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North Thailand: Growing Life
United States
Приєднався 14 лип 2022
We live about one hour's drive southish from Chiang Mai city at the foot of Doi Inthanon, near the edge of the national park.
This video channel started out being mainly about our organic garden and now we also include videos about our lifestyle here in the north of Thailand.
We love to share this tranquil life we have both here on our UA-cam channel and in person with guests who come to stay here with us at Suan Sook Homestay.
Our videos cover topics about what we do in our tropical garden, including the organic natural plant foods we make and use, composting, bamboo growing and more. We are also including conversations we have with some of our guests, so you can meet the people who come to stay here and discover what they like about traveling in Thailand. We hope you enjoy these and other videos about life in general as Thai/Kiwi couple loving living in Northern Thailand.
This video channel started out being mainly about our organic garden and now we also include videos about our lifestyle here in the north of Thailand.
We love to share this tranquil life we have both here on our UA-cam channel and in person with guests who come to stay here with us at Suan Sook Homestay.
Our videos cover topics about what we do in our tropical garden, including the organic natural plant foods we make and use, composting, bamboo growing and more. We are also including conversations we have with some of our guests, so you can meet the people who come to stay here and discover what they like about traveling in Thailand. We hope you enjoy these and other videos about life in general as Thai/Kiwi couple loving living in Northern Thailand.
My Best Porch Garden Watering Tips and Ideas
It's so important to water the plants growing in containers on your porch. A porch, particularly if it is in an apartment building or a condo, is not a natural environment for plants. Therefore you need to pay special attention to your plants to ensure they are getting the right amount of water when they need it.
Переглядів: 24
Відео
Travel Stories: A Dutch Connection
Переглядів 7314 годин тому
Here's another video in our series where we share conversations that we have with some of our guests who stay with us here at Suan Sook Homestay. When we have visitors from Holland I usually ask which town or city they live in, because my father was born there and I lived in Sassenheim (the village where he was born) for a short time. Usually people will know where that village is, but in this ...
Aloe Vera: Do My Plants Have New Life? Update
Переглядів 6221 годину тому
Last month I made a video about my distressed aloe vera plants and what I did to revive them. After one month the plants are doing well ... as you'll see in this video.
Stories from Thailand’s Hill Tribes: A Photographer’s Tale
Переглядів 11614 днів тому
Over the 20 years I've been living in the north of Thailand some of the most enjoyable experiences I've had are interactions with the various hill tribe peoples who live here. For many years I worked producing videos and taking photographs. The ethnic minority groups have always been favorite subjects. In this video I share some of the wonderful experiences I've had so far.
North Thailand Growing Life
Переглядів 6714 днів тому
We are combining our two UA-cam channels into one. I've been uploading videos to our other channel, Lifestyle Northern Thailand, and it has become too much work. I want to concentrate on producing higher quality content, so have decided to merge the two channels into on. You'll still be able to enjoy our gardening videos along with content about living in northern Thailand.
Our New Space for Cactus and Desert Rose Plants
Переглядів 5621 день тому
My wife came up with a great idea to rent the cattle stable that's opposite our place. It's been unused for some time so we inquired about renting it. It will provide a solution to our problem of keeping all of the cacti and adenium plants from getting too wet during the rainy season. It will also be a great covered space for us to work at grafting both the cacti and adenium.
Chicken Advice from an Expert
Переглядів 62528 днів тому
We've been talking about raising some chickens so we can enjoy fresh, organic free range eggs. It's just one more thing to learn! This week I had a surprise visit from Steven @NaturesAlwaysRight and he was happy to share from his experience. He gave us some very valuable tips on how to prepare a space for chickens and a bit more about what's involved with keeping them, and keeping them safe fro...
Positive, Creative Attitude To Gardening and Life
Переглядів 117Місяць тому
As I begin a new garden project on our porch I'm quite uncertain about how it will work out, but I do want to share the process and progress with you our our UA-cam gardening channel. In this video I'm adding some cauliflower plants and a kale to baskets on our porch. The main focus of what I'm talking about is not so much the plants, but my attitude to and thinking about what I am doing as I'm...
