Back from the dead... NOT.

Hello peeps. Been awhile since I blogged, I know. .... I can imagine you guys doing that youdontsay.jpg look right now :P Been realllly busy working my arse off just for a 1k pay. 12 hours per day! Imagine that! My toes. I no longer feel them. I'm sure the doctors will also say, you no longer need them... MY TOES. Sudah bengkak! T_T Not because of the constant standing but the stupid shoes. Now if you so nicely asked, I can stand for hours with no leg pain. MY LEGS. They are strengthened! Sobs... I'm so proud of you legs!

But frankly speaking, passing the time is really agonizing. Not to mention the hard job and bullying cos you're a junior. So kids, study hard and get a better job.

Only a month or so working at Focus Point, I already accumulated many wtf and okayfaces moments. Here we go...

Everyday, without fail. A dude, probably in his late thirties will take a stroll. A LONG stroll, now mind you, throughout Parkson. At least, from my POV and assuming la. Why is that so? Cos this dude will keep passing by Focus Point at least 3 times! THREE TIMES. 1.5 FULL OSCILLATION. He'll be wearing an earphone and once inawhile, glance at the FP staff. Apparently he's been doing that for years already. Wtf.

My job during weekends and public holidays is to give out flyers and balloons. So like, giving balloons is fine and all but... Some kids... Aih.

There's a few times customers refused my assistance cos they knew I'm new. So I'm like, okay la. But some are just blatant stuck up. It went like this:

Scenario A
Me: Can I help you sir?
Cust: *ignores and walk straight past me*
Me: *Oh okay fine lo.*

Scenario B
Me: Boleh saya tolong?
Cust: *Ignores and walks straight to my Malay co-worker*
Me: *Oh okay fine lo.*

Scenario C
Me: Can I help you?*Chinese.
Cust: Oh you don't know how to do. I ask those pro ones. *Chinese. Quite rude.
Me: *WTF I WILL REMEMBER YOU*

Scenario D
Me: Can I...-
Cust: *Points at one of the senior salesperson*
Me: *Oh okay lo.*

Scenario E
Me: Boleh saya bantu?
Cust: Saya nak orang Melayu serve! Mana bla bla bla.
Me: *YOU RAC-... -.-*

Andddddd that's pretty much makes up my rageatcustomer rant. Srsly, wtf. I have nothing else to blog now... Signing off...

Sundew Want List.

I've listed my WAND LIST. *insert Harry Potter joke. If you have any of the listed sundew seeds below, contact me: cheng_mun92@hotmail.com

Yes, I have paypal.

D. Sessifolia
D. Hamiltonii
D. Dichotoma
D. Binata var Multifida
D. Oblanceolata
D. Neocaledonica
D. Ultramafica
D. sp Lantau
D. Prolifera
D. Schizandra
D. Brevifolia
D. Admirabilis
D. Venusta
D. Hybrida
D. Graomogolensis
D. Brevicornis
D. Petiolaris
D. Hybrida
D. Anglica

2012!

Happy New Year!

CP Update

Hey guys! STPM is over and here I am, finally free to do whatever I want without feeling guilty about it xD

And of course, I can finally focus on my plants 100%! Sadly, I am reminded of the fact that once I leave for University... That is, if I CAN go... I will have to leave my plants. And my parents refuse to care for them. ): What am I to do?! I kinda want more... I only have common sp., the rarer ones are expensive (once converted to MYR) but really really tempting... Moar moar moar...

At any rate, here's a picture of my grow area xD

By the way, I used a wide angle add-on lens for this photo. Thus, the elongation and weird dimension. Sadly, my sundews shrink in size due to my inability to provide them a higher humidity grow area. My garden area is very windy but it is the only place with adequate sunlight for them. Ooohhhh the pain! T_T

Sundews that I want:

D. Natalensis

D. Venusta

.... and most of the petiolaris complex sundews. And some of the South America's sundews. Really gorgeous sundews!

Carnivorous Plants; Just what ARE THEY?!

Seriously. Just what is Carnivorous Plants? Do they eat people? Will if hurt if you poke it with your finger? Are they scary? No, no... DO THEY EAT US?!

