Sunday, May 31, 2020

May 2020 Farmer Diary

Receive Bak Choy and Roselle Seed from Sixth Aunt on 7th May, start planting the seeds with New Choy Sum. The Long Pot finally clear up after Harvest, Wife decided to try Carrot once more as the one in the Pot haven't Sprout after almost a month.

Wife decided to try making Enzyme with Pineapple Peel after watching a YouTube Video. As she have some communication issue which like to assume other people will understand her fully without even providing all the necessary information. I had a hard time trying to figure out what she actually want when she approach me for help on the Pineapple Enzyme.

The Proportion Ratio is actually 1:3:10 for Brown Sugar, Pineapple Peel and Water. But due to miscommunication I thought she meant 1:3:30 as she told me the water suppose to be 10 part of Pineapple Peel instead of Brown Sugar.

So she happily add 130g of Brown Sugar, 400g of Pineapple Peel and 3l of Water in the Big Glass Jar and 65g of Brown Sugar, 200g of Pineapple Peel and 1.5l of Water in the Small Glass Jar. Later when Sixth Aunt saw my Facebook Post and correct us, we had to adjust the proportion again.

So since she had fixed amount of 600g of Pineapple Peel, we decided to put all into the Big Glass Jar. The Glass Jar is 4l capacity which capable of making 3l Enzyme with 900g of Pineapple Peel, 300g of Brown Sugar, 25% Air Gap. Now it is reduce to 2l with 600g of Pineapple Peel, 200g of Brown Sugar, 50% Air Gap.

We had to adjust the Proportion by adding 110g of Brown Sugar as it had only 90g left with 2l Water. The remaining Brown Sugar is 105g in 2.75l of Water store in Plastic Bottle reserve for other usage, we still need to add 195g of Brown Sugar and 0.25l of Water next time to get the Proportion right.

New French Bean had Sprout after 6 days, not sure if it will survive this time round. Just had to keep trying until we ran out of the seed, that is what happen with Cucamelon now. New Eggplant which had Sprout end of last month is dying, hopefully there will be new sprout these few days with the seed which we planted for the third time last week together with the French Bean, Jalapeno and Cucumber.



8th May 2020 Pineapple Enzyme


9th May 2020 New French Bean had Sprout after 6 days

New Cucumber had Sprout after 7 days, the Potato had also finally Sprout after 2 months. Bak Choy and Choy Sum had Sprout after 2 days, my Wife decided to put some Coconut Fibre as Munch for those pot which are expose to the sun and rain. 

Sudden heavy downpour and strong wind causing damage to the Wind Mill. We might have to buy another stronger one. Wife start to panic as she is afraid that the New Vegetables Sprouts will be destroy. She was supposed to put up the protection net this morning and I had already prepared the whole setup for her since one month ago. She had the tendency to drag all the stuffs until last minute. So I had to brave the rough weather just to set the whole thing up for her again.

10th May 2020 New Cucumber had Sprout after 7 days

10th May 2020 Potato had Sprout after 2 months

10th May 2020 Bak Choy had Sprout after 2 days

10th May 2020 New Choy Sum had Sprout after 2 days 

10th May 2020 Wind Mill Damage and Protection Net Setup

Roselle had Sprout after 3 days, Wife had start to check on how to make tea with it. She also like to study the health benefit of the food stuff because of a popular Korean Drama. I manage to get the White Bitter Gourd for her, she then start learning about everything she need to know about it. The Mini Bitter Gourd did not sprout after one month of long wait, as we only had 5 seeds in the package and had panted all we can only shift our hope for the White Bitter Gourd.  

Try to look for another suitable Wind Mill Replacement from Online Shopping Site, most are either too small or not shiny enough. Finally decided to modify the existing one with old Microsoft Windows XP CD, I choose it out of all the other old CD is because it look better with design. I also hang a old hard disk at the end of the pole as backup in case the Wind Mill got damage again. The new Wind Mill does not turn freely with light wind, it is either too heavy or out of balance. I cannot do anything much in reducing the weight but I can trim the blade to ensure it is balance.

11th May 2020 Roselle had Sprout after 3 days.

Wind Mill Modification with Old Microsoft Windows XP CD. 

