Gardening on Cloud 9

Pat’s Blooming Opuntia & More!

Sandy — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 04:15:57 +0000

First of all, I would like to thank Pat from Canada for sharing with us photos of her blooming opuntia and some of her other plants. The colors of the opuntia flowers are beautiful.

Beautiful colors and easy maintenance, don’t you find these factors attractive enough to make you a cactus fan?

In Pat’s garden, there are small fig trees, and this small one even has fruits!

More plants, very neat and organized. But what really has caught my attraction is the reflection on the windows. There I find a big beautiful garden

Winter home that Pat built for some of her plants, very nice. I wish I have something like this too.

Hoya Kerrii – My Hearts are Falling Apart!

Sandy — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:31:25 +0000

My Sweetheart Hoya (left) taken in November 2009 (right) taken in August (2010)

This is my Hoya Kerrii. It used to be a pretty baby before but somehow since last month its heart-shaped leaves started to wrinkle up, and after a week or two, the leaves began to fall apart

At first when I found the wrinkled leaves, I suspected that it might be a pest or disease problem. However, after a thorough checking, I found nothing suspicious. And because I was very busy with many other events and projects on hand, I didn’t pursue further or take any counter action. (I must confess here for I feel so guilty…)

And it is not until a week or two later, when most of the heart-shaped leaves have fallen did I guess that the cause may be due to this year’s excessively hot summer. So from the balcony, I brought it into my room. It’s been over two weeks already. Although the burnt wrinkled leaves look more or less the same, the stems feel a little stiffer and stronger now.

Actually I am not sure if the record-breaking hot weather this summer is the cause of the problem. As far as I know, Hoya Kerrii is a succulent that can tolerate pretty high temperature… But anyways, we will see. Hopefully, my Sweetheart Hoya will get well and be healthy soon again.

Caleana major – the Flying Duck Orchid

Sandy — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 02:53:57 +0000

I received an email that titled “Caleana major – the Flying Duck Orchid” from a bonsai friend yesterday. When I checked the attached photos, I was amazed. This orchid surely lives up to its name!

Caleana, commonly known as the Flying Duck Orchid, is a genus of orchids native to Australia. While the appearance of the Flying Duck Orchid is fascinating, I found the orchid’s trigger mechanism that temporarily captures insects to aid pollination equally interesting.

So, Australia is a country that has not only duck-looking animals, but also plants that resemble a duck. Besides the bizarre looking, duck-billed platypus, Australia also has Caleana, the orchid that looks so much like a flying duck.

And here is a nice, brief introduction of Large Duck Orchid in Australia Land Cove National Park website.

Attila’s Super Cute Cactus Garden

Sandy — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 04:47:42 +0000

This is Attila’s cactus garden. It is so lovely. When I first saw the photos of his cactus garden, it’s like “oh my… this is so cute!” I especially love the eyes he added to the cacti, making these two little creatures so lively and adorable. And the little bee and butterfly that are flying around the container make the whole cactus garden more fun and interesting.

That’s what I love about blogging and the internet in general; here I can easily share and exchange all the fun ideas and interesting experience with many gardeners and nature lovers from all over the world (Attila is from Hungary).

Attila! Thank you for your mails and photos! Definitely looking forward to hear more from you and get impressed by your creative work again

Crystal Soil – Not Just Pretty, But Functional

Sandy — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:35:13 +0000

Crystal soil is not only a wonderful potting mix for decorating our home and office, but also has great practical use when mixed with soil in our container plants, as well as our outdoor gardens. These water absorbent polymer beads that are able to absorb and hold tens to hundreds of times its volume of water for a long time have a wide variety of uses in agriculture as well as home and garden applications.

Crystal Soil as Reservoir

With the characteristic of absorbing hundreds of times its weight in water for a long time, water absorbent polymer acts as a reservoir to store and release a steady stream of water to the plants even during periods of drought. When mixed in the soil, the water absorbent polymer will soften and swell as water is added and absorbed. When the potting system dries, the crystal soil beads will release its water to the plant.

Crystal Soil Improves Soil Aeration

The expansion and retraction of the crystal soil beads during watering cycle helps soil aeration, which is important to the growth of our plants.

