Root Awakening: Redroot Pigweed is edible
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The Redroot Pigweed is a relative of the Chinese spinach or bayam.
PHOTO: JEN YANG
Redroot pigweed is edible
I found this plant in my garden. Is this a vegetable? Can it be eaten?
Jen Yang
This plant is botanically known as Amaranthus retroflexus. Its common name is Redroot Pigweed. It is a relative of the Chinese spinach or bayam, which is commonly eaten as a leafy vegetable in Singapore.
The Redroot Pigweed is edible. Pluck the young leaves for cooking, as they will be more tender. It can grow quite tall and produces seeds which you can collect to grow new plants.
Beetle grubs common in growing mixes containing immature compost
I found these worms in my potted soil. Are they harmful? Where do they come from?
Audrey Ng
This is a beetle larva, an organism which is a key part of plant matter decomposition. Its presence indicates that your growing mix contains organic matter that has not been fully composted.
Depending on the number of beetle larvae and the size of your plants, the pests may damage your plants' root systems. For now, try to manually remove them from your growing mix if you see them. They will go away once the organic matter in the mix has broken down completely.
Moving forward, use potting mixes from reputable brands. If you want to incorporate compost into your mix, use material that has been fully broken down.
Vegetables infested with leaf miners
I have been growing vegetables in boxes, using potting soil mixed with compost. My first crop was fine. However, my second crop of mustard greens (kuak chye) had white and black vein-like growths, which gradually covered the entire leaf and led to it wilting. What went wrong?
Gan Boey Keow
The leaves of your vegetable plants have been infested with leaf miners. The adults are small flying insects which lay eggs on leaves. Leaf miners can be difficult to control in an open garden. To reduce the infestation rate, try setting up a tent-like enclosure using a fine white netting to prevent insects from reaching the plants.
You can also use store-bought sticky traps that will attract and immobilise the adult insects. However, these can also trap beneficial fauna.
Try making your own traps by using plastic yellow boards (available for sale in stationery shops) and applying petroleum jelly on the surfaces. These traps are less sticky but good enough to trap small flying insects. Re-apply the petroleum jelly if it is washed away by rain. Such approaches are more sustainable in the long term than using pesticide, and do not leave chemical residue.
Flowering plant is the arabian jasmine
I bought this plant from the supermarket, but the label had no name on it. What is it? I have placed it at my balcony, which receives direct sunlight for a couple of hours in the morning, and I have been watering it every other day. Recently, some leaves have wilted and some flower buds have turned brown. How should I take care of this plant?
Ing Chi Tay
The plant is the Arabian jasmine (botanical name: Jasminum sambac), which produces scented white flowers. If the plant is exposed to the elements, the flowers may have turned brown due to injury caused by rain.
As for the twigs and leaves, your plant may be infected with a fungal or bacterial disease - this can be caused by wet feet at the roots if the soil is compacted or if you water it too often without letting the soil dry out between sessions.
Diseased stems have a discoloured interior when they are sliced open. The exact identification of the cause, if any, may require a laboratory test.
You should prune infected parts, but sterilise your cutting tools before using them on other plants so the disease does not spread. As a preventive measure, spray the plant with a chemical fungicide that is available from local nurseries.
Ensure that the plant receives sufficient sunlight and is not overwatered. The growing mix should be well-drained and not compacted.
Lastly, check if you have an infestation of chewing pests, like caterpillars. These pests can consume softer parts of the plant and cause them to wilt. Some species of caterpillars hide within a cover of dead plant tissues held together. You can find their waste, which appears as small black pellets, around the base of the plant. If the infestation is minor, you can remove the caterpillars individually without the use of pesticides.
Pineapple plants grown from crowns can take a long time to fruit
I have two pots of pineapple plants which I planted more than two years ago, but they have not produced fruit. What is wrong?
Lee Cee Chee
Did you start your pineapple plants with leafy crowns taken from the top of the fruit? This is the most common way home gardeners start their pineapple plants.
It is reportedly a slow way to get this plant to fruit. The process can take up to 28 months or more, depending on the cultivar and growing conditions. Your plant should also be grown under direct sunlight.
Another way of propagating a pineapple plant is to take and replant the suckers that emerge between the leaves after the mother plant has fruited.
Forcing a pineapple plant to flower is not easy for home gardeners here, due to limited access to chemicals that can be used to produce ethylene gas, or other plant hormones that can trigger flowering.
- Answers by Dr Wilson Wong, an NParks-certified practising horticulturist, parks manager and ISA-certified arborist. 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@sph.com.sg. We reserve the right to edit and reject questions.
- Join Dr Wong at two free online talks: Edible Gardening Ideas For Kids (March 26, 2 to 2.45pm, register here) and Gardening Q&A (March 26, 3 to 3.45pm, register here). Registration closes on March 23.
