Thread: Does anybody do some farming ??

Eliminator, cut them down because the family was too lazy to harvest or prune, mainly due to the snakes that moved in. Besides plenty of mango trees in the area, so we decided to try something else, that's all.

Ok my wife has no training, other than a life on the farm, all I know is if she plants it, it grows and bears fruit.

^ Will do, I have a meeting with them next week. They have applied for a gorvement funding on a test they want to run at our farm, and they got it, so I need to plan how to fit there experiment in.

Sounds cool Dalton and I'm sure they can help with the tree problem also. Did you get the bike yet and when are you coming over to help me with mine? 5555



I know you're too busy, just joking.

Bees - plant a ground cover in your orchard that draws bees. I don't know the specifics. I only read about it long ago. I think in Organic Gardening Magazine. Most of my knowledge comes from the OGM and Books that I have read for over 40 years. And, whatever I have learned from experience.

I am not sure if gender is the right word or not. In Florida they just said male or female plant. Gender (or whatever) is most important. The Agri Experiment Station, or equivalent, can make a determination for you. If you have the matching gender, try and try again. I had about an 80 percent success rate with roses and citrus trees in Florida.

Originally Posted by Ban Saray

Eliminator, cut them down because the family was too lazy to harvest or prune, mainly due to the snakes that moved in. Besides plenty of mango trees in the area, so we decided to try something else, that's all.

Ok my wife has no training, other than a life on the farm, all I know is if she plants it, it grows and bears fruit.

Family members that work my mother-in-laws farm look at snakes and all other insects as stables. I think they would keep the trees just for the snakes. LOL.

IMO life on the farm is the best teacher as long as you keep and open mind and always try new ways to see what works best. Just don't do it that way because daddy did it that a way. Too much book learning can be as bad as not enough. In my case not enough.

One question. Does your family or neighbors raise mushrooms?

Keep planting, growing - only way to live.

Originally Posted by Eliminator

Did you get the bike yet and when are you coming over to help me with mine? 5555

Got the CDI box already, but still havent had the time to go to Korat, where the bike is, well there is another day tomorrow.

If the pond was cleared for predators and the fish are being giving feed regulary, it will take about 6-7 month, if you feed them intensive then about 4-5 month, all depending of the water quality.[/quote]
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I'm not sold on this high intensity farming, form what I've seen the overheads are too high. I'd prefer a low intnsity approch, a mix of fish, catfish (bottom feeders/insects, Pla Nin or Tap tin (veggie's and will eat algie) and some snake head to keep the population managable...........

actually if you added up the costs of doing the low intensity stuff, you would be surprised how well the high density farming compares. if you were talking small scale, setting up ponds to produce a ton of catfish per month would cost far more than building four 2mx1mx1m tanks plus a home-made biofilter. (this is all you need to produce one ton of catfish per month, every month)
although the high intensity stuff does require daily monitoring, i am willing to bet that less time needs to be spent than on maintaining ponds in the long run, if you count labour spent per ton produced. harvesting ponds, for instance, is a huge mission. monitoring fish growth and controlling and treating diseases is almost impossible.
your intensive system allows (and demands) total control, and exact monitoring is possible. you can tell at a glance where you stand and whether you are actually making a profit or not. you do not need to sell off an whole ton to a greedy wholesaler at a price below production cost.
i am of the opinion that if you are to use a properly formulated feed, (the only way to run a commercially viable operation), there is no way to make a profit other than going the high intensity route, given the realities of the thai situation.


...............With use of lights to attract insects

if you could catch enough to provide your fish with enough nutrients, you are better off selling the insects! they sell at about double the price of the fish!


i guess that if you are not looking at a commercial venture, the "hobby pond" thing is the way to go. stocking the right species and using algae and waste products to establish a balance and a food-chain would produce a small bonus once a year, and you gain the advantage of being able to take a day off once in a while. bottom line is knowledge, though, even in the hobby situation.
good luck....

Originally Posted by Dalton

Originally Posted by RandomChances

There's a lot of good stuff on fish farming on TV, I've met most of the guy's that are into it, not sure on how much money can be made. I know on of the guys with a big farm was running at a loss.

