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ohiojay

Pics from Thailand

17 years ago

No...unfortunately I'm not the one in Thailand. These pics come from my mother-in-law. Some of you may know that my wife and I have a little plot of land over there. The in-laws have been quite busy the past couple of years and especially this past one. She buys plants at the rate I would dearly love to be able to do!

They wanted to build a small house to stay in over weekends and such...especially when they are out there all day working. The land is about 45 minutes from them. They enjoy the hell out of it. I wish I could be there to share in that joy!

This is a view from up on the deck/porch. All kinds of fruit trees are planted out there. Teak in the back. A lot of work. The land was originally used to grow some sort of vegetable that grew in water. The land would be flooded for this purpose and then drained when necessary. The folks have built up the land keeping the little canals that are used to irrigate the trees. They had probably around 300 truckloads of dirt brought in to raise the perimeter. Any areas near Bangkok can be prone to flooding at certain times of the year. So they tried to do some long term planning.

This is a pic of my mother-in-law's Mayong Chid Maprang... her favorite plant. Just loaded with blooms.

One of the small jackfruit trees she had planted. This small fellow is already fruiting! Everything fruits so fast over there. Just goes to show that no matter how well you mimic an environment, there is just no substitute.

Here's a couple of the fruit. She cut a few off and kept a few.

One of the many maprangs she has planted out there. They are already blooming as well.

New type of lychee...Bang Gruay

New longan that hit the market...Puang Thong. She said they have a very good taste, very large fruit, and will fruit twice a year.

One of the many mangos that she has planted. I believe most if not all have started to bloom/fruit already.

Here is a bunch of new trees she just acquired. Mangosteens, maprangs, breadfruit, lychee, longon. I don't know what else. All of which are grafted or multigrafted. Now for the sick part...all of these trees cost about maybe $70 total...if even that much.

And last but not least...the shocker and jaw dropper... for me at least... the grafted mangosteens are already blooming!! Just kill me now.

Well... hope you enjoyed the pics. I was hoping to get over there this year. I so want to help...especially the driving around to various nurseries and purchasing part! But if we go this year, the folks won't come here...and we'd like them to come here before they call it quits on the traveling.

Comments (25)

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Have her immediately send the seeds from those longans. Great pics, thanks for sharing. That's a prime situation she has! My friend from Thailand is able to ship me seeds from there, she should be able to send to you, I think he goes to a certain city to send them from though.

    Gary

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    That new variety of lychee looks interesting. The mangosteen pics have given me a little hope that if I can keep mine alive it is possible to get fruits off a very small plant. It must be incredible to live there. Jay, if you have land there what are you doing in Ohio??? Is it possible to get a few more closeup pics of some of the mangosteens? I would love to see the graft unions and compare them to how mine looks.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Wow! Great pics, Jay. How many acres do you have over there? I guess this means you'll be the main connection for tropicals once you take up residence there...maybe...please????

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Tell her to keep the pics coming as it is great to see plants growing under ideal conditions. No wonder you have the tropical plant bug so bad and can put up with -6 weather in Ohio with Thailand looming in your future. Lucky dude!

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Really enjoyed seeing all those photos. It is so great to see them growing in that slice of paradise! I want them all lol!
    I love the breadfruit, especially, so healthy looking.
    ~Lenette

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Is that a maprang or a longan in the picture? Looks alot like a longan tree.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Great Pics! You're so lucky. I wish I have all that land for tropical fruit trees. More pics please...:)

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Oh so beautiful, thank you for sharing :)

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    I think your wife might be a keeper (or at least the family). How many more days before you retire? The only thing you are missing is someone to brew beer for you while you're there. I could pitch a tent in the shade of the Jak tree, become a fruitarian, I'm already potty trained.

    dang you,
    -Ethan

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Thanks all. There's so many different ones in that pic, only the mangosteens and maprangs to me stick out. I'll have her take pics of the individual trees. She knows I love getting pics so I'll make sure she keeps them coming.

    The land is 2 acres. I'll also see about the seeds from the longan. Yer right...everytime she sends me a pic I ask myself just what the hell am I doing here in Columbus, Ohio!!

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Ethan...I would like to retire this very minute but unfortunately, that's not going to happen. And not going to happen anytime soon.

    Doubt if I'll want to brew my own beer...I'll be too busy tending my trees! I really enjoy their Singha beer anyway.

    Sadly...attempts with langsats, durian, and rambutan have failed. I am being told that they will only grow successfully in certain parts of the country and in and around Bangkok is not one of them. I'm sure there are a number of reasons but none of which satisfies me. Just need to research more and get with the growers who know. Someone in my mother-in-law's neighborhood has a great big, beautiful langsat/longkong tree in their yard. Must be 20 years old. It has never once even bloomed. Bummer eh?

