Garden Notes: Cactus and Succulent Soil, Calamansi Soil, Avocado Soil

I have different kinds of plants and I can't find the notebook where I used to write down notes for my plants. I realized I should have just noted it here in my blog. That's what I do anyway when I need to refresh my memory. It's also why I make cooking videos at "Recipes for My Son". 

It's been hard to keep track of the needs of my plants. There's soil needs, fertilizer, pesticide, watering etc. So I thought I should write down what I use. It's easier to find it here than my (currently) missing notebook. Miggy can also put it to good use one day when he becomes a plantito (haha). 

Okay, so here's what I generally use for different kinds of plants -

Cactus and Succulents - loam soil, perlite, tiny pebbles, a little compost (learned this from Manong at the nursery)

Calamansi Soil - loam soil, compost/manure, rice husk, coco peat

Papaya Soil - loam soil, compost, rice husk, Coco peat

Avocado Soil - loam soil, compost, perlite, Coco peat, rice husk (use when you transfer from water)

Soil to Propagate Gumamela - loam soil, coco peat, perlite, rice husk

Gumamela Soil - loam soil, rice husk, vermicast

Bell Pepper Soil - loam soil, compost, rice husk

Desert Rose/Kalachuchi Soil - use succulent mix

Belly Buddha - use succulent mix

Ginger - loam soil, compost, rice husk

Dill Soil - loam soil, compost, sun drenched coffee grinds, rice husk

Rosemary Soil - loam soil, compost, sun drenched coffee grinds, rice husk, can also add some pebbles

Will update for other plants :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

My New Herb Garden

I was overwhelmed when we visited Mahogany Market. Since it was a last minute trip I wasn't able to make a list of the plants I wanted to get. I just knew I wanted to buy something that I couldn't grow. I've been trying to grow herbs since I arrived, so I ended up getting herbs.

I waited two weeks before I posted to see if they would survive the heat here. It's much cooler in Tagaytay and everything is overall better for plants there (sun, soil, water etc.). Here's what I got -

Dill, Sunflower, Basil (top)
Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme (bottom)

Lemon Basil, Peppermint, Hydrocotyle vulgaris (top)

Serpentine, Spearmint, Rosemary (bottom)

Also got parsley because the parsley I grew last year wilted away (I got sick and wasn't able to water the plants).  

I honestly struggled to figure out how much water and sun they needed. I researched each and every plant one night (I have a spreadsheet!). I'm glad I have a soil meter and I've been using it everyday to determine if they need water. Unfortunately, the basil and sunflower I think are not going to make it. They were really affected by the extreme heat. 

Most of the other herbs have adjusted well and we water it in the morning. I normally check in the afternoon which ones are dry and that's what I water. It takes a bit of time, but I've sent so many herbs back to the earth in the past and I vowed to make it work!

Since most of the herbs are growing nicely, I might try to propagate some. I plan to put those I propagate in the vertical garden. That place gets morning sun and it would be nice to fill it up with herbs since that's what I had it built for. Hopefully Grogu won't climb up and eat my plants! 

#BeKind #StaySafe