Showing 1 - 7 of 7
Xerophytes win water fights
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 22/05/2016
» May is almost at an end. Usually around this time, our friends Bantherng and his wife Phen are busy harvesting lychee in their orchard in Phetchabun. This year, however, not one of their more than 100 trees bore fruit. In fact, not one lychee tree in their district of Nam Nao, some 40km from Nam Nao National Park, had fruit this year.
When your chilli's not feeling it
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 26/01/2014
» Tessie Piyarom wrote to say she planted chilli in her backyard. They looked healthy but only grew to about 15cm in height. Some bore fruit but their leaves later turned yellowish and became curly and small. "I used cow manure as fertiliser but it did not seem to nourish the plants," she added. "What particular fertiliser do I need? The soil is sticky and very hard when dry. Please advise."
Not such a prickly customer
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 01/12/2013
» Every now and then I receive an email asking about soursop. Some wanted to know where they could buy the fruit or a tree sapling, others if they could plant the tree on their property. The latest email came from Edward Letts, who is wondering whether it is possible to grow it in the far north, in Chiang Rai province.
For plump fruit, Starve the tree
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 29/09/2013
» Five years ago I planted a Moringa oleifera tree, known in Thai as marum, on one side of my house. It began flowering when it was about three years old and since then has been flowering heavily most months of the year. Although I have seen insects pollinating the flowers, they never developed into fruit.
Casting a dry spell: Moist not a must for plants
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 03/03/2013
» Call me ignorant, but I was already an adult when I realised the value of dried flowers for interior decorating. Until then, the only flowers I had seen, in my native Philippines as well as in my adoptive home of Thailand, were fresh, plastic or made of cloth or paper.
Some plants not as thirsty as you d-think
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 15/04/2012
» Regular reader Ole Tarp sent me an email from Hua Hin seeking advice about his plumeria, or frangipani tree. ''It is blooming beautifully this month,'' he wrote. ''The problem is that it will do so only one month per year.
Overcoming obstacles to orchid growing
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 15/01/2012
» Lynda Smit wrote that she would like to learn more about orchids. ''We live in Bangkok and I would like to fill our home with orchids. But where do I purchase them?'' she asked. ''And how do I look after them? I did a lot of researching and found different information.''