Setting up the first phase of Seri Iskandar Garden.

We spent 2 weeks recently over in Seri Iskandar home, a house built almost fifteen years ago but we never stay even for a night. The feeling is still like coming home.   The inside is empty, surprisingly all lightings, pipe fittings, built in kitchen cabinets and bedroom wardrobes are still in good conditions.  A dream house some years ago, and now we coming to stay for real.

Kakdah was busy with her curtains and getting the basics going. New big refrigerator, washing machine and gas stove were purchased. It's like a young couple getting basic infra into their first home....... We realised things are costly now.

While kakdah was busy inside, I stayed outside assessing what's need to be done. Some seedlings had been prepared and carried all the way from seri kembangan, 300km away.

Garden and Lawn

Before: 2  mango trees, 1 lime tree (limau kasturi), 1 henna tree (inai), 1 big clump of lengkuas or galangal, and 1 clump of  lemon grass.  And there is colony of cherry trees at the front gate which probably grow through birds dispersal. The rest are all patches of grass growing on poor soil.

After: Both of us discussed, and agreed to allow only one mango tree, so one had to go.  I did it in stages, trimming branches and upper parts, before finally coming to the main trunk.  . Mansor brought in 10 bags of decomposed cow dungs, 5 bags of palm oil refinery waste from Pengkalan Bharu for soil improvement.  I put in a number of plants to form skeletal framework to the garden.

patchy grass on poor soil

soil improvements done in sections

soil improvements done in sections

a peek through old mouldy front fence gives eerie feeling

limau kasturi / citrus microcarpa  at the backyard

Ceperai/ champeria manillana    

3 papaya seedlings

papaya close up with coconut husk as soil cover

3 papaya seedlings

4 pineapples seedlings

3 companions : asin-asin, keladi and ginger

It's the eventual retirement house, so we will keep coming back to get used to things around here, the house, the garden and the neighbours.  Newly introduced plants like pineapples, asin-asin,  keladi or yam/taro/caladium, papaya, cemperai, lemongrass, Leucaena leucocephala/petai belalang  and Napier grass. are tough and they dont need a gardener to babysit them on daily basis. We will keep returning to the old house on regular basis, once a month at least, until I finally retire.

It's really a rare 2 weeks long vacation.

bangchik and kakdah

Gardening at Seri Iskandar Home.

Pineapples, gearing for bigger world.

It is an attempt to give pineapples a world it deserves. Exclusiveness.  Three local higher learning institutions, Tourism Department of Johor, Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation and  Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board  joined  up to give pineapples a bright new future.  I was there somewhere in the big blue ocean strategy adventure

The whole effort is centered towards creating a future for pineapple fibers in Malaysia.

Community engagement in Kampung Puteri Menangis, Pontian.
- introducing  pineapple fiber extraction

Fiber extractor , a prototype.

We managed to get research grant to further develop the necessary machines and techniques to produce pineapple fiber of high quality.   Philippine and Indonesia had ventured into pineapple fiber for decades. Malaysia is still learning, but I sincerely hope that pineapple growers in Johor, Pontian especially will benefit in a big way soon.

The journey is long but we already had " Tenun Diraja Johor or Royal Johor Weave" in mind.

(sorry for being on off-mode for a few months) 

Growing Pineapple: ready to bear fruit.

Pineapple is the name of this fruiting tropical plant. In Malaysia, it is commonly known as nanas or nenas. There are variations over the sound, where it is lanas ( or lanah ) in Kelantan and  in the northern states, people name it nangnaeh.  

So after months of waiting , one plant at the edge of the row decided to bear fruit.  A sweet colour indeed, pinkish red!

The first baby fruit of pineapple

mutiara variety

Pineapple:  mutiara variety, the first baby fruit

Pineapple

Pineapple

Pineapple: just a tiny baby fruit

Pineapple:

Pineapple:  

pineapples: Mutiara Variety,  leaves meeting leaves

pineapples: madu variety

pineapples: the row of madu variety

The leaves are quite spiky. Faizal, Kakdah's brother mentioned about pineapples producing thorns as a sign of stress. Poor soils, prolong drought and congestion are stress factors. I am not too sure which factor really encourage thorns along the leaves with our pineapples. Thorns pose no real problem, except it would be difficult to do weeding around the plants. I remembered the mutiara variety as seedlings, they were almost clean without thorns.

In fact I dont expect the fruit to appear so soon, since the plants are not a year yet. I remembered sometime last month I did spray flower inducement fertiliser, the leftover  for Kakdah's orchids. That probably trigger the flowering or fruiting. The foliar spray has boron micronutrient, necessary for flowering and fruiting .....

It will take about six months for the tiny baby fruit to develop and mature ready for harvest.  Therefore it would be interesting to see how the tiny baby develops through October, November, December, January, February, and March next year. I wonder which one will bear the next baby fruit, among the twenty  plants.




ealier post on pineapples :
growing pineapples not a thorny issue.  25.3.2012

_____________________________________

bangchik and kakdah

pineapple

 pasir gudang johor

growing pineapples not a thorny issue.

