All durian leaf are the same? Maybe this one is different type.

I have been putting all kind of fertilizer on this feller for the past one month. It quite to find out I am growing some wild tree.

Just bought a small D101 tree from sg buloh for $10. I will take a closer look on the leaf tomorrow to see if got any different.

from the first look, it is NOT a durian tree. if you had seen Kg Teratai's pictures those are durian trees.

even though its newly budgrafted or new trees it should have durian distinct features.

durians leaves should be like this

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Added on July 27, 2012, 6:42 pmyou tree looks like Sabah Snake Grass....

This post has been edited by ParaOpticaL: Jul 27 2012, 06:42 PM

fyseng:

Yea..... Are you still able to replace the plant, or has the guy "disappeared"?

That plant, my friend, is a ficus tree. It is a very common, cheap plant used to create hedges and make ornamental living sculptures.

Also, and probably more importantly, if the plant has just been planted, please remove it quickly. It is a very aggressive plant that easily regenerates itself even with just a foot of root left in the soil. I have these plants planted by the Majlis Perbandaran outside my home about 8-10 feet away, and the bloody roots have invaded into the gutters, pipes, and even underneath the house. Some parts of my fence (wall) are even breaking up due to the roots pushing upwards from underneath.

Tried to remove the tree stump, but the root mass was so huge that the JCB's chipping blade broke (!) during excavation. Should have removed the trees 8 years ago, when they were just planted. The only plus side with having these ficus trees is that it is very bushy and shady (which make it ideal for sculpting), and attracts a lot of song birds.

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Added on July 30, 2012, 8:58 amPara:

From what I understand, you should only apply foliar fertilizer mixes for fruit formation after fruit set. The flowers are too delicate at this stage.

This post has been edited by Michael J.: Jul 30 2012, 08:58 AM

wa... Para... with that kind of flower.. if every trees in your farm have this flower, you are looking for big session at Dec..

Too bad I check my farm 2 week ago. It does not flower...

bro....actually i am having a headache now. because it continued flowering i didnt have the chance to put sufficient fertilizer.

but i am inputting some fish solution and doing some foliar so it can maintain abit and next season i MIGHT need to delay the flowering so i can put fertiliser.

will see how it progresses with the fish solution & foliar...

and i am also treating my trees for phytophthora or canker....with Metalaxyl

Para:

Well, that's often the case. If you're applying fish amino acid, then it should be good enough. I was thinking you would be applying synthetic fertilizers, which is harsh.

What you could do, is apply the fish amino acids now; supplement with foliar fertilizer alternately. Once fruit set has taken place, you can then proceed with your regular program. The whole idea here is not to damage the flowers, or induce leaf growth; then your fruiting should be alright.

Do you have existing phytophtora/canker problem? Although Metalxyl is quite effective, I am not very supportive of prophylactic application of fungicides in general. Reason is simple: it encourages the emergence of resistant-strains of pathogens.

Think of hospitals and how the "free-giving" of antibiotics has resulted in more and more deadly strains of viruses and pathogens taking root (like bird flu, swine flu, Golden Staph infection etc.).

Although prevention is better than cure, there are other ways to do this than using chemicals (assuming you don't already have an existing problem). Do remember, a strong, healthy plant is less likely to attract diseases and pests compared to a less healthy plant; and it often boils down to proper nutrition and stress management.

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Added on July 30, 2012, 1:15 pmKg Teratai:

I'm assuming you've already checked with other growers what's the general flowering season in your area.

Sometimes, stressors like a short period of drought followed by heavy rainfall is need to induce flowering. WIth durians, this is usually the case. You could artificially induce them using either flower inducers, or mechanical methods. Both have their pros and cons.

Flower inducers: There are many variants of this, but I'm personally against the use. Sure, you can produce off-season crops that fetch high prices, but it damages the trees, and can affect people who consume them. Examples of commonly used inducers in Southeast Asia include the explosive compounds potassium chlorate, sodium chlorate, potassium nitrate, Cultar, and thiourea. Fruiting hormones such as Ethrel and Ethapon are more "natural", but only work with certain plants, usually mangoes, pineapples, and bananas.

