Air-conditioning
The most common problem with air-con is water leakage, high chance this happen is due to lack of maintenance. After the air-conditioner is being install and taken over, it is the owner responsibility to maintain it. As a layman, doing simple maintenance can prolong the lifespan of the air-con, is easy and require only 10-15 minutes to do it. just take out the filter and wash it, this maintain good ventilation for the FCU and allow them to provide cooler air.
Air-Con maintenance frequency
Air-Con if frequently used require frequent servicing. Frequently used refer to once everyday for 6 to 8 hours. Normally refer to user using the Air-Con at night during the rest time. This kind of usage need to have at least 1 to 2 servicing a year.
Heavy usage like switching on the Air-Con for 24/7, servicing recommended is bi-monthly or quarterly greatly depending on the unit size and air-con size. If unsure, you may contact the air-con contractor to advise further.
Type of Air-Con water leakage
There are several issue that can cause air-con leakage and I only elaborate on the more common issues.
1- Prolong usage of the air-con.
Household air-con are not designed for heavy usage. Prolong usage will cause condensation issue to the pipe, FCU or to your neighbors house. Normally this happen to user that are extreme hater to hot weather or not used to the hot weather, they tend to switch on the air-con 24/7. Condensation rate will increase if the temperature is set at the coldest and this will result water to drip from the piping or the FCU. Nowadays, air-con piping are concealed and the dripping will cause damage to the wall's paint or the the false ceiling.
When the blower is set at 1 direction for too long, for example neighbor's ceiling or flooring, this will cause condensation at that particular spot, prolong condensation will cause alot of issue.
-If the location of the condensation is at ceiling near to electrical wiring might cause short circuit.
-If the location of the condensation is at ceiling paint, this will cause bubbling of paints or paint peeling issue.
-If the location of the condensation is at floor, certain tiles when come in contact with water long enough will start to have black marking.
-If the location of the condensation is at floor and material is wood, it will start to pop and create an uneven surface, these damage is irreversible.
2- Lack of maintenance.
Any workable mechanical device that are used or unused (standby) need to be serviced. Lack of maintenance can cause poor ventilation in the system and chokage at the drainage area. Ventilation is one of the factor that affect the coldness of the air. The air-con comes with the drainage tray to collect the water from the FCU and drain it off. Tray that are not maintenance properly will cause chokage and leads to water leakage from the FCU.
3- Wear and tear of Insulation
Visual check on the pipe, you will see dampness or water droplet at the insulation. Feel the pipe if is cold. These issue normally happen when there is poor workmanship or after a long usage, lifespan of the insulation depending on material used, some can last more then 10 years. certain part of the piping runs into the concrete wall so the insulation are cast inside the concrete when this happen, part of the concrete wall need to be hack for further repairs. If the insulation is not fixed, water dripping sound can be heard when it was quiet and prolong dripping will cause damage to the surround, normally brown stain will be the first symptom to be spotted at the false ceiling. When this happen, remove the false ceiling and place a pail or container to collect the water and get it repaired as soon as possible.
4- Water from the conceal pipe
Visual check on the wall, check for poping paint, Feel the wall, check for dampness. Water leaking from the pipe normally happen at the joint. This happen when there are chokage or poor workmanship. Frequent servicing will lower the risk of chokage, the services man will use a commercial vacuum to suck out the jelly left in the pipe. suction from the start and end of pipe to clear both end of jelly.
If troubleshooting is needed, off the air-con, check on the dampness of wall, let it dry.
if the dampness does not dry, the leakage is coming from else where.
if the wall drys, on the air-con as per normal usage,
if the dampness reappear, the leak is most likely from the air-con. Check your drawing for more accurate position of the affected pipe.
*during the troubleshooting period do no use any water tap surrounding the area.
5- Water leakage at the FCU.
Visual check on the corner of FCU, check for water stain mark. Feel the wall, check for dampness. Check the position of the drainage tray.
if the leakage is away from the drainage hole, the installation method is wrong.
if the leakage is at the drainage hole, the air-con drainage is choked. It is due for servicing.
