Soft Opening of Arid and Aroids Living Gallery in Cavite

It was sunny day on May 29 when we visited the soft opening of Arid and Aroids ( AA) Living gallery in Cavite. Traffic was moderate along Mindanao Avenue exit within Barangay Talipapa, Novaliches, Quezon City.

It took us a little over 2 hours traversing the newly opened Metro Manila skyway en route to the province.

This is one of the three known farm location of Arid and Aroids, San Rafael in Bulacan and in Quezon province.

l-r Dr. Jae Silvestre, Mr. Boyet Ganigan and Mayor Socorro ” Corie” Rosario Poblete of Silang , Cavite province

Arid and Aroids Living Gallery

Arid and Aroid Living Gallery entrance

Arid and Aroids Living Gallery is like a living botanic collection of over 30 years by the dynamic tandem of Mr. Boyet Ganigan, Dr. Jae Silvestre and their families. The rare plants is collected from all over the world and meticulously propagated under their farms.

A lot of their plants are award winning collection and highly coveted by many collectors not just in the country but the rest of the world.

The last time we have visited the farm was for the Christmas salu-salo way back in 2019. The 1 hectare location is slowly being developed into world class attraction ideal venue location for pre-wedding nuptial photo, wedding location, intimate parties, outdoor garden setting, corporate events, product launching, debut among others.

The natural contour and landscape setting makes it different from other venue places in the province.

One of the invited guest suggested at they can also open a bar or an art gallery of paintings. There are also in house promo and raffle draw for those guests and buyers. The overall mood was festive but subtle due to the covid 2019 restrictions under general community quarantine with restrictions at National Capital Region plus Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna area.

Celebrity Guests

Mr. Troy Montero and Ms. Aubrey Miles

Mayor Socorro ” Corrie” Rosario Poblete, Vice Mayor Aidel Paul G. Belamide, some councilors and barangay officials were the special guests of honor.

We also happen to see the well known social media and fellow blogger Plant Chaser ( Atty. Bom Gomez) who went together with his daughter.

Mr. Troy Montero and Ms. Aubrey Santos Sandel, Ms. Gretchen Fullido, Mr. Emilio Yap III of Manila Bulletin were among the special guests during the soft opening.

Mr. Boyet Ganigan along with Mr. Emil Yap III and companion during the soft opening

Since strict protocol and health guidelines were in place, there were few on the guest lists. But this is very promising, The place is located within 20 kilometers from Tagaytay City.

La Dexie’s Catering Services

The guests, buyers and friends of Arid and Aroid were treated to a whole day of fun, camaraderie and food. The lunch meal were catered by La Dexie’s Catering Service from Cainta, Rizal province.

#10 Corona Street, Brookside Hills Subdivision, Cainta, Rizal province

Contact : 0920-919-2033 / Landline 8655-5867 or 8656-3894

AA Living Gallery – Address Barangay Tartaria , Silang Cavite

Operations : Everyday 8:00am to 5:00pm by appointment

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Great Mushroom Dishes at VC Teodoro Farm

VC Teodoro Integrate Farm is not your typical farm. This farm had mushroom, rabbits, fruit trees, vegetables,poultry and ornamental plants within the property.

Ms. Vicky Teodoro picking osyter mushroom 

This is our first stop at the Lakad Pamana advocacy and farm tour. The farm is slowly getting noticed by local government units, schools and private individuals. There are also guided tours and package meals that are available.

l-r mushroom sisig, mushroom lumpia ( deep fried mushroom spring roll),  fried mushroom and mushroom goto. (photo courtesy of Ms. Jenny See)

Among the specialties served was mushroom goto, deep fried lumpia ( made from mushroom) , mushroom tempura and mushroom sisig.

The fried lumpia and fried oyster mushroom is best paired with Paombong vinegar ( Sukang Paombong) dip. It is crispy and one will not know that it is made from mushroom.

vloggers, bloggers, media group photo ( courtesy of Ms. Jenny See)

The group had a short tour of the farm and had a great time picking some mushroom. The farm had some mushroom chicharon, fresh mushroom which can be bought at farm gate prices.

The farm also have some rabbits, native chickens and pigs.

