Thread: What's in your garden?

Originally Posted by Mendip

We get a lot of that, Shutree.

I collect the dessicated, fried ones for the chickens. Kind of like worm biltong. The chickens love it.

I'm a bit surprised that there seem to be no predators. I'd have thought maybe the mynah birds would have been at them but so far nothing has shown any interest.

I've been carefully clearing our little jungle over the wall.
Princess daughter saw me sweating away on Wednesday, and went out and bought me some strong gardening gloves, very thoughtful.
There's squirrels in there, but only a few and enough fruit to share.





Any rose gardeners here? Ms P has four in tubs that have grown to about 1.5m looking very straggly but constantly in flower; I'd like to cut them right back to maybe .5m - as they never seem to stop flowering, if I go ahead now, will they recover? (and part B, if I do it now while she's at work, will i recover? Best hide the secateurs)

I decided to add a sprinkler set up around my Sala by the pool area. I picked up the pipe and the fittings this morning.



First up, getting some heat in the plastic pipe to relax the coil retention.



Cruising along. Will add spray nozzles tomorrow.



Also finished adding the stepping stones around the front and back towards the shop area.

Not quite 'in' the garden but very close.

I had to stop the car the other night in the lane to our house to avoid running over this snake... a white-lipped pit viper. It was one of these that put my daughter in hospital a few years ago.

I got out to see it up close and not for the first time, wished I had my snake tongs in the car.



We also still have standing water around the house that was built on raised land. These storks (?) come every day to feast on the snails, apparently. The water is also usually full of fish and tadpoles/frogs.

We had another MEGA storm last night along with the flooding in the area.

When I went downstairs this morning I noticed a strange shape on the driveway mud slime.

I called the missus to have a look and we both agreed that we had a visit from a huge python and by the look of the scale slither marks it must have been at least 30cm in girth.

I have a video and only wish I could post pics.

Originally Posted by Mendip

These storks (?) come every day

I had heard stories of large stalks in your area. Not the picture I'd imagined.

Originally Posted by Mendip

These storks (?) come every day to feast on the snails, apparently.

Yes, they are a kind of stork but they are just called Open Bills. For some reason stork isn't included in their name. They get the name open bill because if you look at their bills, there is always a space between the bottom half and the top half. They don't close properly. Apparently it helps them hold large shells in their mouths.

Originally Posted by prawnograph

Any rose gardeners here? Ms P has four in tubs that have grown to about 1.5m looking very straggly but constantly in flower; I'd like to cut them right back to maybe .5m - as they never seem to stop flowering, if I go ahead now, will they recover? (and part B, if I do it now while she's at work, will i recover? Best hide the secateurs)

Are they climbing roses?



Or maybe rambling roses?

Originally Posted by Shutree

Yesterday dawned bright and clear and cooler, there is a sense that the weather has moved on. With that change have come: worms. There are dozens of them in the early morning, wriggling out onto the driveway where they will later fry. Very strange:

Attachment 93744

Shutree
I had the same thing happening here, its not the first time I have seen the worms do this but I was also intrigued as to why they would do it.
This morning I think i discovered the answer to the mystery. I have been making some alterations to one of my drains and to get the levels I decided to flood the new section and look what happened.


The worms started to evacuate the now flooded soil.


And took off to higher drier ground.





So it is my opinion that they don't like or can't survive in fully saturated soil.

Originally Posted by ootai

So it is my opinion that they don't like or can't survive in fully saturated soil.

I saw similar in my UK garden. Here though the strange thing is that after weeks of waterlogged ground the worms didn't appear until a week or so after the rains stopped. This morning I didn't see any worms at all, maybe whatever prompted the migration is over.

Another curious thing is that if I dig a hole in the garden I don't see any worms. Coming from the UK where the soil always seems to have some worms I have long thought this strange.

Are those worms useful as fishing bait? Maybe take a bucket over to Mendy?

Originally Posted by Shutree

I saw similar in my UK garden. Here though the strange thing is that after weeks of waterlogged ground the worms didn't appear until a week or so after the rains stopped. This morning I didn't see any worms at all, maybe whatever prompted the migration is over.

Another curious thing is that if I dig a hole in the garden I don't see any worms. Coming from the UK where the soil always seems to have some worms I have long thought this strange.

Are those worms useful as fishing bait? Maybe take a bucket over to Mendy?

As we have had no rain for a while now, which is good, I haven't seen any worms on the concrete walkways either. As for seeing worms in the ground around here they are very plentiful. If the chickens see me digging anywhere they come running as I always throw them any worms I see. I can't believe the way they (the chickens) just swallow them whole and still wriggly. They must not have any nerves in their crops or else it must feel bloody strange.
I have some worms that are huge 15cms long or more and 1cm in diametre but these they fight with and peck at before they can get them down.

As for taking worms for Mendip to use I think he probably has plenty at his place but the big sook wouldn't put them on his hook. Him and I always have a discussion about him needing to immediately knock any fish he catches on the head to kill it to stop it suffering a slow death. So sticking a worm on a hook is probably also not on.

^ I completely refute that.

As a life long fisherman I have put many worms and maggots on hooks, although I draw the line at live-baiting (putting live small fish on a hook).

I remember in the UK a trick to get a bait box full of worms was to pour a bucket of soapy water on the lawn and the worms would come up to the surface.