6- Overloading of the FCU
Purchase a FCU that match with the size of your room, purchasing a FCU (BTU) smaller then the room, your air-con will hard double hard. this mean is will incur more electrical bill and also reduce the lifespan of your air-con. When purchasing an air-con get the seller to advise on the recommended BTU for your room. Some will ask for the size of your room. Bigger BTU does not mean is better. When using your air-con, close all windows and doors. air-con will remove the moisture in your room and from there your room will get cooler, if the window or door is open, the moist from external air will get in and will affect the coldness of the air and this will make your air-con work harder.
Limit your usage of air humidifier, air refreshener, or similar product. These product will affect the performance of the air-con. Especially oil base product. they will choke up your air-con filter and making it harder to ventilate.
Learn to protect your air-con and protect your pocket.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Building Defect
Common Building Defect for Property Owners in Singapore
As a user of the modern home, high chance you do not know about building stuff. When things happen all you have to do is to engage an expert to help you solve the problem. Some times is good to have some knowledge about building defects, in case of your specialist say a lot building terminology that try to confuse you and get you to pay more then required. Sometimes is just a natural occurrence in a building that need not kick up a big fuss.
Before we start explaining about building defect, I used to work in building industry and therefore I had some knowledge about building stuff but law and rules change at different time and location. All the defect that I explain is all common issue I face during my work. Each and every defect might have many different possible causes to the defect so troubleshooting is required. My blog post on building defect is only for your reference and as a building/ unit owner, it is your own responsibility to maintain your own unit. Property comes with warranty but building warranty doesn't last very long, so proper usage and maintenance is the key to maintain a good home.
Different types of commonly seen building defect by owners
Air-Conditioning (FCU) Leakage
Paint Peeling
Wall Crack
-Hairline Crack
-Active Crack
Water Seepage
Inter-Floor Water Seepage
Spalling Concrete
Some of the defect is by natural occurrence and some is by lack of maintenance issue. For example, a paint peeling can be a wear and tear issue and can be a water leakage issue. Observation on the condition will determine the cause. Of all the defect, the most problematic is with the water seepage cause water travel and behind the wall you do not know where does the water runs.
When owner spot any defect, access it and try to determine it cause. If in doubt contact the relevance authority to inspect, get the expert to advise before making any major decision. If you are staying in condominium seek help from the Management Office. If you are staying in HDB flat, seek help from HDB.
As a user of the modern home, high chance you do not know about building stuff. When things happen all you have to do is to engage an expert to help you solve the problem. Some times is good to have some knowledge about building defects, in case of your specialist say a lot building terminology that try to confuse you and get you to pay more then required. Sometimes is just a natural occurrence in a building that need not kick up a big fuss.
Before we start explaining about building defect, I used to work in building industry and therefore I had some knowledge about building stuff but law and rules change at different time and location. All the defect that I explain is all common issue I face during my work. Each and every defect might have many different possible causes to the defect so troubleshooting is required. My blog post on building defect is only for your reference and as a building/ unit owner, it is your own responsibility to maintain your own unit. Property comes with warranty but building warranty doesn't last very long, so proper usage and maintenance is the key to maintain a good home.
Different types of commonly seen building defect by owners
Air-Conditioning (FCU) Leakage
Paint Peeling
Wall Crack
-Hairline Crack
-Active Crack
Water Seepage
Inter-Floor Water Seepage
Spalling Concrete
Some of the defect is by natural occurrence and some is by lack of maintenance issue. For example, a paint peeling can be a wear and tear issue and can be a water leakage issue. Observation on the condition will determine the cause. Of all the defect, the most problematic is with the water seepage cause water travel and behind the wall you do not know where does the water runs.
When owner spot any defect, access it and try to determine it cause. If in doubt contact the relevance authority to inspect, get the expert to advise before making any major decision. If you are staying in condominium seek help from the Management Office. If you are staying in HDB flat, seek help from HDB.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Plants, Pest, Disease and Human
Plants, Pest, Disease and Human
To understand how plant get disease I will write this post relating to how human react when met with the similar scenario. Plant is similar to humans, when they are healthy they can defend themselves against virus or illness. What they cannot defend is the pest attack and thru these attacks they will suffer more.
Different Pest
Pest attack healthy plant mainly for food. In the process of these attack they result damage to the plant and cause the plant to malfunction. I will only be exploring on the more common pest.