Relax ladies and gentleman. Take a breather... First of all, they don't eat people. They eat ants. Insects. Anything that drops into their... "laps". You see, these plants evolved to ant-eating plants to survive in a nutrientless(?) environment! It's pretty much just like us swallowing supplement pills to supply our body of minerals/vitamins that our body can't produce by itself.

They have a few, special mechanisms that allows them to capture bugs which is then further categorized into different genus/family based on their prominent characteristics.

Nepenthes

First, we have Nepenthes AKA Monkeycups/Pitcher Plants. These guys are widely known by many as theplantwithanteatingcups. Sure, they are interesting that many CP-growers absolutely love them! (I love my sundews more ahem.) 

Nepenthes Gracilis. Commonly found in Malaysia. Absolutely viney and grows all over the place.

Of course, there are lots of other species under the Nepenthes family which is further branched into sub species. Basically, it's a big family with lots of kids.

Nepenthes Kuchingensis. The cups are more rounded.

How to take care of Nepenthes?

First of all... Before we start... Call me SIFU! *crow cackling*

...Ahem. Anyway, these little critters love sunshine. (Sunshine~ My only sunshine~) But give them too much, they'll end up real red and grow smaller leaves. For the best BWH, give partial shade or indirect sunlight. Want bigger pitcher cups? Put them in a high humidity area, hopefully areas that are not that windy. From my personal experience, the more humid/less wind = bigger cups. I mean, that's what most growers would want their Nepenthes to grow, right?

What about water? Use RO water, rainwater, distilled water... Anything is okay as long as it's not hard water. This applies to all of the carnivorous plants. As for it's soil, use nutrientless soil that can hold lots of water. For example, sphagnum moss, perlite, coco peat... Really now! Go google these stuff!

How to propagate Nepenthes?


I highly recommend trying out the stem cutting. It's... too long. (Lazy me.) So here you go: CLICK HERE.

Drosera

Here comes my babyyyy! Usually known as sundews, these plants comes in many shapes and forms(Petiolaris complex, rosetted ones, pygmae ones, bla bla bla~) but it's essence is the very same; sticky glands on its leaves.

A close-up shoot of it's tentacle glands. Can I ever buy a macro lens this good?!

Any insects attracted to it will get tangled, unable to break free from its sticky glands and slowly... The leaf will coil up/roll up around it's food and slurp slurp slurp... DIGEST IT.

Poor guy. 

Some of the many Sundew species you'll find in Malaysia:

Drosera Burmannii. A tropical, annual plant found in Malaysia. This one is a rosetted-shaped.

Drosera Indica. It's an annual, branching type of sundew that keeps going up,up and up.

How to take care of Drosera?

Lots of water. Amount of sunlight is dependant of species. But for most sundews, full sun is okay. Soil is preferrable sphagnum long-fibered moss. It's my favourite and does it's job well. For water, any water is okay as long as its not hard water. If you are in no position to use distilled water or RO water, tap water is fine but flush the soil (after you've been watering it with tap water a few times...) your sundew is growing in a few times with distilled water/RO water. 

This is to flush away the deposited mineral from tap water. Some species (Drosera Adelae, for example...) are sensitive to humid acids in the soil and to show that, their growth point can show blackish stuff sticking onto it that inhibits further growth or the newly grown leaves will be deformed. You don't want that now, do you?

And remember to keep the soil wet! Really wet! To do this, you use the tray watering method. Put a tray underneath your sundew pots and make sure water is always there.

If you are worried about mosquito problems, just throw away the water on the tray and leave it to dry before refilling it again. Or simply just change the water. (A bit of a bother) I usually just throw the old water away, water my plants till the water flows out (This shows that the soil is holding too much water than it can. If the water does not flow out, it means the soil is very dry before you water it.) and leave it as it is.

Some species may need dormancy. Just what is dormancy? In my dictionary, (And to my understanding,) dormancy is a period of time where the plants goes to a state of hibernation. The leaves will wilt, leaving only its crown.(The only way to tell whether it died or hibernating.) Species from Western countries needs dormancy and they do this during winter season. If you do not give the plant it's ZZZ, it'll die. Like, wilt and leaving no crown. So make sure you let them sleep once a year to prolong its lifespan!

