Love Vietnam but the past has ties

Have you considered bringing grafts from that orange tree with you Mark?

Teacher Mark wrote:

Have you considered bringing grafts from that orange tree with you Mark?

Or speaking with a mental health professional?

Adhome01 wrote:

Teacher Mark wrote:

Have you considered bringing grafts from that orange tree with you Mark?

Or speaking with a mental health professional?

No need, You-Toob-A has instructional videos:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b3EmyqkPE0

Ha! Oh Yes!

I took our 19 y/o niece with me on a shopping trip to Big C, An Lac, a few days ago. She is studying chemistry at one of the Universities and is a well brought up young lady from a very good family.

We sat and had something to eat at the small cafe adjacent the supermarket.

She said "Uncle, Can I ask you a question?"

Of course.

"Why are people staring at me and looking me up and down like that, sometimes they not have good expression?"

It's because you are with me.

"but why?"

Because they think you are a bar girl or a prostitute and you are with me for my money.

Silence for a while.

"Does this happen often?"

Quite a lot, my wife - your aunt - gets very p***ed off with it. So far no one has been up to touch me and tell me that I am very tall or have a big stomach or that my arms are hairy (usually with a finger stuck up a nostril, or a face full of bad teeth) - but we have only been here an hour so it will happen. And it did.

"Troi Oi, I didn't realise Vietnam people like this with foreigner"

Welcome to my world, niece!

Too often people come here thinking life will be prefect and all their problems will be magically fixed. Usually, those problems are only compounded.

The only Vietnamese whose opinions matter to me are the educated few.  The rest I've concluded long ago are, literally, not conscious.  They live on some sort of taxic compulsion, grasping for food, alcohol, and money.  They don't even act to protect their own lives and will walk in front of a speeding vehicle.

The educated can be fine, decent, warm people.  The common folk don't have brains.  Let them think whatever they want.  Their disapproval should mean nothing to us.

MarkinNam wrote:

... I had prepared him a sand pit with sheep manure and potting mix, for his bones, I picked a huge 1 up from the supermarket on the way to get him. My mate had mange and looked like crap after such a long time on his own, I said to Harry, this is for you mate, he looked at me " wow" its huge,I said ," harry  I want you to bury it here" and showed him where, next morning, sure enough, dogs love matured turd for their bones.

Sorry for your loss (seriously).

I think the song made popular by Rolph Harris - Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport is applicable:

Tan me hide when I'm dead, Fred
Tan me hide when I'm dead
So we tanned his hide when he died, Clyde
And that's it hangin' on the shed!!
Copyright: Emi Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd.

At least you roll the hide up and stick it in your suitcase.

Jaitch wrote:

MarkinNam wrote:

... I had prepared him a sand pit with sheep manure and potting mix, for his bones, I picked a huge 1 up from the supermarket on the way to get him. My mate had mange and looked like crap after such a long time on his own, I said to Harry, this is for you mate, he looked at me " wow" its huge,I said ," harry  I want you to bury it here" and showed him where, next morning, sure enough, dogs love matured turd for their bones.

Sorry for your loss (seriously).

I think the song made popular by Rolph Harris - Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport is applicable:

Tan me hide when I'm dead, Fred
Tan me hide when I'm dead
So we tanned his hide when he died, Clyde
And that's it hangin' on the shed!!
Copyright: Emi Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd.

At least you roll the hide up and stick it in your suitcase.

I should have done that with the ex wife.

Teacher Mark wrote:

Have you considered bringing grafts from that orange tree with you Mark?

Thanks for the link Mark, I am a horticulturist by trade and passion, the tree was more of a tie to my fathers memory, life and I have moved on but the memory remain, the root stock originally came from S E asia.  thanks though! and the oj is awesome up there!!!!!!!

Adhome01 wrote:

Too often people come here thinking life will be prefect and all their problems will be magically fixed. Usually, those problems are only compounded.

a VERY good point, Iv'e been to a shrink, and tend to look deeply at what ever drives me, at the moment I live in a big house on my own ( not good ) it has to GO iv'e had my time there now it can be used for something else, I don't expect Vietnam will cure a single thing about me no one can make me happy , that's my deal, what I do love about Vietnamese is their simplicity and friendliness  From reading through the forums, Iv'e learnt to be patient things take a while there as here ( my neighbours house took 2 months to get the sand pad down ) Harry the dog I loved I treasure what ha gave me, the same with the xwife ( don't miss her). I'm sure there are many others who have similar stories come hell or high water I heading there VN has more of what I want than Aus does. I am digging all of my skeletons up, looking at them then saying "good bye"

MarkinNam wrote:

Teacher Mark wrote:

Have you considered bringing grafts from that orange tree with you Mark?