Aquarium Tank for Crystal Shrimp complete setup, now only waiting for the Crystal Shrimp to be deliver. First step to Aquaponics. I had also order a smaller Aquaponics Aquarium Tank for Vegetables Sprout, the Bak Choy, Kale and Spinach Micro Green Seed had also arrived. 

I had order Spinach, Asparagus, Cabbage, Kale, Bak Choi, Lettuce, Broccoli, Zucchini, Okra and Lemon Balm Seeds from Horti as it is hard to find some at the Supermarket now. Also order a Wind Mill Generator Toy for fun, it will impress those small kids and inspire them to learn more about science and engineering.
  

12th May 2020 Aquarium Tank for Crystal Shrimp setup complete.

 The Crystal Shrimp finally arrived, I temporary house them in two small containers for the next 14 days while I condition the main tank water. Did a rough layout of how I want my tank to look and start the cultivation of the bacteria for the next 14 days.

Already had plan for modification of the tank top cover for Aquaponics setup, only lacking the tray and angle bar as I am unable to get during the lock down period. Sixth Aunt told me that the tray I give her is not suitable for her method of sprouting, so I kind of solve one worry of getting new tray for the modification.

My army buddy is very interested in Crystal Shrimp too, he book the offspring of my next generation if the breeding is successful. Sixth Aunt also interested in Crystal Shrimp too, she is planning to use her old fish tank for it.

She ask me if I want all her husband old aquarium stuffs, but I told her my planning is kind of completed and had no plan for future expansion at the present moment. I ask her to consult my Cousin Michael to see if he is interest or not as he is more experience in aquarium and he use to keep mini blue lobster before.

My Wife is not very happy about my new spending, but she kind of change her mind after seeing how cute the Crystal Shrimp is. I know she is very into Aquarium as we always spend a lot of time visiting Aquarium and Ocean Theme Park locally and during our overseas tour. I am more of an animal lover who prefer Safari Zoo and Animal Cafe.

13th May 2020 Temporary Quarantine for 14 days.

  13th May 2020 Temporary Quarantine for 14 days.

13th May 2020 Rough Setup before Condition of the Water.

Cousin Iris is interested in the Micro Green, so I send some seeds  to her as I am going to send some to Sixth Aunt too. Wife is start to become interested in the Crystal Shrimp as I had expected, she treat them like precious babies and I had to do the farming work for her while she watch over them.

She notice some shrimp jumping up and down and call me to observe, seem like the shrimp had shit too much and the concentration of Ammonia had cause a crash in their small container. I immediately make the decision to transfer them into the big tank to save the situation.

Not sure if we are lucky, we only suffer lost of two of each color. The blessing is we have a lot of fertilized water for our vegetables which is the main purpose of the setup. My Wife is too sentimental and refuse to give up on the dying shrimp, I told her the body will rot and affect the water quality and kill the other healthy shrimp.

My Wife prepared the seed of Mini Spinach for Sprouting, I had also order some Volcanic Ash for improving the soil quality. Found a solar powered Butterfly which doesn't seem to work, but I still put it near to the pot in hope to attract some real butterfly. Finally saw the humming bird which my wife had been talking about, it is a good sign that the plant attract them.

15th May 2020 Final Setup for Aquarium

New Eggplant had Sprout after 12 days, a bit longer than expected but still hopeful it will survive. Some of the plants are not as easy as what other had claim, we can only keep trying to gain more knowledge and experience to do it better.

Crystal Shrimp continue to die even after the water condition became better, now only left 6 red and 8 yellow. We are still very hopeful as there is about 3 red shrimp that look like they are going to hatch their eggs. For beginner like us with no experience we are already mentally prepare for total failure at first try.

Luck seem to favor us with less then 50% fatality rate, the water condition had been very stable and we are confidence that the remaining stronger shrimp will continue to survive well. Discover that the Bacteria that require two weeks to generate is for the breaking down of the shit, ask my cousin to help me look for any shop which sell Otocinclus Catfish which will help to clean up the tank.

The Beet Seed which Sixth Aunt send had arrive today, the other Vegetables Seed which I order fro Horti also arrive together. After much discussion with my Wife we decided to use the Long Pot which is previously for Carrot to grow Zucchini and Beet, the other pot for Carrot also use for Okra.