    I really have created monsters of them. Ma-in-law seems to buy new trees on a daily basis it seems. Now pa-in-law plants seeds from everything he eats!

    I included a pic of her big maprang tree in flower. Here is some of the fruit from last year. It's one of my favorite pictures.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Wow!! Lucky you Jay!!

    What a great piece of paradise you have there!! Thanks for sharing your pictures!!

    Bet you can't wait till you retire and move there!

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    WOW!

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    thanks for the great pics!

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Your quite welcome! I love sharing the pics as much as I enjoy getting them from her. I have some more for you.

    Deck/porch of house. They did a very nice job with that wood.

    Another pic of ma-in-laws maprang. She just loves these trees. I've lost count as to how many she has purchased for the land!

    Maprang and Mayong Chid maprang at in-laws.

    John...here are a couple of pics showing the grafts on the mangosteens.

    Another...

    This is an early shot of what the land was like. The neighbors had all kinds of veggies going everywhere. A lot of it basil. They had also planted many flowering type plants and vines. The flowers would go to market as well. All of this eventually had to go to make room for the fruit trees. Also, they were allowing some of the flowering plants and vines to overtake the fruit trees. No no no...

    Here's a shot of beneath the house. There is an outdoor sink, a small utility room, and a small bathroom with shower...which I'm sure comes in handy when out working in that heat!

    If you are interested...here is a link to more pics:

    http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b358/ohiojay/Our%20land%20in%20Thailand/

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    You are killing me with these pics Jay. Now I have to go out and find a Maprang. I am glad to see the grafts on those mangosteens look similar to mine. I was worried mine was not healing all that well but I guess that's is just the way it is with mangosteens. I do think I am going to add some tape to the top of my graft just to reinforce it for a while like the ones in your pics are.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    John...certainly cannot hurt as long as it isn't too tight. Frankies is the only one I know that sell grafted maprangs. Get the mayong chid variety...which is supposed to be the best.

    The Bang Gruay lychee is one that doesn't need the chill requirements as the rest do. She said that it is a very good lychee but still not as good as those grown up north. I doubt if it is available here.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Thanks. I'll check out Frankies. His $30 handling/prep fee is rough though.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Jay, have you ever tasted a Maprang? Do you have one in your greenhouse? If so, how has it done for you?

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Never gotten the chance to taste one yet. They ripen early over there and long before we usually visit.

    I have a Kai and Mayong Chid in the greenhouse I got from Frankies last year. I've lost a few prior to these... mostly from something stupid I did and another I'm still scratching my head.

    Need to be careful because ma-in-law says they should be protected from the sun for quite some time. They are slow growing. My two are on the brink of a flush but has stalled due to the low light winter days. The seedling I have planted with each have flushed a few times. I will approach graft them onto the main plant once they begin to flush for real.

    I can't remember if Excalibur had a grafted one or not. I really wanted one at the time since I had recently lost one. I did not come away from there with it so if they did indeed have one, it must not have looked very good. They did have plenty of seedlings and they all were very nice. I did get one of those. The other seedling came from Montoso Gardens.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    I'll probably just end up paying the crazy shipping going with Frankie's. Did yours come in bare root from frankies? By the time I would pay the gas money to drive down to Excalibur again it would not really be worth it. Do you think they are easier to grow than the rambutans? My rambutan does not seem to be doing to well right now. It's just slowly dropping leaves. I am hoping it's just from shipping/transplant shock and it will hang on till the weather warms up and I can get it outside.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    They were bare root as are most of the plants coming from Frankies. I wouldn't say they are easier than rambutans seeing that so far I haven't been all that successful with any of them. I'm hoping these break the trend. My rambutan dropped it's leaves as well when the new flush started. It's oh so slowly pushng out the new growth. Don't give up.

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Jay, I really enjoyed your pics. Thanks for posting them. What a neat set of in-laws you have. That's great that your place is being planted so when you move you will have large trees. It's also nice to have a common interest with your wife's mom. She sounds like a fruit-nut like all of us. I know you say you can't leave Ohio yet, but pack a suitcase and then burn everything else that you have. Everything. Like the Vikings burning their ships. No turning back. In two years as you're popping fresh longans in your mouth, you'll say, "you know, that was great advice."

    : )

    Dan

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Sounds good Dan...but only one flaw in the scheme...got to have a way of supporting me sitting there popping longans in my mouth all day!! Believe me...I would go right now if I could go...but....... Especially now that our 401K's are now 201K's!!!

  • 17 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Jay, just found this thread. Enjoyed the pics. Thanks.

    SB

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