Pokok Kacang Tanduk / Buffalo Nuts / Water Caltop plant / Trapa Bicornis

(Buffalo Nut/Water Caltrop)

(View of the Buffalo Nut)

(Water Caltrop's leaves)

(Buffalo Nut ready to be harvested)

(Buffalo Nut)

SCIENTIFIC NAME/ NAMA SAINS:  

Trapa bicornis

FAMILY NAME/NAMA FAMILI

Trapacaea

COMMON NAME/ NAMA BIASA

• Water caltrop.
• Bat Nut
• Goat Head
• Bull Nut
• Buffalo Nut
• Ling nut( Língjiǎo)
• Ling Kok
• Ling kio
• Singhada
• Pani-phal
• Shingoda
• Singhara
• Kacang Tanduk

ORIGIN/NEGARA ASAL

Asia and Africa

DESCRIPTION

• Floating annual aquatic plants
• Growing in slow moving or stagnant water 
• Roman soldiers threw into the paths of horses to injure their feet
• Cultivated in China and India for at least 3,000 years for the edible seeds

STEM

• Submerged stem reaches 12 to 15 feet (3.6 to 4.5 meters) in length, 
• Anchored into the mud by very fine roots. 

LEAVES

• It has two types of leaves, finely divided feather-like submerged leaves borne along the length of the stem, and undivided floating leaves borne in a rosette at the water's surface. 
• The floating leaves have saw-tooth edges and are ovoid or triangular in shape, 2–3cm long, on inflated petioles 5–9 cm long, which provide added buoyancy for the leafy portion. 

FLOWERS

• Four-petalled white flowers
• insect pollinated.

SEEDS

• Edible
• seeds can remain viable for up to 12 years
• although most will germinate within the first two years. 
• Called Ling Nut in China and it is considered a lucky food to eat
• The fruit is a nut with four 0.5 in (1cm),
• barbed spines

PROPAGATION

• The plant spreads by the rosettes 
• fruits detaching from the stem

Crystal Clear Flowing Fish Pond landscape with Ultra-violet and Sand Filtration System / Lanskap Kolam Ikan jernih dengan menggunakan sistem ultra-violet dan penapis media pasir

Previously, external living spaces and landscape was not regarded as important and most people spent short period of time in the evening at their outdoor spaces while gardening and watching their children playing. Nowadays we start to fully utilize our outdoor spaces and now it became as important as indoor spaces when it comes to spatial management.

Malay: Dahulu ruang luar rumah dan lanskap adalah tidak dianggap penting dan kita hanya menggunakan ruang luar hanya sekejap pada sebelah petang sambil berkebun dan memerhati anak anak bermain. Sekarang ruang luar dan lanskap telah menjadi penting dan telah diambil kira didalam perancangan pengurusan ruang.

Below is an example of a new landscape concept with a combination of aquascape (Fish pond) and a gazebo platform:

For this blog entry, I would like to emphasize more on the fish pond system that we have installed back in year 2011. It uses the ultra violet system and sand filtration system in order to maintain the water clarity. The video that we have uploaded below was taken on 11th June 2016 which is almost 5 years of it's operation. From this video, you can see the water clarity in crystal clear condition maintained even after 5 years without the need of the home owner to frequently changed the water. A lever change to 'backwash' mode from the sand filter was the only thing that the home owner required to do every week.

Pokok Serai Pedas / Lemon Myrtle / Backhousia Citriodora untuk dijual / For Sale

Nama Pokok / Plant Name: Serai Pedas /  Lemon Myrtle
Nama Saintifik /  Scientific Name: Backhousia Citriodora
Polybag size: 10 inch x 10 inch
Height: 10 - 12 inch
Khasiat: Ubat Kurus dan Penawar Sakit Gastrik
Selling Price: RM 25.00 (Excluding Delivery)
Email: agrobiobiz@gmail.com

Pokok Asam Limau Kerat Lintang /Asam Kiya untuk dijual / Citrus Medica For Sale

Nama Pokok: Asam Limau Kerat Lintang
Nama Lain: Asam Kiya
Nama Saintifik: Citrus Medica
Polybag size: 10 inch x 10 inch
Height: 300mm to 400mm
Selling Price: RM 15.00 (Excluding Delivery)
Email: agrobiobiz@gmail.com

The application of Super Absorbent Polymer in Agriculture (SAP) / Penggunaan Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP) di dalam Pertanian

Advantages of using Super Absorbent Polymer in Agriculture:

• increasing their water-holding capacity,
• increasing water use efficiency
• enhancing soil permeability and infiltration rates
• reducing irrigation frequency
• reducing compaction tendency
• stopping erosion and water run-off
• increasing plant performance (especially in structure -less soils in areas subject to drought). 

