台風15号のあと After the typhoon

台風15号が昨夜 関東の上空を通過しました。タイガの早朝散歩で玄関ドアを開けてその影響を確認。まずは、種から育てているハイビスカスローゼルの10鉢が倒れて落ちていましたが、幸い下敷きになった鉢植え苗への影響は限定的。

Typhoon No. 15 passed over our Kanto region last night.  When I opened the door to go out for Taiga's morning walk, I saw some damages in the garden.  The roselle plant I have been growing from a seed dropped off its shelf.  Fortunately, the damage on the potted plants underneath was limited.

キンカンライムも落ちて鉢の表土がこぼれ出していたけど、折れた枝はなかった模様。

The kumquat also dropped off its shelf, and some soil had spilled out of the pot.  Again, fortunately, there was no damage to the branches.

２年前の夏に買った日本棗の大苗は12号鉢に植わっていましたが、地上部が大きく育っていたので倒れてしまいました。その際、近くにあったリスボンレモンの主幹が折れたようです。

The large Japanese jujube tree that I bought in summer 2024 was in a large pot (36 cm in diameter) but its base was not heavy enough to resist the gale.  As it fell down to the ground, it appears that it took the trunk of Lisbon lemon with it.

これがリスボンレモンの主幹。

The lemon tree's trunk broke off clean.

折れた主幹を取り除いたあと、小さな苗になりました。

After removing the damaged part of the trunk, the tree suddenly looked small.

倒れた日本ナツメを起こして支柱３本で固定しました。

I pulled up the fallen jujube tree and re-enforced the plant with props.

去年この苗の幼果は１個も残らずコガネ成虫に齧られたので、今年の収穫には期待しています。

The young fruits of this tree were all damaged by green beetles last year, whereas they seem to be left untouched this year.  So, I am looking forward to this year's harvest.

これは今年新たに実がなった日本ナツメですが、実の形状が上記の日本ナツメのとは異なり、細長いティアドロップ型。

This is the Japanese jujube tree with a different shape of fruits from those of the above tree - these fruits are elongated teardrop shaped.

だんだん黄色くなってきています。

They are turning light-coloured gradually.

実はこの苗、去年の春に挿し木したのが夏に発根したものです。

Interestingly, this is the tree grown from a cutting that I made in spring last year, which I confirmed that it had rooted a few months later.

これが去年の８月12日の写真。今年の春先に10号鉢に植え替えたら、勢いよく育って実が生りました。ナツメの生命力の強さには驚かされます。

This is how the plant looked as of 12th August 2025.  I replanted it in spring this year using a 30 cm diameter pot.  It grew fast since then, which demonstrates the vigour of jujube trees.

ドルゴクラブアップル Dolgo crabapple tree

 普通のリンゴは毎年夏に葉ダニがついて大変だったので諦めました。葉ダニで木全体の葉っぱが銀色になると光合成ができないので、幼果は成長がストップしてしまいます。リンゴが熟すのは10-11月なので、これでは絶対的にムリ。対して、知り合いの梅の木の場合、梅は６月で収穫してしまうので、その後で葉ダニが発生して毎夏に銀色の葉になるけど実への実害は無いようです。

それならなるべく早生のリンゴの品種であれば大丈夫かもしれませんが、本物のリンゴの場合、暖地ではとにかく虫がつきやすい。ということで、カイドウのように丈夫なクラブアップルに興味を持ちました。そこで調べてみたら、８月に収穫できる「ドルゴ」という品種に行きつきました。検索していて安い苗がオクに出ていることを知り、その業者がちょうどサマーセールを行っていたので落札しました。

I have given up growing regular apples due to recurring spider mites' damages.  When the leaves turn silver, photosynthesis is severely limited and the young fruits stop growing.  Since apples normally mature in October-November, continued growth for the fruits was impossible.  Interestingly, my friend's Ume tree also gets spider mites in summer but, due to the fact that Ume plums are harvested before the end of June, her Ume production is virtually unaffected.