VC Teodoro Integrated Farm

Address: San Pedro Highway Bustos, Bulacan

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VCTeodoroIntergratedFarm/

 

 

Paradizoo : A Haven for Nature Lovers and Best Practices in Agriculture

Mendez, Cavite province – Philippines

entrance

Zoomanity Group the leading Company in theme park industry is part of the Yupangco Group of Companies.  The farm is located in the town of Mendez in Cavite province. It is about 2 and 1/2 hour drive from Makati City .  Paradizoo is a 10 hectares farm with 2 more hectares to be develop ( total farm area is 12-hectares ) . The farm  apply the BEST Practices in agriculture especially in farming like vermi-culture  , bokashi soil, hydroponics and putting up compost pits .

WELCOME Pavilion or  Paradizoo Cafe

What is Bokashi Composting?

Bokashi composting is proven safe, convenient, and quick way to compost food waste in your kitchen, garage, or apartment.

Bokashi means fermented organic matter in Japanese. Bokashi composting uses a selected group of microorganisms to anaerobically ferment organic waste. The microorganisms are applied using a impregnation carrier such as wheat bran.

bokashicomposting :http://bokashicomposting.com/

rabbits nibbling on grass

The farm had several animals being reared like rabbits.  Some are also for sale.

fish spa

One can have a foot spa for Php 60.00 which can last between 30 minutes to 1 hour.

bloggers enjoyed hand- fed budgerigars

The budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) is one of the birds being captively- breed in the facilities . For a minimal fee, the public can hand feed the animals.

miniature horses

a participant feeding a goat

One of the favorite attractions in Paradizoo is the FARM FRENZY.  It is an area where guest can cuddle animals such as rabbits , hamsters ,  budgerigars  . Be amazed by the farm collection of Dorper sheep , Boer, Kalahari  and Saanen diry goats , Rusa and turkeys from Australia which are also for sale.

flower garden

The flower garden show the  different color contrast and different varieties of flowering plants and herbal plants like marigold, mayana, dog fennel, kuyapo neatly arranged .

PerPETual Park- Pet Cemetery

Pet lovers and Animals lovers have a reason to bury their pets .  The farm will soon be offering”  pet columbary ” , a comforting means of expressing a lasting tribute to you favorite pet by selecting a burial plot and a permanent marker in marble or in granite .

flowering zinnias

butterflies and bloom

herbs and plants for sale

beehives

The farm also produces honey and other bee by-products such as beeswax . It had several bee colony and bees are such an important insects which aid the blooming plants in pollination.

lettuces grown in hydroponic

violet colored-lettuces planted in rows

“Plant Me Home” experience, where you can select and pick vegetables and flowers from garden plots to take home. It’s a destination for pleasure, learning and healthy living.

strawberries

Semi-terete vandas , dancing lady orchids ( oncidium hybrids) , white cattleyas , Dendrobium hybrid are planted around the Orchid Pavilion.

white cattleyas

 Solanum mammosum or mickey mouse plant

Utong is a coarse and branched half-woody plant, prickly or unarmed, growing to a height of 0.4 to 1 meter. Stems are prickly and covered with soft short hairs. The fruits resembles the popular Disney character mickey mouse hence plant and horticulture lovers nickname them as such. The fruits are also favorite among flower arrangers because of its orange color and unique shape.

Popularly  called mickey mouse , utong , talong susu, tagotong , apple of Sodom

jackfruit tree with fruits

Most of the trees, flowering plants and animals along the pathway  were properly tagged . For some city dwellers and even school children who may not have seen actual flowering plants and fruit bearing trees , the signage is very important and educational too.

ornamental plants like bromeliad  top and boat plant

a Bromeliad and boat plant  (Rheo discolor ) locally called bangka-bangkaan , oyster plant add beauty and color to the landscape, this is also a practical way to save space ( vertical landscaping ) and practical way to using used plastic cups .

Website : http://stuartxchange.com/BangkaBangkaan.html

* Note : I must ” Thank” Engineer Grace Nicolas-Bondad, Mr. JB L. Badon, Filipino Health Bloggers and the rest of the Zoomanity staffs for the warm accommodation to the group.

