昨日も今日も、毎日雨です。小ぶりになった間に、蟠棗の高接ぎ枝の状況をチェック。
家の中で死ぬほど退屈しているタイガは、玄関ドアが開く気配がするとすっ飛んできます。
It continues to rain due to another typhoon, this time No. 26. During a short intermission, I went to check the new buds on the Panzao scion that I grafted onto a Japanese jujube tree.
Taiga is bored all day inside the house, and she did not miss the chance to get out.
鉢植えの日本ナツメに高接ぎした蟠棗の枝には２箇所に新芽が出ています。上の節に出た枝は、長いほうで10cmを超えました。でも、両方とも一年限りの枝で、葉腋には蕾も出ています。
The Panzao scion had two nodes. The upper one has produced two limbs, one of which is already longer than 10 cm. Both are temporary limbs that will fall off before winter, but they have flower buds at the base of each leaf.
What is happening with the lower node is more interesting. Between the two limbs, a permanent branch has started to come out.
よりアップで見ると分かりやすい。来年の夏に採り木して独立の苗にすれば、この恒常的な枝が将来の主幹になるでしょう。
Up close, the permanent branch. If I am successful in air-layering the branch next summer, this permanent branch will become the future trunk of the new tree.
皇帝ナツメはコガネ成虫に散々幼果を齧られたあと、4個しか実が残っていません。うち１個が色づいてきました。
Most of the young fruits of the Emperor jujube were damaged by Japanese green beetles, and there are only 4 intact fruits left. One of them is turning golden and red.
皇帝ナツメにしてはかなり小さいですが、味見できるだけでも有難い。
For an Emperor jujube fruit, this one is really tiny, but I could not wait to taste it.
齧ってみると、何と、梨のようにジューシー！ これはたぶん、今年の異常なほどの降雨のおかげでしょう。味は砂糖水のように爽やかな甘さで、皮の付近にありがちなナツメ独特のクセのある香りは感じられませんでした。サクサクの食感も最高です。去年・一昨年の夏は普通の降水量で果実は石のように硬かったので、今年のサクサク食感や梨のようなジューシーさは、やはり雨の効果だと思います。この1個は、今まで食べたナツメ果の中で最高でした。
When I took a bite, it was incredibly juicy, just like a pear! This is probably thanks to the rainy months we had. It tasted like fresh syrup, and I did not feel any distinctly jujube flavour that normally exists in the skin. The flesh was crispy and pleasant. The flesh of this variety last year and the year before was rock hard, not crispy. Again, I think the unusual amount of rainfall was responsible for the crispiness. Actually, this fruit was the best jujube I have ever eaten.