Thanks for the link Mark, I am a horticulturist by trade and passion, the tree was more of a tie to my fathers memory, life and I have moved on but the memory remain, the root stock originally came from S E asia.  thanks though! and the oj is awesome up there!!!!!!!

Hi Mark,

Could I ask for a bit of advice from you as a horticulturist please?

Last year in August MiL sent us a Kumquat tree from her garden in Bao Loc. Its more of a shrub really, about a metre high. It arrived in a black plastic sack complete with red earth. One of the nephews had spent an hour picking caterpillars off it before they took it to the bus station.

On arrival I gave it a good wash with a very mild solution of soap and water and planted it in a large pot in a corner of the balcony. It thrived and within a couple of weeks was pushing out new leaves. Then it flowered and  after the flowers came fruit which are still on the tree.

Then a few weeks before Christmas its leaves became yellow and dull and developed grey/white speckles. I have searched the WWW from end to end for info on citrus diseases but found nothing remotely similar.

I gave it a wash again in case it had some parasites that I couldn't see and in case the dust from local building works affected it. No change.

I then gave it a foliage feed of some imported stuff we bought from a garden centre and fed it with an Australian proprietary compost enriched with minerals and things.

No change after three weeks, leaves still yellowish, dull and with grey/white speckles and it has dropped a dozen or so leaves. However a few days ago it flowered again, so we now have a tree that looks like it is on its last legs, but which has fruit and flowers at the same time.

Any ideas? Any advice would be most welcome.

I'm not the expert outside desert plants but one possibility is that plants from temperate regions don't like the unvarying day length here.  Every plant I brought here died within two years, after initially thriving. 

Months and months of 12 hour days, some regulatory mechanism goes awry and they just wither.

# 1 remove All flowers and fruit, your right about last legs the tree is trying to propogate the species, what type of detergent did you use? if your concerned about bugs   http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s3136328.htm   and  http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/C107/m10 … igdis.html  and give it a feed citrus are 1 of the few plants that like a good feed when being transplanted feed on the 1st of each month with the letter R only when in fruit water regulary, if not the skin toughens when it gets water it will split. can you see a pic of the spots? http://idtools.org/id/citrus/diseases/f … rus%20scab  also check out citrus scab

MarkinNam wrote:

# 1 remove All flowers and fruit, your right about last legs the tree is trying to propogate the species, what type of detergent did you use? if your concerned about bugs   http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s3136328.htm   and  http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/C107/m10 … igdis.html  and give it a feed citrus are 1 of the few plants that like a good feed when being transplanted feed on the 1st of each month with the letter R only when in fruit water regulary, if not the skin toughens when it gets water it will split. can you see a pic of the spots? http://idtools.org/id/citrus/diseases/f … rus%20scab  also check out citrus scab

I don't see anything like it in the pics at the link you posted. I used a very mild solution of washing up liquid, as advised by some gardening website or other, but it was literally a drop of detergent to a litre of water. I have taken a pic of some leaves and will try to find a way to post it on here shortly. Thanks for your advice

daCabbie wrote:

The Ph balance is wrong....

It came with red clay soil around the roots....that indicates an acidic soil.

The compost/fertilizer you gave it are most likely a base (opposite of acidic)...

Start peeing on the tree every day...two or three times a day if you can....save your urine in a plastic bottle and pour it around the base of the tree. That should increase the acidity of the soil...but it will take a while.

Unfortunately that will make the balcony a bit whiffy. I could use vinegar i suppose. Anyway let me try to post the pic I just took.....

potting mixes are normally produced to 6.5 ph, it should be Ok

MarkinNam wrote:

# 1 remove All flowers and fruit, your right about last legs the tree is trying to propogate the species, what type of detergent did you use? if your concerned about bugs   http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s3136328.htm   and  http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/C107/m10 … igdis.html  and give it a feed citrus are 1 of the few plants that like a good feed when being transplanted feed on the 1st of each month with the letter R only when in fruit water regulary, if not the skin toughens when it gets water it will split. can you see a pic of the spots? http://idtools.org/id/citrus/diseases/f … rus%20scab  also check out citrus scab

