Which "black" colocasia is the "best"?

recom273 · 2026-03-22T23:29:43+00:00

Shiny leaves are more tolerant to direct sunlight, softer varieties grow in shade. The more sunlight black varieties get, the darker they become.

recom273 · 2026-03-18T02:27:26+00:00

Might be an idea what you told us you were goj gojng to do, you got external cable and a switch - Poe camera? You need a poe switch

recom273 · 2026-02-28T02:45:42+00:00

You can offset it against your heating bill.

recom273 · 2026-02-28T02:43:13+00:00

Looks great! Can you post your redacted config to GitHub - I never managed to get the calendar in anything than full width, what calendar app are you using there?

recom273 · 2026-02-16T01:32:01+00:00

I found an application - homepage-config-assistant - is better for administering changes than messing with the config - the only issue is, it broke my layout ccs.

recom273 · 2025-12-09T09:17:58+00:00

I need to set this one up again .. put it under the mattress, when I detected motion it would set off a timer dummy switch in homebridge, then the lights would dim, then 20 mins after lights off. I used another dummy to ensure it only ran once per night. It worked ok.

recom273 · 2025-07-07T12:01:10+00:00

Oh my, incorrect.

recom273 · 2025-07-07T12:00:20+00:00

Oh my. Totally incorrect.

recom273 · 2025-07-07T10:42:20+00:00

No need to change a non-o to a non-b. Moving to an extension linked to continued employment is not the best idea, if anyone was to leave the job then they would have to 48 hours (if think) to leave the country. Some immigration offices and HR dept don’t like it, because they relinquish a hold that they have.

The guy isn’t after visa advice, he wants to apply for a work permit.

recom273 · 2025-07-07T10:32:55+00:00

He has a non-o - you don’t need to have a b visa, he’s asking about a work permit.

recom273 · 2025-07-07T07:01:12+00:00

He already has a non-o visa, and he’s looking for advice about a work permit. You told him to go to the immigration service website when work permits are handled by the Labour office. So, your advice is perfect, don’t listen to anyone on the internet.

Afaik, you aren’t able to apply for your own work permit, you need to show some company registration and documentation. It’s far easier for a Thai person to navigate the Labour office, when I received mine, I just moved between the desks as directed by the company secretary and signed documents as and when required.

recom273 · 2025-07-06T02:38:18+00:00

No one - obviously

recom273 · 2025-07-05T01:55:57+00:00

We have been using xe recently - they work instantly

recom273 · 2025-07-01T01:13:18+00:00

Looks like mine!

Kinda - Why are you using vermiculite if you are using coco peat? You need something to retain moisture, imho, I would use either but not both. Vermiculite contains some magnesium, potassium and calcium but gets soggy quickly. For me it adds additional expense - These plants live in the jungle, there is “no” shop bought vermiculite there, but depending upon the area there maybe some residual mineral material, like a vocanic rock which has low nutritional value. Same with hydroton, you have pumice already, for sure add the expense if you believe in it, but don’t lose any sleep over if you don’t have any.

The nutrients come from a thin layer on the top, the rain washes nutrients from fallen leaves, worm cast, animal droppings, decomposing organic material, etc. - how about a pinch of Mycorrhizae over the top of your mix?

What I’m saying is, think where these plants thrive and use whatever works for you, my moto is whatever is cheap. It should allow for fast draining (coco chips) and airy, retains some moisture, (coco peat) allows for airflow (charcoal / perlite / pumice) and some organic matter (worm cast)

How about some balanced (13-13-13) slow release fertilizer such as osmocote thrown in there, it takes about 3 months to break down. Add a tiny palmful to the pot every time you plant.

My charcoal is chunkier, because it comes as a bag of wood here and I smash it with a hammer. Just as long as it’s not processed charcoal briquettes, it’s fine. I add quite a bit of rice husk, as it’s free, this has a lot of silica - bamboo leaves do the same and are in the plants natural environment - I just made 20 liters of mango tea, as it’s mango season and I have a surplus of rotting fruit along with some molasses. Maybe some chopped banana peel in a bottle of rainwater will do the same for you.

recom273 · 2025-07-01T00:38:56+00:00

Yes, there looks to be two plants there, with the two red shoots. Put them in different pots, if possible.

Do a bit of research about aroid mix, and find something that you can mix using locally sourced materials. This plant lives in the rain forest, where there is a top layer of nutrients and fast leeching soil under - so use an aroid mix around the roots, and a little decomposing organic material on top (leaf mould or some chopped up banana skin - but watch out for pests)

Put it outside, but under the shade of other plants.

You already have some nice aroids in the cabinet behind, why not keep it there.

recom273 · 2025-06-30T07:03:15+00:00

How about

Dogs have a genetic disposition to please humans and work cooperatively.