I ask my wife to grow Lemon Balm on 4 Small Pot, planning to give them to Sixth Aunt, Cousin Iris and Michael. We also add some sand to the Capsicum soil to see if it improve the condition, the root had rot due to too much water in the soil.

My Wife finally agree to shift half of the Sweet Potato to the Peanut Long Pot, she also grow Peanut and Sweet Potato together at two Long Pot as Sixth Aunt told me that Peanut to provide nutrient to the soil. The Sweet Potato seem to be lack of nutrient with leaf turning yellow with so many plant squeezing in one pot.

My Wife also decided to start sprouting some Bak Choy Micro Green, I told her the earlier she start the earlier we can harvest and eat it. She seem to be able to trust my judgement more as she start to understand that my ability to plan for different situation before it happen.

15th May 2020 New Eggplant had Sprout after 12 days

15th May 2020 Final Setup for Crystal Shrimp Tank with Blue Crystal Pebbles marking out safe area. 

As we constantly heard abnormal noise coming from the built in filter I decided to fabricate a backup filter even though it is just cause by dirty filter element. Brought a Portable Air Pump which could be use with Power Bank by USB Connection as back up in case there is a power failure.

As I had the power supply plug assembly with USB Connection, I decided to put the Air Pump into operation. Modified a Computer Cooling Fan for the Tank, it will help to reduce the water temperature and it is much less expensive than the ready made one in the market.

The original plan to use the Water Cool Type CPU Cooler to modify for Tank cooling will be temporary put on hold until I can get the necessary part for it for Sim Lim Square after the end of Circuit Breaker Period. Mushroom start to Sprout in the Carrot Pot, the soil condition had been one of the best but still no luck with Carrot and Strawberry.   
  
Modification of Back Up Filter

 Drying of Sea Shell under the Sun

17th May 2020 Mushroom Sprout instead of Carrot

Modification of Cooling Fan for Aquarium

When I woke up in the morning I saw the Shrimp eating the dead body of another Shrimp. This is not really a bad thing as it save me a lot of trouble to remove the body. My Wife refuse to remove one Orange Rili Shrimp body when it die, by the time I went to remove it I found another Orange Rili Shrimp had die just beside it.

Women are too sentimental, my wife keep having the fantasy that a miracle would happen to bring the dead Shrimp back to life. Because of that she had cause the death of more Shrimp, this is how emotion create more problem instead of solving it.

My Mom also not very happy when she saw the Shrimp eating the body of another Shrimp. I told her there is nothing much I can do about it. She think the bigger Shrimp kill the smaller Shrimp because I did not give them enough food. I start feeding them more food even though they haven't even finish the previous one which I had fed them.

I had to place the food in the path of their frequent swim pass, they doesn't seem to be interested even though they are able to access the feeding bowl. I guess they are observing the Circuit Breaker Measure by not Dining In but prefer Take Away instead. True enough they really practice Safety Social Distancing even when they are feeding.

Bak Choy Micro Green had Sprout after 2 days, it is faster than the Mini Spinach which will only Sprout in another one more day from the look of it. Beet Root had also start to Sprout after 4 days together with the Okra, and what surprised me is that the Jalapeno had finally decide to Sprout after 15 days of long wait.

I had order some Volcanic Soil to be use as Enhancement for all the Fruits and Vegetables. My Wife had finally start to use the Aquarium Water for the Plant. The Strawberry doesn't seem to be successful after waiting for a month without any sign of sprouting. Yesterday my Mom and Wife witness the actual operation of the Wind Power Generator, it will help them to know that a Thunder Storm is coming whenever the Red LED light up.



Crystal Shrimp Feeding

18th May 2020 Bak Choy Micro Green Sprout after 2 days

 18th May 2020 Beet Root had Sprout after 4 days

18th May 2020 Okra had Sprout after 4 days

18th May 2020 Jalapeno had Sprout after 15 days


The Lemon Balm and Baby Spinach had start to Sprout after 5 days. A lot of shrimp had die and I had to dose the powder again within 3 days instead of the recommended two weeks.

