I googled for false start, and two definitions kept cropping up, first being as a premature start as in a race or football match, the second being an unsuccessful attempt to begin something as in task, work or career. I guess the theme refers to activities within the boundary of gardening.
Growing Kiwi
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| kiwi seedlings in pure sand |
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| kiwi seedlings in potting soil |
The worst experience must be growing sweet peas. They grew but never to the level of health I am looking for. I am guilty of asking too much from nature. The hot climate here will not mellow down for sweet peas. I keep sowing new seeds, in the hope that I get the right combination of primary parameters that make sweet peas happy. So far not too good.
I move a step further by including Kiwi as the new member. From the single kiwi fruit, seeds were scooped out, cleaned and separated into 3 sets. The first set went to little pots filled with just sand. The second went to little pots with proper potting soil. The third went to the refrigerator for a month, then-after will be taken out for germination. I think the process is known as stratification, simulating the dormant stage imposed by winter.So it seems, kiwi seeds are happy without stratification
Now kiwi seeds are sprouting well at the first pair of leaves. 30 little kiwi seedlings are ready to run wild!! Pure sand seems to improve germination, that they germinate faster. I wonder if Kiwi will be like sweet peas...., tried again and again.... with a long list of false starts.
I am not about to back out yet....
Kiwi isn't the only first timer in our garden. There are timun tikus, ubi badak, ubi kemili, ubi itik, and many others. Each offers its own set of difficulty for me to cope.
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| first timer: ubi badak |
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| first timer: timun tikus |
and the followings are photos of a red flowering plant. They are spectacular with fine needle-like leaves. They are climbing up nicely now, a lot bigger since Feb 25th post of Blooming Friday: A Pinch of Green . First timer too.
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So no flowers today, all plants with potential series of false starts. There goes the whole fun about gardening, learning to cope with failures, trying as much to give each plant the best condition to thrive... There will be more fall starts here : Blooming Friday - False Start at Katarina's Roses and Stuff
bangchik and kakdah
Tanah Merah.
Nice to see the growing plants.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice week-end.
Those needle like plant are beautiful. I wouldn't have thought of growing kiwi. I prefer hardier plants with that many pests around.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope your kiwi got the right start! Will keep my fingers crossed for you.
ReplyDeleteRosie
Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteEnthusiasm is at the highest dealing young growing plants. Then it comes again when blooming starts, before we take plants fro granted.
One
Kiwi is for fun, to keep adrenalin flowing...., I know there would be hiccups. I remember about a friend keeping apple tree (which he bought from agriculture expo) for 15 years, then it flowered for the first time. But the fruits appeared more like the local "buah ara". He chopped the whole big tree soon after!
My garden haven
I hope the 30 kiwi seedlings play along well with the adventure. I know the weather wont mellow down for them, therefore Kiwi must make adjustment to keep growing and of course the eventual fruiting fiesta.
Bangchik...enjoyed your post regarding false starts...that's the reality of gardening, somethings work somethings don't! But the one thing gardeners have is HOPE...if it didn't work this year perhaps it will work next year. I am hopeful for your kiwi! So delicious!
ReplyDeleteStarting with seeds takes a lot of patience...I wish you good luck with your Kiwi.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice week-end.
seeing thing starting to grow is experiencing the start of life. Always amazing and a wonder.
ReplyDeleteTheanne and Baron
ReplyDeleteHope is a thing we can always hang on too. In worst calamity hope is the only thing we have. I have a hunch that kiwi will grow, making it flowering and fruiting will be the ultimate.
Randi
Thanks for the wishes. I really need them..., but kiwi need them more.
NatureFootstep
life is a wonderful thing, be it a plant or a baby.....
happy weekend ~bangchik
If I were to define my false start in the boundary of gardening, it would be hot, hot chicken poop ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd Bangchik, when Kedah people say tahi ayam di kaki, and this phrase is referred only to babies, they mean the baby is beautiful.
Good try at growing kiwi. With your persistence, fingers crossed, kiwi fruits will be there to savour:))
ReplyDeleteFirst time i see kiwi can grow in our climate. I would love to try seomday too, thanks for the tips. Happy weekends.
ReplyDeleteThe red flowering plant looks familiar...does d flowers resemble little miniature morning glory but red in colour? If they are, they are really beautiful...used to see a lot during my younger days...now hardly see them...or maybe I wasn't looking hard enough...=P Anyway, have a great weekend and all the best with all of them...^_^
ReplyDeleteAishah
ReplyDeleteSomething I really miss very much, stepping on chicken poop, and skipping to the nearest coconut trunk to scrap it off.. As I said, loghat kedah has mellowed down on me, this fourth generation kedahan is half perak half kedah.
Keats The Sunshine Girl
The day will come.., historic kiwi fruit giveaway!!
milka
At least, I passed the initial hurdle; germination. More hurdles to get across.... If you try, we can compare notes.
tooey2010
You are right. I am opening up childhood pages. They are spectacular in many ways... Just wait when they bloom!
~bangchik and kakdah, great weekend to everyone. Over here, Sunday tomorrow is a working day!
We buy our kiwis as plants as I don't think we would ever have fruit if we tried from seed!
ReplyDeleteGreen Lane Allotments
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if cuttings or plants are available here, so seed is the only choice I am banking on.... finger crossed!
~bangchik
Good luck on your kiwi... I have never tried growing them as yet...
ReplyDeleteLrong
ReplyDeleteClimate in your suits Kiwi well. Over here is very much trial and error. Hope Japan settle down well after recent quake and tsunami.
Sorry about your Sweet peas. There are plants for each climate and Sweet peas thrive here in Scandinavia. I'm not sure about Kiwi though - and very curious to your next report.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
Katarina
ReplyDeleteSeedlings look alright to make a real surprise. I read about a gardener growing kiwi, but somehow flowers fell off too early. That part has to be perfected.
bangchik..u tried on kiwi mine on persimmon!! good luck for both of us!
ReplyDeletewaliz
ReplyDeleteGood Luck.., if weather can talk, I wonder what would it say to us...
Needle like plant will produce red flower right?
ReplyDeleteSungguh nostalgia pokok ni..masa saya kanak2 mmg bnyk pokok ni..ulat bulu pokok ni..nanti sure bnyk rama2 di sekita rumah bang chik & kak Dah.
Rasanya lebih 25 thn baru kali ni saya tgk pokok ni semula.Mcm terbau2 plak daun2nya.
Yuzie amir
ReplyDeleteYeap, needlelike climbing plant with red flowers. I dont even know its name...... I will save seeds later as giveaways to those who wish to educate their kids about flowers of the old world!