Aloe Vera: How To Give New Life To Your Plants
Переглядів 162Місяць тому
I always love to have some aloe vera plants growing in our garden. Aloe vera is an incredibly useful plant. If I get some sun burn while working in the garden or when I'm out riding, I cut off an aloe vera leaf, slit it open, and apply the gel to the burnt areas of my skin. It soothes the burning and the next day there's no sign that my skin was ever red. Maybe there will be if you've really bu...
Tropical Garden Photography Tips from a Pro Photographer
Переглядів 40Місяць тому
Photographing your garden regularly has a number of benefits. In this video I outline seven reasons and provide tips on why it is a good practice to photograph your garden at different times of the year. I typically use my phone for this task, even though I have spent most of my professional career using a real camera. I use my phone for this task because it's quick and easy to use and I am not...
How to Save a Small Tree Struggling in the Shade
Переглядів 126Місяць тому
We have two small trees that were planted a few years ago. One of them is not doing so well. It's quite stunted and lop sided. This tree is under the shade of some other trees that have grown up much more quickly. The other tree is in the sun most of the day and is a beautiful specimen. In this video we show the efforts we are making to help revive and save the tree that's been getting too much...
Small Porch, Big Garden How Much Room Do You Need?
Переглядів 2112 місяці тому
We're starting a garden on our porch to grow vegetables and herbs. This is the first video about our porch garden. In this video I talk about why we are starting a porch garden, the space we're using and what we'll begin growing here.
The Secret Power of Growing Bamboo
Переглядів 692 місяці тому
IN this video we reveal the secret power of bamboo and how it can help change the earth. Bamboo can sequester up to 50 tons of CO2 per hectare per year. We don’t have quite that much bamboo on our property here in northern Thailand (yet), but every little planting of bamboo helps. Bamboo essentially sucks CO2 out of the atmosphere and stores it. Keep watching and I’ll tell you how. Compared to ...
Should You Be Using Wood Ash in Your Organic Garden
Переглядів 1 тис.2 місяці тому
Wood ash in an organic garden? It might sound strange, but this old-school technique could transform your soil-if you know how to use it. Wood ash contains potassium, calcium and other minerals in lesser amounts. These help flowering and fruiting. Wood ash also helps establish strong roots, increases disease resistance, makes soil more friable, as well as aiding photosynthesis. But you need to ...
Ultimate Guide to Bamboo: Grow the Best Type for Your Climate
Переглядів 6233 місяці тому
Ultimate Guide to Bamboo: Grow the Best Type for Your Climate
Challenging Garden Maintenance in a Tropical Climate
Переглядів 2463 місяці тому
Challenging Garden Maintenance in a Tropical Climate
Slay Snails and Slugs With Sour Dough
Переглядів 1353 місяці тому
Slay Snails and Slugs With Sour Dough
Chaya/Tree Spinach: An Edible Landscaping Solution
Переглядів 9074 місяці тому
Chaya/Tree Spinach: An Edible Landscaping Solution
5 Essential Tips for Growing a Lush New Lawn in Thailand
Переглядів 2074 місяці тому
5 Essential Tips for Growing a Lush New Lawn in Thailand
How to Grow Desert Rose Plants In The Rainy Season
Переглядів 1354 місяці тому
How to Grow Desert Rose Plants In The Rainy Season
Lemongrass: A Herb to Enhance Your Garden and Your Health
Переглядів 1455 місяців тому
Lemongrass: A Herb to Enhance Your Garden and Your Health
Protect Your Garden from Termites with Borax
Переглядів 1845 місяців тому
Protect Your Garden from Termites with Borax
The Bamboo Solution: Our Strategy Against Climate Change
Переглядів 1275 місяців тому
The Bamboo Solution: Our Strategy Against Climate Change
Bamboo: Sustainable Solution to Climate Change
Переглядів 1955 місяців тому
Bamboo: Sustainable Solution to Climate Change
Why Bamboo? 11 Reasons We’re Passionate About Growing It
Переглядів 5995 місяців тому
Why Bamboo? 11 Reasons We’re Passionate About Growing It
"Such an engaging travel story! The Dutch connection you shared is so interesting and the way you captured the essence of the journey really brought it to life. Loved the video!"