In that case, an early fruiting apple variety may be an idea.  However, in a hot climate that we have in Tokyo, spider mites are just one of many problems.  So, I became interested in crabapples that are as tough as flowering crabapples and came across 'Dolgo'.  I also noticed that an online plant shop was having a summer sale on the Yahoo auction site and managed to get one.

米国の動画を見ると、ドルゴはクラブの中でも大き目の実がなり、しかも酸っぱいもの好きな人なら生食もできるそうです。私はたぶんジャムやコンポートに利用すると思います。

ドルゴはカザフスタンの原産で、ロシア経由で北米に導入されたそうで、ロシア語で「ドルゴ」は「長い」という意味だそうです。YouTubeの動画の一つには本当に細長い実が紹介されているのがありますが、他の動画の実はまん丸の実だったので、個体差があるようです。

According to US videos on YouTube, Dolgo produces fruits of a good size for a crabapple, and you can eat the fruits as fresh if you can tolerate tart fruits.  In my case, I will be using the fruits for making jam and comports.  Dolgo originates from Kazakhstan and was introduced to North American via Russia, thus the word 'Dolgo' meaning 'long' in Russian.  One of the videos showed elongated fruits, but most others were very round shaped.  So, there seems to be variation among 'Dolgo'.

送られてきた苗はしっかりした太い主幹です。

The plant has a thick trunk and seems to be robust.

10号鉢に植え付け。土が粘土の塊だったので根洗いして植え付けしました。真夏にこんな荒いことをした後、暫くは半日陰に置きます。

I replanted it in a 30 cm diameter pot.  The soil around the roots was hard clay, so I washed it off, although it is a risky thing to do in the middle of summer.  After such a rough treatment, the plant will stay in half shade for some time.

地植えにした皇帝棗のコガネ被害が止みません。

The fruits of the Emperor jujube that I planted in the ground this spring keep getting attacked by green beetles.

日々 大きくなる実を見ていると、もう体裁を気にしている場合ではないので、

The young fruits are growing every day, and it is such a pity to have them spoiled by beetles.  So, I decided to forget about 'appearances'.

防虫ネットを購入して網掛けしました。道から丸見えです。

I bought a net with fine mesh.  The tree now stands conspicuous when looked at from the public road.

でも、これで安心。網目のサイズは１ミリ角で、雨も日光も通します。

The net's mesh is 1 mm squares.  It allows rain and sunshine pass through.

今年は日本棗の種類がひとつ増えました。２年前からある日本棗は完熟時に俵型の実になるものですが、新たに加わったこの個体のは細長い実です。

This year, I have a new Japanese jujube.  (Jujube was introduced to Japan more than a thousand years ago but no-one bothered to cultivate improved varieties.  Over the centuries, natural variation occurred, but we simply bundle them as 'Japanese jujubes' and no specific variety names exist.)  The type I got 2 years ago produces squarish fruits.  This new type produces elongated teardrop shaped fruits.

子供の頃、近所の家の庭にあった成木の実とそっくり。その木の実は早生で夏の間に色づいて落ちていたような記憶です。この木のもだんだんと色が黄色くなってきています。

This looks exactly like the fruits of a tree that was growing in our neighbour's garden when I was a child.  The fruits on that tree matured quite early - during our summer holiday.  The fruits on this tree seem to be turning light-coloured already, and I am looking forward to comparing the taste.

イチジク Gold Fig

 4月27日に買ったイチジクのゴールドフィグは、

I bought this gold fig on 27th April this year.

現在ここまで育っています。主幹に蕾/実が出たのに加え、２本の横枝にも最近小さな実がでました。

It has grown to this size now.  Initially, there were no flower buds (fruits).  Now I see fruits on the trunk itself, as well as on the two side branches.

これは主幹の実。少し色づいてきましたが、黄実品種なので、完熟が見分けにくいです。

These fruits are on the trunk itself.  A few of them are turning yellow, but it is not easy to know when the fruit is mature.

これは下のほうの横枝。

This branch is on the lower part of the tree.

これは主幹の頂上近くの横枝。

This branch is near the top of the tree.

豊産性のようですが、初年度の実のサイズはちっこい。口を開かずに完熟する品種なのか分からないので、１個試し採りすることにしました。

This variety seems to be prolific, but the fruits are tiny - they may be larger from next year onwards.  Not knowing whether the top of the fruit should open when it is ripe, I decided to try one.

