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The Miracle of National Road 6: The Mango Branch That Survived the Cattle
On the wild stretches of National Road 6, survival is never a guarantee, even behind boundaries. My two mango rootstocks, which I had carefully nurtured in pots, were turned into a wreckage of shattered ceramics and scattered soil by a neighbor’s unruly herd of cattle. It wasn’t just about uprooting trees; it was the…
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Pruning for Survival: The Discipline of Waiting for the Monsoon
Part1. Introduction In the brutal dry season along Cambodia’s Highway 6, gardening is not about encouraging growth; it is about managing decline. Today, I stood between two trees with a pair of shears and a heavy heart. My native mango, a thumb-thick warrior, underwent a radical “decapitation” to save its roots. Meanwhile, my grafted guava,…
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H1: How to Boost Guava Growth in Cambodia’s Hard Red Soil: A Strategic Guide
Introduction | In tropical regions like Siem Reap, having green leaves doesn’t always mean your tree is thriving. My air-layered guava tree looked healthy, but its growth had stagnated. The culprit? The iron-hard red soil of Cambodia that acts like a cage for young roots.These trial plants are my primary samples for testing how air-layered…
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Reflections on Harvesting Rice During the Farming Season
H1. A Changing Harvest Season in Cambodia In past years, this time of year usually marked the end of the rainy season. This year, however, intermittent rain continued longer than expected. Once the rain finally stopped, it became the ideal window for harvesting rice. One sunny morning, while visiting a friend, I joined him in…