Thanks for watching and for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
@@ThailandGrowingLife "You're welcome! I'm so glad I could enjoy it!"
Use them stumps to gather IMO
Thank you
Thank you
Thank you
This method is as amazing as IMO …… you have made a natural farmer very happy 🎉❤🎉
Thank you very much!
Bamboo is a great place to gather IMO . Do you use IMO?
Not yet. I have been meaning to get into it but haven't. I did not know that I could gather it from near my bamboo. I was planning to go into the nearby forest.
How long would you expect that flame treated bamboo to last in the weather? I’m needing some for tree stakes and would like for them to last about 2-3 years??
It will depend on how wet the soil is they are staked into. This heat process is most effective against bugs that will eat bamboo, but it will have only a limited effect on rot if the bamboo is in the ground. You could try burning the end that will go into the ground more, so that the outer layer is blackened. This will help to seal it more and hopefully help it to last longer.
What was the source for starter you mention. As a measure of success it may be good to have a comparison. Aiming for optimal.
Here's the video we made about starting to make PSB from scratch (with no starter) ua-cam.com/video/g5qzNfCi8E4/v-deo.html
Drive by pigeon. Perfect
so what is the exact good good recipe? 2.5 tablespoons sugar, 2.5 tablespoons borax? 3 liters of water?
I've found that one part borax, one part sugar, and four parts water works well. You could dilute it more for soaking the cardboard
Thanks for this. I'm on an island in the Philippines with 7 dormant volcanoes with cooler misty weather in the higher elevations where the locals grow cabbage etc, however nobody, that I know is growing garlic. We do get the Chinese variety at the markets, but I'm curious to grow some. This sounds like great advice. Thanks
Thanks, I hope you find the right conditions for growing garlic. Let me know how you get on!
@ThailandGrowingLife I took am starting a blog and love sharing ideas. Thanks
Chicken are garden destroyers, my worst enemies ahahah. Also there is predators, prey birds and some kind of big rats that sucks chicken blood at night.
We'd like to have the chickens free in the yard, but our dogs would get them, and if they did not, the chickens would destroy the vegetable garden. I think they will do well in a confined space.
@ThailandGrowingLife yes much better, that is what we do now, before we had like 200 free on the land.
200! That's a lot of chickens. We're thinking getting 5 or 6
I think the channel will grow much faster like this.
Thanks. I hope so!
That's a lot of cactus are you selling them?. We have smaller building that were used for pigs, I don't what to do with them yet.
We are planning to sell them, yes.
Kevin, here's an idea for your new structure. Tie a bunch of ropes from the eave of the roof down to the ground and plant your loofahs there. They will climb the rope and cover the entire roof in greenery, keeping it cooler down below.
Good idea ... but we'll be replacing some of the roof with clear roofing to allow more light for the cacti. I've got plans for growing loofahs and other climbing things down at the back of our section where the cacti are now.
This is so much more simplifier then the borax and soaking methods
Yes, much easier, but not quite as effective. I use the heat method on longer poles that don't fit in my borax system.
Dig them a little shelter two feet down that has a ventilation hole on top. Like a little root cellar. You can even put a couple zeer pots inside and fill them with water daily to work as evaporative cooling. An effective underground shelter should be at least ten degrees cooler than outside. ✌🏻The same can be used for heating without zeer pots.
Good idea!