Mechanical inducement: I'm more supportive of these methods, but they will take time for effect, and can sometimes fail to work. Examples include pruning, leaf-trimming, and ringing. The idea here is to broaden the carbon-nitrogen ratio, so that more energy would be diverted to flower formation instead of photosynthesis and food storage. Done properly along with with the right fertilizer application, if is possible to "trick" the plant into flowering.

http://www.journal.au.edu/au_techno/2004/j...3_article07.pdf



This post has been edited by Michael J.: Jul 30 2012, 01:15 PM

Thanks, I just need to identify the plants. Look like I planted 3 "Raja Kunyit" and now only 1 left standing. Will go to Sg buloh to see if I can find some there.

Anybody here know which lot in Sg Buloh selling D197 durian tree. I found one the other day selling D101.

Bro,

hope i didnt give you the wrong information.

yes quite a number of my plants have phytophtora thus the use of metalaxyl.

you know me...if i didnt have the problem i wouldnt be using it and yes you are correct. as per Lim said that after the tree recovers and with the fertiliser programme in we are intending to build up immunity for themselves rather than requiring those chemicals.

once feed with proper nutrition and reduced stress then they will be able to care for themselves so to speak...

MJ,

I have checked other farms in my area. These farms are already start flowering. These farms have been maintain very well, therefore, I have no surprise to see it is flowering now. I also heard from durian dealer that Pahang side are start flowering. That is going to be a very big session at Dec. I am worry the price.

I also think the mechanic is a better way too. However, I am really far away from the farms. I am only can ensure the weed control and fertilizer at this moment. Therefore, I will still let them flower naturally. Slowly, I will venture into the sample farm that you share previously.
Thank you for the flowering technique.

I will also like to check with you regard the coconut. I will like to plant some into my farm. There is one type with very sweet juice that I tried in Karak. They just call it Pandan Coconut. I would like to know
1. The type of coconut with very sweet juice (natural). For example, its juice sweetness can compare Thailand coconut.
2. Where I can get the seed or plant?

Fyseng,

Wah. That is good skill that you have pick up. It has been many years, I am still not able to master the skill to identify the clone or type of durian tree. haiz.. must go back and ask si fu again.

I am not sure about sungai buloh, if you free, you can try Mardi Serdang. I have purchased few from them last month. There are few left after I purchased. Please contact them before you go. It is RM8 per tree.

Para,

I wonder if I can get D197 bud from you next time. It will be too far for me to get back to my kampung to get the bud. If I can get it from you, it will be nearer.

Actually I don't really know how to identify the durian tree. Its the foreign worker at the nursery told me it is D101. I only know my mao san wang is D197 when I google it

Fyseng,

I see, Yes. Mao san wang is D197. There is a skill to identified the clone or type of durian tree by looking at the leaf. I saw people doing it previously.

hello guys, glad to find myself on this site.

What do you guys think about rabbit farming for meat ? Im toying with the idea of starting a small scale rabbit husbandry program at home, but before I jump into this. Can anyone recommend a good rabbit husbandry course ? Tried looking around online but I can only find ones that are dated 2010 back.

Whoosh...! Suddenly so many messages. Haa...

Para:
No problem, I probably mis-read some portions. Anyhow, still do be careful with metalaxyl and phytophtora; the fungus has been known to develop resistance to the chemical over time.

fyseng:
No problem.

