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With love and passion, everyone can have a nice garden...Elaine Yim

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Saturday, November 10, 2012

Fertilizers for my DIY Garden in Malaysia

1.Vermiculite, Organic Potting Mix, Burnt Soil.

I am a quick results-oriented and cost-conscious gardener. But you can also call me lazy and stingy! I use two basic types of soil for gardening, a must-have in my garden and they are the burnt soil and organic potting mix.

Why the burnt soil?
Burnt soil is cheap in Malaysia. It cost about RM 2.00 or less (used to be RM 1.50 only). It is made from mainly clay soil burnt over a slow fire for a few days. As a result, this sterilized soil is porous and friable which leads to good drainage and aeration.

Why organic potting mix?
This is a pre-mix soil suitable for garden use, blended according to the correct proportions by experts, so I don't have to crack my head learning the 'secret recipe'. It is sold as black soil or "tanah hitam" in Malaysia.

Soil Mix
So when I prepare the soil medium for planting, I will mix the burnt soil and potting mix according to different formulas e.g. 2:1, 1:2, 1:1 or even 0:1 depending on the requirements of the particular plant I am potting. I also add in some fertilizers, compost and sometimes vermiculite. If I am germinating some seeds, I'll use only potting mix.

What types of fertilizers should I use for my home garden in the city?
Like Julie Andrew's song in The Sound of Music, "When we learn we begin with ABC, when we sing we begin with Do-Re-Me". Hence when we fertilize, we begin with N-P-K!

I am always experimenting with various types and brands of fertilizers for my home garden in Malaysia. Some examples of fertilizers I have tried are listed further down in the post.

For gardeners who wish to learn more about DIY gardening, do join me at My Nice Garden Chat, a facebook group dedicated for gardeners and gardening. The link is here.



2. Chicken organic fertilizer 
Long ago, we used natural manure which is animal dung to fertilize our plants. Those days, people used to collect cow dung from the fields as fertilizer for their plants. My grandma was one of them. Now there are many commercially prepared and formulated fertilizers that we can buy off the shelf.

Nursery owners and plant sellers recommend the sheep or chicken organic fertilizer in granular form. For example, the Chicken Organic Fertilizer (pictured above) has N5-P3-K2 for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content. It is a general purpose fertilizer. It is cheap and easy to apply, hence suited for the novice gardener. Just sprinkle some on the soil or bury into the soil. I use this fertilizer during potting, repotting and periodic fertilizing. I know I won't t kill my plants from over-fertilizing.

3. Growing Inducer

Nurseries also recommend Inorganic Fertilizers like this green granular fertilizer which is a water soluble fertilizer, the Growing Inducer 45 from with N15-P15-K15, a balanced fertilizer. It is better to dilute it by dissolving a tablespoon in a standard sized watering can (7.5L?)

According to historical records during my early inexperienced days, I had made the mistake of over-applying the fertilizer granules directly on my plants which caused instant burn-out on my plants and quick death on certain patches of my lawn :(

“Fertilizer for my DIY home garden in Malaysia”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on November 10th, 2012.

4. Urea

This UREA 46% granular fertilizer (nitrogen fertilizer) is food to nutrient deficient plants but must be used with caution. It can be used for "all types of plants including grass".  It should be used in diluted amounts for fast growth and vegetative development. It works like magic but be forewarned when using on grass, do not apply the granules directly onto your lawn. I had made such a mistake and killed big portions of my lawn by sprinkling the granules directly on it.


5. Japanese Humus

Then I experimented with the Timed Released Japanese Humus fertilizer in granular form. This fertilizer has a ratio of N8+P8+K8+MGO3. I am told that we can use it on all kinds of plants and it is also suitable as a flowering and fruiting inducer. I like it so much that I even use it on my sensitive money plants and adeniums. Only problem - Japanese Humus Fertilizer is quite expensive as compared to the other fertilizers.

Japanese Humus is my favourite general purpose or multi-purpose fertilizer.