First of all pest that feed on the leaves. These pests are mainly caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers and snails. Without the leaves plant are unable to carry out the process of photosynthesis. Imagine a human prolong under serious toothache, we cant eat to replenish ourselves with nutrient and energy. Naturally our body will become very weak and thus lowering our immune system. Lose of food and prolong under this condition will cause the plant to have malnutrition also. When malnutrition occurs, the growth will be stagnate but if the attack from pest is not stopped, the condition of the plant will deteriorate further and eventually it will wilt.
Second is pest that feed on the plant juice, These pest are mainly scale insects, mealybugs, whitefiles, aphid and spider mites. These insect are generally small, about the size of 1mm to about 4mm, they come in large quantity. They suck out the juice from the plant. Imagine a human going thru a series of blood test/ blood donation, numerals times of needle poking and sucking the blood out make a human weak. Only the replenishment is faster then the output the body will be able to maintain the healthy state. The same goes to the plant without water soon the plant will lose it rigidity. Without enough resource to support the plant, it will abandon the leaves first and the symptom is yellowing of leaves, wilt or deformed and finally fall off.
The next problem that some of these insect after they feed, they excrete a sugary rich substance call honeydew, these honeydew attract ants and also will leads to a fungus growth which is call sooty mold. This mold is not harmful but when the growth on the big surface or majority of leaves, it prevent the plant to breath and photosynthesis and this will cause big damage to the plant.
Ways to stop these Pest
Caterpillars, Beetles, Snails and Grasshoppers are bigger and easily visible to human eyes, most simple and effective ways is to remove them by hand and dispose to a garbage bag. When some of the crawler travel around the plants, they leave trails. Follow the trail and you might find some. There are snail pills which can be use to eliminate snail, check out the nursery/garden for different types of snail pills and application.
Scale insects, Mealybugs, Whitefiles, Aphid and Spider Mite are smaller but their appearance are normally indicated by different color or symptom. All can be treated with soapy water and pesticide. Do read the pesticide label for direction on usage.
Scale insect
White color when young turn brown when matured. The body size is small and normally come in round shape. They attached themselves to the stem and leaves. To remove, use any sharp and long object to scrape it off.
Mealybugs
White or pinkish in color, crawling insect with long body. product a web like structure can be seen at the stem. Same treatment as scale insect. scrape it off with any sharp and long object.
Whitefiles
As the name suggest is white and as small as baby files. Hardly visible thus hard to treat. Use pesticide if need be, if the condition is beyond control, prune the affected areas, or worst case dispose it before it spread to other plants.
Aphids
Green or black in color, have a soft and oval shape body. Usually found under the leaves, flower buds and shoots. Rub them off as soon as discovered.
Spider mites
White, yellow and red in color. Very small and hardly visible, normally hide under the leaves. Prune the affect leaves is the best method to remove spider mite.
Fungi
The sooty mold produce by the honeydew is a kind of fungi attack. Stop the pest attack and the source of the mold will stop. The soot can be wiped off to stop the growth of the fungi.
Prevention is always better the cure. Provide your plant with a good and healthy growing environment can reduce a lot of the unwanted attacks. Care and regular inspection is the key to a healthy plant.
To understand how plant get disease I will write this post relating to how human react when met with the similar scenario. Plant is similar to humans, when they are healthy they can defend themselves against virus or illness. What they cannot defend is the pest attack and thru these attacks they will suffer more.
Different Pest
Pest attack healthy plant mainly for food. In the process of these attack they result damage to the plant and cause the plant to malfunction. I will only be exploring on the more common pest.
First of all pest that feed on the leaves. These pests are mainly caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers and snails. Without the leaves plant are unable to carry out the process of photosynthesis. Imagine a human prolong under serious toothache, we cant eat to replenish ourselves with nutrient and energy. Naturally our body will become very weak and thus lowering our immune system. Lose of food and prolong under this condition will cause the plant to have malnutrition also. When malnutrition occurs, the growth will be stagnate but if the attack from pest is not stopped, the condition of the plant will deteriorate further and eventually it will wilt.
Second is pest that feed on the plant juice, These pest are mainly scale insects, mealybugs, whitefiles, aphid and spider mites. These insect are generally small, about the size of 1mm to about 4mm, they come in large quantity. They suck out the juice from the plant. Imagine a human going thru a series of blood test/ blood donation, numerals times of needle poking and sucking the blood out make a human weak. Only the replenishment is faster then the output the body will be able to maintain the healthy state. The same goes to the plant without water soon the plant will lose it rigidity. Without enough resource to support the plant, it will abandon the leaves first and the symptom is yellowing of leaves, wilt or deformed and finally fall off.
The next problem that some of these insect after they feed, they excrete a sugary rich substance call honeydew, these honeydew attract ants and also will leads to a fungus growth which is call sooty mold. This mold is not harmful but when the growth on the big surface or majority of leaves, it prevent the plant to breath and photosynthesis and this will cause big damage to the plant.
Ways to stop these Pest
Caterpillars, Beetles, Snails and Grasshoppers are bigger and easily visible to human eyes, most simple and effective ways is to remove them by hand and dispose to a garbage bag. When some of the crawler travel around the plants, they leave trails. Follow the trail and you might find some. There are snail pills which can be use to eliminate snail, check out the nursery/garden for different types of snail pills and application.
Scale insects, Mealybugs, Whitefiles, Aphid and Spider Mite are smaller but their appearance are normally indicated by different color or symptom. All can be treated with soapy water and pesticide. Do read the pesticide label for direction on usage.
Scale insect
White color when young turn brown when matured. The body size is small and normally come in round shape. They attached themselves to the stem and leaves. To remove, use any sharp and long object to scrape it off.
Mealybugs
White or pinkish in color, crawling insect with long body. product a web like structure can be seen at the stem. Same treatment as scale insect. scrape it off with any sharp and long object.
Whitefiles
As the name suggest is white and as small as baby files. Hardly visible thus hard to treat. Use pesticide if need be, if the condition is beyond control, prune the affected areas, or worst case dispose it before it spread to other plants.
Aphids
Green or black in color, have a soft and oval shape body. Usually found under the leaves, flower buds and shoots. Rub them off as soon as discovered.
Spider mites
White, yellow and red in color. Very small and hardly visible, normally hide under the leaves. Prune the affect leaves is the best method to remove spider mite.
Fungi
The sooty mold produce by the honeydew is a kind of fungi attack. Stop the pest attack and the source of the mold will stop. The soot can be wiped off to stop the growth of the fungi.
Prevention is always better the cure. Provide your plant with a good and healthy growing environment can reduce a lot of the unwanted attacks. Care and regular inspection is the key to a healthy plant.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Compost - Booster of the Ecosystem
Compost - Booster of the Ecosystem
When living thing died, they decomposed and the end result will become compost. Its a highly nutritious material that provide a lot of benefit to the living things in the area. Normally these compost is dark brown in color.
We look at the process in miniature, just the decomposition process involved thousand to million micro organism. the commonly seen are earthworms, millipedes, snails and many more. These organism feed on the organic material, they break down the material and return the basic nutrient to the earth, in turn provide food for the plants.
When looking as a whole, abundant of nutrition promote vegetation growth. Canopy form, shelter provided and herbivores will be attracted follow up by the carnivores. In the nature world, plant change leaves, living things dies off or they excrete waste these will be decomposed by the micro organism and the nutrient will be returned to the soil for plant to re absorb and this form at complete ecosystem.
Moral of Story
The main point to capture here is that compost is a powerful material able to help boost your plant growth. Garden soil when used very often will lose it fertility and compost is the solution. Compost provide your plant with the required nutrient to flourish in the long run.
If you have the spaces, I would encourage you to make your own compost. Everyone can do it, it is cheap to make just require some space and time for the natural reaction to take place. The time to complete your compost various, depending on the material used.
Material needed is the kitchen organic waste and the green organic waste. Just dump it at 1 big container to ensure animal do not mess it up. Wonder will happen after some months. These are just basic compost. If you intend to make good compost, material used, condition of the climate, catalyst used need to take into consideration.
If you have no spaces, you can choose to buy it from the garden or nursery, is widely available.
Application of the Compost
Although compost works wonder for the plant but DO NOT used too much compost in the potted plant. The Compost itself is soft so it does not provide much support for the plant. It particles is small so it does not help the plant roots to breath. Compost help to retain water for the plant, if too much compost might cause root rot problem.
For optimal result, apply compost on top of the soil estimate of at least 5cm thick. This can provide protection to the soil and also boost the underground activities.
Alternatively, you can mix the compost together with the garden soil to change the soil structure. This can improve aeration for the roots, provide moist retention and improve underground movement.
When living thing died, they decomposed and the end result will become compost. Its a highly nutritious material that provide a lot of benefit to the living things in the area. Normally these compost is dark brown in color.
We look at the process in miniature, just the decomposition process involved thousand to million micro organism. the commonly seen are earthworms, millipedes, snails and many more. These organism feed on the organic material, they break down the material and return the basic nutrient to the earth, in turn provide food for the plants.
When looking as a whole, abundant of nutrition promote vegetation growth. Canopy form, shelter provided and herbivores will be attracted follow up by the carnivores. In the nature world, plant change leaves, living things dies off or they excrete waste these will be decomposed by the micro organism and the nutrient will be returned to the soil for plant to re absorb and this form at complete ecosystem.
Moral of Story
The main point to capture here is that compost is a powerful material able to help boost your plant growth. Garden soil when used very often will lose it fertility and compost is the solution. Compost provide your plant with the required nutrient to flourish in the long run.
If you have the spaces, I would encourage you to make your own compost. Everyone can do it, it is cheap to make just require some space and time for the natural reaction to take place. The time to complete your compost various, depending on the material used.
Material needed is the kitchen organic waste and the green organic waste. Just dump it at 1 big container to ensure animal do not mess it up. Wonder will happen after some months. These are just basic compost. If you intend to make good compost, material used, condition of the climate, catalyst used need to take into consideration.
If you have no spaces, you can choose to buy it from the garden or nursery, is widely available.
Application of the Compost
Although compost works wonder for the plant but DO NOT used too much compost in the potted plant. The Compost itself is soft so it does not provide much support for the plant. It particles is small so it does not help the plant roots to breath. Compost help to retain water for the plant, if too much compost might cause root rot problem.
For optimal result, apply compost on top of the soil estimate of at least 5cm thick. This can provide protection to the soil and also boost the underground activities.
Alternatively, you can mix the compost together with the garden soil to change the soil structure. This can improve aeration for the roots, provide moist retention and improve underground movement.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Repotting - Create a Better Home for your Plant
Repotting - Create a better home for your plant
Plant stems and leaves grow bigger and in order to the support the bigger size plant the root also need to grow more, long and some thicker to reach out for more water and nutrient. In a small pot, there is a limited space for their growth. Your plants is always telling you what they need.
Signs to look out for
Look for the sign given by the plant, they will tell you if they need a repotting. When you notice the plant growth is slowing down, unresponsive to feeding and over crowding of the root at the drainage holes or roots force to grow on the surface of the soil, these are the sign given by them.
*Do take note that certain plant roots grow on the surface of the soil.
How to repot?
When these sign appear, repotting is required.
1- Remove the roots ball from the pot carefully without damaging the roots. During the process, remove any damage roots with sharp scissors. If the size of the plant need to be controlled, prune the roots.
2 - fill the pot up with soil not covering the previous soil level. this can be identified by the stem color marking.
3 - gently firm the soil.
4 - place it at the shaded areas until growth is observed, Do not water too much as plant is still adjusting to its new home and the intake of water will be slow.
Frequency of Repotting
The frequency various, greatly depending on type of plant and the rate of growth, recommended is repot once a year, but watch out for the sign before repotting.
Plant stems and leaves grow bigger and in order to the support the bigger size plant the root also need to grow more, long and some thicker to reach out for more water and nutrient. In a small pot, there is a limited space for their growth. Your plants is always telling you what they need.
Signs to look out for
Look for the sign given by the plant, they will tell you if they need a repotting. When you notice the plant growth is slowing down, unresponsive to feeding and over crowding of the root at the drainage holes or roots force to grow on the surface of the soil, these are the sign given by them.
*Do take note that certain plant roots grow on the surface of the soil.
How to repot?
When these sign appear, repotting is required.
1- Remove the roots ball from the pot carefully without damaging the roots. During the process, remove any damage roots with sharp scissors. If the size of the plant need to be controlled, prune the roots.
2 - fill the pot up with soil not covering the previous soil level. this can be identified by the stem color marking.
3 - gently firm the soil.
4 - place it at the shaded areas until growth is observed, Do not water too much as plant is still adjusting to its new home and the intake of water will be slow.
Frequency of Repotting
The frequency various, greatly depending on type of plant and the rate of growth, recommended is repot once a year, but watch out for the sign before repotting.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Epipremnum Aureum, Pothos - Transplanting from Hydro Culture to Soil and Vice Versa
Transplanting from Hydro Culture to Soil
When Pothos grown in hydro culture get overcrowded they need to be relocate for better growth, overcrowding can result to plants fighting for mineral, water and space. In the nature world the fittest survive, to protect your weaker plants, alternative location can be outside the house (sheltered) for natural growth. Outside the house mean higher exposure to mosquito issue, so falling back to the traditional soil planting a better choice.
There are things to note when switching from hydro culture to soil planting. The plant will need a few days to adapt, when it is transferred into the soil, place the pot at a darker area for a few days to allow the root to adapt to the changes. during these period of time, you may chose to wrap your plants with plastic bag to minimize the lose of water, It will take a few days before the root start to take in nutrient, only then you will see growth.
Different between the 2 root system and the comparison is:
1 - The strength of water base roots are more fragile then the soil base roots.
2 - The appearance of the water base roots is whiter then soil base roots.
3 - The size of the water base roots are smaller then soil base roots.
When the conversion period is over, give your plants support when they grow, let the Pothos root stick on to the walls. Feeding are still require, slowly you will see the plant grow bigger and slowly the leaves will get bigger too.
If you are willing to let the root stick to your wall, be prepare that your paint will most likely be damaged. Alternatively you can choice to erect a 2 inch thick pole, wrap with mulch, place it in the middle of the pot, Pothos like to climb on in. This make a good decoration to your entrance door.
Transplanting from Soil to Hydro Culture
When you are type of person that like clean planting and do not to touch soil, the sight of the underground organism will make you feel Eeee! hydro culture work best for you.
1 - Clean the pebble before used.
2 - To change from soil to hydro culture you need the pebbles as medium, a pot with no drainage holes.
3 - Remove the plant from the pot by squeezing the side of the pot to loosen the soil, use a knife or sharp object to go around the soil to separate the soil and the pot.
4 - Soak the root ball in water to soften the soil. REMOVE ALL SOIL attached to the roots. In the process be gentle, do not damage the root in the process.
5 - Remove all dead and rot roots, prune the root to a smaller size, if needed.
6 - Setup the pebble in pot with plant, filled with water. Do not fertilizer until you see growth.
7 - Cover up the plant with plastic bag until you see growth.
Other accessory to use
- water indicator to check if the water level is sufficient.
- use 2 pots, 1 with drainage and the other without drainage, pot with drainage will with pebbles and the one without drainage as the outer layer.
When Pothos grown in hydro culture get overcrowded they need to be relocate for better growth, overcrowding can result to plants fighting for mineral, water and space. In the nature world the fittest survive, to protect your weaker plants, alternative location can be outside the house (sheltered) for natural growth. Outside the house mean higher exposure to mosquito issue, so falling back to the traditional soil planting a better choice.
There are things to note when switching from hydro culture to soil planting. The plant will need a few days to adapt, when it is transferred into the soil, place the pot at a darker area for a few days to allow the root to adapt to the changes. during these period of time, you may chose to wrap your plants with plastic bag to minimize the lose of water, It will take a few days before the root start to take in nutrient, only then you will see growth.
Different between the 2 root system and the comparison is:
1 - The strength of water base roots are more fragile then the soil base roots.
2 - The appearance of the water base roots is whiter then soil base roots.
3 - The size of the water base roots are smaller then soil base roots.
When the conversion period is over, give your plants support when they grow, let the Pothos root stick on to the walls. Feeding are still require, slowly you will see the plant grow bigger and slowly the leaves will get bigger too.
If you are willing to let the root stick to your wall, be prepare that your paint will most likely be damaged. Alternatively you can choice to erect a 2 inch thick pole, wrap with mulch, place it in the middle of the pot, Pothos like to climb on in. This make a good decoration to your entrance door.
Transplanting from Soil to Hydro Culture
When you are type of person that like clean planting and do not to touch soil, the sight of the underground organism will make you feel Eeee! hydro culture work best for you.
1 - Clean the pebble before used.
2 - To change from soil to hydro culture you need the pebbles as medium, a pot with no drainage holes.
3 - Remove the plant from the pot by squeezing the side of the pot to loosen the soil, use a knife or sharp object to go around the soil to separate the soil and the pot.
4 - Soak the root ball in water to soften the soil. REMOVE ALL SOIL attached to the roots. In the process be gentle, do not damage the root in the process.
