I may not be the best person to answer all your questions regarding plants, but i do want to say something from the bottom of my heart. I may accidentally get this message across the wrong way but i don't mean it bad, i just want to educate more about the process of planting!
I was a student who don't bother to read 100% of a full article and make passes at my exams. Literally just passing them. I have NEVER gotten an ace for my papers, nor have i scored frequently even a 70%. Because i was lazy. Because i like to take short cuts and find answers the easy way out. I get the same result as everyone anyway - a degree. Who cares if i'm not an ace student? But as i stepped into society, i remember myself regretting the times i did not spend to study harder. To read harder. To understand better. To actually learn what i was taught. It would have made my life a lot easier at work. I wouldn't have to redo whatever I did in school. Cliche, but true.
University helped me find out that thought process and making factual statements with reference is so important. I mean, I was a horticulture and science student. It's related. And science is all about the pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence (sciencecouncil). It is what it is. No evidence, no talk. No discussion, no conclusion.
What inspired me to write this post was when i saw community members posting repetitive questions on facebook groups or community groups to (I assume) look for fast and quick direct answers and solutions. I mean i get it. When we try something new, questions and doubts are inevitable. Even when we have tried multiple times, sometimes it just doesn't seem to work out and we cannot find the answers that we are looking for. So we keep asking. And it's good to learn and cool to find out what people share based on their experience.
To the people who are heavily dependent on other's experiences for an answer, i'd like to say that not all plants grow the same or have the same answer or solution to it, even if it is the same species. Simply because of differentiating factors like location, frequency of maintenance, environmental conditions etc. The people whom are replying are also people who tried on their own, and probably are still trying. These people spend efforts and probably managed to create their own analogy and reasonings through the commitment they made for their own plants. But it can be right, and it can be wrong.
Growing plants take a lot of understanding, commitment and general knowledge. And then it gets interestingly deeper as you find out more. I am really inspired to be one of the people to be able to help assist with the details, through the knowledge that I posses and guide for a better understanding of plant growing considerations.
In Singapore, we must do Urban Horticulture. We do not have natural resources and abundance of land. In order to contribute to our 30 by 30 goal, the government is encouraging all learn to make food for ourselves at home. I, too, encourage that. And to be successful, we will have to put in extra effort because we are not "born privileged". Especially for edible gardens. Questions like why do the plants in other countries thrive better arise. Why can't we grow fruits? Why can't we produce the same results? will be answered as you try. And to understand the basics of our "planting ground" is a good start. Then you will realise why we have to buy good soil. Why we have to buy specific fertilizers. Why do we need a controlled greenhouse more than anywhere else.
Growing a plant is like growing a baby. You need to know the fundamentals of taking care of it while recording down its progress frequently. When you take care of a pet, you'd also know the likes and dislikes and respect it's habits at some point. Information are quite readily available in the internet or published books these days and all you need to do is put in some effort to read or get a professional to assist with your thought process. So, rather than asking for direct answers and solutions, it is always more accurate to observe, analyze and conclude on your own based on your own experiences. If you fail, just try again.