Hello everyone! Welcome back to our farm visit diaries! This time, we flew from the bustling city of KL to the serene paddy fields of Kedah! We started our day at Mr. Oh Phart's farm which is located in Baling, Kedah. Mr. Oh is one of the most active farmers in our community group, and we're grateful for his enthusiastic participation!
Mr. Oh Phart - Baling, Kedah
A little background on Mr. Oh - he manages his 3-acre farm all by himself, part-time! His main crops are durians, including the famous Musang King and Black Thorn varieties. Most of his trees are still young, just 1 year old, and they haven't started bearing fruits yet. But we're excited to see what the future holds for his farm!
Watch our full interview with him below:
One of the main challenges Mr. Oh is facing is the soil condition of his land. It's Laterite soil type, and to make matters worse, this area experiences frequent soil erosion. So, he can't clear some of the grass to avoid increasing the chances of landslides. On top of that, the water in his area is quite acidic, which means he has to put in extra effort to monitor the soil pH. It's not an easy task, but Mr. Oh is determined to find solutions for these challenges and make his farm thrive!
Due to the geographical challenges of his area, where his land is hilly, Mr. Oh needs to drill quite a distance to access underground water sources. Therefore, he uses this pond to temporarily store tap water and pump it up the hill. It's a clever solution to tackle the water scarcity issue on his farm!
Mr. Oh: I always explore YouTube to learn more about durian farming, especially the planting methods from Thailand and Vietnam. I learn mostly through trial and error.
Mr. Oh: I try to use fewer chemicals on my land and mostly opt for organic fertilizer. I want to go "Back to Nature". It's a bit challenging to get cow dung in my area, so I use chicken dung instead.
Yap Shi: Using chicken dung requires caution. Any livestock manure or compost should be handled carefully, especially when applied as semi-composted fertilizer. If not fully composted, they can compete for oxygen with the plant's roots, leading to oxygen deficiency and weakening of the plants over time.
Mr. Oh: Anybody using fertigation for durian?
Agronomist:It's less common, mostly in Johor, and it does come with a high cost. There's one durian farm located in Johor that did use fertigation for durian planting, but only in a small acreage. The initial investment on pipes and water systems is quite high, and the water-soluble fertilizer used in fertigation can be 2-3 times more expensive than normal fertilizer.
Click here to learn more about fertigation systems.
Mr. Oh has an interesting approach to his durian plantation. He uses kampung durian as the root stock and then does grafting, which makes the trees more stable and adaptable to Malaysia's soil and weather. Not only are they more resistant to diseases, but there's a catch - the taste of these durian fruits will be different from the famous varieties like Black Thorn and Musang King. It's a unique twist, but we're eager to see how it turns out!
Once again, thank you Mr. Oh for hosting the farm visit. Despite the heavy rain, we had an exciting adventure at your farm. We hope our advice is useful, and we wish you a bountiful fruit harvest in the near future!