AhGer: I luv gardening. For many years, I buyed and buyed many many plants, but donno why they orways cannot survi one, orways less than one month then all sure die. Ayoh, really make me so frust.
AhBoy: Ya lor, me oso leh, donno why hor. Dat's why nowsaday I oredy give up buying any more plant. Last time when I see any good plant, I sure will buy and buy. I tink add up all together I oredy spend hundreds of buck. Very stress, man, waste marney.
AhGer Hope I can find someone who expert in planting to teach me.
AhBoy: Ya, if got expert friend to share planting knowledge, will be sooper.
Nicole Actually, there are many knowledgeable people around who can give us good gardening tips. We only need to seek them out. And there's alot of great gardening stuff on the Internet too.
AhGer You don't say ah... I go Internet oso can find so many expert. When I follow some tuber expert's instruction, still my plants oso will die. That's why nowsaday I orways jaga properly what I see on Internet. But if lucky can find a real expert, then good lor.
Nicole: Actually, one must also need to be careful in discriminating between good and bad tips when it comes to gardening. Anyone can offer so-called expert tips, but not all are reliable or useful to gardening beginners.
Danielle: I always talk to my plants... hehe.
Nicole: That's nice!
Agatha: That's what I always do too.
AhGer: Wa, can tok to plants one meh? I never heard that before... How you tok to plants hah?
Nicole: Yes, it works. You see, when you talk to your plants, you surround them with good vibes. They really can respond... my plants frequently bloom like nobody's business. Makes me extremely happy to see them bloom.
AhBoy: Wa really ah? OK, later I must go buy a nice plant, then go home tok to it and sayang sayang it. But I oso worried wait peepur will say I seow.
Nicole: But you also must do all the right things before you sayang the plants. I know many people actually sayang their plants too much, and end up killing them. Usually because they sayang too much, they will also tend to pour water in the soil whenever there's a chance.
AhBoy: Pour water no good meh? Make sure they hydrated mah... see, I oso know little bit science, haha.
Nicole: It's not that watering is not good. But by loving your plants too much and watering too much, you will be drowning the roots.
AhBoy: I oso donno roots can drown... is true meh?
Nicole: By pouring too much water and too frequently, the soil will be overly soaked. When the soil is overly soaked continuosly, bad bacteria will grow in the soil due to lack of oxygen. Thus, when the soil is contaminated with bad bacteria, the rot in the soil will soon spread to the roots and cause the roots to rot. This is what kills the plant.
AhBoy: Walau, I see... no wonder my plants all die! I orways water my plants every time I go admire them.
Nicole: Before you are tempted to pour water into the soil you can first check how wet the soil is... you need to add water only if the top few inches of the soil is dry.
AhBoy: But how then I can know the soil is wet or dry? I hate to poke-poke the soil with my fingers... very dirty!... oso, if got many plants, is very leychey.
Nicole: If you hate to dirty your fingers you can go buy a moisture meter... it's very cheap.
AhSeng: I don't trust those meters, especially when the battery is weak. What I'll do is get a packet of cheap disposable wooden chopsticks. By poking and leaving a chopstick in the soil overnight, the next morning I can actually see the dryness or wetness of the soil when I pull it out to check... for me, this is the most reliable way. After checking, I simply return the chopstick into the same spot in the soil. A chopstick can last a long time. All my plant pots each have a chopstick sticking into the soil.
Danielle: That's really interesting... Seng's idea is definitely worth a try.
Agatha: Yeah, I agree.
AhBoy: Good, good... I got so many chopsticks I collect from all the tapaos I buyed. I dunno can be so useful, haha.
Nicole: Gosh, I do find Seng's idea fantastic... to be frank, since I have so many plants in my home, I do find it a chore to check the dryness of every pot, since the moisture meter needs to be wiped dry before using it on the next pot.
AhGer: After check if dry oredy can pour water ah?
Nicole: Yes, if the soil is dry, you may water it. The trick is to keep the soil moist but not sodden. The water will drain away to the bottom. the soil should then be checked again after a day or two. The trick is to ensure that the soil beneath the surface is not waterlogged. Moist soil will still allow air to circulate around it but sodden soil doesn't.
Danielle: Another important thing to note is some plant hobbyists love their plants so much that they over-fertilize their plants with expensive solutions.
AhGer: Is true... it's my habit. Becos I want give my darling plants good nutrition, mah. Dat's why I orways buy the most expensive ferliser one.
Nicole: Yes using too strong fertilizers can kill the plants. We must stick to the instructions carefully...better for it to be too weak than too strong.
AhBoy: My flend say hor, she oso got use fresh urine pour into the soil for ferlizing. Can do like dat or not?
Agatha: I too know of people who said they have ever used urine as fertilizer. My view is that though urine contains alot of nitrogen and plant nutrients, pouring urine onto plant pots is a no-no. This is because undiluted urine will easily burn the plant roots. Usually people will dilute it with ninety percent of water by volume first before using it for plants. But even so, one needs to be careful, because plants can only take in nitrogen which has been converted by bacteria, but not raw nitrogen per se.
AhBoy: But like dat not smelly meh? Dowant lah.
Nicole: I only fertilize all my plants with compost I make myself.
Danielle: Me too... it's such a great pleasure making my own compost.
AhGer: Wa, what is compost... I never hear that before leh. Is it must write composition then read to all the plants?
AhBoy: Ayoh... I say you damn suagoo lah. Compost is they use all the kitchen leftover food then let them rot until gaolat gaolat. After it become black black then can mix with the soil. I see my uncle doing donno how many years oredy. I see his plants all grow until damn kilat, man.
AhGer: Really meh? Then why so many peepur oso donno compo? I got so many flends they all oso never hear this what compo. But thank you you, now I learn a new thing. Ahboy you very sarkie!
Danielle: Composting can be considered an art. While it may sound as simple as to just let things rot, it is actually not that straightforward. Knowledge and experience is also required to compost successfully.
AhBoy: Aiyo, I so lucky can have such wonderfoo tips from Nicole, Ah Seng, Danielle and Agatha... all so experienced in expert gardening. Hope in future they offer some more fantasical tips teach us about expert gardening.
Nicole: Bye all... remember to talk to your plants!
All: Bai!