This is our best effort so far with pineapples. Twelve pineapples madu and 10 pineapples mutiara variety. Razak  managed to get pineapple seedlings from Pontian, free of charge he said. The little ones, madu variety seems to keep adding leaves, while the longer and bigger mutiara variety stay steady, getting taller and bigger, but strikingly lack the bushy look.



pineapples: madu variety



Pineapples: mutiara variety

Pineapples are said to originate from South America,

 and later spread to all part of the world through 

colonisations, voyages and trades.



pineapples



pineapples

Faizal, kakdah's brother who is involved in pineapples industry in Perak, mentioned about pineapples needing a full year for harvest. But with hormones or something, the process can be quickened. I think I am going to let the pineapples grow as they like, keep putting fertiliser and water and lets see when will they decide to bear fruits. No hormones no inducers....

bangchik and kakdah

johor

pineapple express

We grew pineapples, but so far no fruits. I am not very particular about going all out to get decent harvest. The four plants we have serve well as another landscape element. They are spiky with exotic patterns and very ornamental. They provide slight deviation from otherwise complete green and green all over the garden.

Farmers will take side shoots as seedlings. I took the crown at the top of pineapples as seedlings. Crowns are not the best option for serious pineapple growers. But it's enough to fulfill the intended purpose.... being ornamental. So crowns are not pineapple express...., they will just grow and there is no telling when the fruits will appear.

I read somewhere about pineapple express, which in fact is about  meteorological phenomenon occurring  around Hawaiian Islands extending to any location along the Pacific coast of North America .  Its  actually atmospheric river, water vapour transported over a narrow corridor in the air.

I am waiting for the four pineapple  plants 

to speed up on the express lane for fruits extravaganza!

bangchik and kakdah

pineapple gripping hard.

pineapple in a pot

top view

flashback: the pineapple 
a month ago. 

pineapple on the ground

top view

pineapple on the ground

side view

basil seen from the above
to join the images of pineapple viewed from the top.
it does give a peculiar view with its columnar flowery stalk

Kakdah's brother Faizal was explaining about the way pineapple grow. It was months ago. He mentioned about leaves grow in a circular fashion. He suggested  cutting the pineapple seedlings into 4 quadrants and each should grow even though they look terribly injured. He also said the similarity to banana plants, about leaves adding in a circular pattern.
For a plant that size, pineapple is quite amazing. The weight of the eventual fruit is a lot heavier than the plant itself. To show extreme care and affection, the plant chooses to crown the fruit on top of itself. As far as the comparatively big fruit is concern, watermelon is pineapple's friend and rival. But watermelon surrenders on strength and the big watermelon has to rest on the ground.
The growth is very slow and our naked eyes will definitely miss the minute change. Photographs taken at monthly interval may at least give a hint, that pineapples do grow, add new leaves and make leaves longer. I am sure our pineapples are now strengthening the central stem in full anticipation of the eventual fruit resting on its crown by the end of the year.



bangchik

Handling pineapples the small way

new plant in pot.

Growing pineapple in pot is not common in Malaysia. Everybody seems to be growing pineapples on the ground. When available land is limited, container gardening even for pineapples is the way...., the small way.

The growth of pineapple is so slow that we don't feel it growing. The growth is all about adding a new leaf in the middle, one at a time in a circular fashion. I would expect the leaves to get longer and the plant getting higher. Even with regular fertilizing and good care, I don't think the plant in pot will really grow as on the ground, but at least it fits the need for something very ornamental to please the tired eyes...

pineapple on vegetable bed

Pineapple: rooting

pineapple crown rooting.

I am not too sure if there are more leaves now, but both of us agree that the plant is a lot bigger that the little crown we took home weeks ago.  I fall victim to the inquisitive mind of a child too, because the other day I poked the soil a little bit to see the root. Yes!.., the crown is really rooting.

bangchik

Giving pineapple a chance.

A recent trip home to Sitiawan ended with a pineapple crown accompanying us back to Putrajaya. Kakdah's youngest brother Faizal brought home lots of pineapples fresh with crowns still intact from  his wife's place Sungai Manik. Kakdah took a crown.  Faizal had given lot of background information about pineapple s growing. He did agriculture at UPM in his study days. Now working with Lembaga Perindustrian Nanas Negara (Malaysian Pineapples Industry Board), he is fast becoming an expert.

 the crown at the top

(from google pictures)

It has been said, that crowns are not the best choice as seedlings. But that is what I am going to try... Normally people will grow pineapples from the shoots or slips. Shoots are branches around the stem, and slips grow on the stem just below the fruits.

 The slips, just below the fruit

(google pictures )

pineapple shoots

taken out from the stems

(google pictures)

For ordinary people with  little garden, crown is a better option because of it's availability. Pineapples sold in the market, come with crowns. It is NOT a common practice to grow pineapples in pots, but i am going to allow that variation with pineapple growing,  in garden soil and in pots.  Last Sunday, Kakdah bought a pineapple from Presint 8 Market where the seller was more than happy to give 5 other crowns. The fruit ended as Pajeri Nanas, another of Kakdah's specialty. The crowns are placed on the bed where okras or lady's fingers are, to allow rootings and then transplanted later, definitely a few in pots.

It is going to be another adventure, but obviously with patience, because pineapples will take the whole year to bear fruits. There will be photos soon....

References: 

1. Pineapple - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2. How to Grow Pineapple 
3. PINEAPPLE Fruit Facts
4. Official Website of Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board ...

bangchik and kakdah

putrajaya malaysia