6. Organic Plus 

I have also tried this 3-in-1 Organic Plus 41 fertilizer - the ultimate plant food for flowering with ratios N4:P16:K16:2MgO+TE. This fertilizer incorporates the benefits of organic matter, inorganic NPK as well as essential microbes. It also contains no animal waste, so I guess this will minimise the problem of eggs hatching into snails and slugs.


7. Liquid organic fertilizer 

I bought this concentrated black liquid organic fertilizer from a flower kiosk at the hypermarket. I dilute it by adding 1 cap to 1.5 L (large size mineral water bottle) of water. Seller says it is made from compost but I don't know what is it's formula or the NPK ratio. It looks like some homemade organic fertilizer.  This is easy to apply every fortnightly.

7.

I use this 100% organic liquid Plant Vitalizer HB-101, purchased at the Jaya Jusco supermarket as a general purpose foliar spray. This is not an agricultural chemical nor plant fertilizer but a natural growth enhancer as stated in its website here. This method is useful on orchids and during raining days, as those fertilizers that are applied on the soil will be quickly washed away and wasted.

Now please tell me:
How do you fertilize your plants?
What is your favourite fertilizer?
Any better suggestions and advice?

I am linking in to Fertilizer Friday hosted by Glender at Tootsie Time.

Note: the views expressed are my own and I am not paid any money for this post. The reason I am writing this post is in answer to querries from my readers. Now I can just quote this link in my replies. It will save me a lot of time.

77 comments:

  1. Let's hope those fertilizers help your garden to bloom in a more beautiful way than ever. Have a great weekend!

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    Replies
    1. Sadun, Yes it did and I have many choices,hehe.

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    2. The reason you are having green plants is that the nutrients for flowering is lacking.

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    3. Yes indeed. Eg NPK - higher N when you want more foliage and shoots eg young growing plant, and higher P and K when it has matured to flowering stage.

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  2. Bagus yer fertilizer mcm nie..so many varieties... i don't have any fertilizer in my garden now....huhuh

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    Replies
    1. Ummuaidan, In my old house I had a big garden but I planted very few plants, no lawns, only trees and never fertilize. So I only had green plants and green leaves, and hardly any flowers. My garden then was always green but never bright and colourful.

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  3. All I use is chicken fertiliser but I'm sure its always good to mix and match. For soil mix, I would recommend adding crushed charcoal.

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    Replies
    1. Ben, I use a lot of chicken fertilizer because it is more economical, also won't be too harsh on my delicate plants. But a nursery owner whispered to me that chicken, like other animal manure tends to naturally attract pests and maybe diseases to a certain extend. That person recommended the humus which is slightly more expensive but better in the long run. It seems nurseries use chicken manure because it is cheaper in big scale.

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    2. Oh, yeah, I like your idea of crushed charcoal.

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    3. yes, the chicken manure will attract pest and diseases (mostly kulat) but if you thinking about organic, it is actually good for vitalize our soil and plus adding more balance in our garden. synthetic fertilizer, in long run can ruin the soil and at certain period the soil cannt be use anymore for gardening. it's ok to mix both organic and synthetic periodically. for me, i always use the concept of companion plant to cater this kulat problem. the result is really good for both plant, and create more attractive garden.

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  4. Autumn Belle,

    most of my fertilizer are organic (baja tahi ayam & kambing)...i love to use the last one..HB101 for my kailan..:D
    but surprisingly..the price is much lower than i bought last months rm21..:|

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The HB101 was purchase during promotion of buy 1 free 1 promotion ;-)

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    2. good stuff for godd results.... i like Japanese products!

