ミカンの日南の姫（ひなのひめ）の幼果がだいぶ大きくなってきました。この品種は極早生で９月上旬から収穫できるそうですが、うちではもっと後になります。
以前２階バルコニーで育てていたとき、夏は灼熱の砂漠のようになる環境で枯死寸前まで衰弱しました。その後の回復が芳しくなかったため、今年の春にはダメ元で、地上部は主枝が丸坊主になるまで切り戻して、根っこも減らして植え戻しました。鉢は相変わらず10号ロングスリット。
The young fruits of Hinano-Hime tangerine have grown to good sizes. This is a very early ripening variety, and commercial growers start harvesting early September onwards. However, in my place, they ripen a lot later than that.
I used to keep this plant on the upstairs balcony, where it becomes hot and dry like a desert in the summer, and the tree nearly died. The recovery since then has been very slow and not encouraging. So, in spring this year, I felt I had nothing to lose and cut back drastically on the main branches, while the roots were also reduced and replanted in the same 30 cm diameter long pot.
春の開花後 幼果がたくさん着いたので少しずつ減らして、今は13個になっています。鉢を置いている場所は門の内側、郵便受けの下。風通しはすぐ左上の花壇ほどではないけど、葉っぱは以前のようにカイガラが着くこともなく綺麗です。うちの環境では、リンゴ栽培とは異なり、柑橘類は完全無農薬で間に会うクリーンな果樹です。
After the flowering in spring, the tree had a lot of young fruits which have been reduced to 13 of them now. The plant is placed next to the gate and under the letter box. This spot is not as airy as the flower bed on the left which is more elevated. Nevertheless, the plant has been free of cotton scale insects which used to plague this tree on the balcony. In my place, citrus trees can grow without any pesticides, unlike apple trees. To me, they are very clean fruit trees.
最初の写真では枝の何本かは実の重さで垂れていたので、そのうち折れそうなものもあります。そこで、支柱を１本立てて樹形を調整しました。
In the first photo above, some of the branches were hanging low by the weight of fruits, and I was afraid a few of them might break off soon. So, I put a prop to tidy the branches.
１本の支柱に３本の枝を括り付けました。これで安心して見ていられます。
This one prop is holding 3 branches which look secure. I can now sit back and watch the young fruits grow larger.
