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....'

コガネムシ対策 How to beat Japanese beetles

今年も棗の幼果がコガネ成虫に齧られています。コガネムシ退治の方法で検索すると一般的に 出てくるのは容器に食器洗剤などの石鹸系の液体を入れて、それをコガネが着いている枝の下にかざして枝を揺さぶるとコガネが容器の中に落ちて来る。石鹸水で身動きがとれなくなるということだそうです。でも、うちの棗が受ける被害は夜のうちなので時間的に困難。そこで、いまひとつの方法として、ゼラニウムがあることを知りました。複数の米国の動画で言っていたのですが、コガネ成虫はゼラニウムを喜んで食べる。食べた後 体が麻痺して下に落ちるそうで、その間に収集・処分するそうです。

ということで、近所のJAをのぞいてみたら、何と１株だけ売れ残っていました。直径9cmのビニールポット入りの割には地上部が立派なので、苗の強健さがうかがえます。ついでに小さなビニールポットも買いましたが、これは発芽したクコの鉢上げ用です。

Jujube young fruits are getting eaten by Japanese beetles, as they were last year.  When I Google how to get rid of the beetles, the most frequently cited method is to hold an open plastic bottle with soapy water under the branch with beetles, shake the branch and wait for the beetles to drop into the bottle.  The soapy water immobilises the bugs.  The problem is that my jujube fruits are getting eaten mostly during the night and I find it impractical to stand outside in the dark - I will be getting bitten by hundreds of mosquitoes.  So, I looked up on the YouTube and found several US videos introducing the idea of using geranium plants.  Apparently, Japanese beetles love geranium plants and after eating them, they become paralysed and drop onto the ground.  I do not know for how long, but I will have the easy job of collecting and 'unaliving' them.

With this idea, I went to the nearby JA, although it was not the season for geranium plants.  Amazingly, there was just one leftover geranium.  The plant was in a 9cm diameter pot, but it looked quite robust even in the sweltering heat.  I also got a pack of plastic pots for repotting the black goji berries which germinated recently.

今年の春に地植えにした皇帝の実の被害が特にひどいです。

Among all the jujube varieties, the young fruits of the 'Emperor' are getting the worst damage by beetles.

大株に育って欲しいので、鉢も余裕のサイズにしました。

Hoping that the geranium plant would grow big, I repotted it in a large pot.

ラベルによると「暑さにも負けない」品種だそうです。

According to the label, this variety is quite heat tolerant.

さっそく皇帝の根元に置きました。

I placed the pot next to the Emperor jujube.

皇帝は地植えにしたとたん、上へ上へと伸びてしまい、摘心した後でも樹高は2ｍ以上になっています。横枝が短くて少ないですが、考えようによっては、下のほうの枝に他品種を高接ぎすればスペースを節約できます。

I planted the Emperor jujube in the ground in spring this year.  Since then, the tree has shot up without bothering to grow side branches.  Even after pinching the top, the tree is now taller than 2 meters.  Although the side branches are short, I could use them to graft different varieties to save space.

こちらはクコ。真ん中のポットは黒クコの発芽したものです。右側のポットは新たに種まきした赤クコで、まだ芽が出ていません。黒クコと同時に発芽した赤クコは、うっかりバケツ１杯の水を一気に空けた際、水の直撃を受けてポットの中身が全部飛び出してしまいました。なので再度 種まきしたものです。

Now to the goji berries.  The pot in the middle contains black goji berries.  The pot on the right contains red goji berry seeds that I sowed recently for the second time.  The red goji 

berries that germinated at the same time as the black ones were lost when I emptied a backet of water in the dark, without noticing that there was the pot.  The whole thing was washed away.  Thus, I had to start all over.

この黒クコ、あまりにヒョロくて扱いにくかったですが、

These dainty things are not easy to handle for me, but

なんとか５個を個別のポットに植え替えました。最終的に３個が育てば十分すぎるくらいです。

I managed to repot 5 of them individually.  Ultimately, if 3 of these survive and grow, that would be more than enough.