I posted a pic of some leaves into my Dropbox, now to see if the link works


Apparently not. Here is the link to the pic. Its 12 mpixel and about 3 meg so definition should be ok.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qy68p1skayjb2 … 0.jpg?dl=0

can you ask Mil if she ? has similar problem, it looks like aphid attack, they peirce and suck ( no jokes please ) you were on the right track, soapy water removes the waxy coating on their skin and they dehydrate but be careful leaves may suffer the same if the mix is too strong, take all the older laeves off and the fruit, give it a soluable feed... looks like a real bad dose of aphids though

MarkinNam wrote:

can you ask Mil if she ? has similar problem, it looks like aphid attack, they peirce and suck ( no jokes please ) you were on the right track, soapy water removes the waxy coating on their skin and they dehydrate but be careful leaves may suffer the same if the mix is too strong, take all the older laeves off and the fruit, give it a soluable feed... looks like a real bad dose of aphids though

But I cant find any aphids on it. The speckles you see are actually a coloration of the leaves. MiL hasn't seen anything like it either.

Edited to add: BiL had a look at it  before Christmas and said he had never seen anything like i t- he is a coffee farmer and has, as well as lord knows how many acres of coffee farms, citrus trees, ginger plants, a whole slew of stuff.

On the balcony we also have avocado trees (2), tomatoes (several plants - brought home a slice of normal tomato from a restaurant and planted the seeds, we got some plants but they died off as they don't like the humidity apparently, I also brought a cherry tomato home from a restaurant and planted the seeds last May and the plants have been cropping since then) a creeper thing that her indoors makes soup out of, capsicums, (restaurant seeds) loads of chili (restaurant seeds again), which are now giving us a third crop,

We did have a problem with white woolly aphids about August last year, but they were chiefly on one of the avocado plants and were got rid of by brushing them with a solution of garlic and water with a couple of drops of washing up liquid. The Kumquat tree was hardly affected though.

TEFL Can Tho wrote:

Months and months of 12 hour days, some regulatory mechanism goes awry and they just wither.

The rambutan, a medium-sized tropical tree has figured the difference in the annual seasons. Remember, here in VN we have two passes of the sun cycle every year.


Wikipedia

They have a single fruit season, the start of the rainy season in April stimulates flowering, and the fruit is usually ripe in August and September. The fruit ripens on the tree and is harvested over a four- to seven-week period. The fresh fruit are easily bruised and have a limited shelf life so the markets get fresh supplies every day.

Jaitch wrote:

TEFL Can Tho wrote:

Months and months of 12 hour days, some regulatory mechanism goes awry and they just wither.

The rambutan, a medium-sized tropical tree has figured the difference in the annual seasons. Remember, here in VN we have two passes of the sun cycle every year.

[img align=c]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Rambutan_white_background_alt.jpg/220px-Rambutan_white_background_alt.jpg[/url]
Wikipedia

They have a single fruit season, the start of the rainy season in April stimulates flowering, and the fruit is usually ripe in August and September. The fruit ripens on the tree and is harvested over a four- to seven-week period. The fresh fruit are easily bruised and have a limited shelf life so the markets get fresh supplies every day.

Great. I will get one asap. Meanwhile, about my Kumquat tree?

TEFL Can Tho wrote:

I'm not the expert outside desert plants but one possibility is that plants from temperate regions don't like the unvarying day length here.  Every plant I brought here died within two years, after initially thriving. 

Months and months of 12 hour days, some regulatory mechanism goes awry and they just wither.

I suppose so. But Bao loc is only 200 km from here so there is no difference in day length between there and here. Admittedly the climate is a bit different as it tends to be less humid in BL and a bit cooler in the evenings. But the tree reacted to being planted here by sprouting lots of nice shiny, dark green leaves and then flowering and fruiting. It was growing well for several months and then something happened and it got sick. It's a bugger because I love it to bits and I was going to make kumquat jam (if you have never tried it, it's lush).

By contrast, a ginger root that also came from BL has gone mad and is growing like crazy even though it's in a tiny pot made from a cut down 5 litre water bottle.

eodmatt wrote:

By contrast, a ginger root that also came from BL has gone mad and is growing like crazy even though it's in a tiny pot made from a cut down 5 litre water bottle.

I haven't enough time to read all, but ginger is very easy to grow, even it came from somewhere else,

ngattt wrote:

eodmatt wrote:

By contrast, a ginger root that also came from BL has gone mad and is growing like crazy even though it's in a tiny pot made from a cut down 5 litre water bottle.

