Banana #5 all alone

Just chopped down #4. #5 is all alone now.

Looks healthy BUT it's base is precarious. Tomorrow I will clear more of #4 and the bigger shoots, one of which might end up turning into #6. I will decide on #6 when #5 sends out its flower. 

15June2021 update: It's about to fruit.

Summary of banana harvests

11Jan2020 - tree#1

30June-7July2020 - tree#2

20Oct2020 - tree#3

25 Feb2021 - tree#4

Useful but not edible (parts of) plants

Our primary goal is an edible garden. Let's make the secondary goal as "usefulness". Here are our useful plants...

Banana leaves - Our banana tree is growing well. Still no fruits, but I love the fact that it is already helping us! Once in a blue moon we cut a little bit of a leaf that is still green and use it as a plate. Not too much coz we don't want to hurt the tree. I swear it makes food on it taste better.
As the bottom leaves age and turn yellow, I cut them off and use it as shade for the pond and plants.
And when it browns, I add it into the fish tanks so the fry have more hiding places. Also it helps lower the pH.

Bamboo - these fellows fight back! The adults are impossible to remove at the root level. They just won't budge. The young ones are sneaky ... they have really tiny thorns over the shoots, so when cutting them back, I am bound to get heaps of those in my skin. Itchy and uncomfortable for a day or 2!!
BUT I love bamboo. I cut small pieces for the aquarium. They give the fish lots of place to play hide-and-seek. And I am sure their pores would be a nice home for the beneficial bacteria. In the garden I have used them as a fence, support, drain, etc. Very light and very hard.

Indian Almond leaves - Just run a search on this and you will be amazed by the stories of how it has helped fish. I add them to all my tanks. I love to layer a few and anchor one end with a stone. If they dont look good whole, I cut them up into smaller shapes and let them just blend in wherever they wish to settle to.
We don't have the tree in our house coz it's huge, but I know where they are. You would be doing the guys who sweep the roads a favour by picking up a few leaves off the ground and using them in your tanks & ponds.

Peace Lily - It's supposed to be some kind of indoor air filter

Harvesting banana tree #4

 Noticed a split on one of the lower fruits so decided its time to harvest.

I wish I thought about a weighing scale to measure the harvest.

8 combs.. not bad!!

Slice into the bent fruit stem to prevent pontianaks from materialising.

Chopped down the tree, sawing from the top in 6-12in segments, just the right size to make it easy to handle. Sorted into 3 piles to dry out a bit more before adding to the compost. Some of the leaves will go into the fish pond.

From left to right... leaves, trunk, dried/dead bits.

  

white mollies not multiplying

 All 5 are still doing well. 1 out of the group was an outcast for some time, but now they are more of a family. The plus side is that they love the hair algae, even more than all the types of fish-food I have been giving the pond inhabitants. They are constantly nipping at the walls and have reduced that type of algae significantly.

The down side is that they haven't reproduced. Actually I think they may have... I spotted a fry that was slightly lighter than the rest of the guppies, and its shape was shorter and fatter. But none have made it to adults. I suspect they stand out more than the grey guppy fry, and therefore would be an easier target for the climbing perch

Corn

 Attempting corn for the first time. I do know that the more plants there are, the better chance of the corn being pollinated. I have 4. 

They are a couple of weeks old.

old fan blades

One of the neighbours was upgrading his fans. The old ones were being chucked out. Salvaged the blades. They might make good barriers/walls instead of bricks. 

dragonfly feasting on a bee

 Dragonflies are under the "helper" category, but unfortunately, their diet also includes other helpers...

regular checks of equipment is a must

Things eventually give way, so regular checks are necessary to avoid major problems. Take this for example...

These hoses connect the pump in the pond to the external filter, and back from the filter to the pond. This one has split due to age, and the only thing keeping the water in is a layer of algae. 

If the hose from the pump in the pond to the external filter had split, it would have been catastrophic as the pump sits at the bottom of the pond. It would have drained out most of the water. I have placed the pump slightly elevated on a brick to lessen the problem in the event it does happen.

balancing act

Banana tree #5 doesnt have any earth supporting it on one side. It looks like it grew on top of an older plant. I hope it doesnt topple as it grows bigger and starts to lean.

The bare earth part is where the dog has in the past scratched around.

Trying coriander for the umpteenth time

 Every time we buy coriander from the market, it comes with the roots intact. But I've tried putting it in the ground, in water, in the sun, in shade.... nothing works. Neighbour just gave me seedling of a shorter variety.

Ill keep them under the net in a bit of shade for a couple of days, before moving them out to a sunnier spot.

This is hers growing quite well...

sickest looking plant giving the most chilis

Out of the 3 plants I have, 2 of them have more yellow than green leaves. But they are producing more chilis!! 

lactuca indica aka Indian lettuce

 Found out the name of 2 of my leafy greens...they are variations of lactuca indica.

Turning red

 The chilis are ripening! starting to change colour...

What a joy to see this!!

Oh no! From a high to a low almost immediately... I spotted one on the ground :( 

It must have dropped yesterday coz the side touching the ground was already damaged.

I was hoping to let it ripen fully on the plant but I think I will harvest now as soon as I see it changing colour. Will leave the 2 on the plant till tomorrow. Pray they are ok till I pluck them tomorrow.

btw this is a really goood/clear video on how to pluck chilis...