu ang Far must be Hardy little Buggers if they don't need regular visit's from Khun Nam-inkan |
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| | #9 (permalink) |
| Cacoethes scribendi Last Online: Yesterday 08:57 PM Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Southern England and Korat
Posts: 3,006
| The English speaking Husband, of the Woman that does the best noodles in the area, told me that they love poor soil and that it should be well drained. Other than that, put them in and leave them alone. I have yet to see if that was good advice, but at about 33Bht each, I can easily get some more and have another go. I tried to make the medium in the holes, the same as was in the pots. Time will tell. |
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| | #10 (permalink) |
| Wat Sra Si Last Online: 17-11-2009 03:37 PM Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 913
| Bouganvillia are hard to kill. They do respond to pruning just before the peak growth season. A bit of Potassium Sulphate (potash) watered on them in the growing season promotes flowering. When they get established you can prune them like a hedge alright. Thanks for the thread LB. You have interesting and challenging ground to work with there. Maybe some Gypsum would help you break up the clay in the areas you plan to use for gardens etc. |
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| | #11 (permalink) | |
| Udon Thani Last Online: 01-06-2009 09:16 PM Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Khlong Kum
Posts: 143
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| | #12 (permalink) |
| Old Git Last Online: Today 12:04 AM Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Runcorn, Cheshire, UK formerly Epsom Surrey.
Posts: 3,603
| Looking good LB, and have only just caught up with this thread. I forget where you are, but if you are within a reasonable distance of Phu Rua that would be a good place to get roses and any other stuff at about half the price normally paid. I got 20 roses bushes, some very nice, there a couple of weeks ago, 10 baht each with a couple thrown in free. |
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| | #13 (permalink) | |
| Cacoethes scribendi Last Online: Yesterday 08:57 PM Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Southern England and Korat
Posts: 3,006
| Quote:
More to come here but still missing some pix - Sorry everyone. | |
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| | #14 (permalink) |
| Jomtien Beach Last Online: 06-11-2009 03:22 PM Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bangkok
Posts: 38
| Another great thread ! Gimme more by the Bucket ! Nice thing the way you treated those eucalyptuses, not a better way to deal with those ! I love that rare animal paddling in the lake too, half plant, half human ! ^^ Will be following your adventures with delight ! ++ ^^ |
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| | #15 (permalink) |
| Watching the Wheels Last Online: Yesterday 08:23 PM Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: where the streets have no name
Posts: 11,574
| Good stuff loomy- it will be nice to see how your garden develops over time. Might even stir me into action to do something with my Ubon mess. |
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| | #16 (permalink) |
| Cacoethes scribendi Last Online: Yesterday 08:57 PM Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Southern England and Korat
Posts: 3,006
| More time passes Right, I'm still opperating with one hand, but I'm off the painkillers and daily making a nuisance of myself because I want to play in the garden. One day whilst er.. G/f goes to the Temple in Khorat, I sneak out and bash the old water pots with a hammer. This makes me feel that I am making a contribution, but leaves my left hand feeling useless for ages. ![]() Inspired by this small success, I retrain the remaining fingers to hold the jod, and armed with some rope, a few stakes, a hammer and the usual sun protection, I start to make a path type clearing, down to the lake. The two poles mark the gateway in the wall. Note the handy, Issan style, wind gauge. ![]() A quick check from the balcony, revealed that it was not quite in the right place and needed to go left a few yards. At least now I can get the barrow down to the lake without going the long way round. Next up, was a little repair work to the edges of the lake. This was a, relatively, simple job of clearing the soil back from the planks, checking the stakes to see how they had been broken, replacing the stakes and then shoving the earth back. ![]() Many of the supports had been broken by the builders, who were making up cement for the improved water runoff on the lake side of the land drain. I ended up redoing about six metres of the edge and made a mental note to keep any future workmen, well away. What really annoyed me, was having to use up all my path making stakes, for another job. I needed some white paint, of any description, to highlight the drain planters, so that they stood out a bit. Don't ask me why but we had kept all the dead tins, under the watertank roof. Working on the principal that it was all water based, I found enough my mixing the dregs from six tins of ceiling white, one of wall white and some solid stuff from the base coat tub. The smell was indescribable but the concoction worked a treat. From a distance, the whole tree garden starts to look ok but the length of the grass is starting to hamper progress. ![]() Not to worry, it will soon be party time and after we have picked up all the rubbish, the guy with the strimmer will be coming back to spend a day or two. I am quite looking forward to that first bonfire. |
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| | #18 (permalink) | |
| Cacoethes scribendi Last Online: Yesterday 08:57 PM Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Southern England and Korat
Posts: 3,006
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| | #19 (permalink) |
| Old Git Last Online: Today 12:04 AM Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Runcorn, Cheshire, UK formerly Epsom Surrey.
Posts: 3,603
| Glad you are OK now LB. Nows the time to settle in and work that garden Don't forget we want to see a picture of them calloused hands and blisters ![]() |
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