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  5. Oh that's a lot of things to put in the compartment, hehe! When i was still have many orchids i always have fertilizers, sprayers, etc, etc, but now I don't have any. It just happened that our soil in the province is sandy loam and we have lots of decomposed manure, so no need to buy any. I just respond to the growth of the plants and adjust accordingly. I once bought a very expensive black potting mix here in the city, said to be imported from Thailand or Taiwan, it is said to be ready for planting without fertilization anymore. I observed that despite the good growth of my ampalaya, it is more yellow than green, definitely lacking in Nitrogen. So I brought our compost from the province and added it, but it has not responded favorably yet. This is the first time i see yellowish leaves, or malnourished leaves of ampalaya. At home even the volunteer ampalaya, the round ones growing everywhere have green leaves.

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  6. Andrea, yes, Mother Nature's natural gifts are always the best!

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  7. You do go through a lot, but it does help especially the veggies.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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    Replies
    1. Cher, I experimented with quite a number of fertilizers, but usage is not too excessive, only when necessary.

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  8. I imagine conditions are very different there. Most plants I don't fertilize, except for my vegetables, containers, and roses. When I do fertilize I use mostly mushroom compost and osmocote.

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    Replies
    1. Jason, thanks for the info about usage of fertilizers in your climate zone. I don't mind experimenting with muchroom compost and osmocote here in the future.

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  9. We can also pick up some tips from your selection of fertilisers Autumn Belle!

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    Replies
    1. Mark and Gaz, hopefull this info is useful to other gardeners in Malaysia. I certainly would like to know what fertilizers our friendly gardeners in other countries use too.

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  10. Hi Belle, the array of fertilizers that you use is mind boggling. I limit mine to sheep pellets mostly as chicken pellets emit an unpleasant smell. Once Ina while if I can remember, some flower inducers in pellet forms and urea for the grass and that only if they don't look good. I try to keep it simple and minimal because of my dog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stiletto, that's right! Use fertilizers only when necessary and keep the number to a minimum. The array of fertilizers I posted here is about those that I have experimented before. I am not using all of them at the same time.

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  11. Special food for your plants! I'll bet they're very happy. ;-) I don't use a lot of fertilizer. Mostly powdered Sea Kelp, and lots of compost and Marsh Hay--which breaks down and naturally fertilizes the soil.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beth, thanks for telling me your experience. I appreciate the info.

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  12. Ahh, the very useful burnt soil. It does help improve drainage of soils and potting mixes.

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    Replies
    1. Sean, we have been using the burnt soil in Malaysia for so many years already. I wonder who discovered this technique?

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  13. You have some very good fertilizers for your plants. I use many of these and think they are the best to use. I also use compost that I make from all the scraps.

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    Replies
    1. Sage Butterfly, fertilizers are like our vitamins and mineral supplements!

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  14. Your plants will be very happy with all these food...

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    Replies
    1. Lrong, these are fertilizers I have used before. Different fertilizers for different purposes. Imagine how much storage I'll need!

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  15. Hi there, I want to buy sterilized soil. Do u know where to get it and what is it called in layman's terms? Need to ensure the nursery workers know wat im looking for Hehe . Appreciate ur help!

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    Replies
    1. Edlyn, my understanding of sterilized soil is burnt soil, the tanah bakar which is actually burnt clay they sell at nurseries.

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  16. Hi,

    Would you advise which soil to buy for bougainvillae? I heard they required clay-soil compared to burnt soil. What is your recommended soil to buy?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Anonymous. According to a seminar conducted by a Master Gardener at Floria 2012, for planting bougainvilleas in containers, the recommended soil composition is 3:2:1 for topsoil (or burnt soil), organic matter (black soil) and potting sand respectively.

      BTW, will appreciate it very much if you could include your name when commenting.

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  17. Hi,
    Glad I found you blog :D I enjoy reading very much and thanks for sharing.
    Mind telling me where you got your vermiculite and potting mix? I'm very new to gardening. I bought vermiculite from Ace hardware which is very expensive for a small pack. Was hoping to find a bigger pack for a cheaper price. Am also looking for Pumice. Did look around a few nurseries in KL, couldn't find any :( Thank you in advance and have a great day.