I'm in Texas (US) and I have a lot of predators. I keep about 30 + chickens. When planning my chicken housing, I considered different types. I wanted the best of all worlds with my personal goals in mind. I chose a large, stationary, walk-in coop with a wood floor that opens into a 1000 square-foot fully predator-proof run (hardware cloth sides and roof with several inches buried around perimeter. A large part is covered with metal roofing for shade) I have 2 small access doors in the back that lead to their main run that is large enough that they never over-scratch it. It's under a large oak tree and is always lush. Pros of my setup: Soil, mulch, compost: I use deep bedding (mostly grass clippings using a mower with bags that collect the grass, some leaves, wood chips). The chickens scratch and turn their manure in to keep the bedding fresh. I throw garden and kitchen refuse/scraps in there, too. I can sift soil/compost from it or gather manured, partially composted mulch from the top for gardening. Worms: a lot of worms grow under the moist bedding. Convenience and peace of mind: Even though it was a lot to set up, the care is easy. I don't have to go out early every morning to let them out of a cramped coop, move it and an electric fence around, or worry about wind gusts knocking the coop over with the chickens in it. The chickens have plenty of room in their predator-proof run/coop that they can comfortably stay in all day or several days (if friends are tending them while we're gone) without standing in their poop. The coop takes seconds to lift the nightly manure droppings mixed with coop bedding which are thrown on the deep bedding outside the coop which eventually get mixed in/composted in place. I keep a designated hay fork near the coop. Their eggs are usually laid in the coop/run and so are simple to collect, but I do keep an eye out for them sometimes laying eggs in their large run under the tree. I also sometimes let the chickens out through the front door to access the acreage in the colder months where forage is lower quality, but only about an hour before dark so they don't go very far/stay closer to the house/coop and are less likely to have starving hawks around, then they put themselves away by dark. I call it the "Chicken Fortress." 😊 The only thing I can't control is rat snakes. They come in through the access doors, but only for about 4 months of the year. I usually pick them up with my hay fork or nudge and guide them out. During that time, I do try to gather eggs often to prevent them from eating them, I do lose some eggs, but not much. I don't like to kill rat snakes.
Thankfully we don't have many predators around here. Some snakes, and our dogs, but I think we'll manage to build a good coop that keeps them out.
How to tell when your psb are ready to used?
The color will be a dark red and it will smell bad.
Starter PSB…… is that the pond water you’re adding? Your accent sounds like a microphone cutting on & off….Sorry, tough to understand….. how do you dilute it?
The Starter we bought online. It's the fully mature PSB. We then add that when we are making a fresh batch. Then we add it at a ratio of about ten to one with water to use it in the garden. Our water source is chemical free. No chlorine or fluoride. I have no experience making it with town supply water that's got those chemicals.
"...I don't have any experience.....but I'm about to..." We just loved when you said that here in our home.
:)
Sir Whts that white powder? Is that MSG /epsom ?
It is MSG
Can we use aquarium water for quick results?
I think water from an aquarium will work ok, but I'm not sure if it will make for quick results. Please let me know how you get on and if it does work more quickly.
New subscriber, I'm trying to grow veg in Na Mon near Kalasin. Like you, I'm finding it's trial and error. I had an allotment in the UK so trying to incorperate some of my experience in this environment.
Thanks for subscribing! For years before moving here I had a vege garden in NZ, but did not start one for many years after moving here. Everything here is different for a garden. Climate, soil, plants, etc. so for me it's a continual learning experience that I love, and I love to share about it here. I hope some of my experiences will help you.
Wonderful and creative video mate, your propertah looks majestic. I am getting ready to do a bio char burn with wood chips hopefully tomorrow if everything is has dried properly. What was the name of the tree you were transplanting?
Hope your burn went well! Sorry, I do not know the name of the tree.
Good luck to you, little tree
This tree will thrive, the soil he planted into looked great, with the addition of bio char this little fella will have no problems.
Freezer experiment for you: wrap the head of cloves in a few layers of terry cloth before you pop her in the freezer Terrycloth might deter adverse ice formation by wicking away the ice before she can form. It's just an idea. And check the temperature range of your freezer. There might be a freezer temperature sweet spot. Fridge experiment for you: AFTER the few weeks in the fridge THEN peel the cloves and soak them in a 1800mg/10L aqueous solution of aspirin (6 tab/10L water) IN THE FRIDGE for at least 24 hours, then place in soil bed. The aspirin solution concentration I based off the findings of some Egyptians researchers (though they were using salicylic acid, not acetyl salicylic acid aka aspirin). The aspirin can help improve water stress tolerance. Water in with the remaining aspirin solution - foliage spray or on to the soil. either seemed to work for my cool climate cloves. Oh, I was growing cloves in a waterbath for a while - garlic doesn't mind wet feet but hates a soggy bum. The bulbs did develop into large rounds. Though I was harvesting them for the leaves (excellent dried culinary herb)
Wow, thanks for the tips and encouragement. I'll try this out.
thank you sir for sharing your knowledge! cheers from Egypt!