And as for knocking a fish on the head rather than letting it die a slow death... surely that's just normal? I have no problem killing a fish but like the death to be swift. I must admit that I get strange looks when I buy a fish from the market and insist that the girl gives it a proper knock on the head rather than some half-hearted tap... before she puts in the cuts along it's sides. I hate seeing them cut the sides of fish while they're still alive.

Originally Posted by Mendip

I hate seeing them cut the sides of fish while they're still alive.

Agreed.
I like the bbq pla nin, salted and stuffed with lemongrass. What I don't like is seeing them still wriggling when they go on the bbq. You'd think that after being gutted and salted they'd be dead - but no. I don't understand why they cannot give them a good knock on the head before the gutting.

Originally Posted by Mendip

although I draw the line at live-baiting (putting live small fish on a hook).

Man as a Yellow Fin Tuna and Deep Sea Lingcod fisherman and deck hand for years, we always had a live bait well. Included Mackerel, Anchovies and Squid. I had no issue baiting up hooks with live fish (sometimes we used 1/2 lb to 1lb yellow cods if we were going deep water. I will say the damn squid were a pain in the ass and you had to be careful on the larger 8" and up ones as that beak can hurt if they get their tentacles over your hand and bite. As a kid on rivers we used frogs, lizards, crickets, grasshoppers...you name it.

The only live bait I hated hooking up were Blood Worms. They live in and around barnacles and seaweed. They are fairly big and do have a nasty set of fangs. Sort of like the big centipedes here.

You would think those earth worms would be excellent bait. I have tried them numerous times fishing on the river and not a single bite. The fish here seem to love stink bread style bait where you make up a big ball on a hook. I think it maybe because most of the fish around are farm raised fish and that's all they eat as fry so worms, flies, and other natural baits do not appeal to them.

Tree/shrub identification. So I yanked up a tree that was not doing well. I came across the below tree or shrub and really like the Purple underneath and dark green on top and planted it in the open area. Anyone know what it is?

Came across this big bastard Grasshopper today on my window screen. I picked it up and moved it to the tree outside. I have to say its rear legs are pretty powerful as it tried to push my fingers to get away.

Thought I would do a quick product review from posters here that do their own gardening and tree trimming. One thing hard in Thailand is to find tools that work well and are good quality other than weed whackers. I purchased the Greenworks 40V 8 inch chain saw and hedge trimmer pole saw combo off Lazada. I after 6 months of use this works exceptionally well with plenty of power. The edge trimmer has a reach of about 3 meters so even with a short ladder you can edge and trim tree branches up on bigger trees. The 8 inch chainsaw works very well. I just did a big cut back on our mulberry trees by the outdoor kitchen. Made short work of it and no climbing and hacking with a blade.







Mulberry tree's cut back for next season

Do your mulberry trees bear fruit, Stumpy?

If so, do you eat the fruit? Or make jam with them?

Or thought about getting some silk worms and becoming the new Jim Thompson?

Originally Posted by Neverna

Do your mulberry trees bear fruit, Stumpy?

If so, do you eat the fruit? Or make jam with them?

Yeah Nev, a lot of fruit. I routinely walk by and grab a hand full and eat them so does my wife. Wife had a friend 2 years ago that has some really big leaf big producing Mulberries. She gave us some long branches and we planted them as our tortoises love the leaves. They grew really well and fruit a lot. I trim them back 2 times a year to keep them thick and healthy and the mulberries low to grab

Originally Posted by Stumpy

The edge trimmer has a reach of about 3 meters so even with a short ladder you can edge and trim tree branches up on bigger trees. The 8 inch chainsaw works very well. I just did a big cut back on our mulberry trees by the outdoor kitchen. Made short work of it and no climbing and hacking with a blade.

Don't worry folks normal people wouldn't need a ladder.
And of course you made "short" work of it!

Originally Posted by Stumpy

Yeah

I trim them back 2 times a year to keep them thick and healthy and the mulberries low to grab

So they grow 3 foot off the ground then?

Originally Posted by ootai

Don't worry folks normal people wouldn't need a ladder.
And of course you made "short" work of it!



So they grow 3 foot off the ground then?

Humor duly noted Ootai. Mr. Funny guy.

Normally our Mulberry trees grow 20 feet or taller in between trimmings so I guess a bean pole stick guy like you with clubbed feet could stand flat footed with a 3 meter extension and cut them...

We've got a couple of mulberry trees but I find the fruit to be flavourless and quite bitter and not very nice at all. Even the birds don't eat them.

I don't really know what to do with the fruit so usually it just stays on the trees and turns black.

Apparently if you use fertilizer that is used for Mango trees it helps a lot. I toss a handful around each tree about the time they start to produce the berries. The gal that has a mulberry tree farm near us says the trick is cutting them back a few times a year. I guess they should be treated like any fruit tree if sweet healthy fruit is wanted. My wife just got 2 bags of the "Magic" Mango fertilizer delivered. No idea what's in it but does seem to work.

^ I'd be interested if you could find out what's in this magic mango fertilizer, mate?

Originally Posted by Mendip

^ I'd be interested if you could find out what's in this magic mango fertilizer, mate?

Hear ya go buddy





One bag is basically rock salt (Bag label not what's in it)



The other is a fine grain fertilizer (correct bag marking). Wife mixes it up about 50/50 and puts a large full cup at the base then a heavy watering and apparently only does this once as they begin flowering/fruiting. Wife says only use on mature trees. If young, it will probably burn the young shallow roots. I laugh as I have bags like that all over that are reused bags buy sellers so only a few know what it is.