20th May 2020 Lemon Balm had Sprout after 5 days

20th May 2020 Baby Spinach had Sprout after 5 days.

Zucchini had Sprout after 7 days, we had high hope for this plant. It will be the biggest of all and yield a lot of fruits. It also doesn't really need much care and will provide shelter for other plant with it's massive leaf. Crystal Shrimp had finally stop dying, guess the water condition finally stable after a week of conditioning. It is still recommended to take at least two weeks to properly cultivate the bacteria, I had taken a short cut and calculated risk because of the unforeseen circumstances.

22nd May 2020 Zucchini had Sprout after 7 days

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Crystal Shrimp Aquarium

Fins and Paws. Resun 75L Aquarium Starter Kit $99, Dennerle Nano Shrimps Gravel Bed Sunda White 8kg $60, Aquasyncro Aquarium Algea Scraper and Cleaning Kit 51cm $11.90 (Optional as Yamato Shrimp clean Tank very well), Resun 75L Starter Kit Replacement Filter x 3 $5.90. Total = $175.80

Fins and Paws Fresh Water Aquarium Collection 



Green Chapter. Borneo Wild Shrimp Water Enhancement Pack $90 (Enlive for Bateria Grow, Minerum for Mineral Replenish, Humic for PH and GH, Shield for Immunity, Bee Ball XL for Ammonia Absorption, Maifan Ball XL for Oxygen Concentration), ISTA Compact Syphon Cleaner $13, ISTA Compact Syphon Cleaner Extension Rod $2.50. Total = $105.50.



Green Chapter Shrimp Collections 




Preparation of Aquarium Tank. 6 Spoon of Enlive, 1 Spoon of Humic, 1 Spoon of Shield. Add Gravel and Water. 4 Drop of Minerum. Bee Ball and Maifan Ball. Let it stablize for Two Weeks.

Green Chapter. Shrimp King 5 in 1 Jumbo Pack $85 (Complete, Protein, Mineral, Color, Baby), Borneo Wild Shrimp Food Pack Growth $45 (Grow, Beanee, Frenzy), VIV Glass Shrimp Cave 6 Tubes $23.50, Borneo Wild Ebi Net $14, Gush Feed Funnel 35 $21.50. ANS Flexi Hose Cleaner for 13mm and 17mm $8 (Also Optional), Yamoto Shrimp x 10 $20 Sunkist Orange or Rili Red x 10 $25, Yellow or Rili Orange x 10 $25, Nymphoides Aquatica x 2 $24, Java Fern on Wood S x 3 $15. Total = $331.


Yamato Shrimp


Yellow Bee Shrimp

Sunkist Orange Bee Shrimp

Size: Approx. 25mm
Minimum Tank Size: 19 Liters
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful
Water Conditions: 20-29° C, KH 2-8, gH 7-15, TDS (Total Dissolved Solids)180-400, pH 7.0-7.6
Max. Size: 50mm
Color Form: Orange
Diet: Omnivore
Compatibility: Excellent Cleaners
Origin: Taiwan
Family: Atyidae
Lifespan: 2 years
Aquarist Experience Level: Beginner


Rili Red Neocaridina Shrimp

Size: Approx. 25mm
Minimum Tank Size: 19 Liters 
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful
Water Conditions: 20-29° C, KH 3-15, gH 4-8, TDS (Total Dissolved Solids)150-250, pH 6.2-8.0
Max. Size: 50mm
Color Form: Opaque Red
Diet: Omnivore
Compatibility: Excellent Cleaners
Origin: Taiwan
Family: Atyidae
Lifespan: 2 years
Aquarist Experience Level: Beginner

Rili Orange Neocaridina Shrimp

Nymphoides Aquatica

Java Fern on Wood

Blue Jelly Shrimp

Size: Approx. 25mm
PH: 6.0-7.8
Temp: 19-23
° C.
TDS: 120-250
Difficulty: Easy


Amano Shrimp


Size: Approx. 50mm
Minimum Tank Size: 38 Liters 
Temperament: Peaceful
Aquarium Hardiness: Hardy
Water Conditions: 21-27° C, KH 2-12, pH 6.0-7.0
Max. Size: 100mm
Color Form: Transparent/Greyish Body
Diet: Omnivore
Compatibility: Great in Community Tanks
Origin: East Asia
Family: Atyidae
Lifespan: 2-3 Years
Aquarist Experience Level: Beginner

Fish Bazaar Shrimps Crayfish and Crabs Collection



1/2 Spoon of Enlive, 1/2 Spoon of Humic, 1/2 Spoon of Shield Every Two Week. 4 Drop of Minerum Daily.

