Iamstar, you are very welcome. And believe me, your English language skills are infinitely better than my Thai skills...grin
Growing Lavender in Tropical zone....need suggestion..THANKs
iamstar,
On your website, you should make the photo image files (jpegs?) smaller --they take far too long to show up on the viewers' screens. I'm not talking about the physical dimensions of the photos --the image files you've got loaded onto your host server are too large, as measured by "bytes" of data they contain (kb or MB). Suggest you start again with your original image files, from the camera. I'm guessing those files are 1 megabyte or larger --too large for the main pages of a website, since they take too long to load onto your viewers' computer screens. Open the large files in an application such as PhotoShop, then "Save As", and you'll find an option to reduce the file size. Choose to make each one of them about 100kb, then up load all the smaller images to your hosting server, replacing the ones there now, using exactly the same file names.
There may be other aspects of your website that make it load so slowly, but if you're lucky, this change alone will have your website opening in one tenth the time it now takes. If it doesn't, use the diagnostic features your hosting service should be providing, and it will guide you to slutions for anything else that's making the site so slow.
THis is important, because most people will just not wait around for your website to load. Also, I'd skip the intro page, go right to your lavender page. ANother thing: make sure you follow through a comprehensive "SEO" (search engine optimization) process, which will help A LOT in getting your website to show up higer in the results list when people use a search engine (like google or ask.com or bing).
ALL;
Thank you for the wonderful comments, let see how will improve soonest...
I agree 100% with jplunket. Even 100kb is pretty large; my guess is that most people who access the site are going to be accessing from relatively slow connections. SAM_1497, SAM_1476, SAM_1284(2), and SAM_1480 (linked directly from the main page) are all over 2MB in size. Especially if you are paying for your website's bandwidth, you are going to want to change that ASAP.
Also, when I click, I don't seem to get the English version; it's almost all Thai. Am I missing it, or is there some language auto-detection that is not working? I am using the latest version of Firefox on MacOS X.
I just want to add that it's absolutely incredible that you managed to get lavender growing so well in Thailand! My best wishes for your continued success.
Thanks for the comment, but i can not familiar with files you mentiond "SAM_1497, SAM_1476, SAM_1284(2), and SAM_1480", where are they, i couldn't find them.
For the Eng version, you have to click at the 'top right corner' of the first page, you will see 'US nation flag and ENG'. Then you may access Eng version, pls let me know your next visit if troble still occurs.
THANKS all for comment and cheer up...
www.TheStarAbove.com
Hi Iamstar,
Whoops! I see the language link now. No idea how I missed it.
Anyway, the SAM files are the images. If you right click on e.g. the picture on the top left, the one with the lavender flowers in front of the computer screen, and then choose "view image info" in Firefox or "Properties" in Internet Explorer, you can see that the picture is coming from http://www.thestarabove.com/uploadz/SAM_1497.JPG and it is 2.3 megabytes.
When checking image sizes like this, I like using Firefox because from the "View Image Info" screen, you can quickly check all of the individual images on the web pages and find out their sizes.
To see what the picture looks like in its full size, you can go directly to http://www.thestarabove.com/uploadz/SAM_1497.JPG in your browser. Click once on the picture to expand it, and you will see that the real picture it is much bigger and much better quality than it needs to be! If these pictures are shrunk and made less high quality then your website will load much faster.
Hi Iamstar. Just wanted to wish you a very Happy Birthday. Hope you have a lovely day.
Best wishes on your birthday and in the the coming year.
Moon
Happy Birthday Iamstar!
Sep11th is actually the birth day of my daughter, her name is 'STAR'. She is now 7 years old..
Thank you very much for all sweet wishes and your goodwill message to STAR. She is a good and happy young girl, and will sure more beloved from all of you. Thank you very much..
@nokesvillain, normally we suggest to our visitor to see our update picture from either:
-from www.TheStarAbove.com click at 'STAR Galaxy' which contained the pictures gallery.
-from "Iamstar Susitar" facebook, visitor can see our update picture there as well.
Thanks for your advise...
Happy Birthday to your daughter!! I have a neice who was born on the same day, same year. We went and celebrated her birthday yesterday. :~)
@pepper23, we wish happy birth day to your niece...THANKS.
Dear ALL, update pictures for you...
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.203409286391101.53026.100001660933589&type=1
IamStar
www.TheStarAbove.com
Thailand.
IamStar. I have had good luck with Spanish Lavender at my home in Florida. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1704/
It is easy from seed planted during cool weather. http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/perennials/lavender.html We have a large drop in tempature and humdity during Nov-Feb.
Here is a photo of some plants I saw in Napa, California. I will take some photos of my plants here (soon).
deleted by IamStar.
This message was edited Oct 14, 2011 2:18 PM
Thanks DaleTheGardener, for your pics and info..That's beautiful. !!