How do you do this? Google is your best friend... Yes, really. I have no experience in this sub-chapter of growing sundews yet. In fact, I've avoided species that needed dormancy. Too mafan!

How to propagate?

My favourite one. There are a few ways to do this; Leaf pulling, leaf cutting, root cutting, flowering stem cutting and seed germination.

Leaf Pulling - Some species such as D. Paradoxa need it's petiole together with a portion of its crown to propagate. Hold down your main plant and pull out the petiole gently. Then, lay the petiole on the soil or you can use the water method; drown/float it. Position the container that you lay/drown your pullings in a bright/well lit area.

Leaf Cutting - As the name suggests, you cut the leaf. Applies to most species, you only need the leaf and not stem. You can choose to cut the leaf wholly or simply cut it into sections before drowning it in water or laying it flat on the soil. Then place it in a bright area. Leave it for a few weeks and you'll see some plantlets growing out of your cuttings.

Root Cutting - Pretty much the same as the leaf counterpart, except that you do it to the root. It's a hundred percent fail-proof method. Cut them, lay them or drown them then burn them! Use this method only if the roots are thick.

Flowering stem cutting - So you cut the leaf, the roots and now... the stem! Drosera always flowers. I've tried this with D. Binata's and D. Paradoxa stem and it worked! You wait till it's rather tall and cut the stem into a few sections and proceed to drown them. Place your handicraft in a well-lit area!

*Remember to remove the "food" on the leaves else it'll grow mold and induces algae growth. (If you are using the water method.)
*Choose the older leaves with dew on them. Dewless leaves has less chances of growing plantlets.

Seed germination - So you bought the seeds from somewhere. You're elated. You could jump for joyyyy. But, seriously. How do you GERMINATE IT?! Okay this is for indoor only.

1. Choose your soil. Rinse the soil a few times to prevent mold. Mold can easily drown out your seedlings.
2. If using sphagnum, make sure to chop them up to prevent the seeds from falling into the gaps.
3. Sprinkle the seeds all over the top. You do this to prevent a bunch of sproutlings growing in a bunch. It's harder to separate them and some may not grow at all.
4. Use bottom watering method to keep the soil moist at all times. You can opt to use a mist sprayer to mist the top every once inawhile. It blows the algae/mold seeds away. *Dun ever cover with a lid! If boosts algae growth if there is no air circulation!
5. Have patience and wait! Freshly harvested seeds took me 2 weeks to germinate.
6. Once the sprouts are big enough to catch its first food, feed it. Else it would take months for it to grow to a mature plant.

Utricularia


What a weird sounding name. A tongue twister! This species is a bit different from other species. (Duh, that's why they are grouped into different categories!) Instead of the usual size of trappings, this one's a little small. Minute, to be exact. Also known as bladderworts, utricularia grows like weeds/algae and replenishes itself with small organisms... as small as protozoa. You can find them all over the world inhabiting aquatic areas or real wet and boggy soils.

It's a sea of U. Vulgaris! Dear Lord... "Vulgaris"? 

These utrics don't only eat, they FLOWER! The flowers are a sight to behold. So far, I have U. Bifida that has yellow flowers just like this one and another unknown-yet-to-be-identified utric that has purple flowers. They grow like weeds! CP-growers that hates the brown-like soil uses utrics to cover it up. They spread very fast and it will look like a green lawn.

How to take care of Utricularia?


Give them lots of sun like any normal plants. Lots of water. In fact, drown them also no problem. Not much special care is needed, just lots of sun and water. Once they are established, they'll start to flower and when they do, they do it like a mad plant.

How to propagate?


You know what I'd do? Slice a portion of the utrics(Like how you slice a cake.) and dump it into the pot. It's that easy! Just like how you memorise Pizza Hut's number. 1300-88-2525~

*I have yet to type out Dionaea Muscipula, Sarracenia and Byblis sections. I'm feeling a bit lazy... TO BE EDITED in the future. If anything you wanna ask (hopefully about sundews.), leave a message at my chatbox.