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Straits Times
16-05-2025
- General
- Straits Times
Root Awakening: Avoid over-pruning jambu plant
It is best to nurture a new fruit tree from a graft or air-layered branch from a mature plant. PHOTO: JOHN LEE Plant will remain vegetative without light I have been growing this jambu plant for about five years, but it has not flowered or fruited. What is wrong? John Lee When it comes to fruit trees, it is best to nurture a plant that is raised from a graft or air-layered branch taken from a mature, fruiting tree. This ensures that the plant will flower and fruit reliably. Seed-grown plants can be unpredictable. Also, ensure your plant is grown in a sunny spot, as the plant will remain vegetative when not given sufficient light. Give it space to thrive and avoid over-pruning the plant, as it produces flowers seasonally in new growth. Constant drastic pruning will prevent it from flowering, as it will channel its efforts towards producing vegetative growth. Avoid overwatering, apply fungicide to Cypress The plant may have been overwatered or buried too deeply. PHOTO: PHILIP HO My small pine trees seem to be dying. The leaves are turning brown. Should I water them more or move them to the shade? Philip Ho Your plants could be a cultivar of Cupressus, commonly known as Cypress. The decline could be due to a number of reasons. First, check if you have buried your plant too deeply. The base of the stem should not be topped up with growing media, as it will cause the collar to be wet at all times, leading to disease. Remove excessive soil where needed. Second, cypresses in general are difficult to grow in Singapore's wet, humid climate. Consider moving the plant under a clear shelter so it will be shielded from rain but still get enough sunlight. Allow the root zone to dry out between watering sessions. Third, provide sufficient air circulation. The dense canopy can trap moisture, leading to fungal issues that can kill the foliage. At this stage, you may need to apply fungicides, which are available at local nurseries, to improve the situation. Stress can cause Alocasia to go dormant or decline Many alocasia cultivars are sensitive to a wet root zone and need porous growing media. PHOTO: HASSAN ALI I bought a small Alocasia from the supermarket. After a month, I transplanted it into a 20cm pot, including the repotting soil, rice husks and dried banana peel. I have placed the pot at my balcony, where it gets morning sun. Is there a botanical explanation why the leaves remain evergreen? Hassan Ali You have done a good job keeping your Alocasia alive. Its leaves are green as you seem to have achieved all the optimal conditions for it to thrive. Alocasia go dormant or decline with stress. Many cultivars are sensitive to a wet root zone and need porous growing media. Overwatering or moisture-retentive soil can cause the corm (underground storage organ) to rot. High-rise growing conditions are also conducive for pest infestations, such as by spider mites. Orchids are being eaten by caterpillars When the caterpillars become adults, the problem should resolve itself. PHOTO: LAU WAI LEONG My orchid's flowers have been devoured by small, slug-like creatures that blend with the petals. They have what appear to be black mouths, snouts and claws. What are they and how do I get rid of them? Lau Wai Leong Your orchid flowers seem to have been eaten by caterpillars. These pests can be transient – after the current population becomes adults, the problem will resolve itself. The next flowering may or may not be affected. As such, regular preventive spraying of pesticides may not be necessary, and will be expensive and harmful to you and the environment. If really needed, pesticides such as Dipel and abamectin, which are available for sale at local nurseries, are effective in controlling caterpillars. Inspect your plants regularly for the presence of pests and act promptly before the damage becomes extensive. Once spotted, a few caterpillars can be removed easily using a pair of pincers, which is cheaper and more environment-friendly than applying pesticides. Propagate Fiddle-leaf Fig via air-layering This plant is not easily grown from stem-cuttings or in water. PHOTO: JOCELYN NG How do I propagate my old plant? A new branch has sprouted after daily drops of diluted fertiliser at the top of the stem. Do I cut it off from the old stem or cut it off together with the old stem? Should I root it in soil or water? Jocelyn Ng The Fiddle-leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata) is usually propagated via air-layering, where roots form on a new plant's stem while it is still attached to the parent plant. You can refer to online videos on how to do so. This plant is not easily grown from stem-cuttings or in water. Answers by Dr Wilson Wong, an NParks-certified practising horticulturist and parks manager. He is the founder of Green Culture Singapore and an adjunct assistant professor (Food Science & Technology) at the National University of Singapore. Have a gardening query? E-mail it with clear, high-resolution pictures of at least 1MB, if any, and your full name to stlife@ We reserve the right to edit and reject questions. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
National Geographic
18-02-2025
- Science
- National Geographic
The Viking age is welcoming a new kind of hero: women
