Two plum trees are now flowering in our garden. They are varieties of 'Oh-ishi Wase' and 'Santa Rosa'. We harvested so many plums last year.
Yesterday was a perfect day for hand-pollination because it was sunny, dry and warm. Plums flower in early spring when there are few bees, therefore we have to pollinate for good harvest. We use a 'mimikaki' (it means a ear cleaner) for pollination. It is a bamboo ear cleaner with a little fluffy thing on the other end that sweeps off the residues of ear wax. The ear cleaner was fixed at the end of a long stick.
(庭の2本のスモモが花を咲かせています。大石早生とサンタローザという品種です。昨年はたくさんのスモモの実を収穫しました。昨日は晴れて乾いていて暖かく、受粉作業には最適の日でした。スモモは花蜂の少ない早春に咲くので、たくさん収穫するには受粉が必要です。受粉には耳かきを使います。長い棒の先に耳かきの綿毛のほうを先にして取り付けます。)
The pollinating tool using ear cleaner |
When we were pollinating plums, a bumblebee came to our garden. It was the first visit this spring, however, it showed no interest in plum flowers. Every year, bumblebees come and pollinate blueberry in April. They really love blueberry flowers, but don't seem to be fond of plum flowers.
(受粉作業をしているところに一匹のクマバチがやってきました。今年初めてです。しかしスモモの花には興味を示しません。毎年、クマバチは4月にやってきてブルーベリーの受粉をしてくれます。ブルーベリーの花が大好きですが、どうもスモモの花はあまり好きではないようです。)
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