Website : http://zoomanity.com.ph

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/zoomanitygroup

Paradizoo

Address: Km. 63 Panungyan Road, Mendez, Cavite, Philippines

General Inquiries:

     • Call : (02) 899-9595 local 344

     • Text : (0918) 503-3399 (Smart)

                 (0928) 808-5555 (Smart)

     • Fax : (02) 899-9829

     • Email : info@zoomanity.com.ph

Marketing Department

     • Call : (02) 899-9824/ 895-7142/ 898-3695/899-9828

     • Text : (0928) 808-5555 (Smart)

     • Email: reservation@zoomanity.com.ph

Event/ Promo/ Advertising Department:

     • (02) 899-9595 local 344

     • Email : promo_inquiry@zoomanity.com.ph

                  zoomanityg@gmail.com

Dr. Roberto E. Coronel exotic fruit farm tour

RC Fruit Nursery 9945 Mt. Maikiling Street ,Los Baños Subdivision ,Los Baños Laguna -Philippines

participants buying exotic fruits and rare trees

After the tree walk, our group  went to the house of Dr. Roberto E.  Coronel for a mid- morning day treat, book signing and a hunt of rare and exotic trees and plants on sale.

Dr. Roberto E. Coronel signs an autograph

Due to the heavy monsoon rains during the past few days, the group was not able to went to the Calauan, Laguna  farm of Dr. Coronel, but instead he hosted the group in his house in Los Baños.   Majority of the prarticipants are backyard and small farm owners searching for valuable planting items .

Dr. Roberto E. Coronel author of  ” The Edible Fruits and Nuts of the RC Fruit Conservation Farm ” December 2011 and Collector’s Connection / writer Mr. Lawrence Chan in a book signing ceremonies during the tour.
Email : recoronel1939@yahoo.com
Cellphone # (0918-573-3378)
Land line: (049) 536-1919
Fruit Farm: Mabacan , Calauan, Laguna
Cellphone # (0921)966-1255

tarpaulin poster

The RC ” Fruit Conservation Farm ” is a four hectare coconut plantation located at the foothills of Mt. Mateo in Mabacan , Calauan , Laguna . When he acquired the area in 1986 , it was then called RC farm .

participants   buying tree sapling  while seeds of betel  nut palm were distributed to interested growers

At the same time that the coconut palms were being rehabilitated . Rambutan, Lanzones and other fruit bearing trees were inter-cropped with the coconut which was planted at 7 meter x 7 meter . At present , the farm grows about 200 fruits and nuts species from all over the tropical regions of the world. About 44 species are endemic/ indigenous to the Philippines . 73 species are from tropical Asia, 80 species from tropical America and 8 species are from tropical Africa .

RCF Gold Abiu

Abiu or Abio ( Pouteria caimito ) is a tropical fruit from the Amazonian area of  South America. It has a creamy and jelly-like texture and its taste is similar to the sapodilla — a sweet caramel like custard. Sometimes  people in the Philippines would call this as caimitong dilaw ( yellow caimito) .  The flesh and taste is very similar to caimito ( star fruit/ tar fruit ) which was introduced to the country during the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade in the late 16th century.

Unlike the ordinary caimito , abiu , abio or abyo  is still rare in the Philippines, This fruit tree is grown  for curiosity and mostly on a backyard scale .  The price of the fruit is still higher than the caimito since there are few growers . Because of its taste, this exotic fruit from South America holds a promising market in the Philippines.

According to Dr. Coronel  , which introduced the fruit to the country in 1986 via Australia , There might be two or three types  of Abiu in the Philippines. one produces round fruits while another bears fruit with pointed tip. Usually the one with pointed tip produces bigger fruits. Some fruits may weigh 350 grams although most are smaller. On the other hand, the round fruits are generally smaller although some of the round fruits may also weight 300, grams each. the third type my have been from Colombian origin and the tree is smaller compared to the 2 other types.

rows of succulents , cacti and adenium form part of plant collections of Dr. Roberto E. Coronel

The farm also grows about 120 improved fruit cultivars  , many of which are registered with the National Seed Industry Council of the Department of Agriculture . Four of these cultivars have been selected in the farm. They are RCF Gold Abiu, RCF Morado starapple, RCF Purple Avocado and RCF Mauve ( Red ) Sugar apple.

Coco de Mer fruit

Coco de Mer  also called Double Coconut or Sea Coconut (Lodoicea maldivica), the sole member of the genus Lodoicea, is a palm endemic  to Praslin, Curieuse in the Seychelles  . It formerly also was found on St Pierre, Chauve-Souris and Ile Ronde (Round Island, an islet near Praslin) in the Seychelles group, but has become extinct on these islands. The name of the genus, Lodoicea, is derived from Lodoicus, the Latinized   form of Louis, in honour of King Louis XV of France .

