Soil and Fertilizers

Over the years that I had been gardening, I used mainly chemical fertilizers for my plants. The plants started of well with new compost and soil. As I fertilized and planted new plants into the pots, the plants started to display malnutrition in their growth. Somehow, their leaves will turn yellow and their growth was not as healthy as plants before them. Therefore, I added other chemical fertilizers thinking that it will balance the nutrients to the plants. The plants did improve initially, but as time when by, they started to show symptoms of weak growth once again and, began to attract pest too.

After a while, I decided to change the soil each time I transplanted or propagated new plants. The plants were now happy to be in their new environment. They were healthier, produced lush growth and had little or no pest problems. However, changing and replacing the soil every time just did not seem right.

I noticed that farmers plant their crops in the same soil over and over again, producing good crops for our table. Further to this, in the natural forest, the cycle of life repeats itself without ever getting their soil changed, nor humans to cast chemical fertilizer. Thus, these prompted me to investigate and find out more about soil and fertilizers.

Investigation on the subject led me to natural organic farming techniques, composting and beneficial microorganisms. The previous two posts were about composting, and I will discuss more about my findings in my coming posts.

Bokashi Composting

Homemade Bokashi Wheat Bran

What is Bokashi Composting?

Bokashi is a convenient way to ferment food waste in your kitchen for composting.

Microorganisms anaerobically (without air) ferment the waste and breaks the organic matter down. This helps to compost the organic matter faster when buried in the ground. Typically, the whole process from food waste to compost takes about 1 to 2 months. The fermentation takes place in an enclosed system, so insects and smell does not post a worry.
The finished fermented organic matter will have a sweet, sour odor. Sometimes white mold may coat the surface. The fermentation process will produce a rich nutrient juice that must be extracted to prevent the organic matter becoming petrified. This juice can be diluted with water and watered directly to your plants.

Therefore, there are no waste in Bokashi composting.

 

Composting

I have been gardening with commercially purchased compost for almost 10 years. Though it is relatively easy to buy compost from nurseries here in Singapore, I have read about how we can make compost out of our kitchen scraps and decided to give it a try. As I am living in a high rise apartment, my only option was to use a bucket as a compost bin. My first concern was the foul smell it might produce and cause unhappy neighbours. According to references, if done correctly, it should not produce that fearful odour. Hence, I went on with the project.


I took a plastic bucket and punched a couple of holes around the sides so that the materials could breath. Place aluminum foil to block out light so the micro organisms could do their work.

Following that, I tore up newspaper and waste paper as a carbon source and place them at the bottom of the bucket. Next, I when around the kitchen to hunt for kitchen scraps. Found some old potatoes, carrots and cucumbers that were in the fridge, cut them up and dump them into the bucket. As the days when by, I kept adding waste paper, tissue, newspaper and kitchen scraps.

After a week, no foul smell, just a pungent smell that is quite pleasant actually.

Added more materials in there and almost another week when by.

I was not prepared for the surprise when it came the time to put the next batch of scraps in the bucket. When I opened the lid, the surprise hit my nose first and shot an instant signal to my brains! As a result of adding more greens than carbon, and not having holes at the bottom of the bucket, the materials at the bottom had putrefied. Liquids were coming out of the holes near the bottom of the bucket too, that could only mean juices had been stagnant at the bottom for too long. That was where it struck me, drastic measures of carbon was needed to soak up all those juices to balance the carbon and nitrogen ratio.

Bought 2 packs of wood shavings and poured tons of it in the bucket, at the same time, working it to the bottom to soak up the juice. I then added about another inch of shavings on top of the putrefied material and close the lid.

After a few days, juices were still coming out of the holes, but it did not smell as bad as before. I must be doing something right, therefore, more shavings were added and mixed well into the compost. I went on to spray in home cultured lactose bacillus bacteria to help breakdown the material faster.

I think the microbes were happy after the improvements to their home, as the heap started to heat up, and when I turned the compost to aerate it, fumes starts to fill the empty spaces as I dug. After another month or so, it looks and smells like compost.

Some photos of my plants. Past and Present

Balsam Flowers

French Marigolds

Portulaca Grandiflora 

More Portulaca Grandiflora

Lady Finger (aka Okura)

Home-made green house

Made this green house out of bamboo poles and wraps.
Helps to keep rain and pest out.
It can be very warm inside, like a sauna.

Nutrient reservoir

The reservoir contains a pump connected to a timer that pumps nutrient solution into the hydroponic system 

Closer look inside

Roots growing down towards the solution

Pumpkin and Tomato growing in the hydroponic system

Unfortunately, I was unable to continue the project as I had to relocate...

Canna

Gloxinia

Gloxinia flowers

More Gloxinia flowers

Petunia flowers

Germinating honeydew seeds

Seed germination

Purple and Pink Petunia.

Honeydew

Harvested the honeydew and ate it.

Gladiolus (aka sword lily)

These Gladiolus were planted using bulbs. The compost was too wet and they rotted...

Introduction

I started gardening when I was, let me see, 10 years old, I think. Well, I was excited about taking care of my grandma's plant then. Watering the plant was a daily ritual then, but it was fascinating to see the plants grow and flower. I guess that was where my love of gardening began. I created this blog to document my garden so that it may serve as a reference for me later and also, to be able to learn and share with other gardeners.