Crystal Soil is Non-Toxic, Eco-friendly

Water absorbent polymeris made of non-toxic material. Hence, it is safe for our plants.

Crystal Soil is Economical

In addition, these crystal soil beads are economical to use for they are reusable and usually last several seasons. In addition, water absorbent polymer will reduce our irrigation needs and frequency in as much as 50% as well as retain our applied fertilizers and nutrients for plant use.

It’s Time for Yellow Watermelon Again!

Sandy — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:19:35 +0000

Because of the intensively hot weather in Hong Kong in the recent few weeks, the yellow skinned watermelons in the greenhouse have ripened unexpectedly early this summer. In fact, since all of them ripened all together so quickly, many of them couldn’t be enjoyed in time before turning bad.

So at the end of our last monthly bonsai workshop session, Teacher Wong brought out all the yellow skinned watermelon that were left and treated us a watermelon feast. Just like the yellow skinned watermelons we had last year, these ones were so sweet. And what can be better than a sweet juicy watermelon in this crazy burning summer!

A dozen of watermelon, papaya, and other fruits later, 20 of us left the bonsai workshop with a full tummy and a satisfied smile.

My Super Goldy Lollipops

Sandy — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 01:52:45 +0000

This summer, the lollipop plants (Pachystachys lutea) on my balcony are growing vigorously with many flowers. Frankly, I was a bit surprised. I didn’t expect it to blossom so well, for I have been so busy lately that I haven’t done much pruning and fertilizing since its last bloom.

I guess it’s the extremely hot hot sun in these two weeks that has helped my lollipop plants growing so well. This plant loves the sun. However, because all I could provide my lollipop plants is a North-facing balcony, they usually don’t blossom very well, maybe 6-8 lollipop flowers per pot. But now, with the extremely hot sun flaring in the blue clear sky, there are around 12-14 flowers or flower buds in each pot! I am sure there would be even more if I pruned my lollipop plants right after its last bloom.

The origin of Pachystachys lutea is Peru. It is a very common plant in Hong Kong, and because of the shape of its white flowers and surrounding yellow bracts, it is called the golden shrimp plant or the lollipop plant.

Maybe in another post, let me share some tips of growing and caring for the lollipop plant.

Mosquito Bite Relief Tips

Sandy — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 07:24:41 +0000

Summer is a season which I both love and hate. It is the season when our gardens grow vigorously, with bright green foliage and colorful sweet blossoms. It is also the season when we are the busiest working in our gardens, sweating under the strong, harsh sun while feeding our blood to the hungry mosquitoes.

During the mosquito season, we pretty much have to stop breathing to not attract the attention of a mosquito since a big attractor for these buggies is the carbon dioxide from our breathing. Spending merely a few minutes in our garden without using any mosquito repellent may result in red splotches covering our arms, legs and anywhere else that is not fortunate enough to be covered by clothing.

Last week, I have shared some tips of mosquito bite prevention. Here, let me share with you some mosquito bite itch relief tips that I have used or heard of.

Wash the mosquito bite with warm water and soap as soon as possible. This is my favorite mosquito bite remedy for it often works and the relief is nearly instant.
Wrap some ice in a towel and apply it to the mosquito bite. The ice will help to minimize our swelling.
Use calamine lotion to the mosquito bite to help with the itching. A common home remedy involves mixing baking soda and water. Mix equal parts of baking soda and water and stir until the mixture becomes a paste, then apply it to the mosquito bite. This will help to soothe itchy skin. It also works well on poison ivy, wasp stings, as well as other minor skin irritations.
I know it’s itchy, but don’t scratch. Every time we scratch, histamine is released, which causes the skin to itch even more. Frequent scratching can also cause small breaks in the skin that allow bacteria to enter and cause infection.

Prevention – The Best Mosquito Bite Treatment

Sandy — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 07:23:50 +0000

Mosquito bites are not only annoying, but also dangerous. Besides itching and swelling, various diseases can be spread by mosquito bites. The exchange of blood and mosquito saliva gives a perfect situation for spreading disease such as Encephalitis, West Nile virus, and Yellow fever. The prevalence of these diseases depends on the geographic location. Certain areas of the world, such as tropical areas, carry a greater risk of contacting these diseases than others.

