LOG
 15 aug 10  - TAKING STOCK
Thought it was high time for an update, finally. It's been more than 2 years since I got into gardening, and a lot has happened since then. More importantly, let's see what I've learnt:
 
1) Plants will ALWAYS try to survive
2) Plants don't need as much help as you think they do
3) But please DO WATER them!
4) Desert plants are hardier than anything I've ever known
5) Plants DO respond to positivity and encouragement
6) Plants make the best companions ever
7) Plants give so much more than they take
8) Plants need insects as much as insects need plants
9) If a plant does die, sometimes it's for the better
10) But if a plant WANTS to grow, help it!
11) If a plant appears dead, it most definitely might NOT be!
12) Surprises may emerge from situations that seem hopeless
13) SO NEVER GIVE UP!!!
 
And probably the most important thing I've discovered, is that a pot with no drainage holes at the bottom is not necessarily bad... It may in fact be better in most cases!
 
At this point of time, my all-time favourite plants are:
 
- My aglaonema (silver queen)
- Most cacti and succulents
- Especially the local kalanchoe variety
- syngonium
- foxtail fern
 
And some which I think aren't that suited to growing in Singapore's climate:
 
- spider plants
- English ivy
- fittonia
 
It should be noted too that I've been trying to grow a number of fruit trees. In my apartment, yes. The strawberry I tried growing struggled then finally died - think the climate here just doesn't suit it. The starfruit is still going strong... for now. I seriously have no idea about the jackfruit's future, but don't think it'll last much longer because the poor thing needs much more sunlight than I can provide... And I wonder how long more the oranges will last... And the soursops... As for the limes, I remain optimistic. Custard apple is still a mystery... The grapefruit? Well... =P
 
Lastly, some recent pics:
 
  
 
And less recent ones:
 
      
 
Plants make such beautiful photos:
 
  
 
Oh, and I added more links.
 
 13 apr 09  - GROWING FROM SCRATCH
Some lessons learnt thus far from planting seeds:
 
1) Don't space them too close together
2) The smaller the seed, the finer the soil has to be
 
 1 dec 08  - CURSED CRITTERS
Discovered red spider mites on Pitchy today and the anthurium. (Pitchy's my five-month-old pitcher plant and I've grown quite attached to it. It's the only plant I named.) Sprayed both. Am wondering if I should feed Pitchy incidentally - I don't know if those pitchers actually do work. Nevertheless, Pitchy has still managed to put out 2 pups.
 
And apparently, spider mites do bite.
 
 28 nov 08  - MINI X'MAS TREE + BUG BITE
I unknowingly bought a Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (Elwoodii) or Elwood's Pygmy Cultivar yesterday. Apparently the plant is mainly meant for decorative use (for the Christmas season) and isn't expected to survive long. It isn't even a tropical plant, being native to temperate regions. Note to self: research before buying!!! I still hope I manage to sustain it for at least a good couple of months though.
 
On an unrelated note, while handling and watering the plants today I was bitten by an unknown microscopic mite. I could hardly see it, but as I squashed it, a long trail of my own (or its?) blood appeared. Could it have been a chigger mite? Or do spider mites bite too? Bloody pests!
 
 30 oct 08  - UNLUCKY BAMBOO
My 2nd dracaena sanderiana died today. I am giving up on these plants. I don't understand their needs. They seem super prone to spider mites and are awfully slow growers. I'm sorry.
 
 3 sep 08  - BYE BYE DAISY
My daisy'd been struggling for months and finally passed away, having succumbed completely to spider mites. Daisies seem particularly prone. This is the 2nd one that's died this way. Daisies are not easy plants.
 
 23 aug 08  - THIS IS WAR
I have just come to realise how devastating spider mites are and can be. After killing off my bromeliad (pictured below at a time when it was still healthy and glowing) months ago, they have now proceeded to infest many other plants in my place. Because I live in an enclosed area, this makes control very difficult. I've tried spraying, but this harms the plant too - even pesticides that claim to be "plant-friendly". The heck.
 

 
 2 aug 08  - PRAYING MANTIS
An adult green praying mantis was on top of my apartment door when I got home (attracted by the splif-leaf philodendron I have growing outside maybe). It looked so cute and healthy I felt like catching it and keeping it as a pet. But I knew I would have difficulty feeding it - how and where would I find prey? So I had to drop that idea. I'm starting to really miss it now.
 
 20 jul 08  - NOT FOR BEGINNERS
My mom warned me african violets were "not easy" - she had tried growing some many years ago when I was still a child and they'd all died, for reasons still unknown to her. Initially I thought she just didn't know how to care for them because my african violets seemed to be thriving. (Yes, seemed. Sigh.) Then suddenly... they are now both dead and gone. Kids, listen - mom does tend to be right. No more african violets for me.
 
 26 jun 08  - AFRICAN VIOLET
Took a so-called artistic shot of my purple african violet as it still had one remaining bloom. The mauve one's blossoms have all died off.
 

 
 25 may 08  - JUNE BEETLE
Found a June beetle struggling on my living room floor. It was desperately trying to flip itself over. Are they supposed to be "good" or "bad"?
 

 
 11 may 08  - SECOND TRY
The anthurium I talked about previously died, rotting from the base of the plant upwards. Overwatering? Perhaps. Well, there's always a first time and mistakes to learn from. I'm trying again - acquired a new anthurium today; let's see how it goes this time round. Will give it oodles of sun but water sparingly.
 
 6 may 08  - ANTHURIUM WOES
The anthurium isn't doing well. Something's wrong. The flowers shouldn't be dying off so soon - they can last for months...
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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