Dear all;
I'm back from BKK flood.. that effected to my life and family. Now we recover for some.
I have planned to open the farming and agro tourist at the beg. of Dec2011. The "BarrRam&U cheap sheep" is our local-small sheep farm. The "Y SO Purple lavender back yard" is also our first lavender field in Thailand.
WELCOME....to 'the star above farm hill'
www.TheStarAbove.com
This message was edited Nov 25, 2011 1:33 PM
This message was edited Nov 25, 2011 3:09 PM
Iamstar...so glad you and the family are all okay. Best of luck on the openings in December.
Dear all;
I will be away from this forum for a while, during season greeting.. Before that, I totally never forget to say...
Merry xMas and Happy New Year
TO you and your Family...
Love.
iamstar
www.TheStarAbove.com
www.facebook.com/TheStarAbove
Best Wishes to you and your family Iamstar. I hope the New Year brings you great Joy and Prosperity.
Kindest Regards of the Season,
Moon
Happy New Year for all of you..
You have brains in your head...
You have feet in your shoes...
You can steer yourself...
any direction you choose...
You'll be on your way up!...
You'll be seeing great sights!...
You'll join the high fliers...
who soar to high heights...
You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed...
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead...
Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best...
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
www.TheStarAbove.com
www.facebook.com/TheStarAboveFarmHill
Oh the Places You'll Go......I love Dr Seuss.
Best wishes for a Healthy Prosperous New Year, Iamstar.
Moon
Have a Happy New Year to all of you...
I've been very busy during year-end... people came to stay at our camping yard and visit our lavender yard and small sheep farm...
you can see our picture here at www.facebook.com/TheStarAboveFarmHill
please support by sharing fan-page and suggest your friends to press LIKE...
THANK YOU and Love you all;
IamSTAR
www.TheStarAbove.com
[picture-STAR my lovely daughter and our young Eng. lavender plant]
STAR says to all of you : "Sawas Dee Pee Mai Kha'... Means "Happy New Year"...
And to Star...I do hope this is correct
ความปรารถนาที่ดีที่สุดสำหรับชีวิตที่ยืนยาวและมีความสุข, สตาร์
I bought seeds from the US and tried propagating but have not been successful. Where am I going wrong. I have some plants which I bought here and are growing well. I am hoping to have a lavender field up in the mountain here in the Philippines.
All;
2 months of disappeared, both from the forum and my lavender. I spent 2 months in BKK and have no time to see my lavender there.. Hope is coming weekend I can take a look to see their development in a good manner.....
Best wishes for all of you...
IamSTAR
There is no flowering at this moment.
French Dentata just trimmed.
Eng Angustifolia facing the troble from 'termites', they eat from root and make some plant died. We are waiting for better weather to make some cut back...
wish me luck.
IamStar
www.facebook.com/TheStarAboveFarmHill
To dispel those termites. The trial non-chemical solution will be nematodes (Steinrnema thailandense) that support from our local DOA-Department of Agriculture... the outcome will be posted soon... THANKS.
Good luck to you...termites can be so damaging. Hope the nematodes take care of the problem.
We've tried on last Saturday eve. and Monday morning, each bag contained 300 million nematodes (fresh). We spent 25 bags which is approximate 7,500,000,000 nematodes spread out to destroy those termites. We have to monitor a week later to see the impact and amount of decrease. Wish us LUCK...
This message was edited May 31, 2012 2:17 PM
Fingers crossed and best of luck for you. Hope the nematodes take care of the problem.
Just found today that, google earth (or google map) has an update photo, see our farm view from google, thanks technology....
Neat. How is the termite battle coming? Are the nematodes helping?
I called to my workers, they observed that, the number of termite is slightly decreasing. I have to see by myself since I'm now in BKK. Plan to visit again by mid of June or later.
I will bring more nematodes at that moment, because the DOA suggest to repeat within a month. This method can not destroy immediately, but will be 'life long' and 'safety' to earth, animal (mammal).. i hope...
Thank you for asking......
IamStar
Sounds like they are starting to work. Glad to hear it. Hopefully they will continue to protect your plants.
Update picture of our flower, sheep and termite (to be destroyed)....
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.407373262647299.107384.201790816538879&type=1
Dear all;
Nematodes worked well... number of termites decreased and lavender look stronger..
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.415237151860910.109080.201790816538879&type=1
That is very good news. Glad the problem is being solved.
Dear friends;
This beginning of the week... our sheep gave us 1 baby (female lamb).... See her pic here...
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.440469182671040.116041.201790816538879&type=1
Lavender come more back stronger than the previous months...... Keep more try...
Thanks.
Awww...Casey is a sweetie. Congratulations. Sounds like things are going well for you. Happy to hear the lavender is coming back well and strong.