Fish farming is a tricky business, many has lost money on it, and given up. The keys to succes in that business is to basicly know what you are doing, to many rush in to do it without knowing enough, and that is equal to loss. To set up a good farm, cost more than just some fry and a few bags of feed,


you are spot-on there. i think many people have been put off by the losses incurred by others (myself included) who made the mistake of assuming that there is profit in doing it the way the thais do it.(this does not only apply to fishfarming)
i think i finally figured out how the thais can carry on farming fish, pigs, cattle and cassava, doing everything wrong, and still surviving:

every year, they borrow money for their "farm". they are given a loan by the bank/government, and they plant a few token rai of say, cassava. the loan must be paid back after one year. they totally blow it, because they know nothing about running a business, never mind farming, harvest at a loss, and spend the small amount they recouped on alcohol. now they borrow money to repay the loan, and they are rewarded by the bank by being able to borrow a larger amount the following year, and so on.
i have actually witnessed them doing this. the first one paying back his loan, getting the new, increased loan, lending it to the next guy, and so on. in the end, millions are owed to the bank, one loan of 200000 baht has been revolving to keep the bank happy, they blow the increased excess on booze and then periodically protest and get bailed out by the government and the debt written off. (who said the thais were stupid?!!)

unfortunately most of us have to finance our own operation, and if we go in unprepared i.e. without studying the market and the proper farming techniques, we are in for a huge hiding!

Does anyone grow avocado? A couple on Samui started several trees many years back. Guess it takes seven years for them to fruit. Initially they sold them for some ridiculously cheap price until they caught onto the real market prices. Costs about Bt35 for one piece here.

Oh, I just harvested my chive and parsley seeds...Big farmer. 555

up here in northernmost Thailand, I've planted many trees from seed because they're not available in nursery stock places: namely,

avocados, pink grapefruit.

The avos are growing strong, am hoping to get a yield starting next year - as the oldest trees are 8 years - some are 25 meters wide.

The grapefruit are susceptible to disease - as are all citrus trees in Thailand. Am open to any suggestions that don't involve harmful chemicals. A few that have been grafted on pomelo look healthy, but that may be because they're away from the others that are looking sickly.

also propogated other things you won't find in Thai markets: thornless blackberries, black mission figs, and dakota figs (straw colored on outside).

Am open to selling avo seedlings or pink grapefruit seedlings. Let me know if interested.

Had a visitor to the farm yesterday, besides being a good friend, he's also well known in Thailand. Guess who..

Not that Carabao twat?

Kuhn Thaksin in disguise.

I have about 60 lam yai trees planted in rows around my house. Some bear fruit, some don't -- can't figure it out. As this is the first year I'm here full time, I've babied them all with water 2x a week and fertilizer. I'm torching the ones that don't gimme some stuff this year.

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Not that Carabao twat?

Either him or Che Guevara.

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Not that Carabao twat?

You would really be a nice guy, if you dident have that twatish attiude towards all people...

Originally Posted by Texpat

I've babied them all with water 2x a week and fertilizer

Peeing on them is not really considered as fertilizer Tex...

And just to inform MtD, he aint a twat at all...

Originally Posted by Dalton

he aint a twat at all.

I'm not into ignorant opium-heads. Maybe that's why me and Stroller don't see eye-to-eye?

Originally Posted by Dalton

Originally Posted by stroller

It's very small operation,

The water from the fish pond, if you change that now and again, then you could make a small hydro-ponic garden with salats and other vegetables, to make it organic. At the moment we are playing with that idea to greate an extra income from our waste-water.

I am interested in organic hydroponics. I am new to Teak Door so cannot PM you, can you PM me?

Hope you are keeping well,

All the Best

Bill Z

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

I'm not into ignorant opium-heads.

Errrr, Not opium your holy-ness, weed and that sort of kiddie stuff....

Originally Posted by forreachingme

Considered as hardwood

Considered as grass, actually.

I looked into exporting Chinese bamboo used for flooring into the UK.

Originally Posted by billzant

I am interested in organic hydroponics. I am new to Teak Door so cannot PM you, can you PM me?

I sure can PM you, but why not write a little about your ideas It's always nice to meet new people.

^ In the grass family, ok but :

Bamboo is a viable replacement for wood. It is one of the strongest building materials, with a tensile strength that rivals steel and weight-to-strength ratio surpassing that of graphite. It withstands up to 52,000 pounds of pressure psi. With a 10-30% annual increase in biomass versus 2-5% for trees, bamboo creates greater yields of raw material for use. One bamboo clump can produce 200 poles in the five years it takes one tree to reach maturity.

This is taken from one site promoting the houses they make with this material...

Wiki puts it in grass, but remains some very interesting material...