Thanks for watching and cheers from Thailand!
Wonderful mustache!
I wonder if this will work with an electric heat gun.
I guess if it's hot enough it will have the same effect, but it will certainly take a while.
Bamboo, Roses, Marijuana, best three plants to grow.
Bamboo, marijuana/hemp, and teak are the three best plants for reversing climate change because they all suck more CO2 and replenish more oxygen than other plants. And I do love roses too :)
Great effort
انا عربية و دخلت للفيديو لأعرف طريقة صنع بكتيريا BM1 ارجو ان اجد الطريقة الواضحة
You have so many good videos but with so few views. Must have something to do with Al Gore's Rhythym. Only 25 views for such a gem. I bet if you promoted a commercial barbecue you would get millions. You do beautiful work.
Thanks! I am happy that you enjoy my videos.
Aha, I found this!
Great video! I love your pizza oven- the whole setup, including the steel roof with steel framing. Non-combustible. I've dreamed of doing this, but have never seen anyone do it. Cheers to you! Judging by your accent and the bamboo, I'll assume you don't live in freezing temps. Would love to make a pizza oven like the on you have, but with a way to heat water with it. Do you have a video on the pizza oven? Thank you!
No, it certainly does not freeze here. Don't let my NZ accent fool you as to our location though, we live in northern Thailand :)
Charcoal is good. It binds the nutrients so the rain will not wash them out.
And magnesium
I'm unclear on the benefit of burning wood products to produce ash, unless you don't have the space for composting. It's just releasing carbon components into the atmosphere. I can see using the ash if it was being produced anyways (like from a wood-burning fireplace, or a rocket stove used for heat) but is there a particular chemical transformation that the burning produces that composting - particularly hot composting - doesn't do on its own? If the primary goal is adjusting pH, then the same calcium in the ash is also in composted wood unless maybe there is evidence that calcium washes away over time too much during the couple of years it takes to compost smaller wood/branch/twig pieces.
I use the wood ash created in our pizza oven, most of our organic waste does go into our composting system.
I sift the ashes and separate the fine ash from the chunks of charcoal. I put all the charcoal in the compost to create biochar. I use the ash sparingly in a few garden beds.
I often mix biochar in with our compost as well as inoculating it with the PSB plant food we make,
Interesting stuff Mate. My neighbor did a big burn of several trees and dumped a heap of wood ash on my lot. I have got tons, however seems like a small amount goes a long ways. Do you ever make Bio Char? I can only imagine how hot it would get making it in Thailand, RON MAK MAK!. You say not to use treated or painted wood, does the heat of the fire not burn the chemicals, paint out? That home made Pizza oven looks pretty sweet.
Some toxic chemicals maybe destroyed by the heat, other maybe created by it. Big no, only use 100% organic wood
You have only three broadly possible outcomes. 1) The toxic chemicals are released but not destroyed - the atmosphere becomes the toxic waste dump, which eventually deposits via rain. 2) The toxic chemicals are not released at all, only reduced in volume to remain in the ash and your garden becomes the toxic waste dump. 3) The heat is sufficient that it chemically alters all the toxins into something not toxic - which requires no bad elements (lead, arsenic, etc.) to have been a component of anything in the first place. The deck is stacked entirely against either you or the environment unless you know the chemistry of what has been added and whether or not plants will uptake those components. Frankly, non-organic pesticides would be safer because at least then you would be dealing with known toxicity issues instead of completely random and unknown ones.
Yes, we do make biochar ua-cam.com/video/MZQnzAR2Dmg/v-deo.html
LOL, you're completely naïve on your threat assessment of running bamboo. Running bamboo is a total nightmare.