Total Cost = $175.80 + $105.50 + $331 = $613.30

Friday, May 1, 2020

Apr 2020 Farmer Dairy

Wife brought some Wind Mill from China Town to deter the Birds which had been causing damage to the plants. I had also added an additional rack over the Large Tray for protection netting few days ago. Hanging shiny ornaments or wind chime will also do the trick but we do not want to cause any noise or light reflection disturbance to our neighbors.

The sunlight had start to shift toward the left after Spring Equinox on 21st Mar, it is at perfect alignment to the east and west on Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox which occurs every year on 21st of Mar and 21st Sep. It will keep shifting towards the left until 21st Jun on Summer Solstice at an angle of 23.5 Degree and towards the right until 21st Dec on Winter Solstice at the same angle.

This natural phenomenon are due to the tilt angle of the planet Earth which allow four seasons to occur above the tropic region. The Tropical of Cancer and Capricorn are also mark at 23.5 Degree above and below the Equator for the same reason.   


2nd Apr 2020 Adding Wind Mill to deter the Birds


Sunlight shifting toward the left after Spring Equinox

The Air Plant Flower Bloom, this is the second time it bloom. The first time is just one flower on another plant facing the side but this time it is the front plant with three flowers. Not sure if this is a good sign at bad time like this as the Government had announce yesterday about the new control measure for the prevention of virus spread.

The Choy Sum seem to grow very well at the Long Pot which was meant for Carrot initially, it grow much faster than expect and also surpass the one growing on Large Tray. Maybe it is because the Carrot did not sprout and the nutrient in the soil remain to boost the grow, think we will be able to harvest it in a week or so.  

5th Apr 2020 Air Plant Flower Bloom

5th Apr 2020 Choy Sum Grow Well 

The Watermelon and Okra didn't survive, I think it is because my wife had been too protective of the sprout and keep it too long in the nursery. Those that we plant directly into the pot are stronger, so I had to take a lot of effort to convince my wife not to be too protective of the sprout.

The Lime also doesn't sprout as expected, so we get some Kaffir Lime seed and regrow with same pot. The Watermelon is also regrow in same pot with the sweeter version from the seed brought from supermarket. The Okra pot will be use for another attempt on the Carrot.

We decided to add Passion Fruit, Bitter Gourd and Cactus to the Mini Farm, the Cactus initially is suppose to use for Deterring the Birds but the Wind Mill seem to work well so far even without using the Protecting Net for the Vegetables.

The remaining 5 pot of Capsicum doesn't survive in the end, the pot are use for the Choy Sum instead as my wife feel the Large Tray is a bit cramp. Peanut seem to suffer with new soil, 2 out of the 5 plant are dying. The transfer might had cause some damage to the root, so it is not advisable to transfer plant too often.

10th Apr 2020 Addition of Passion Fruit, Bitter Gourd, Kaffir Lime, Watermelon and Cactus.


10th Apr 2020 Replace Capsicum with Choy Sum

Wife decided to try Bean Sprout after seeing a lot of people post about their result on Facebook, it is not much challenge as I expect it to be able to Harvest in just 4 days. Jalapeno and Strawberry Sprout doesn't survive well, additional seeds are planted. The Strawberry seeds are now from the package we brought from supermarket, we hope it will survive better this time.



 11th Apr 2020 Bean Sprout

After about 4 days the Bean Sprout are ready for Harvest, at the same time the New Watermelon had also start to Sprout after 5 days. Seem like almost all the seed we get from the actual fruit doesn't really survive well, now we start to worry for the Cherry Tomato, Passion Fruit and Kaffir Lime.

