The Green Freak

30/08/2024

The beauty of cherry shrimps ❤️
Bloody Mary lineage.

Check out thegreenfreak’s video.

19/07/2024

This Scape... something about it that won't let me dismantle it and start fresh!

Check out thegreenfreak’s video.

12/07/2024

Lush foliage & happy leaves!
A small part of my tropical plant collection.

(Not for sale)

12/07/2024

Lush foliage & happy leaves!
A small part of my tropical plant collection.

(Not for sale)

12/07/2024

Lush foliage & happy leaves!
A small part of my tropical plant collection.

(Not for sale)

27/03/2024

Another world.

This small ecosystem showcases my love for aquatic plants, and highlights the beauty and sophistication of a healthy symbiosis.

15/02/2024

From idea to ex*****on!

My custom, semi-floating aquarium shelving, soon to be installed. Thanks to a good friend Ian, and his expertise in the craft.

Bring on a new chapter The Green Freak 💚🌿

17/01/2024

The love of plants does not need to be restricted to only terrestrial plants. Aquatic plants can be just as beautiful, demanding and satisfying to watch.

A 2 week old Aquascape bearing the name of 'Twin Islands', which will soon be home to some tiny critters!

Stay tuned,
Stay green! 💚🌿

13/01/2024

Calathea musaica is potentially one of the most hardy specimens from the prayer plant family. The level of detail on each leaf is mesmerising, making it a wishlist plant for avid plant collectors.

10/01/2024

A sneak peak of my Happy Room.
Only 20% of my plant and tank collection are visible from this angle, I promise!

Stay green beautiful people! 🌿💚

08/01/2024

Can anyone else relate?

🤣🌿💚

23/11/2023

Dear plant friends - Please take a minute to read the below appeal in effort of beautifying our Island!

Every drop counts!

https://www.facebook.com/greenfingersclub

🌳 Hello Friends, we need your Support!🌳

Can you help us change this white dust into Soil to Plant 200 more indigenous Trees?

Why should You help us?

🌱 In 3 years, we have planted and successfully cared for 350 Trees and counting! ❤️🌳🇲🇹

🌱 Through this new project, we aim to expand the baby Tree Forest, to combat climate change, reduce air pollution, and provide habitats for local wildlife.

🌱 Green Fingers Club is an incubation hub, where volunteers are empowered to learn for free, before leaving us to start their own afforestation projects ❤️

🌱 The land is owned by me, no entity can remove the trees. When I die, this land will NOT go to my family, but will be passed on by contract only to those who will continue our work after I’m gone.

🌱 We are 100% transparent, showing weekly updates and photos on Facebook on what we are doing and how your money is being used.

🌱 By supporting our afforestation project, you become part of a movement that is actively working to Green Back Malta, creating a positive impact for generations to come.

🌱 We are immensely grateful for the support we receive from our incredible community. By helping us, you create the tipping point for the active change to Green Back Malta ❤️

How can you Help us?

🌱 Sponsor Mulch - 15 euro - straw bales are a perfect mulch that keeps water from evaporating and keeps tree roots cool and happy 🙂

💧 Sponsor a Water Bowser - 30 euro - a 15,000 litre water bowser helps us water 350 trees for 7 to 10 days.

🌱 Sponsor a Compost Truck Delivery - 50 euro - compost and manure are game changers to turn this white dust into soil!

🌱 Sponsor a Soil Truck - 100 euro - soil will kickstart the microbiome and life needed to kickstart the regeneration process 🌳

🌱 Adopt a Tree - 125 euro - your donation will help us care for one baby tree for a whole year! Complete with Tree Adoption Certificate, your chosen Name and Photo. Perfect Christmas Gift to Nature Lovers.

🌱 Organise a CSR Team Building activity - starting from 200 euro - to educate and empower your employees to take action, to truly make Malta Green Again!

🌱 Adopt a Tree for Life - 250 euro - leaving a Legacy for Future Generations! Complete with Tree Adoption Certificate with your chosen Name and Photo. Perfect Christmas Gift to Nature Lovers.

🌱 Your Name or Business can be mentioned in a Facebook post, and you can receive a Sponsorship Certificate for your CSR efforts!

