Saving bittergourd seeds

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The brilliant red seeds inside an over-ripe bittergourd

The only reason we had bittergourd vines growing in our garden in the last 2 years was because birds dispersed seeds that sprouted, and we recognized the plants for what they were and let them grow.

Honestly, I was not a fan of bittergourd. It’s a fact. Apparently, the best way to convert me was for me to grow the plant and have such pride in it that I developed a tolerance for it – especially since there are health benefits attached to eating bittergourd.

So, when the vine started showing signs of dying off last year, I tried to salvage seeds from ripe fruits on the vine to grow new plants. It was a risky thing. I actually had 3 sprouts, but only one survived. I was thrilled when another volunteer started growing in my bean patch earlier this year, and quickly planted my “domesticated” vine so it could merge with the new one. Now, thankfully, the plants are thriving and fighting to gain a foothold on the higher bean trellis.

Bittergourd seeds after being cleaned and dried

Hoping to avoid this situation of not having a new vine when the current ones die out, I decided to harvest seeds from an over-ripe fruit on the vine. Actually, the decision was made for me because as usual, I didn’t spot the fruit growing under all the leaves, and when I saw it, it was already yellow, over-ripe and split open.

My bittergourd seeds were an amazingly bright red colour. It was a really nice contrast to the also bright yellow skin and flesh of the over-ripe fruit. I wouldn’t have expected that from the sedate green fruit we normally buy and eat…

The seeds varied in size. There were several big ones and a few small ones. The red flesh surrounding the seeds was very jelly-like, but could be removed when gently rubbed between the fingers. I managed to get several seeds from the big ones, but the smaller seeds were just jelly sacs with no seed inside. As per what I’d read somewhere, I rinsed the seeds, patted them dry, and left them to air-dry overnight. And that’s it! I’ll guesstimate their viability for 3 to 6 months. If I haven’t planted them by then then I need to thwack myself on the head!

© 2011 curiousgardener.com All rights reserved.


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Caixin pests

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Caixin plants had a growth spurt when placed in a new location with more sunlight

As a follow-up to my earlier post on growing caixin, I wanted to share that yes, caixin plants grow much better when they get more sunlight. What I didn’t expect to share was information about pests that are attracted to the plants. If you don’t like creepy-crawlies, you may want to skip this post, because even I went ewww…

My 6 caixin plants are growing in a planter, and had been branching out and even started producing what I thought were clusters of flower buds. But, as usually happens, just as plants seem poised to do well, the pests struck.

Something began making holes in the leaves and leaving tiny black bits of residue along the stems and at the leaf joints. Several days later, I found an almost translucent green worm-like caterpillar on the underside of one of the leaves. It was one of those that moves like an inchworm. It was also almost the same shade of green as the leaf, making it almost impossible to see. I removed it and searched the rest of the plants, finding another larvae only because I looked from below and spotted it silhouetted against the afternoon light. Their colour camouflages them well!

Cluster of caterpillar larvae spotted at night

The leaves continued to be attacked and I figured I’d better check the plants at night. So, armed with a torchlight, I went to check the plants at around 9pm and spotted web-like strands clustered at a leaf joint just over a cluster of what I’d figured as flower buds. The strands didn’t look like part of a spider web, so I took a closer look.

That’s when I saw the cluster of little green caterpillars focused on what had been a bunch of flower buds. The funny thing is, after I got the camera and took a few photos, they all dispersed like magic, and I couldn’t find any after that. I guess they’re sensitive to light, or were just smart enough to know I was going to squish them after photographing them…

The next day, I went to check the plants again. The original plant was now sitting there innocently, devoid of caterpillars. The other plants, however, showed those black droppings again. Once again, I spotted the strands of web, and sure enough, there were more green caterpillars!

And more…

Tiny, greedy buggers, aren't they? >:(

So I once again got to wondering what kind of caterpillar this is, and after some online snooping, the closest I could find was the larvae of the Diamondback moth, or Plutella xylostella. I can’t say that I’ve actually seen this moth around, but I’ll certainly be on the lookout for it. If you want to read more about this moth, follow this link. I suspect they’ll be difficult to guard against, but am trying an idea to deter them – I dipped a disposable wooden chopstick into liquid insecticide and poked it, wet side up, into the soil in the planter. Maybe the scent of it will chase off the moths that come to lay eggs…

© 2011 curiousgardener.com All rights reserved.


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Growing roselle from cuttings

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Roselle plant laden with fruits

I had a pair of lovely, tall roselle plants in my edible plant corner. They were grown from seed, and were the first roselle plants I had planted directly in the ground to grow. As such, they grew much taller and stronger than my earlier plants, which were grown in pots. Once they passed the 1.5 metre mark, though, they tended to lean over. With a little help, however, they were kept upright. One has reached the height of my bean trellis and is happily mingling with the bean vines, while the other was latched onto by the bittergourd vines, which held it upright.

Everything was going well and loads of flowers bloomed, followed later by the amazing bunches of red calyces. I was getting quite excited about finally having a suitable number of calyces to try making a syrup from, and was biding my time to allow the two plants to produce more fruits.

And then… the contract gardeners arrived for their monthly visit, and when they left, I found that one of my nice, big roselle plants had been cut off at the base… >:(

My roselle cuttings (hopefully) taking root

I really wanted to rant about this – I was so mad at them for cutting carelessly and at myself for not protecting the plant better. But, after considering it for a while, I decided to apply my philosophy of turning lemons to lemonade instead: I cut the entire stem into several pieces, stripping off the larger leaves, and stuffing the ends into earth. They may have taken one beautiful plant from me, but I decided to reap several plants in return!

Roselle plants, thankfully, grow easily from cuttings. They don’t need special care apart from the basic making sure the soil doesn’t dry out. They’re not even particular about the type of soil you plant them in, so I’d recommend this as one of the plants a newbie gardener could try growing.

Because I’d removed the big leaves that would have taken the stem more energy to sustain, the cuttings will be able to put more effort into generating new leaves. It will be about 2 weeks more before I transplant them.

Roselle plants are visually interesting to look at, with the red splotches on the stems, two shapes of leaves, and pretty pink morning-blooming flowers. Add to that the clusters of striking red calyxes and you have a treat for the eyes and imagination! I was planning on sowing more seeds to grow more plants, but cuttings will give me the same result in less time. I don’t know why I didn’t think of doing this sooner!

© 2011 curiousgardener.com All rights reserved.


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Male koels visit

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The pair of male Asian koels perched on the curry leaf tree

A pair of male Asian koels decided to stop by on our sprawling curry leaf tree. They perched unusually low down for them – just about human height – and weren’t bothered by human and dog traffic in the vicinity. Well, not at first, anyway.

It was interesting to get such a close look at them, because in my experience, they’re usually way up in the trees, and tend to fly off when you simply pass by. They’ve startled me many times doing that, because they’re out of sight, and usually quiet when they’re feeding – and when they suddenly burst out of the foliage and fly off, it’s quite noisy.

So, this pair of males perching where we could all see each other was an unusual situation.

They weren’t shy until I came around with the camera. Then, every time I tried to frame a shot, they’d hop just a bit and hide behind some leaves! However, without the camera, I was intrigued to note again their resemblance to crows, except for the light-coloured beaks and scary red eyes.

You may be interested in reading my earlier post on male and female koels.

© 2011 curiousgardener.com All rights reserved.


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