Hence, instead of figuring out the most effective way to relief mosquito bites, we should first try to reduce the risk of being bitten. Prevention is the best mosquito bite treatment. And here are some tips to share.

Clothing

Covering up ourselves not only protects us from the strong burning sun, but it also prevents us from being the yummy meals of the hungry mosquitoes. Therefore, we should wear long-sleeves shirts and long pants, and these clothing should be light colored. Dark colored clothes attract more mosquitoes. Also, don’t forget to wear a hat, shoes (instead of sandals), and socks.

Stay Out of the Peak Hours

Avoid staying outdoors in the early morning or evening when mosquitoes are more likely to bite.

Avoid Standing Water

We should not keep standing water in our garden as mosquitoes lay eggs and breed in these areas.

Mosquito Repellent Products

Mosquito repellents containing DEET are very effective and can keep these little buggies at bay for hours. Yet, there are pros and cons. There are researches reporting that DEET can causes harm to our health in the long run. And before use, carefully read the precautions of the product for these products can irritate our eyes, etc.

In addition, mosquitoes can bite through thin clothing. Hence, besides spraying mosquito repellent on our skin, we should also spray it on our clothing.

For me, mosquito repellent incense (or mosquito repellent candle) is probably the most effective way for preventing mosquito bites. Because I sweat so much, I often wipe off not only my sweat, but also most of the mosquito repellent cream and spray that I have applied just a few minutes earlier. But with mosquito repellent incense, I don’t have to reapply any cream or spray even when I am all sweaty and stink.

LEFT: Mosquito repellent incense RIGHT: The kind of case I use to carry around the burning mosquito repellent incense

How to Grow and Care for Phalaenopsis Orchids

Sandy — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:56:48 +0000

Phalaenopsis orchids are very suitable for city dwellers who have limited space and no gardens. Since Phalaenopsis orchid is quite easy to grow and generally likes the light and temperature condition of our homes, it is an excellent choice for the first time orchid growers, as well as indoor gardeners.

Below are some tips of growing Phalaenopsis orchids.

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Light

Phalaenopsis orchids do well near bright window, without direct sunlight. If we place our Phalaenopsis orchids indoor, an east facing window is ideal, while shaded south or west facing windows are also acceptable. I grow my Phalaenopsis orchid outside my north facing balcony and it grows very well. If we grow our Phalaenopsis orchids outdoor under direct sunlight, the growing area will need to be covered with 70-75% shade cloth.

Let the foliage be your guide. If there is excessive dark reddish pigmentation on the leaves, the leaves probably have been burnt. In this case, we should move our orchids to an area with less sun exposure. On the other hand, if the leaves are long and floppy, the Phalaenopsis orchid may not be getting enough light.

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Watering

If we grow our Phalaenopsis orchids in pots instead of by hanging, the orchid roots will not be exposed to the air as much, and hence will dry up slower. We should water our Phalaenopsis orchids only when the roots are dry (but don’t wait till bone-dry). Be aware not to overwater our orchids, the roots will rot and the orchid will not survive. In addition, water our Phalaenopsis orchids early enough in the day time so that the leaves will be dry by nightfall. It is especially important not to let water stay in the crown of the orchids for this will lead to crown rot.

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Fertilizer

Phalaenopsis orchids do well with regular fertilizing, yet will suffer if over-fertilized. As a rule of thumb, fertilize our Phalaenopsis orchids every 10-14 days with a balanced formula like 20-20-20 in only half the strength as instructed on the fertilizer package.

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Temperature

Phalaenopsis orchids grow well in temperature between 20-30 degree Celsius (65-85 degrees Fahrenheit), and the orchids will stop growing when the temperature is above 35 degree Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) or below 10 degree Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit).

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Humidity and Ventilation

Phalaenopsis orchids love high humidity, around 70%. Yet, the moth orchids also need good ventilation and air circulation in order to grow well, particularly during very humid conditions when fungal and bacterial disease can be a real threat. In this case, an oscillating fan that moves air constantly at low speed will be very helpful.