オレゴンエコライフ Oregon Eco Life

〜今年もガーデニングの季節が始まりました！Gardening season has begun!〜

　＜したこと＞

　<Done List>

• Prune Japanese Plum
• Mow lawn for the first time this year
• Prune Japanese Feather Reed Grass short
• Prune Mugwort

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「桜切る馬鹿、梅切らぬ馬鹿」

“Only an idiot prunes Sakura (flowering cherry), and only an idiot doesn’t prune Ume (Japanese Plum)”

と、昔から言われていますね。剪定の基本です。桜の木は切ると切り口から菌が侵入して腐って死んでしまいます。梅の木は逆に剪定をしないと良い花や実がならない。木によって剪定の仕方が異なるのです。

It has been said for a long time like that in Japan. These are the basics of pruning. When a flowering cherry tree is cut, bacteria enter the cut end and cause the tree to rot and die. On the other hand, plum trees will not produce good flowers or fruit unless they are pruned. Pruning methods vary depending on the tree.

今年はここポートランドでは、一月中旬にマイナス11度になり氷に閉ざされたのに、一月下旬には15度まで暖かくなっていました。今週末も三月のような春の気配。まだ二月上旬というのに梅の蕾がふっくらしてきたので、格言に従って剪定しました。

This year, here in Portland, the temperature dropped to 11 degrees in mid-January and we were frozen in ice, but in late January it had warmed up to 60 degrees. This weekend is also a sign of spring, like March. Although it was only early February, the plum buds were starting to plump, so I followed the proverb and prune them.

去年おそらく1年経った木を購入したので、今年は樹齢2年です。まず、枝を4本残してそれ以外の枝をカット。その後、残した枝の去年伸びた分の半分をカット。結構思いっきり切らないといけない💦

I bought a tree last year that was probably 1 year old, so this year it’s 2 years old. First, leave 4 branches and remove the other branches. After that, on each lateral, shorten last year’s growth by half. I have to prune the tree really hard💦

梅干しと梅酒を作りたくて植えたんだけど、いつになったら実がなるかなぁ。。。目標は5年後に梅酒パーティーだ！

I planted the Japanese plum because I wanted to make pickled plums and plum wine, but I wonder when they will bear fruit. . . The goal is that I will have a plum wine party in 5 years!

Update Feb. 5, 2024: