Comments on: Tuscan Kale / Cavolo Nero

By: Gej

Gej — Sat, 08 Nov 2014 04:41:21 +0000

Grace, in addition to the tips shared by betty q and Risa, you might want to look at the way the plants are being watered. If the watering is too overpowering, aimed directly at the soil, in thick shoots, it may be unnecessarily compacting the soil . It matters a lot to plants , in general, and cilantro, especially, if the watering would try to imitate a gentle shower. Aim the hose a bit upward, and create a spray that falls gently on the plants and the soil. Placing a layer of mulch – decomposed or partially decomposed plant matter, or even fresh leaves – on the soil also helps to absorb the impact of water.

Cilantro flourishes in well-tilled soil – probably because the roots are more free to grow and spread, there are more air spaces in between soil particles that contain plant nutrients, and the environment is more hospitable to beneficial macro and micro-organisms that help “cook” these nutrients for the plants . That is perhaps why cilantro greatly deteriorates during rains – the rain drops compact the soil and reduce or completely fill up the air spaces between soil particles,

Proper watering preserves this soil tilth. Cilantro seems to be more sensitive to this than other plants. It’s also next to impossible to maintain this quality of the soil during rains (if the plants are not in a green house with a plastic sheet roof) , and cilantro becomes very thin, yellowish green, or dies during this time. Try planting cilantro 4-6 weeks before or after the rainy season.

By: betty q.

betty q. — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 02:52:00 +0000

Gejo, Millet, and Skye…keep in mind that natural organic pest control target specific pests but can also harm the pollinating insects which we desperately need with the decline of the bees!

Your best bet to protect your crop…row cover!

By: Skye

Skye — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 01:45:35 +0000

Thanks Gejo, Millet and Risa for the gardening tips. I was able to grow tuscan kale but the leaves got eaten by some type of worm before I get to harvest it. Also, I am able to grow wansoy on my bottle tower garden but although it’s not as green as those sold in the market. My vegetable garden is also small, one side of the house where the morning sun is. It occupies the 2 meter space required in the building code between house and fence.

By: Marketman

Marketman — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 23:22:21 +0000

Grace, I haven’t grown wansoy myself, but it does tend to be fickle. Gejo is perhaps best suited to answer your question. He manages to grow quite a lot of it in the cool hills of Silang/Tagaytay in rich soil.

By: betty q.

betty q. — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 22:25:32 +0000

Grace…forgot to ask you…when in doubt when to water, stick your finger into the soil if it is still damp, hold off on the water…if you want to plant it in a bucket or balde, poke holes in the bottom of the balde…then add a layer pea gravel or even cut styrofoam pieces for drainage and top with soil amended with compost. WAtering…try watering in the early morning hours. if you water say maybe tanghAli, the water just evaporates quickly before it can reach the roots. I water my plants in the morning but I could water them too early evening but I would rather not or the slugs will just feast on my plants and the mildew stays on the leaves and does not get the chance to dry up thereby inviting plant diseases.

By: Risa

Risa — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 16:43:56 +0000

Grace – you may be overwatering. Cilantro is not too fond of water. You will notice they are hard to come by in groceries during the rainy season.

If you’ve tried watering infrequently, check that your soil/medium is draining well.

By: betty q.

betty q. — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 16:32:02 +0000

Grace…cilantro is an annual but because it self seeds, some people mistake it for being a perennial. . Don’t know much about the season there when to plant it. You can grow them in pots so you can move them around if you think it is getting too much heat. I would check first though the viability of the seeds. Scatter some on a wet paper towel and put in zip plock. After a few days you should see a start of a root. If none, then it is past its prime. Next best thing, buy cilantro with roots still attached. Cut the leaves and put the stem with roots in a glass of water. In a few days, it should sprout some stems. Then plant it. This will give you a head start with strong roots already.

Hope that helps!

By: Grace

Grace — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 08:14:15 +0000

Hi MM (or any other reader who can answer my question),

Speaking of wansoy, we’ve been trying to grow them but all attempts have failed so far. We’ve successfully grown basil (thai and the sweet variety), dill and mint. Our wansoy would survive up to a week or so only.

We’ve tried keeping it in a shaded area / exposed in the sun / watered frequently / watered seldom but no luck. Any tips?

Grace

By: erehwon

erehwon — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 04:18:09 +0000

@Meg, Thank you for that suggestion. I usually use collard greens to make laing, but have not tried kale. Kroger has both types of greens for 99 cents a bunch right now. I’ll get some kale tomorrow.

By: Gej

Gej — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 22:08:12 +0000

Thanks millet. I’ll try that.