14th Apr 2020 Bean Sprout ready for Harvest


14th Apr 2020 New Watermelon had Sprout

The Cactus had start to Sprout after 7 days, at the same time we also notice that the Cucumber, Cucamelon, French Bean, Cherry Tomato, Eggplant had start to die. I had to replant the seeds and hope for the best, Cucamelon is the one I worry most as I had no more seed after this if it fail again.

My wife think I had over fertilize it, but I think it is because of the hot weather. The Pearl Tomato seem to had more Flower Bloom after I give more fertilizer, if my wife is right the Pearl Tomato should have also been affected.

The Capsicum seem the same after fertilizing it, but the Mulberry and Peanut seem to show sign of dying. The Choy Sum which had been transfer to the previous Capsicum pot also doesn't look good, the Choy Sum in the Long pot are ready for Harvest anytime soon.


15th Apr 2020 Cactus had Sprout


15th Apr 2020 Cactus had Sprout

The Passion Fruit had start to Sprout after 12 days, it is longer than expected. Not sure what my wife did to the plant, the Capsicum and Mulberry Leaf start to wither. I had suspected that she never water enough but she say she just fertilize it with some rice water.

I had to check all the pot for moist soil and true enough almost all the pot did not have much water and soil is pretty dry up. It can't be notice on the surface as my wife usually spray some water on the surface, it took me about 5 to 6 bottle of water before I can see water slipping out from the bottom of the pot to the tray.
19th Apr 2020 Passion Fruit Sprout after 12 days

19th Apr 2020 Capsicum had start to Ripe



As one of the Capsicum and both the Mulberry had shown sign of dying, I decided to redo the soil for it. We added Lecca, Mini Lecca and Perlite to ensure the water retention and air circulation. The root seem ok as we had expected some rotting or damage before we decided to redo the soil.

At the same time we also decided to redo the soil for the pots which we use for Capsicum last time. The Choy Sum doesn't seem to grow well in the pots as the nutrient might had been fully absorded by the Capsicum previously. 

Got some left over soil after the mixing of Lecca, Mini Lecca and Perlite, we decided to use it to top up the soil for the Sweet Potato and Choy Sum Long Pot. The Large Tray will also have to top up with more soil later after the Choy Sum had been harvest.

It had been a month and the Earthworm had grow big, they use to take two month to improve the soil but now they only need one month. So it is about time we help them move their house again.

They are suppose to do the work of loosening the soil, but my wife treat them like baby and want me to break up the soil into fine powder. I ask her, if I am doing the work for them then what are they going to do? Every day just eat and sleep?

End up I still had to do all the hard work and even had to stiffen the powdered soil with a strainer to ensure it is fine enough. My wife then add water and stir it into a cray like paste before she transfer the precious Earthworm into their new habitat.

Kaffir Lime had start to Sprout after 15 days, it was a very long wait and we almost lose hope about it. New Batch of Cherry Tomato and Cucamelon had also start to Sprout after 7 days, they took almost twice the time this time and I hope it will be stronger as I planted the seed directly into the soil without nurturing the sprout.

22nd Apr 2020 Kaffir Lime had Sprout after 15 days


22nd Apr 2020 New Cherry Tomato had Sprout after 7 days


22nd Apr 2020 New Cucamelon had Sprout after 7 days

New Eggplant had Sprout after 10 days, hopefully it will be stronger as it is planted directly into soil. Have tested the PH Value of the soil, the soil for Strawberry and Peanut seem to be more Acidic than the rest. I suspect the new soil I brought is acidic but after testing it found to be normal.

Even the fertilizer appear to be normal after testing, so I just use Vinegar to lower the PH Value for other soil. Basically the Fruits or Vegetables which are sour in nature require the soil to b more acidic. Vinegar also help to kill the pest inside the soil.

26th Apr 2020 New Eggplant had Sprout after 10 days

 Another Type of Mushroom grow in Peanut Long Pot, the Peanut never survive after the soil change. Sixth Aunt say Mushroom grow indicate good soil as it is a sign of nutrient breaking down cycle. The fertilizer which is in progress now should be very good for the plant in the future.

28th Apr 2020 Another Type of Mushroom grow in Peanut Long Pot

29th Apr 2020 Mushroom grow bigger