新疆棗王の苗が春になっても芽吹かなかったので、４月下旬に先端20cmほどを徐々に切ってみたら、芯まで乾燥していました。そこで写真とともに販売元へ事情を説明して替わりの苗を送ってもらえることになりました。その苗が今日届きました。
The Xinjiang jujube tree that I bought in November last year never budded. So, in late April, I made cuts to see if the tree was alive or not. After cutting about 20cm from the top little by little, I saw that the trunk was completely dry. I contacted the seller immediately to explain what was happening. Having seen the photos I sent them, they agreed that the plant was not viable and offered that they would send me a replacement tree with new buds actually growing. The promised replacement arrived today.
Today was a rainy day all day. Being cool with high humidity, it was an ideal weather for the plant to be potted, in order to minimise the burden on the young plant. I cut open the plastic pot so as not to damage the roots.
白い根が出ています。
I could see some white roots.
継ぎ目がスムーズなので分かりづらいですが、たぶん、このあたり？
The fusion point from grafting is not obvious - perhaps somewhere here?
直径30cmの鉢に植え付け。元肥には牛糞と鶏糞を少し入れました。枝葉の成長具合を見ながら、そのうち配合有機肥料も入れたいです。
I used a 30cm diameter pot. I mixed cow manure as well as chicken manure into the soil. As the branches grow further, I will be adding organic mixed fertiliser, too.
継ぎ目は、たぶんこれで地上に出ていると思います。
I hope I got the fusion point above the ground.
よーく見ると、既に恒常的な枝が全部で３本出ています。
On closer inspection, I realised that the plant already had 3 permanent branches growing.
こちらは春になっても芽吹かなかったほうの新疆棗王苗。念のため今日まで水やりしてきましたが、もう代替苗が来たので、思い切って根元付近で切ってみることにしました。
This is the Xinjiang jujube plant that never budded. Just in case it had some hope, I have been watering this like other jujube plants. Since a replacement has come, however, I decided to make a bold cut to learn what was happening.
これがその結果。形成層に水分が無いだけでなく、芯が古木のように空洞になっています。
I cut the trunk close to the fusion point. Not only was the cambium layer dry, but the core of the trunk was hollow like an old tree.
ここは陽当たりが悪いので、「オニヒカゲワラビ」を根元に植えています。うちに来てもう15年くらい経ちますが、深山の植物なので暑い練馬の住宅街では増えません。でも、タイミングよく新芽を摘むことができれば、非常に美味しいワラビです。アクが無いのでまるでコゴミのような食感の一方で、風味はしっかりワラビです。
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雨のなか、フェイジョアが咲いています。昔はフェイジョアに力を入れていたけど、実の品質にバラツキがあり過ぎるので今では隣家との目隠しにしています。今日は一日中雨なのでヒヨドリが来ていませんが、つがいで毎年やってきます。
The feijoa trees are in bloom. I used to be passionate about these fruit trees. However, the quality of fruits was not consistent, both in texture and taste. These days, I use them as the shield between my neighbours' gardens and mine. Normally, Japanese bulbuls come in pairs to pick the petals, but not today due to the rain.
This spot is in the shade of my neighbour's house, and I keep a rare variety of edible fern. I have had it for about 15 years, but it does not multiply. Its natural habitat is deep in mountains and, even there, this fern is considered a rare find if you ever come across it. With edible wild ferns, normally you have to remove the harsh taste before cooking, but that is not necessary with this variety.