I haven't enough time to read all, but ginger is very easy to grow, even it came from somewhere else,

It must be easy if i can grow it !! 

Adhome01 wrote:

Teacher Mark wrote:

Have you considered bringing grafts from that orange tree with you Mark?

Or speaking with a mental health professional?

is that a health proffesional who is mental ? 

eodmatt wrote:

TEFL Can Tho wrote:

I'm not the expert outside desert plants but one possibility is that plants from temperate regions don't like the unvarying day length here.  Every plant I brought here died within two years, after initially thriving. 

Months and months of 12 hour days, some regulatory mechanism goes awry and they just wither.

I suppose so. But Bao loc is only 200 km from here so there is no difference in day length between there and here. Admittedly the climate is a bit different as it tends to be less humid in BL and a bit cooler in the evenings. But the tree reacted to being planted here by sprouting lots of nice shiny, dark green leaves and then flowering and fruiting. It was growing well for several months and then something happened and it got sick. It's a bugger because I love it to bits and I was going to make kumquat jam (if you have never tried it, it's lush).

By contrast, a ginger root that also came from BL has gone mad and is growing like crazy even though it's in a tiny pot made from a cut down 5 litre water bottle.

https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/mor … tml#Origin and Distribution

MarkinNam wrote:

eodmatt wrote:

TEFL Can Tho wrote:

I'm not the expert outside desert plants but one possibility is that plants from temperate regions don't like the unvarying day length here.  Every plant I brought here died within two years, after initially thriving. 

Months and months of 12 hour days, some regulatory mechanism goes awry and they just wither.

I suppose so. But Bao loc is only 200 km from here so there is no difference in day length between there and here. Admittedly the climate is a bit different as it tends to be less humid in BL and a bit cooler in the evenings. But the tree reacted to being planted here by sprouting lots of nice shiny, dark green leaves and then flowering and fruiting. It was growing well for several months and then something happened and it got sick. It's a bugger because I love it to bits and I was going to make kumquat jam (if you have never tried it, it's lush).

By contrast, a ginger root that also came from BL has gone mad and is growing like crazy even though it's in a tiny pot made from a cut down 5 litre water bottle.

https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/mor … tml#Origin and Distribution

Thanks, Mark!

welcome, Glad I started this we can discuss anything without being off topic

MarkinNam wrote:

welcome, Glad I started this we can discuss anything without being off topic

Yep, good idea!

Incidentally, I had another look at the tree at lunchtime and noticed that some of the lower leaves are looking a shade greener than a few days ago, whilst some of the upper leaves are dropping. It is also putting out new leaves. Looks like its fighting back. Maybe the foliar feed I gave it last week has done some good.

Just to be on the safe side, get some sulpher solution and give it spray with a weak solution 50%, the white oil mix is a good alternative. when the tree recovers find a container big enough for the whole pot, pot in add detergent then fill with water, leave for 3 hours, to drown any little bugs in the soil, remove and drain. refertilize.

Thanks Mark, I will do exactly as you say. The tree looks like it's recovering now with many of the lower leaves greening up again.

Thanks a mill.

Matt

eodmatt wrote:

Ha! Oh Yes!

I took our 19 y/o niece with me on a shopping trip to Big C, An Lac, a few days ago. She is studying chemistry at one of the Universities and is a well brought up young lady from a very good family.

We sat and had something to eat at the small cafe adjacent the supermarket.

She said "Uncle, Can I ask you a question?"

Of course.

"Why are people staring at me and looking me up and down like that, sometimes they not have good expression?"

It's because you are with me.

"but why?"

Because they think you are a bar girl or a prostitute and you are with me for my money.

Silence for a while.

"Does this happen often?"

Quite a lot, my wife - your aunt - gets very p***ed off with it. So far no one has been up to touch me and tell me that I am very tall or have a big stomach or that my arms are hairy (usually with a finger stuck up a nostril, or a face full of bad teeth) - but we have only been here an hour so it will happen. And it did.

"Troi Oi, I didn't realise Vietnam people like this with foreigner"

Welcome to my world, niece!

Is your wife young?

People are judging you mainly because of the age difference between you and your niece, and Vietnamese can be very vocal about their dislikes.

I thought the stigma of VKs, and foreigners are long forgotten...especially about the money thing since locals are very wealthy now and expats essentially fills the gap of the missing middle class.