Latest Blog Posts!

On an extended leave of absence...
1 February 2010, 9:54 am

(Source: PHD Comics by jorge cham) Thanks for dropping by :) I am now in the process of writing up my PhD, and will only be able to do very intermittent updates of this blog. Please explore the archives (below right) for our experiences in organic tropi […]

Organic mealy bug repellent
20 December 2009, 2:01 pm

In the previous post I identified the Papaya mealy bug - Paracoccus Marginatus on our papaya.So - I checked out what are the possible organic responses and found some good resources:PAN Germany: Describes the uses of chiliGolden Harvest Organics: A list o […]

Papaya mealy bug - Paracoccus Marginatus
29 November 2009, 2:36 pm

A while ago, WW noticed some white stuff on our papayas, and eventually I got round to looking closerclusters of foam, it seemed like to me, and I wasn't sure if it was a real problem or not... but it spreadand it was clearly affecting the growth...a clos […]

Identifying a palm tree
22 October 2009, 10:00 am

Apart from the Ptychosperma macarthurii (Macarthur palms), we have a couple of palms that are apparently somewhat uncommon, and I'm trying to identify them. They've grown to about 6-8 metres, and are in a clump like the Macarthur palm, though they don't b […]

Philippine lawn grass seeding
18 October 2009, 10:27 pm

Our lawn leaves much to be desired - initially it was laid down with 'Pearl grass', which was a bad idea; it did not survive well in the sun, and grew too slowly to recover from any setbacks. Eventually, the whole lawn became a vast sea of weeds.So, we've […]

Bird's nest - recycling rawks!
8 October 2009, 10:00 am

Here are some photos that I've been meaning to use for a long time. WW was trimming the bamboo when she came across thisthe twigs growing out of the interstice obviously make good support for a nest, and being inside the clump of bamboo is surely also goo […]