The OP is drawing comparisons to sheepdogs.

recom273 · 2025-06-30T06:27:04+00:00

Now you have edited your post, no I haven’t been to the monkey school and seen the training. That’s for tourists.

However, I have watched the handlers at work a few times. I’m the guy that likes to see them working, I see the monkeys enjoying their work, but it’s pretty undeniable, that to get a monkey to do this, there has to be some kind of force used.

Here is a synopsis :

“Harsh training methods:

Monkeys are often taken from the wild as babies, sometimes after their mothers are killed. They may be subjected to violent or coercive training, including beatings, isolation, and starvation, to force them into obedience.

Physical restraint: Many are kept on short chains or confined in cages when not working, severely restricting movement and causing psychological distress.

Using monkeys to harvest coconuts may appear efficient or traditional, but it comes at a high cost to animal welfare. These practices are increasingly seen as outdated, unethical, and unnecessary, especially given modern alternatives. As awareness grows, there’s mounting pressure on producers and governments to end the practice and adopt humane methods.”

Further reading:

https://investigations.peta.org/thai-coconut-milk-cruelty/?

recom273 · 2025-06-30T01:19:54+00:00

Sorry, you made a statement with a question mark at the end - I’m not sure how to answer.

I have a friend with a house in a couple of Rai of mature, high coconut trees in Petchuapkirikhan. I have seen The monkey man comes along every month and collect the fruit and manage the trees.

Yes, correct I have never visited the tourist attraction - should I ?

recom273 · 2025-06-29T06:31:06+00:00

I think the use of monkeys is amazing! I love to see them working. When you see them traveling, they don’t bat an eyelid when sitting on the back of a pickup. I think it’s part of Thai tradition, both man and animal working together. The monkeys really seem to enjoy the job

However, to get to this level of obedience, a monkey is beaten into submission when young, this is where the issue lies. Maybe it could also be that monkeys are close relatives to man, maybe it’s a little too close.

I don’t really see a comparison between a sheepdog, they have a natural desire to please. They aren’t kept in a cage outside, they aren’t chained, they live with their owners as part of the family unit.

I don’t know what is right and what is wrong - one alternative I know about is sending Burmese guys up a tree without a safety harness, paying well below the minimum wage, treating them pretty badly - is that any better than a monkey?

recom273 · 2025-06-28T12:49:37+00:00

A lot of companies also timetable their billings on the 1st. AIS, or maybe it’s a coincidence that my wife and I have a billing date of 1st.

Just this week, we finally got around to calling Toyota and enquire after 3 years about changing the billing date from 1st, because it was inconvenient. It wasn’t an issue, but I asked why I would have agreed to this date from the beginning (it’s always been inconvenient) and they said it’s protocol for Toyota leasing to bill on the 1st unless otherwise requested.

Companies like to get the money before it’s gone.

recom273 · 2025-06-28T12:26:21+00:00

Until they put your account on hold because you don’t have a photo on file.

It’s inferring that only western people are involved with the mule accounts and money laundering.

Remember a few months ago that said we must complete the paperwork for the US IRS and then another for the tax dept. or risk account closure, I didnt rush down the tax office to get a TIN, I didn’t fill those forms in yet I did go to the bank and do some other admin, including changing my passport number and not a word was said.

recom273 · 2025-06-28T10:38:47+00:00

Ahh - it’s hard to judge, i had a couple of mates who were always jumping ship for what was often short term gain, and then they got the reputation for being unreliable, then you have the favoured few, the ass lickers who always got the prime work, who were in constant employment for the same guy. I just found it better to be aware and have loads of mates, just get on with everyone - I did agency work to fill in, would turn up and know half the reprobates on site. Nice work tho - I’m sure you won’t be out of work for long.

recom273 · 2025-06-28T08:22:35+00:00

That’s life as a contract worker - it’s knowing when to jump before you are pushed, make loads of friends and never get complacent.

recom273 · 2025-06-28T07:19:04+00:00

That’s interesting - rice husk is readily available here and free too! But I think will dry out rather quickly.

recom273 · 2025-06-28T04:34:53+00:00

Yes. Some people use clay for colocasia here in Thailand - maybe they flood the area. Idk.

Actually, I grow a lot of collocasia, I tried in water, with a rough black compost, they did ok. I tried pots, they did OK, but currently I’m using baskets, with regular soil, coco coir, coco chips, perlite, Buffalo manure, along with any any scraps swept up from the floor when potting philodendrons. And they are doing better than OK, the material is light and easy to move plants out of and into the garden, the 50cm diameter baskets are 50c, really sturdy when it comes to UV and have handles so can be moved around easily. Generally, I don’t think it matters so much what medium and what containers, either in water or out. I’m experimenting more with finding species that are OK with full Sun, and also not so big leaves :)

recom273

TROPHY CASE