Kg Teratai:
Do read this blog. You will notice that flowering season is about 3 months long, so it might be a case of late blooming. You could induce flowering if you choose to - http://durianinfo.blogspot.com/p/durian-se...production.html

(1) The Thai coconut is Pandan coconut, and it is a registered variety. We also know is "Aromatic Green Dwarf".
(2) You can get it from DOA in limited numbers. I would suggest you approach MARDI in Teluk Intan, or the nurseries near Bukit Kayu Hitam. MARDI would be most convenient since they propagate quite a lot, but they sometimes run out of stock. However the BKH seeds are higher quality (proven in field trial). Another company you could try (but difficult to convince them to sell to you) is United Plantations (UP) in Teluk Intan, Perak. One or two maybe they oblige lar. They are the largest coconut plantation in Malaysia, and largest hybrid coconut producer in the world. Another company you could try, but again not sure if they willing to sell to you, is YP Plantations in Pahang. They have a very large Pandan coconut plantation also, and most of the materials were bought from UP.

A word of caution though, please test the seedlings first before buying. If the nursery guy refuses to let you test, then don't buy; likely is fake. The way to test consist of two processes:
(i) Cut a bit of the green leaves, and use a lighter to burn the leaves. If it releases a pandan smell, then you are 30% sure it is Pandan coconut.
(ii) Break a bit of the tip of the young root, and mash it up on your fingers. Then smell it. If it has pandan smell, then confirm is Pandan coconut.

If (i) don't give you smell, but (ii) gives you smell, then there might be slight contamination in the seedling (i.e. might be a hybrid). If (ii) fail anyhow, then it means it's a fake. If (i) and (ii) both positive results, then you have a high-purity Pandan coconut seedling.

Also, pandan coconuts are never huge, not even large, and are always green when fresh. The nut should be about two-thirds the size of a volley ball or smaller; if it is larger, then confirm not pureline already. Also look at the collar (the neck of the germinated seedling); it should be a deep green with very little yellow color. If it is brownish green or orange/yellow-green, then it is some other variety. In any case, still do the testing.

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Added on July 30, 2012, 5:13 pmEinjahr:

Rabbits don't really need much "coaching" for them to breed, and neither would you need to know much about it.... I mean, they are rabbits.... They will breed like, well, rabbits! Personally, I think the online resources are good enough. Otherwise, just buy a book on the subject, and you'd be good. Aside from that, it's gonna take a bit of trial and error, so start really really small (eg. a pair).

Rabbits used to be eaten quite often in the past here in Malaysia, but nowadays most people prefer the taste of chicken. Can't really blame people, as rabbit meat is very lean (little fat), and really low in tasty cholesterol. It is also quite gamey in taste (taste a little bit like goat), can become quite dry and coarse if not cooked the right way, and off-putting to people who look at rabbits as fluffy cute things instead of food. It would likely be a hard sell if you sold them whole and fresh. But you might have better success if you value added them, i.e. rabbit kebabs/satay, stewed rabbit meat, frozen rabbit burgers etc.

My mom and her family used to rear rabbits back in the Chinese new village, and during the Emergency, helped feed her entire family of 10 siblings throughout the period. They even had enough to share with the neighbours back then. I remember her substituting rabbit for pork in some of the usual Chinese dishes, and even making breaded fried rabbit hind-quarters instead of fried chicken. How she made it, I don't know, because my dad didn't like the thought of eating rabbits, and so she eventually stopped making it.

This post has been edited by Michael J.: Jul 30 2012, 05:17 PM

Wah so many post, was away just for a week. Taking friends on a tour of Sabah, including my farm of course

Just to share, we can keep the scion/bud/shoot fresh by keeping them in a cooler box/ fridge or insulated Styrofoam box with ice.

Even seeds can be kept fresh by keeping them in the fridge. Those seeds (durians) that I kept, while in KL, I clean and washed them, then wrapped with newspaper, double heat sealed plastic bag (don't want the smell to come out, otherwise can't board the plane). Some of them had germinated.

Seedling price is so much higher here.
Pandan Coconut @ $15 each from Pertanian
D197 @ $28 independent Nursery
Lime (Limau kapas) @ $18 independent Nursery

Mr Farmer:

Whoa... That's quite a steep pricing.

About plant propagation, you are quite right that they can be kept fresh through temperature and humidity control. However, one has to bear in mind that any extension in storage will still negatively affect germination/success rate.