Greets from the States! Been watching a number of videos on this subject, trying to learn the right way and I have picked up a couple of things from you today that nobody has discussed in any of the others, so thank you. First, I think nobody has shown the proper appearance of a stalk that's right for harvesting. I now know that I've taken stalks a little too young, next time I'll seek out the ones that look a little older. The green ones do look so healthy and robust I assumed that would be the logical choice compared to the ones with discoloration. And also, I had those boring insects before too, my only attempt previously. So I was getting prepared to heat treat everything and now I'm almost sold on doing it with the borax now that I've got all my ducks lined up LOL. Trying to assemble a simple greenhouse, and your video has been very helpful. May have to just stick to plan A and just fire treat since I've acquired a torch and built a stove and so forth. So one question: when is the best time to harvest one's bamboo? It is autumn here, I had guessed this was around the right time. I actually cut down about 50 stalks a few weeks ago but I anticipate needing a few more. And was thinking of doing the heat treatment this time anyway and then using some kind of treatment for insects after the fact, just so I can get going.
I harvest bamboo at the end of the dry season here because that's when most of the sugars have been used up (to sustain the bamboo during time when there's little or no rain). It's the sugars that the bugs are attracted to, so if they are depleted it means the cut bamboo is less attractive to them.
I read that the vernalization should rather be 10-12 weeks, so devernalization won’t occur and prevent proper growth.
Thanks for sharing 😊
Thanks for watching!
How is the smell?
Gross! But it is supposed to smell bad, then it's working properly.
The small bottle off mix egg where do you keep it ? Under the sun or in the house ? Before you mix it in the big bottle
I keep it on our kitchen bench. Not in the sun.
Hey mate, another question for you. You where talking about how bamboo prefers acidic soil, and I have heard that pine needles help lower the soil ph. I have a lot of pine needles on the ground to use for mulch, and also due to a recent tornado, I have a fallen pine tree where I could get a load of pine needles. Would you recommend adding pine needles to the mulch around, and if so what kind of proportion should I be using? Danka Amigo.
Pine needles can be a good amendment to help acidify soil and mulch, but you'll need to test your soil pH to know the right amount.
@@ThailandGrowingLife Good idea, thanks for the advice, currently getting a soil sample taken.
Hey Mate love your bamboo videos. Could you please elaborate on this for me "Remember to mulch heavily to prevent the roots from freezing"?. I have planted approximately 300 rhizomes this year to create a privacy barrier. Most of the rhizomes have survived and are produce small bamboo culms ( 1 to 3 feet) and i am even seeming Rhizomes that seemed dead start to throw off some new culms late in the season. Regarding the mulching, I have ALOT of wood chips to use, and want to do everything to ensure that the bamboo survives the freezing weather that we get during parts of the winter. Also as we approach fall I should have an abundance of leaves to use for mulch as well. I was planning on first laying down a layer of leaves as more of a weed barrier and then adding the wood chips on top of that. I do have a little concern that the new culms would not be able to break past a layer of leaves coved over by wood chips? This may be an unnecessary concern. How many wood chips would you recommend putting over the bamboo? Like how high should I make the pile, also will I want to cover over the bamboo that has already grown? Thanks mate.
I don't have experience using wood chips to mulch bamboo. Typically we are using the bamboo leaves that drop during our hot dry seasons here. Because there's no rain until the beginning of the growing season, these fallen leaves do not become compacted and we've not had any problems with new culms breaking through. This may be different with a heavy mulching of wood chips. Sorry that I can't be more helpful in answering your question.
@@ThailandGrowingLife Thanks a lot for the answer mate. Really enjoy your channel!
Thanks for your questions and your encouragement! It's good to know that my videos are being enjoyed :)
I used wood chips to mulch my entire yard (it was all sand & weeds), including around my bamboo when I planted it. Two years later I have massive bamboo stands, they push through the mulch just fine. (Florida)
@@spearageddon3279 Thank you for sharing this infomation Spear.