６月中旬に届いた「静浜クコ」の苗は、

The Japanese goji berries that arrived in mid-June ,,,

今はこの状態です。門の横の壁の上に置いて、陽当たり・風通しを確保しています。以前は地面の上に置いていましたが、ウドンコ病にかかったのでここに移動させて解決しました。

this is how they look now.  I keep the pots on top of the wall next to the gate, where it is sunny and there is plenty of air movement.  When I used to keep them on the ground, the plants became mildewed.  Moving the pots where they are now solved the problem immediately.

ユリなど Lilies etc

紅筋山百合および素芯オニユリが開花しています。

The typhoon No.7 seems to be gone at last.  The Red Yamayuri and Spotless Tiger Lily have started to flower.

この紅筋山百合は先の冬にオクで球根を落札したものです。

I bought the bulb of this Red Yamayuri during last winter on the Yahoo! auction site.

出品時の開花写真では花びらがピンクのものが載っていましたが、実際に咲いてみると白地に赤い筋でした。6月19日の記事の花と似ているけど、今日の花は赤い筋に黄色っぽい部分が全く入りません。

なお、オリエンタルユリに「ディジー」というのがありますが、そちらは山百合とは異なり強健で育てやすいそうです。対して、紅筋山百合は気難しくて、今年咲いているものは３回目の挑戦です。球根を買ってから２シーズンしか持ったことありません。

The photo on the auction site showed flowers with pink petals and red steaks, but these actual flowers have white petals.  They look similar to the flower shown on the posting of June 19th.  However, these current flowers have solid red streaks whereas the previous ones had red streaks with a little bit of yellow.

For the record, there is an Oriental lily variety called 'Dizzy' which is said to be very tough and easy to look after.  In contrast, Red Yamayuri plants are very particular, and I have failed twice in the past.  Those Red Yamayuri plants I had in the past lived and flowered for 2 seasons, after which the bulbs simply disappeared in the soil.

第１花： Flower No.1

第２花：Flower No.2

こちらは素芯オニユリ。球根が充実すると、１本の茎に着く花の数が年々増えてきます。

These are spotless tiger lilies.  When the bulbs are mature, the number of flowers per stem increases every year.

種から育てているローゼル。これは「パープル」に分類されるタイプで、ガク全体が赤くなります。去年 苗を買って育てたのは「レッド」のタイプで、ガクの底辺を囲むフリルのような部分が緑色だったので、今年用に全体が赤くなるパープルの種を買いました。

ローゼルの種は播いたあと1週間ほどで発芽が始まりましたが、その後は全然育ちませんでした。よほど猛暑が好きな植物らしく、梅雨前に暑い天気が続いてやっと成長し始めました。

This is a roselle that I have grown from a seed.  It belongs to the 'purple' category - the whole calyx becomes red.  The roselle plant I bought last year was 'red' and its calyx had a green base, which I did not like.  So, I bought 'purple' variety seeds for this year.

When I sowed the seeds, they started to germinate only after one week.  However, I saw little change after that.  It seems that they love extreme heat and they wait until the climate is right before they start growing.  So, when we had a hot spell right before the rainy season started, it grew quickly to this height.  Now that we are in the middle of the rainy season and daily maximum temperature hovers around 25℃, this plant is doing nothing.

こちらは7日前に掘り上げたナツメのひこばえです。連日の雨天のおかげで萎れることなく生存しています。鉢上げの際 地面の上に露出した部分は相変わらず白いですが、葉っぱの色が若干濃い緑色になってきたので、このまま育ちそう。

This is the jujube sucker that I potted 7 days ago.  Thanks to the continuous rain since then, the young plant has not withered.  Although the bottom part that got exposed to the air when I potted it has not become woody and remains white, the colour of the leaves has become darker green, which gives me hope that this plant may survive.