For the best results, it is still best to propagate recalcitrant seeds within 1-2 days, and grafts/budwood within 1-2 hours (max). In fact, if you could do the grafts within 5-10 minutes when the natural plant fluids and enzymes of the graft have not yet oxidize, that would be even better.

Anyway, a short update on my durian seeds. All of them are now about 1.5 feet tall. I had originally wanted to plant out another 60 seeds from various other "less desirable" varieties, but decided to only keep only a fraction for experimentation purposes. These have only just begun root extension, but should do quite well in time.

Separately, another interesting durian orchard in Penang. It looks really posh: http://www.durian.com.my/index.html

MrFarmer,

That is expensive in Sabah. I think you can grove and sell tree there.

MJ.

Thank you for the information. Will try to get the coconut from Mardi first.

eat rabbit.. :sweat

what is usually served is hare instead of rabbit in western countries, right? btw, wanna tumpang thread...hehe..is turkey difficult to rear and takes a long time to mature period?

chinyen:

It depends. If it is hunted and taken from the wild, they are usually hares; if they are bred for meat, those are rabbits. Hares have not been domesticated by man. So those found in restaurants are usually rabbits, not hare.

Turkey is similar as chicken or guinea fowl in rearing. They do need large areas to move about, and they love to graze. Breeding them, however, is quite a challenge for a smallholder, unless you've managed to get heritage strains, and not the industrial varieties. Heritage turkeys take about 28-30 weeks to reach maturity, while industrial varieties normally take about 14-18 weeks before slaughter.

Say what size of poly bag are you using for the Durian? I think my bags are too small initially as when the seed germinate and wants to flip up, it got stuck to the side. Transplanted some to bigger bags.

Mr Farmer:

You managed to germinate the Musang King? If so, congrats!

You don't really need a large polybag. I use one with a diameter of about 8.5cm only. You do need to be a little careful when planting the seeds initially though, as durian seeds germinate in a peculiar manner, i.e. it is rooting part will angle itself accutely irregardless how you plant it. The best way is to plant is flat of the soil surface, and let the roots find its own direction down. Or plant the germinating seed three-quarter-ways into the soil, with the root side just peeking out.

Now if after emerging from the soil, the seed gets caught by the side of the bag, don't worry. The seed is not as important as most people think; it only provides initial food for germinate and growth. The more important part in the growing shoot tip, which is "sandwiched" in the center of the seed. Normally, the shoot tip will extricate itself from the seed and be stand-alone quite soon. If not, you could help it along by washing away some of the soil so that the shoot is exposed to light; the shoot will autocorrect itself using light stimulation. This is the part you have to make sure it doesn't get jammed; if it does, it might die, and this could terminate growth of your durian seedling, provided you have clones/ materials that produce multiple shoots. I had one seedling whose cotyledon was so heavy it snaped the shoot off; fortunately it was a multi-shoot variant, so the side shoots grew to replace that main shoot.

Also note that durian seedlings, like some of its other cousins, cannot produce new growth below a certain notch (which is the point at which the seed/cotyledon is attached to the plant). If you accidentally cut/damage the plant below this point, it will never grow back. Anywhere above this notch, the plant could still regenerate new branches/growth points.

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Added on August 7, 2012, 4:53 pmSorry, I should also clarify further:

Although you don't need a wide polybag, you will need a deep one. Durian seedling roots are very fast growing and deep, so anything less than 30cm deep is too shallow.

Alternatively, you could initiate germination in smaller polybags about 20cm deep and 8.5cm wide, then transplant them into large polybags (30cm wide by 45cm deep) for growth till 4th month stage. This kind of "two-stage nursery" method is good if you are targeting uniformity; you can select the seedlings which are about the same growth rate in the smaller polybag stage, and transplant them to the larger polybags. In theory, this would ensure that every batch of seedlings you produce will be more or less equal in growth and size.

This post has been edited by Michael J.: Aug 7 2012, 04:53 PM