Madam Charito holds the rare fruit of  Coco de Mer

Uses:

Aside from being grown as a curiosity plant in the Philippines, This palm is still considered rare in the country with few specialized growers. Some of the old coco de mer palms had been introduced into the country from Maldives , Thailand , Seychelles  and Madagascar from Filipinos who were assigned  in those  countries.

The seeds of the coco-de-mer have been highly prized over the centuries; their rarity caused great interest and high prices in royal courts, and the tough outer seed coat has been used to make bowls and other instruments.

The shells of the fruit are life-sized stimulation of the female reproductive organs, which has been nicknamed the love nut, the pubic fruit, and the butt nut.

Conservation:

The history of exploitation continues today, and the collection of nuts has virtually stopped all natural regeneration of populations. This palm has been lost from the wild from three Seychelles islands within its former range.Habitat loss is one of the major threats to the survival of remaining populations, there have been numerous fires ( allegedly made by humans)  on the islands of Praslin and Curieuse, and only immature trees remain over large parts of these islands. It takes 6-7 years for a fruit to mature and a further two years for it to germinate into a new plant.

Sources and Bibliographies:

International Palm Society : http://www.palms.org/index.cfm

Rare Fruit Nursery : http://www.rarefruitnursery.com/index.php

Raw Food Health : http://www.raw-food-health.net/CocoDeMer.html

Edwards, Kollmann & Fleischmann’s selective review of the biology of the species (2002)

Fleischer-Dogley, F. (2006). Towards sustainable management of Lodoicea maldivica (Gmelin) Persoon, PhD thesis, University of Reading, UK.

Beaucarnea recurvata (elephant’s foot, ponytail palm) is a species of plant in the family Dracaenaceae, native to the states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz and San Luis de Potosí in Eastern Mexico.

Given time and the right conditions, however, these plants will grow into respectable specimen plants, up to 10  feet in height or more. They are native to arid regions in Mexico, and are among the easiest palms to grow indoors.

These plants are grown for their caudiciforms and pachycaul . The unique shaped caudex are desired by plant collectors and landscapers. This plant is more than 25 years- old.

Houseplants.about.com :

 http://houseplants.about.com/od/palm1/p/PonytailPalm.htm

After the tour of Dr. Coronel house,  some of the participants went home to Manila , while others went straight to the next venue, while our group had a short side trip to another member of the group.

King Louis Farm : King of Potted Plants & Cut Flower

Local cut flowers and potted plants were mostly grown in backyards of individual farmers and small garden hobbyists during the post war era of the late 1940’s to the mid 1960’s. For several decades, people had to rely on small-scale production to meet the market demands. There was always a short supply of flowers and potted plants during Valentine’s Day, All Saints Day, Graduation Rites and  Christmas season. The production methods and farm facilities among growers then seemed to be on an endless trial and error basis.

Then came Mr. Vicente Puyat with a private initiative in early 1983. He had several sprawling farms scattered across Baguio and Benguet areas with thousands of quality flowering potted plants in all assortment of colors, shapes and sizes. This was start of the King Louis Farm, and Mr. Puyat was known as the “King of potted plants and cut flowers” not only in Northern Luzon, but also across the country.

gerbera

His project started with an experimental pilot area of 4,000 square meters concentrating on producing different varieties of roses, carnations, gerbera, gypsophilla in Asin, Baguio. It was planned to have a modern production area with pioneering greenhouses producing quality-potted plants and cut flower intended for the local market.  These crops were successfully grown in the tropical highlands of Baguio, but the local folks of Baguio weren’t quite ready back then. King Louis Farm General Manager and President Mr. Efren Chatto recalls farmers were in search of an alternative business venture aside from vegetables, strawberries and seasonal souvenir merchandises.

King Louis – Manila Seedling Bank Foundation outlet

Through several years of experimenting, developing technology, skills training and acquiring new plant varieties, King Louis had finally grown to what it is today.  The company has over 50 active contract farmer-growers scattered in various locations and operates on more than 6 locations in Baguio, La Trinidad areas like in Lamtang, Longlong, Alapang, Atok, Bugias, Tuba with a combined production areas of more than 12 hectares of specialized flower varieties. The farms and company has a labor force of about 100-180 workers, depending on the season.