This line of scientific research soon got more complicated, however. In 2017, Hedenstierna-Jonson and nine of her colleagues published their DNA study on the Birka woman in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. To their surprise, the eight-page report, which was peppered with phrases like 'epiphyseal union' and 'nucleotide positions,' set off a firestorm. While some Viking specialists were impressed by the research, others took strong issue with it. Some critics suggested, for example, that the Birka grave may have originally contained both a male warrior and a female companion and that the skeleton of the male was removed at some point. But there was no evidence at all to show that a second body was ever interred in the grave. Other researchers raised a more theoretical objection. The dead, they noted, did not bury themselves. Mourners, they suggested, could well have placed a trove of costly weapons belonging to the dead woman's father or husband in the grave as symbols of the woman's high status. But other evidence clearly indicated that the weapons were hers. Some old Scandinavian poems, for example, explicitly described the practice of mourners burying dead warriors with their weapons. Besides, no one had suggested that all the weapons in the Birka grave were merely family heirlooms when the skeleton was thought to be male, so why bring up that idea now? In Norse mythology, war was not just a male domain. Female figures, like the fearsome Valkyries, were also linked to combat. Viking artifacts depicting them are few, which makes this gilded figurine, found in Denmark and dating to around A.D. 800, extraordinary—not only for its rarity but also for how it shows that women with weapons were accepted. JOHN LEE, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF DENMARK Stunned by the reaction, Hedenstierna-Jonson and several other researchers decided to expand their investigation of the famous grave. Some team members pored over historical records for even brief mentions of Viking warrior women. Perhaps the most intriguing reference came from the 12th-century text Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh—The War of the Irish With the Foreigners. In it, an Irish writer recorded the names of 16 Viking commanders who led attacks on the region of Munster in the mid-900s. Among these military leaders was a Viking woman, Inghen Ruiadh', whose name means 'Red Girl' or 'Red Daughter.' (The name may have come from the color of her hair.) She was clearly an important figure. 'She's a Viking, she's a captain of a ship, and she's the commander of a fleet,' Uppsala University archaeologist Neil Price, a member of the team, told me. ('100-year find': Enormous Viking ship holds surprising clues on burial rituals.) Hedenstierna-Jonson and her colleagues took a closer look at the goods in the famous Birka burial. What was particularly striking was the equestrian character of the grave. Although the Vikings are best known for their seafaring abilities, prosperous families in the North bred horses for riding and for work on their farms. The Birka woman likely came from just such a privileged background, and several clues pointed to her equestrian abilities. The hinged position of her skeleton suggested that she had been buried in a seated position—possibly on a saddle, whose wood and padding had rotted away, leaving only the iron stirrups found by her feet. Moreover, one of the horse skeletons on the ledge was bridled, as if ready to be ridden. In addition, the grave contained other equestrian gear, including what was likely a large currycomb. The battle gear arranged around the warrior's skeleton also told a story. The arrows, for example, were specially designed to pierce an enemy's armor—these were not for show. The other weaponry in the grave—shields, spears, double-edged sword, broadax, and battle-knife—suggested that the warrior woman was also highly trained in several forms of attack, including hand-to-hand combat. Other clues, including part of a silver coin minted by the Abbasid Caliphate, a sprawling Muslim empire whose capital lay in what is now Baghdad, linked the woman to the lucrative Viking trade in the East. And an analysis of the clothing fragments discovered in the grave revealed a distinctively Eastern style of dress. She was buried in a spectacular Eurasian-steppe style of riding coat, trimmed with silk and possibly ornamented with small pieces of mirror glass to catch the light. She also wore a costly silk cap decorated with a silver tassel and four small silver balls. Both the style and the materials inferred that it was likely manufactured in the Viking settlement of Kyiv, which was perched along a major river route leading to Constantinople. At historical reenactment festivals like Sletten and Viking Days, held annually in Denmark, Scandinavian women embody the variety of roles their female ancestors played. Here, Christina D. Fotos wields a spear and Tinna Riis Nielsen makes glass beads over a flame. Taken together, the clothing pointed to a very important person with strong connections to the East. Indeed, comparative research by Scandinavian archaeologist and textile specialist Inga Hägg suggested that individuals buried in such distinctive hats were likely cavalry commanders who reported directly to a king or prince—a theory the researcher proposed before the occupant of the famous grave was identified as a woman. ('Denmark's salvation'? Runestones hint at Viking queen's power.)
