The Lunar New Year is just about two weeks away and plants that are associated with this important Chinese festival are gradually being stocked up in the nurseries, and are waiting for shoppers to take them home!
This year, cute potted radishes plants seemed to have come to Singapore in a rather big way as they are being sold in almost every other nursery! I recalled seeing some of these red radishes being put on sale in just a few nurseries last year.
Radishes have a special meaning to the Chinese. In Mandarin, radishes are called “cai tou” (菜头) which sounds somewhat similar to the pronounciation of word ”good luck” (彩头).
There seemed to be two types of red radishes on the market. The first type had skin that was naturally red in colour while the second type appeared to have either been coated with a thin layer of varnish or red paint. The latter’s outward appearance looked overly artificial as they were all shiny and uniformly red! Perhaps this was a method resorted to make these root vegetables look better.
These radishes supposedly were grown in the grown like a typical vegetable crop and when they reached the suitable size, they were then carefully uprooted, washed, planted individually in fanciful pots and decorated with colourful ribbons to turn them into festive plants. In the nurseries, they have been labelled as “Taiwanese radishes” which indicates the probable locality where they have been produced.
Each of these potted radishes are priced quite affordably and their prices vary accordingly with the extent they have been decorated at the point of sale. During such bad economic times, these red radish plants do make very good and affordable festive plants to buy for decorating a small corner in one’s home or serve as a gift to be given away.
If the roots were not damaged during the transplantation process, the plant may continue to grow by putting forth new leaves. It will eventually flower too. One has to ensure the plant receives direct sunshine for at least 4 to 6 hours daily if it is being grown in a high-rise apartment.
Do only use them as decorative plants. I don’t recommend eating them after the Lunar New Year, especially those painted ones!