ナツメひこばえ等 Jujube sucker etc

 2, 3日前に気付いたのですが、今年の冬に買った大雪棗にヒコバエが出てきました。この苗は大雪棗 No. 2です。去年の暮に届いた大雪棗の苗があまりにも貧相だったので、今年になって他のお店から注文したものです。期待に反してエンピツ程度のヒョロ苗がきました（最初の苗はエンピツより細かったので、改善）。その台木からのヒコバエなので、栄養をそちらに持っていかれたくないし、そもそもヒコバエはほぼ例外なく勢いが強い。ということで、大きなほうを取り出してみることにしました。小さいほうは本体に近すぎるので、そのうちむしり取ります。

A few days ago, I noticed a sucker coming out of the root stock of Big Snow Jujube.  This tree is the second Big Snow Jujube, and I bought it early this year from another shop, having been hugely disappointed with the first one that I got late last year.  This second one was again a disappointment - the tree trunk being barely bigger than a pencil (however, the first one was way thinner than a pencil, so this one WAS an improvement on the other one).  

Back to this sucker, it would be unfair to leave it as it is.  The grafted tree is already fragile, and this sucker will become a huge competition.  So, I decided to dig it out.  I was curious to see the state of the sucker.  (The smaller one will be simply removed later, since it is too close to the parent.)

ヒコバエは浅いところの根っこから出るイメージを持っていましたが、かなり掘り下げてやっと根元にたどり着きました。

I had imagined that the sucker came out of a root close to the surface of the soil.  In fact, I had to keep digging to get to the bottom.

元の状態と比べてだいぶ浅植えにしました。地上に露出した白っぽい部分が、日に当たるうちに茎として育ち始めるかどうか、実験です。

I replanted it at a shallow level compared to the original depth.  I am experimenting to see if the pale part of the stem now exposed above the soil would turn into a part of the trunk.

今年もトマトを育てています。今まではミニトマトばかりでしたが、今年初めて「中粒」品種の苗を買ってみました。しかも、完熟でオレンジ色になるというのも初めてです。

The tomato plant that I bought in spring is growing vigorously.  This year, I am growing 'medium-sized' tomatoes for the first time, instead of cherry tomatoes.  Also, this is the first tomato variety with orange fruits.

去年のミニトマトは自家製液肥だけで良く育ったので、今年も同じことをやっています。液肥は、草むしりで出た屑と台所の生ごみが原料ですが、良く育つし、猛暑の間 毎日与えても根腐れしませんでした。植わっている鉢は10号ロングスリット鉢で、朝・夕の水やりでも直ぐに受け皿が空になります。

The cherry tomato plant that I had last year grew well by home-made liquid fertiliser only, so I am doing the same this year.  The raw material for the liquid fertiliser consists of garden weeds and kitchen garbage.  The tomato plant last year thrived on this fertiliser.  Moreover, I kept giving the fertiliser every day even through the hottest months of the summer, but the roots showed no sign of damage.  The pot I use is 30cm diameter and I have to water the plant twice a day.  Even then, the saucer under the pot dries up quickly.

最もオレンジ色に近い実を試しに採ってみることにしました。

I decided to pick the most orange-looking fruit to see the state of maturity.

連日の雨で裂果が見られます。２日ほど追熟させてから味見することにしました。

We are in the middle of the rainy season and the fruit shows a crack.  I will leave it for a few days to let it ripen off the tree before tasting.

紅筋山百合は４輪とも開花して、花の香りが強烈です。その背後にあるのは素芯オニユリ。

All the four flowers on the Red Yamayuri have opened, and the perfume is really powerful.  The pot behind the Yamayuri contains a rare variety of Tiger Lily - its flowers are without dark spots.

蕾が徐々に色づいてきました。

The flower buds are getting ready to open in a few days.