For inquiries on Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP), kindly Email: agrobiobiz@gmail.com or Whatsapp/call: 012-3580202

Other alternatives of Bio-Filter for your ponds / alternatif Penapis Bio untuk Kolam Anda

Bio-filter is a filter using ecology or nature to remove toxic from your pond What ever you going to design, bio filter must have the following components: A place or housing under anaerobic condition where denitrifying microbes and fungi can do their works eating dead leaves, fish excretion, uneaten fish food and dead water fauna turning it into ammonia, nitrites and finally nitrates. A system to clean particles in the water (particle filtration system) Plants to absorb the nitrates from the water or by other mean. 

EXAMPLE NO. 1 
FISH POND USING BIO FILTER, SAND FILTER AND CLIMBING PLANTS TO REMOVE NITRATES. 

As per plan and cross section above:- 

• The stone aggregates at the bottom of the pond provide housing for microbes and fungi
• Particles in the water flow through the perforated pipes under the aggregates and filtered by the sand filter 
• Cissus nodosa or thousand roots plant on the pergola sent down their roots to the pond water and absorb the nitrates 
• The open end of HDPE pipes in the pool need to be capped. 
• Try also to plant other plants at the edge of the pond, that can send its root to the water to help removing nitrates and also try to reduce sunlight from reaching the water 

Cissus Nodosa or Thousand Roots plant

EXAMPLE NO.2 

FISH POND USING BIO FILTER, SAND FILTER AND FLOATING PLANTS TO REMOVE NITRATES 

• With the above system usually floating plants will double every fortnightly, it can be a good composed fertilizer 
• Instead of floating plants you can plant hydroponic vegetable in this small pool. 
• Try also to plant other plants at the pool edge , plant that can send its rootdown to the water to help removing nitrates and also try to reduce sunlight from reaching the water. 

EXAMPLE NO.3 

READY MADE AND AVAILABLE IN THE MARKET BIO-FILTER CUM SAND FILTER 

• With the above system you just need a submersible pump to make it works and use plants to get rid of nitrates 
• You still need to reduce the amount of sunlight reaching your pool. 
• You also need a place to hide the system because you may not want it to be near your beautiful pond. Screen can be made of timber or plants. 
• What ever system you want to buy please inform the dealer on your pool size. 
• Water source is also important as you might use well water from peaty area and the filter might have problem treating it. In this case you have to modify the ph of your water first as water from peat area are usually acidic. Add powdered lime (kapur pertanian) and use PH meter to check PH level, too much lime than your water will be too alkaline. 
• If you have tree/trees with small leaves beside your pool, you have to find ways to deal with it , or else it might choked you pump and your filter.  

Bio/ Eclogy filter Pond Construction/ Pembinaan Kolam Penapis Bio/ Ekologi

We had received comments in our ‘Options on treating and maintaining fish pond' blog regarding the construction of bio/ecology filter pond. I hope the following drawings and explanations will make it easier to be understood. Please regard this blog as an extension to the above mentioned blog. 

OPTION NO.1- FIXED SECOND FLOOR WITH PRE-CAST REINFORCED CONCRETE (RC) SLAB MAN HOLE COVER

• Second floor is constructed after all the internal wall and floor of the pool has been applied with 2 coats of water proofing. 
• Lantai kedua dibina selepas semua dinding dan lantai kolam di'water proof' sebanyak dua lapis. 

OPTION NO. 2- REMOVABLE SECOND FLOOR PRE-CAST REINFORCED CONCRETE (RC) SLAB

CAGE FOR PUMP/SANGKAR UNTUK PAM 

You can choose from many materials available in the market. Below is an example of a material can be used, cut it into square or rectangular panels and joint it with cable tie. Banyak bahan yang anda boleh pakai untuk buat sangkar pam, salah satu ialah kepingan penapis plastik kasar seperti gambar di bawah, potongkan jadi kepingan empat segi dan cantumkan guna 'cable tie'. 

Close up view of plastic fiber filter sheet

PIPING/PAIP 

Many DIY pond owner had made fatal mistake by fixing pipes of the wrong size for their fish/landscape pond. Some people provides same size of pipe ; for the pump and for gravity flow from main pond back to filter pond/chamber. Please remember that for 32mm powered pipe it takes at least 100mm pipe on gravity flow to channel the water back to the filter pond. Ada juga tuan rumah DIY yang telah pasang saiz paip yang salah. Sekiranya paip dari pam saiznya 32mm, paip untuk untuk air mengalir dengan kaedah gravity balik ke kolam penapis sekurang kurangnya 100mm.