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  18. I just discovered how to enter my name :D By the way I'm the one who asked about the Vermiculite :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Janet. Thanks for reading my blog!

      The vermiculite and potting mix was purchase from a nursery near my house. I think you can find these items in any local nursery. Vermiculte cost about RM 13.00 per bag but I'm not sure about the weight. For Pumice, I know of a supplier who is a member of my facebook gardening group. I have inserted the link in the post and you can click on it. Do join us there and our members will be able to help you with any queries about gardening.

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    2. Pumice
      I'm looking for pumice and stumbled on to this website.
      Could you share again the pumice supplier because I couldn't find the link in this article even after ready it a few times.

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    3. N, the link was given 3 years ago and has since been updated. You can try searching for pumice at Daiso or Ace Hardware, I'm not sure now.

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  19. Thanks so much for writing this topic! First, I tried using the chicken fertilizer but I don't like the pungent smell so I changed to the Japanese humus. I fertilize my plants on a bi-weekly basis and then also spray the HB101 plant vitalizer one week after fertilizing. Now my plants are growing so well, nice and green and blooming too! I was so happy and excited to see the results because I was using another type of organic fertilizer and it didn't work well. Again, thank you for sharing this info :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for letting me know the results. Appreciate it very much!

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  20. My favourite is the Japanese Humus Fertilizer. Dissolved partially in water & apply to your flowering plants & fruit trees. Suitable for lime plants too.

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    Replies
    1. Hi, may i know the amount of japanese humus fertilizer you dissolved in water let say 1 gallon?

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  21. Can you let me know where can find the Plant Vitalizer HB-101 ?

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  22. Hi, is there any fertilizer for water base plants? Specifically I'm actually growing my money plants indoor in a bowl of water, these days it seems more yellowish than usual. What would you recommend?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, there are foliar sprays, liquid fertilizers and tablets for water plants. Money plants in water don't really need fertilizers, maybe just a light foliar spray once in a blue moon. I have grown mine for ages and they become green and lush with just tap water alone. Yellowish leaves could be due to the water - it may be contaminated with something eg chemicals, germs, or too concentrated with fertilizer. Try changing the water.

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  23. i use hb101 for my adeniums weekly or sometimes twice weekly. is it suitable for adenium? i wan to encourage blooming as d flowers just dropped off now.
    where can we get d jap humus?

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    Replies
    1. HB 101 and Japanese humus as shown in picture no. 5 can be obtained from garden centres, hypermarkets (Aeon, Giant, Tesco) and hardware stores/shops (Ace, Home DIY). These are balanced fertilizers and can be used on adeniums once a fortnight, not twice a week! You can also use a fertilizer specially formulated for adeniums such as Serbajadi Adenium King (N4 P6 K8 +MGO=TE)

      Bud drop may be due to pest infestation such as mealy bugs, aphids and spider mites. Some tell-tale evidences are curly leaf shoots and flower buds or the presence of white cottony stuff.

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  24. ahhaha i think i too kiasu... ok i shall control myself....
    bud didnt drop but flower dropped after bloom for few days... raining kut..... should i cut d stem of d flower after it drop off?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The flowers will last a few days only. If the flowers open fully, then there's nothing to worry. After all the flowers has withered away, you can prune off the stem if it is too long, otherwise no need to do so. Pruning is done to encourage more branches to come out. Do not hard prune until all the leaves are gone. This might induce the adenium plant to do into dormancy.

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  25. Where did you get all the baja niih..?

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    Replies
    1. Noamidemono Mohd Noor, you can get these fertilizers at the nurseries, hypermarkets, garden centres and hardware shops.

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  26. Hi, is HB 101 suitable for Plumeria (Frangipani) ? I am looking for fertilizer which specialize in helping boost blooming. May I know How to use HB101? Spray on leaf itself only or pour it on the soil? I am currently using baja ayam but seems doesn't help much on blooming ...

