Problems with growing bananas in tight spaces

The original tree's fruit was slightly damaged when it ended up being poked by the neighbours fence. Now the 3rd gen tree 's flower has done the same with our front fence. So we first put some layers between the flower and fence.

After a few hours we pulled the tree further in and twisted the fruit to an empty space inside our compound. hope it hasn't hurt the fruit. I'll add a pic tomorrow.

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INSERT following day's pic

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It looks ok. Time will tell.

Orange bugger

Looks like a grasshopper. Spotted it on my kangkung

Ulam Raja seedlings

Ulam Raja seedlings. 100% pesticide free. zero chemical fertilisers. rm2 for 2 seedlings.  self collect. whatsapp 011 6356 3789

corrective measures for the banana trees

Banana trees #2 & 3 are slanting quite a bit...

The plan is to get each one to help the other...

A sack cushion on the left, old towel on the right, tied together with some recycled plastic sheet as a rope. Also a wooden beam wedged to the left tree.

Just a side note... I handled the young fruit flower casing and it was covered in some white dust...

Ulam Raja seeds

I got these off my one and only plant. rm2 for 10 seeds.

They will definitely germinate. I sowed 2 in moist soil/coco coir and both sprouted within 48 hours.

100% pesticide free. zero chemical fertilisers. rm2 for the lot. self collect. whatsapp 011 6356 3789

ps: if the majority dont germinate you can have your money back

4/7/2020 update: got lots more now

15/7/2020 update: even more

They have a unique tiny hook on one end that gives them the abilty to latch on to just about anything. I guess that's the way the plant spreads its wings further than just where it drops. 

Three... no, Four Generations of Bananas!!

So the 1st generation, let's call her Great Granma B (for Banana), fruited... and now rests in peace, her remains scattered all around where arrow 1 points. 

Granma B is arrow 2, the tree with fruit on the right.

3rd gen, Ma B, is on the left.

You might be able to make out the 4th gen, Baby B, or should I say Babies B, C, D, etc.

UPDATE: guess what.... Ma B just fruited too!!!

That was really fast! The tree is still quite small

Ginger beer and bug chilling

For now the task is to make the ginger beer cold, and stop the fermentation coz the bottles are hard with pressure. Don't want a mess if it explodes.

The bug is in the fridge to also slow down the fermentation.

Today's harvest/lunch

It was a rainy morning so just a quick harvest of brinjal, kangkung & malabar spinach

Curry Leaf Caterpillar

Found a bigger one.

The leaf looks fine but underneath there were full of black dots (you can see it in the video). I'm not sure if they were from the caterpillar. Whatever the case, it's a light snack for my climbing perch (ikan puyu)

Help from Mother Nature

Yesterday one wasp, today I spotted one bee and 2 wasps. I have been increasing the flower plants to attract these guys. Hope they bring more of their friends and family coz I need all the help I can get with pest control.

Fyi both wasps, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon, went for the Ulam Raja

Ginger bug

Ginger bug is used as a starter for probiotic fermented drinks. 

The bug wont be as active coz it is kept dormant in the cold fridge. Please bring your own sterile container. 200ml rm10

a wasp on my ulam raja

Nice to see bigger insects that I think are here to eat bugs, not munch on my leaves. At least I hope so!

Ginger bug finally gets going

The proof is in the video...

Harvested bitter gourd a bit too slow

Today's harvest...

Yellow means over-ripe

The flesh is a bit mushy/crumbly in the yellow areas

But definitely still edible.

Another helper spotted in my garden - the Hoverfly (Eristalinus Taeniops)

I thought it was a bee... 

But no it's a fly... 

You can Google it for amazing close up pics of this creature. It truly is beautiful.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eristalinus_taeniops

According to this site it's a helper :)

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/beneficial/hover-flies-in-gardens.htm

BUT... it's larvae are the ones that will do the work. And I am sure I wont be able to distinguish them from other larvae. I have been feeding all bugs and larvae that I find on the veggie to my Climbing Perch (ikan Puyu)

I managed to capture it drinking water...

And a couple of seconds of it flying...

Even its flying style is very much like a bee.

New bug - Eristalinus Taeniops

Not sure yet if it's a friend or foe. Google Lens identified it as Eristalinus Taeniops.