ちょっと早すぎたようです。でも甘くて美味しい。左側の半身は白い部分もクリーミーで食感が良いです。これくらい小さい実なら、スイーツに使うと見栄えします。

It was a little premature.  However, the fruit was sweet and pleasant.  The half piece on the left was more ripe than the one on the right, and the white surrounding was creamy and delicious.  The fruits may be small, but this is the right size to use in sweets (large fruits spoil the sweet's overall appearance).

台風13号の影響でここ数日涼しいので、パン作りに最適です。タンパク質13%の強力粉で、卵無しの素朴な丸パンです。

Due to the effect of typhoon No. 13, which is still lingering somewhere far south of Japan, we have had cool weather for the last several days.  It has been a perfect combination of temperature and humidity, so I made plain buns.

青空ふたたび Blue ski is back

 過去数日、日中は曇りで暗くなると雨が降るというパターンが続いていたのですが、今朝は良い天気、真夏らしい一日でした。

For the last several days, we had overcast sky during the day followed by rain during the night.  So, the blue sky we had this morning was quite a nice change - it really felt like summer.

公園ではムクゲの花が咲き始めています。

At the park, Hibiscus syriacus bushes were starting to flower, adding to the summer atmosphere.

タイガのオヤツスポットになっている築山の木陰で一休み。

We had a rest in the shade on top of the mound which is Taiga's treat spot.

オヤツのあとは別の草地へ移動して、またしても木陰でリラックス。

After the treat, we moved to another field and found a shade where Taiga got comfortable.

いつもの草風呂の始まり。

When feeling comfortable, she always rolls on the grass.

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数日前に「皇帝」ナツメの木に設置した石鹸水入りのプラスチックカップもゼラニウムの鉢植えも、今のところ効果が見られません。願わくば、コガネ成虫が活動する季節が終わってくれることです。そして幼虫への対策として、「カルホス」1kg入りを注文しました。うちの狭い庭にカルホスをばら撒いて、来年の発生を抑制しようと思います。

The plastic cup with soapy water and a piece of banana that I hung on the 'Emperor' jujube tree has produced no results, neither did the pot of geranium.  Hopefully, the active season for the grownup Japanese beetles has come to an end.  As to the beetle grubs in the ground, I have just ordered a 1kg of powder that targets root eating grubs.  I hope this will control the emergence of grownup beetles next year.

皇帝の幼果は、６月の開花からのものは3個を除いて他は全て落果しました。猛暑が始まって以降の開花からの幼果は、木の天辺あたりに数個ついているだけです。今年は地植え初年度なので、栄養を木の成長に集中させているようです。
On the Emperor jujube tree, the young fruits from the flowers of June have more or less all dropped, leaving just 3.  What fruits that are growing now are concentrated at the top of the tree where new limbs came out before the hot weather of July.  Since this is the first year for the tree to grow in the ground, nutrition is directed towards growing the tree itself rather than producing fruits.

地植えのほうが実が大きくなることを期待しています。

I am hoping that the fruit sizes in the future will be larger than they were when the tree was growing in a pot.

ブラックベリーのナバホが熟し始めています。去年は異常に早くて6月下旬に熟していましたが、ちょうどその時の熱波で実が日焼けして腐りました。地植えだと日光調整のための移動ができないので、今年から鉢植えにして実の日焼けを避ける予定です。ナバホは立木性なのでカラムナー仕立てにします。

Navaho blackberries are getting ripe.  Last year, they ripened unusually early and the harvesting peak occurred in late June.  Unfortunately, we had a heat wave in the 2nd half of June last year and a lot of the ripening fruits got sunburned and spoiled.  The tree was in the ground until last year, and this year I have started growing it in a pot.  This way, I can move the pot to adjust the direct sun light hours, if necessary.  Since Navaho has an upright growth habit, I am going to make it into a columnar bush.