King Louis Farm -Lamtang plantation

“We assist them (contract growers) in constructing their greenhouses and provide them counter funds by networking them to cooperatives and federations which engage in cut flower production. We even had some bank assistance for the construction of their greenhouses and even installation of sprinkling systems,” said the very enthusiastic Mr. Chatto.

These farms are located in various elevation from 1,200 meters above sea level in the La Trinidad Valley to 2,000 meters above sea level in Atok .The company had recently acquired a property in the province of Bukidnon in the island of Mindanao where the mild weather is conducive for growing crops that the firm will eventually supply for the southern Philippines market.

In the early 90s, with its growing operations and number of wholesale consumers, King Louis Farm tried to venture and opened its retail outlets within the Manila Seedling Bank Foundation compound in 1998, then other retail outlets within Metro Manila had sprung up.  The company is very active in the floriculture and agriculture tourism events, since they were considered as pioneers in the “Panagbenga ” flower festival in Baguio every February and a regular participant in many gardening events and shows such as Agri-Aqua Network Incorporated, Kadayawan, Philippine Horticultural Society, Philippine Orchid Society, among others.

King Louis landscape booth in Horticulture 2009

The booth won 3rd prize in the landscape category

The company started also its luck in exporting cut flowers and cut foliage to Japan and Netherlands. “We had a hard time in meeting their standards of quality,” said Mr. Chatto. But they pursued because the country has distinct advantages to compete globally since the cost of production, low benchmark, competitive labor market plus the country is strategically located to those cut flower and foliage importing countries such as China, Japan, and Korea. With rising cost of fuel, labor and energy prices, it would be cheaper for these countries to import rather than to maintain an expensive production area. ” He explained.

The largest farm, which is devoted to rearing quality poinsettias, is simply exhilarating. Aside from the common red poinsettia, which most of us are familiar with, at King Louis there are three more exciting rare colors – white, pink and a combination of pink and red.  They also have other poinsettia varieties with crinkled flower bracts that are considered as novelty items.  The companies also have their own way of sorting and grading the poinsettias based on the size of the bracts. Poinsettias coded as B, C, and D command higher price. According to Mr. Chatto, this is done so that buyers are assured of uniform-sized plants. He stated the demand usually starts as early as October to December, the peak season for ornamental plants, when three to five large trucks go down to Manila everyday to deliver the plants.

King Louis Farm’s  mission and vision is to be a leading supplier of quality flowers and potted plants in the local market.  While the company motto is “The land is a God given gift, it is our responsibility to cultivate and preserve it.”  Quality and strategy is the name of the game. “Quality flowers come from quality planting materials,” he emphasized.

liliums- blooming sized potted plants

Visiting other countries in order to source new planting materials which could be grown, adapted and sold in the local market is very challenging some planting materials are imported from Netherlands, United States, Malaysia, Thailand and China because our country lacks the facilities for storing bulbs and seeds for a long time to maintain their quality and viability. In order to assure uniform and quality flowers throughout the seasons, old planting materials are discarded. Selecting a strategic place for growing cut flower is also a major consideration. “We try to locate our farms in areas which have a good gravity to ensure a stable water supply and irrigation. Irrigation may not be a problem during the rainy season but during summer, and we tend to rely on deep well which consumes a lot of energy and effort,” he explained. King Louis Farm is concentrating its production for the local market; the farm is also engaged in producing Calla lily bulbs, particularly the colored varieties for export to Holland.

A University of San Carlos in Cebu graduate of economics, and at one time bank manager, Mr. Chatto believes that the business enterprise had come a long way from its humble beginnings. At present, they are not only catering to the cut flower, potted plants of Metro Manila and several points in Luzon, but are also supplying big flower shops in Bacolod, Cebu , Iloilo, Tagbilaran City in Bohol, Davao City,  Samar  and Tacloban City in Leyte  For whatever  business strategies and success stories , the soft spoken Mr. Chatto is willing to share is vast experiences to both hobbyists and to those who wanted to venture in this kind of business in the future.

Currently the company also accepts flower arrangements and landscape jobs

For contact:

Mr. Efren Chatto –

President and General Manager of King Louis Flowers & Plants Inc. , email:efrenchatto@yahoo.com.ph
Farm address: Km.3 Asin Road Baguio City, landline (074)4226735/(074) 4226734

Manila Branches/Office
MSBF Compound EDSA cor Quezon Ave.
Tel: (02) 929-4110,929-4107, 4332-012
Telefax: (02) 929-4114, 9294105