Please send payment by:

⭐️ BOV mobile app to +356 99497325

⭐️ Revolut to +356 79056860

⭐️ BOV IBAN: Nadia Cassar MT34VALL22013000000040020273660
BIC: VALLMTMT

VAT receipts are issued for all transactions, so please text me on 99497325 if you want to receive your copy!

Please text me on 99497325 with your name and payment method so that I can thank you personally for your kind thought ❤️

Please do share this post 🙏🏼

Every single contribution, no matter how small, makes a tremendous impact on our ability to carry out this afforestation project.

Thank you for supporting our Mission.

Let's Make Malta Green Again! ❤️🌳🇲🇹

Much Love,

Nadia - Founder
Green Fingers Club

17/11/2023

Aquascaping Diaries

I like calling this scape "Serenity".

The warm, Autumn colours of Cryptocoryne beckettii in contrast to a bed of vivid green Heteranthera zosterifolia and Saggitaria subulata.
The roots of a fallen tree are now home to the epiphytic Anubias nana 'bonsai', sheltering a school of Ember Tetras (Hyphessobrycon amandae).

15/11/2023

Plant care Wednesdays!

Time to do some maintenance on most of my tropical plants. I love me a pink Syngonium any day, anytime!

Swipe ➡️ for image of Root P**n 🌿

10/11/2021

‼️GENERAL BONSAI INFORMATION‼️

(Before & after pics of my Bougainvillae Pre-bonsai after defoliating).

What exactly constitutes a Bonsai?

Although very subjective, Bonsai is the art of creating beautiful, living, miniature trees that look identical (or reminiscent) to their larger counterparts. With that said, a Bonsai tree could have various sizes, so long that it is given proper perspective through pruning, shaping and pot size.

Bonsai is never a finished product, but rather, the journey that takes both tree and artist to the desired state.

A Bonsai tree could be started from seed (very slow), cuttings, air-layering, ground-layering, or from the purchase of nursery-grown stock.

General misconceptions

❓Is my Ficus ginseng a Bonsai?
Most probably no, unless it is one that has been refined by a Bonsai Master. (Unlikely)

❓Can my Bonsai (or tree) stay indoors?
No. Shade your trees during heatwaves but leave them outside all year round. (Goes for most tree species).

❓Why is my tree dying? Firstly, answer yourself these questions:

Is it getting enough sun?
Is it over-watered?
Is the soil free-draining enough?
Is it getting enough air circulation?
Is it able to defer temperature drops from night the day?

On a last note - most tree species can adapt to becoming Bonsai. But how would you know what trees are most suited to becoming good Bonsai?

If a tree's leaves are small, and able to reduce further in size through training.

☑️If a tree has the ability to survive our hot summer months.

☑️If a tree has the ability to thrive in your garden / terrace / roof.

☑️If a tree can adapt to root pruning, and constant pot size downgrade.

One could argue that Bonsai is simply keeping a small tree alive, and although that may be true, it is to be known that Bonsai involves delicate hands-on work, namely:

Pruning
Defoliating
Bending & Wiring
Root-pruning
Downsize repotting
Fertilization
Constant maintenance

Bonsai can seem like a slow, lingering hobby, but it is definitely not a forgiving hobby for those who are in a hurry. I've been doing Bonsai for 4 years, and I know - I really know - that it will be another 10 years until I can call some of my trees, Bonsai.

01/10/2021

The joy of newly unfurled leaves is beyond anything I can ever begin to express! 💚💚

A Ficus carica, aka Fig Tree boasting it's new post-summer leaves! 🌿

How would you describe your feelings upon noticing your babies pushing out new foliage?

Swipe ➡️ for close-up and perspective pics!

24/09/2021

My kind of platter 🌿💚
Philodendron hederaceum "Brazil" in a semi-hydro set-up.

16/09/2021

Can we just take a moment to admire the beautiful flowering clusters of the Duranta repens? 💚

Although not an indoor plant, I still thought of showing you a piece of this huge (really huge) flowering shrub I was gifted for my birthday last week! 🙏

Do you own any outdoor flowering shrubs? I would like to hear what you're growing! 🌿🌿