Monday, January 31, 2011

miracle berry: successful germination

I sow 8 seeds with full understanding that miracle berry / pokok ajaib has very poor germination rate.  When two weeks passed, we tend to forget about them and not really looking at them even though we regularly spray them wet.... Then one day, one seed let out long stem out of the potting soil. I loosened the soil to take them out just to see, haha just to entertain the child curiosity in me.... Yes, the long wait ends finally...., after 6 weeks. They are now ready to be the first batch of miracle berry plant in my garden grown from seeds..


 Two seedlings of miracle berry/pokok ajaib.
Picture taken on 23rd of January 2011.

The roots bend as they hit the bottom of the pot.  After germinating seeds over and over again, we slowly understand that some seedlings leave cotyledons behind, sending shoots up, while some push cotyledon up forming the first pair of leaves like sunflower.

 Chiku seeds just rooting.
They were sown at the same time with miracle berry.

the young miracle berry/ pokok ajaib seedling transfered into bigger pot
picture taken today.


the second seedling, struggling but doing fine.


another view of miracle berry seedling.


bangchik and kakdah
Taman Kota Harmoni, Tanah Merah, Kelantan

Friday, January 28, 2011

Growing roselle: when they bloom

The name Roselle is feminine, the beautiful pinkish flower is definitely feminine too. There goes our attempt on Roselle in Tanah Merah, Kelantan displaying pinkish flowers all over the seven plants.  I try to compare the flowers here with Putrajaya, I thought the pink is heavier and more pronounced here. Weather play a trick  probably.

I remembered about a reader from Kota Bharu and another one from Hongkong asking for roselle seeds. I posted them on Sunday 23rd of January. Sorry for the long delay. Patience will see roselle germinating, growing and flowering. So for the two readers, from the date of sowing, roselle will take about 3 months to bloom with pinkish smile.

So, within a week, Kakdah may enjoy roselle juice with Eisya, the little girl staying right in front of our house.


 roselle flower,
a view from behind.

 roselle flower

 roselle flower
 roselle flower
roselle flower
a front view, displaying the glowing red...

The flowers will close up and drop off later in the day. Then fruits start to get bigger. I wasn't lavish with fertiliser these few weeks, but somehow the fruits, or roselle form well.

row of flowering roselle
picture taken early in the morning, last week.

row of 7 roselle plants
picture taken today, around 6pm. The fruits are forming well.

row of 7 roselle
early December 2010, very small then.





bangchik and kakdah
menanam roselle di Tanah Merah, Kelantan

Monday, January 24, 2011

World garden blog carnival. Integrated Watering System.

Time rolled, events happened, and we moved along with the turn of events and time. In November last year, we shifted from Putrajaya to Taman Kota Harmoni , Tanah Merah Kelantan. The house is new, and the compound was completely bare when I came in.  Gardening demands a new approach here. We have to solve the issue of watering when ever we are not around.... sometimes for a week. Hence, integrated watering system has to be considered. And that is the focal point for World garden blog carnival hosted by fer of    mygardeninjapan.com.
.
Integrated Watering System
The year 2011 is a switch from manual watering using hose, to a fully automatic system. We asked and looked around and at the end met a full-time farmer, Wan Azuar from Wakaf Bata a few kilometers towards Machang. He was once a computer engineer working with NEC, but life was a little bit globe trotting he said. A week in Japan, a week in Dubai, two weeks in Malaysia and so on. After 10 years he quit to be a full-time farmer, growing chili and rock melons to support his family.We engaged him to help us with the new integrated watering system, which includes drips, weepers, sprays and sprinklers for potted plants, orchid house, vegetable bed and lawn.


100 gallon water tank and 1 horse-power pump

The main distribution pipe, with subsidiary pipes sending water to different sections. Walkway is not complete yet, I dont know how long will this one take at the current working rate of one hour a day...

 a timer,
to control number of waterings and duration of each.

Kakdah's new orchid house.
The orchids will be watered almost like mist with fine sprinklers.

Seven roselle blooming simultaneously.
Tanah Merah had been without rain for almost two weeks now.
They need water badly, so they get sprinkler sharing with lawn and papaya.


 ubi kemili
or popularly  known as ubi keling in Kelantan

 ulam raja

raised bed watering system
hot chili (chili padi) and a row lady's fingers just transplanted. 
red chili with drips, 
still at four leaves.
Gardening ahead.
Year 2011 will be the year for us to get used to  the new watering system. Some adjustment has to be made on where to garden, the vegetables, the schedule, and containers, with the new system. We are still assessing the performance of the system if it needs some adjustments and upgrade. I hope I can handle the new system well and enjoy gardening as much. It costs a little bit but it is a necessity for now.... and I am thinking how to capture rain water as source of water for the garden.




new year gardening resolutions

Visit New Year Gardening Resolutions Blog Carnival

at my little garden in japan

bangchik and kakdah
Taman Kota Harmoni, Tanah Merah Kelantan


Monday, January 17, 2011

Bunga Bakawali Blooming, the stages.

summary of bunga bakawali blooming stage
ringkasan perkembangan bakawali berbunga

  (Bunga Bakawali in Malaysia, Wijaya Kusuma in indonesia, Queen of the night, Night-blooming Cereus, Dutchman's Pipe, Gul-e-Bakavali  in Hindi, Kadupul in Sinhala)

12.1.2011

  8.00am

 1.00pm

 5.00pm

 8.00pm

 8.30pm

9.00pm

 9.30pm

10.00pm

10.30pm

11.00pm

11.30pm

after midnight
13.1.2011

12.00am

12.30am

1.00am

 1.30am

 2.00am

 2.30am

 3.00am

 9.00am

Bunga Bakawali
The next day 14.1.2011
9.00am

A person had described the fragrance of the flower as "an intoxicatingly extravagant fragrance ". I had to agree...... and the famous Arabian Nights also mentioned about the Rose of Bakawali.

bangchik and kakdah
Bunga Bakawali Berkembang
Tanah Merah Kelantan
The rest:



Bunga Bakawali blooming: 2am - 3am, early morning.

Bunga Bakawali Blooming
Bunga Bakawali Mengembang

(Bunga Bakawali in Malaysia, Wijaya Kusuma in indonesia, Queen of the night, Night-blooming Cereus, Dutchman's Pipe, Gul-e-Bakavali  in Hindi, Kadupul in Sinhala)

13.1.2011
2am - 3am

 Bunga Bakawali
2.00am

 2.10am

 2.20am

 2.20am

 2.40am

 2.40am

3.00am

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...