5 - Remove all dead and rot roots, prune the root to a smaller size, if needed.
6 - Setup the pebble in pot with plant, filled with water. Do not fertilizer until you see growth.
7 - Cover up the plant with plastic bag until you see growth.
Other accessory to use
- water indicator to check if the water level is sufficient.
- use 2 pots, 1 with drainage and the other without drainage, pot with drainage will with pebbles and the one without drainage as the outer layer.
Soil - the Basic of Life
Soil the basic of life
Found at the upper layer of the earth crust where most of the plant will root on, absorbing mineral and water. Different environment will cultivate different kind of soil and from the look of the soil we can tell a story of the land.
Good soil will produce good plant, if you want your plant to flourish its worth to spend some time to study the soil that your plant is growing on.
You might ask, why is soil so important? This is because plant get food from the soil if the soil is unhealthy your plant will also be unhealthy. Once you know how to feed your soil, your plant will naturally benefit from it.
Normally soil is divided into 3 section, Topsoil, Subsoil and Substratum
Topsoil - dark brown in color, full of organic activity. Richest in mineral thus liken by the plant.
Subsoil - contain mainly rocks particles. little organic activity thus limited mineral, only water is available.
Substratum - layer of rocks and stones.
Before you feed your soil, you need to identify type of soil so you can know how to improve it. There are 5 main types of different soil commonly used, Sandy, Clay, Loam, Peat and Silt.
Sandy - as the name mention is sand, the holes between particle is very big, unable to hold together, this promote good aeration but mineral also drain off fast. Good aeration drys and warm the soil fast. Since its unable to hold on together, is better to protect it with some mulch. grain size - 0.05 to 2mm
Clay - the same characteristic as clay, the particle is small and stick closely. Does not allow aeration but hold mineral well. However, these characteristic also keep the water in place causing a lot of water logging issue. If dried, it will be hard as stones. grain size - 0.002 mm
Slit - is a mixture of sand and clay has each material characteristic but overall has a good structure. grain size 0.002 to 0.05 mm
Loam - is a mixture of sand, slit and clay (40%, 40%, 20%). This is a good mixture that utilities the pro of each individuals material and eliminate the con.
Peat - mainly decay vegetation, very fertile, very good aeration and draining system.
The main different is the particle size of each material and how to mix the different size particle to achieve a better result. Each soil have it own strength and weakness that fit into different plant requirement.
Refer to my other post on feeding the soil.
Found at the upper layer of the earth crust where most of the plant will root on, absorbing mineral and water. Different environment will cultivate different kind of soil and from the look of the soil we can tell a story of the land.
Good soil will produce good plant, if you want your plant to flourish its worth to spend some time to study the soil that your plant is growing on.
You might ask, why is soil so important? This is because plant get food from the soil if the soil is unhealthy your plant will also be unhealthy. Once you know how to feed your soil, your plant will naturally benefit from it.
Normally soil is divided into 3 section, Topsoil, Subsoil and Substratum
Topsoil - dark brown in color, full of organic activity. Richest in mineral thus liken by the plant.
Subsoil - contain mainly rocks particles. little organic activity thus limited mineral, only water is available.
Substratum - layer of rocks and stones.
Before you feed your soil, you need to identify type of soil so you can know how to improve it. There are 5 main types of different soil commonly used, Sandy, Clay, Loam, Peat and Silt.
Sandy - as the name mention is sand, the holes between particle is very big, unable to hold together, this promote good aeration but mineral also drain off fast. Good aeration drys and warm the soil fast. Since its unable to hold on together, is better to protect it with some mulch. grain size - 0.05 to 2mm
Clay - the same characteristic as clay, the particle is small and stick closely. Does not allow aeration but hold mineral well. However, these characteristic also keep the water in place causing a lot of water logging issue. If dried, it will be hard as stones. grain size - 0.002 mm
Slit - is a mixture of sand and clay has each material characteristic but overall has a good structure. grain size 0.002 to 0.05 mm
Loam - is a mixture of sand, slit and clay (40%, 40%, 20%). This is a good mixture that utilities the pro of each individuals material and eliminate the con.
Peat - mainly decay vegetation, very fertile, very good aeration and draining system.
The main different is the particle size of each material and how to mix the different size particle to achieve a better result. Each soil have it own strength and weakness that fit into different plant requirement.
Refer to my other post on feeding the soil.
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