今日のお昼前に一旦雨が止んだので、バルコニーの排水口が詰まらないよう掃除をしました。雨で無核金絲ナツメの実が落ちていました。
We had a break in the rain during mid-morning, and I decided to clean the balcony floor so that the water pipes would not get clogged up. Some of the fruits on Seedless Gold Thread Jujube had fallen due to the rain.
The fruits on the whole tree are nowhere near ripe yet, but this one is turning yellow and has cracks from the rain. So, I decided to try the taste.
完熟ではないけれど、糖度計では46.1%を示していました。左側の半割に種が入っています。
Although not ripe yet, it was already sweet. The Brix meter indicated sugar content of 46.1% (of which I am not sure). The half fruit on the left contains the pit.
取り出した種の硬い木質の殻（核）を割ってみると、ちゃんと種子も入っています。
I took the pit out and opened it to find that the seed was there. Why is this variety called 'Seedless'?
小さな蕾がたくさん着いている。
その種を殻から取り出して皮をむいてみました。瑞々しい胚が現れました。もしかして、うちの苗は「無核金絲棗」ではなく品種違い？
I then took the seed out of the hard shell and removed a small part of the seed coat - everything looked fresh and viable. I am beginning to wonder if they have not sent me a wrong variety.
８月下旬に地面に仮植えしたパンザオは、新芽（黄色い葉っぱ）が成長を続けています。連日の雨のおかげなのか、それとも地植えパワーのおかげなのか分かりませんが、これで枯れ込みにストップをかけられたようです。
I planted the Panzao tree in the ground in late August, in an effort to save the plant from going totally brown and dead. Thanks to the continual rain as well as the benefits of the ground, the new leaves are growing well. What a relief.
パンザオを地植えにした際、ダメ元で細い枝を近くの日本棗に高接ぎしておきました。接ぎ穂となった枝には節が２箇所あったので、うまく活着すれば来年用の芽が節の真下にできるだろうと思っていました。が、これも雨のおかげか、もう芽吹きが始まっています。
At the same time as planting the Panzao tree in the ground, I took a small twig and grafted it onto a Japanese jujube nearby. The scion had two branches. If the grafting went well, I hoped that there would grow a node under each of the branches for next year's budding. To my surprise, I see a node already budding out under each branch, probably again thanks to the rains.
上の写真の青丸の芽を異なる角度から見ると、こう。来年の初夏から夏にかけて取り木を掛けて発根すれば、切り離すと事実上の接ぎ木苗ができます。
Looking at the bud in the blue circle from another angle, a node is definitely growing into a new bud. If I air-layer this section next summer and cut it off when it has rooted, it will virtually become a grafted plant.
６月16日に届いた極小の「静浜クコ」苗の2個は、７月の猛暑の間に枯れたような状態になっていました。秋に涼しくなったら片付けようと日陰に置いてあったのが、雨に打たれているうちに復活したようです。これは2個のうちの特に小さく貧弱だった苗ですが、開花が始まっています。
I bought two goji berry plants in June this year. They were tiny and weak looking, and they eventually went dead, or so it seemed. I was going to get rid of them once the weather turned cool and dry. Recently, I noticed that they came back to life. This plant is the smaller of the two and flowers are starting to open.
I can see quite a few flower buds in waiting.
こちらは2個のうち大き目の苗。もう開花が終わっています。
This was the larger of the two plants. It has already finished flowering.
ローゼルのガクがだんだん大きくなってきました。今年の苗は「パープル」に分類されるもので、花はピンクでガクの底のフリルも赤色です。
The roselle calyces are growing and looking pretty. The roselles I am growing this year belong to the group called 'purple' - the flowers are pink, and the whole calyx is red (the type I grew last year had a green base for the calyx).
これは、２，３日前にほんの一瞬 日がさしたときの写真。花は午前中に萎んで落ちてしまいますが、なかなか可愛い花です。
I managed to catch these flowers a few days ago when the sun was out for about 10 minutes. The flowers curl and drop before noon, but I find these pink ones pretty.
近所のJAで見つけたアロエベラとコモンセージ。アロエは「木立」なら普通に買えるけど、「ベラ」はあまり出回らないので、見つけられて嬉しいです。
I found this Aloe Vera, together with the common sage, at the nearby JA this morning. I can find Aloe arborescens at any plant shop, but Aloe Vera is not very common. So, I was happy when I saw this in the shop.