ナツメなど Jujubes etc

 先日の網掛ケージの出来に気を良くして、今度はバルコニーに置いてあったケールも網で保護することにしました。2階のナツメ苗の間に点在していた状態でモンシロチョウがやって来ると、狭いバルコニーを移動しながら追い払っていたのですが、ナツメの枝に服が引っ掛かってしまいがちでした。ケールを一箇所に集約して網掛することでチョウの産卵の心配が無くなります。ポルトガルケールはバルコニーに３株、庭に２株。普通のケールはここに４株、庭に１株。

Having confirmed the usefulness of the vegetable cage that I built a few days ago, I decided to cover the kale plants on the upstairs balcony, by gathering them in one place.  These kales had been placed between jujube pots, and whenever I saw cabbage butterflies, I had to walk sideways chasing the insects.  Every time I did so on the narrow balcony, my clothes got caught by jujube branches.  By covering the kales with a net, I no longer have to worry about green grubs.  Having sacrificed one pot of each variety, I now have 5 plants of each, including the ones in the garden.

庭の棗は、今年の春に地植えにした皇帝ナツメと、鉢植えの日本ナツメ。これ↓は皇帝です。

The jujubes in the garden are one 'Emperor' and one Japanese variety.  This tree in the below photo is Emperor which I planted in the ground this spring.

２階のナツメ苗はおびただしい数の花が咲いていますが、着果の兆しは無し。対して、遅れて咲き始めたこの皇帝は、授粉の確認ができる箇所がたくさんあります。でも、本格的な着果が期待できるのは７-８月の猛暑のなかでの開花です。

The jujubes on the upstairs balcony have tons of flowers but no sign of fruit setting.  In contrast, the Emperor started flowering late but I can see numerous flowers that seem to have successfully pollinated.  However, I must not forget that it is really flowers of July-August, during extreme heat, that result in serious fruit setting.

こちら↓は２年前の７月に買った日本種の苗。そのときは猛暑の時期だったので、そうっと鉢増ししただけで、去年の春に絡まった根っこをほぐして徹底的に粘土の土を洗い落としました。そのショックで去年は全く成長なし。今年の春にやっと新梢が出てきて、それがもう50cmほどに伸びています（赤矢印が今春のスタート点）。

This is the Japanese jujube that I bought in July 2024.  We were in the middle of a heat wave then, so I simply potted it without disturbing the roots.  In spring last year, I washed off the heavy clay soil and cut a great deal of entangled roots.  The shock to the plant was too much and there was no growth during last year.  However, this spring, new branches shot out and they are already 50cm long (the red arrows indicate the starting points of this year).

花数も去年より多い。

And, it has more flowers than last year.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

今日も暑かったですが、夕方は乾燥した涼しい風が吹くなか、城北公園へ向かいました。草丈が伸び始めた草地に座り込んでリラックス。

It was another hot day today.  In the evening, we had cool breezes and we set off to the Johoku Park, where we sat down and relaxed among the tall grass.

タイガが目でオヤツを催促。ヨダレが風に揺れている。

Taiga urging me to pull out the treat, with her saliva swaying in the breeze.

今日のは牛タンの乾燥皮で、完全無添加です。

A healthy treat - dried skin of cow's tongue with no additives whatsoever.

カリカリ音をたてて満足そうに食べています。

She savours it making a crackling sound.

あっ、カンタ。

She spots Kanta in the distance.

カンタはタイガより４歳ちかく年下なのに、タイガはいつも低姿勢で挨拶します。しっぽが完全に右側に倒れている。

Kanta is nearly 4 years younger than Taiga, but she always greets him as if she were his junior.  Notice her tail falling to the right - she likes him a lot.

カンタはシュッとした甲斐犬です。

Kanta is a sharp-looking Kaiken.

紫色の舌班が見えます。タイガの舌班は口の奥に小さなのがあるだけ。

He has purple stains on his tongue.  Taiga's spot is much smaller and is located at the back of her mouth.

帰りしな、タービュレンのルイ君にも会えました。ルイ君はタイガより１歳下の12歳で、幼馴染です。
On our way home, we met Louis, a male Belgian Tervuren.  He is 12 years old, and one year younger than Taiga.  They have been good friends since they were puppies.

家の近くまで来ると暗くなり始めていて、東の空に満月がかかっていました。

By the time we reached our neighbourhood, it was getting dark, and I noticed a full moon in the east.

西の空は夕焼け。明日も暑くなりそうです。

In the west, there was a shepherd's delight, indicating another hot day tomorrow.