    Appreciate if you can enlighten me. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HB 101 is a plant growth enhancer and foliar spray. It is quite expensive to use in on plumeria trees especially if it is an established tree. It is recommended to spray on the leaves but you can also dilute it and pour on the soil. I would like to use a balanced compound fertilizer like the Japanese Humus with NPK 8-8-8. It is easy to apply and will not burn the plant. You can also try Miracle Gro which is available at ACE Hardware. For flowering, use a fertilizer formulated to induce flowering such as NPK 4-16-16 or 13-13-21 i.e. high K content.

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    2. Thanks for your promptly reply.

      I will give Japanese Humus a try. How often to apply?
      Miracle Gro is way too expensive for me. Alternatively, I applied Epsom salt in monthly basis and I can see the leaves are growing healthy.

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    3. Application of Japanese Humus, follow the instructions stated in the label on frequency and how much to apply. For the Baja Serbajadi Japanese Humus 27 as shown in the picture posted here, the directions are as follows:
      Rate of application: once a fortnight
      Small potted plants: 1 to 3 level teaspoons per pot
      Large potted plants: 1 to 3 level tablespoons per pot
      Young trees: 3 to 5 tablespoons per plant
      Older trees: 5 to 10 tablespoons per plant
      If you have any further queries or assistance on this product, please contact the distributor directly.

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    4. Epsom Salt or Magnesium Sulphate is like a gardener's friend as it is supplies Magnesium and Sulphur for the general health and well-being of the plants.

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  27. Hi I am new to gardening, I have planned to use coco peat instead of soil. Pls anyone advice me which kind of potting mix n organic compost to use with coco peat. Pls help me where to buy vermicompost in kl.thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please check the information provided here regarding usage of coco peat:

      1. http://www.henghuat.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72&Itemid=205&lang=en

      2.http://animagro.blogspot.com/2011/05/cocopeat.html

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    2. For vermicompost try this:
      http://earthworm.com.my/

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    3. Thank you Autumn Belle for the advice. U have cleared all my doubts. Thank you so much.

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  28. Hi, I would like to grow onions in my garden but was not able to find onion seeds in kl, if anyone know where to buy onion seeds pls help me in finding it. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is easy to grow onions from bulbs, i.e. those we use in our cooking. Select those bulbs with shoots that have sprouted and grow in soil. They don't usually sell onion seeds in packets.

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  29. Do you know where to get seaweed extract and iron chelate?

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    Replies
    1. Craig, try checking with Ace Hardware stores.

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  30. Hi, wondering why my 4 yr old , 12 feet bunga kantan...stopped flowering for 6 mths already?..which fertiliser is best?

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    Replies
    1. It's it producing new suckers on the ground? If it is not, it could be dying.

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    2. You can use organic animal manure such as the chicken or goat dung pellets.

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  31. Hi, my hibiscus suffering from yellowing leaves. The plant is small and it is getting full sun and receiving adequate water everyday. I gave Japanese Humus (8,8,8) once a fortnight but the result still the same.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope the following link helps:
      http://www.hiddenvalleyhibiscus.com/care/yellowleaves.htm

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  32. Hi Can i know where to get Epsom salt in kl.I stay at Subang Jaya Selangor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Try this contact: https://www.facebook.com/rinson.lim or http://epsomsaltgarden.blogspot.my/2014/02/malaysian-landscape-magazine-introduces.html

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  33. Hi.. Can you please suggest fertilizer for bushida and Frangipani tree ?
    Appreciate your help.

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    Replies
    1. Shahul, for the bushida (Bucida molnetii) and frangipani tree, you can use a balanced fertilizer (NPK in equal proportions) like the Japanese humus. To encourage an established frangipani tree to flower, you can use a flower inducer or flower boosting fertilizer.

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  34. Would like to get help and advises from grower/planter in Johore Bahru regards humble small garden varieties of vegetable growing and suitable conducive planting. I can be oontacted thru skype: supportrichardlim. Tks/Richard Lim

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