Friday, September 11, 2009

The fourth leaves of Ulam Raja...

ulam raja
(cosmos caudatus)


This particular plant has been my focus for a couple of posts (under the label herbs). I love growing ulam raja because of their zest for life. They will grow for almost a year, offering lovely shoots for salads.... When flowering comes, we know the end is nearing. Flowering time is a true test on our patience, because this the period ulam raja will thin and weaken, and leaves getting yellow, and new shoots refuse to come out... Ulam raja will end its life in your arms and care.

Most seedlings show their true leaves with the emergence of the second pair. The little seedlings are very eager and start behaving like adults even in tiny little pots!!.... Soon I will have them transferred into beds. This time, I wish to spread them all over.... 13 seedlings altogether!. We need a good weekend to settle this particular chore.

The seedlings are a lot stronger after days at the porch, playing with wind and bathing in sunlight... They are less leggy, and the stems are heavily tanned now.




Thats the fourth leaves.
or the second pair.

Other names:
cosmos caudatus





Happy Gardening
~Bangchik and Kakdah

Putrajaya, MALAYSIA


19 comments:

  1. What lovely little seedling, so small and eager for life.

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  2. I enjoyed reading about these, and look forward to reading more about plants that are new to me.

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  3. They look a bit like tomato seedlings. How beautiful.

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  4. Ahhhh......I see, leaves are for salads? We grow cosmos, but only for the flowers. Interesting.

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  5. You are lucky to grow these all year round, Bangchik! An endless cycle of flowers would be heaven! We are slowing down quickly here and soon everything semi tropical have to go indoors :( They look alot like marigold seedlings too. Isn't it great when 'true' leaves emerge?

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  6. They are like your baby, so much have been taken care of.

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  7. I thought those leaves looked familiar. :)

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  8. They look great! I also get an intresting education when I visit you here! Keep up the good work!

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  9. Nice little plants! Happy planting them in the weekend!

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  10. I've got a little plant but I do not know what to do with it. How does one cook it?

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  11. My favorite ulam. Like it with sambal belacan or dip in budu ... Yummy!!

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  12. They look very healthy little seedlings. Happy planting!

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  13. A new herb to try! I love your description of the plant "ending it's life in your arms". It is a nice way to end the life of something that has given us so much happiness.

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  14. Plants also suffer from burn out just like a mother after delivery. Some of my plants become very weak after blooming. After the dead flowers have dropped off, they too need some time of 'confinement'. But sad for the ulam raja, it is life's end for them.

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  15. Thanks everyone for your lovely and encouraging comments.... very sweet of you.

    POMONA,PERENNIALGARDENER, JEANNE, JENN,.... Ulam raja could be new to most of you, but some of us do find these, very familiar. At a glance these babies look awfully similar to marigolds (and tomato), but they are not. I did a post on the differences between the two recently.

    MARYDELLE,MARIE,PAINCHAUD, RAINNIE ..... Like babies, ulam raja seedlings are eager and ready to kick for life! You can never stop loving them .. haha.

    But be sure it's the right cosmos before you start picking and chewing the shoots KIM and VICTORIA.

    When the true leaves appear, we can rest assured that we are germinating the right seeds, LYNN.

    Yes, STEPH, JO ......, by the look of it, the weekend will be filled with digging, fluffing, fertilizing, mulching for these 13 little seedlings to play in the field like big boys and girls.. aha.

    So KEATS, Lili of BLOSSOM has suggested ways to treat ulam raja shoots. You can just be creative and find out whats best for you...

    JGH, BELLE .... we can afford to treat them with affection when garden is small. We could just be nonchalant about this delicate little thing of care and affection, when we are the proud owner of 10 acre farm full of ulam raja!.. yea?


    Happy Gardening.
    ~bangchik
    Putrajaya, MALAYSIA.

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  16. ~mama hani
    tentunya... dengan sedikit sambal belacan.

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