ゼラニウムがだめなら If geranium does not work

 先日のゼラニウムの効果は未だ現れていません。株元にコガネ成虫が転がっていない一方、皇帝ナツメの幼果がまた新たに齧られています（ゼラニウムを齧った跡の麻痺状態がどれだけ継続するのか不明なので、私がチェックしに行くまでには回復していたのかも）。そこで、ネットで見かけた今一つの情報を元に用意したのがコレ。コガネ成虫はバナナやスモモなどの果物が好きだそうなので、バナナのかけらに釣られて侵入したコガネが足を滑らせてカップ底の石鹸水の中に落ちる、というシーンを想定して作りました。

I have not seen any effect of the geranium plant that I got a few days ago.  I do not see any Japanese beetles lying about under the geranium plant, while a few more new young jujube fruits have been gnawed at (as to the paralysis time after eating geranium, I do not know for how long it lasts - maybe they have recovered and flown away by the time I go to check).  So, I decided to act on another piece of information and made this↓.  The article on the net said that Japanese beetles love fruits such as bananas and plums.  With this device, I am hoping that the beetle will be enticed by the piece of banana and accidentally slip into the soapy liquid at the bottom of the plastic cup.  

さっそく木の中間あたりの枝に吊るして様子見です。

I hung the cup halfway up the tree.

皇帝の株元にはゼラニウムもあるので、どちらかが効果を発揮してくれることを期待。

The geranium plant stays at the bottom of the jujube tree.  With this double-barrelled approach, I should stand a better chance.

４年くらい前に地植えにした種無しスダチがぼうぼう。先月始めに掻き芽をしてすっきりしたばかりですが、最近は夕方から夜にかけて毎日雨が降るので新梢がまた盛んに出ています。地植えにしてから実が生らなかったのが、去年はじめて３個だけ生りました。

I planted this seedless Sudachi in the ground about 4 years ago.  Its branches are getting thick, even though I pruned the tree only last month.  For the last few days, we have had rains every day after sunset and the humidity and heat have encouraged the new buds to come out.  After planting it in the ground, it produced no fruits until last year when it had 3 fruits.

今年は十数個生っているので、木の成長がやっと落ち着き始めたようです。種無しスダチは最高です。柚子の場合、多田錦は大実柚子に比べて小振りなのに対し、この種無しスダチは種だらけの普通品種と同じ。種がない分、果肉がとてもジューシーです。９月まで、もう少し大きくなります。

This year, I have more than 15 fruits growing, so I think the tree's priority is starting to shift from growth to producing fruits.  This seedless Sudachi is excellent.  In the case of Yuzu, fruits of the seedless Yuzu, Tadanishiki, are smaller than those of regular Yuzu.  No such disadvantage with this seedless Sudachi - the fruits are the same size as those of regular Sudachi packed with seeds.  So, for the same size of fruits, this seedless Sudachi has far more flesh and juice than the regular Sudachi.  Moreover, the tree is thornless.  We harvest Sudachi fruits in September while the fruits are still green, when the flavour is a lot more intense than when the fruits are ripe and golden.

これは種無し柚子の多田錦。去年買った苗を、もう今年の春に地植えにしたので実は期待していませんでしたが、結構生っています。

This is the seedless Yuzu, named Tadanishiki.  I bought this plant last year and planted it in the ground this spring.  I was prepared to see no fruits for a few years, as I did with the seedless Sudachi.  However, it is already fruiting to my delight.

その隣に植わっているカラカラオレンジに高接ぎしてある星タンゴールの実が順調に肥大していて、今は小さめの温州ミカン程度になっています。

Next to the Tadanishiki  is Cara Cara orange tree on which I grafted a branch of a golden orange called Hoshi Tangor.  Its first fruit is growing nicely and now it is the size of a smallish tangerine orange.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

最近の雨で湿度が高くて、公園に行っても清々しさは感じられません。

Due to the frequent rain in the last few days, the humidity is high and I do not feel fresh air even in the park.

それでも楽しそうなタイガ。

Taiga looks happy at any rate.

背後の植え込みのフヨウ。いかにも蒸し暑い夏の花です。

Among the bush behind Taiga is a tree, Hibiscus mutabilis,  that thrives in this humid climate.  Looking at these flowers makes me think 'Aw, it's that time of the year....'