My moso seedlings have been in a bad shape lately. They seem to be wilted. One of them especially. I figured that it must be the lack of light, since it’s winter here and the days are shorter. So, I’ve been carrying them around the house every day to get them as much sun as I can. But last night, I didn't take them back to the room, so my mom almost stepped on them, because they were in her room at the balcony door. And then I had enough.
Only 8 (out of 10) of seedlengs has survived so far.
The oldest seedling is probably suffering, with chlorosis, that is.
And the bright one is at the worst for now.
Bambos are accopanied by a Dracena drako seedling, I got the seed at Tenerife islands this summer, where I went on vacation.
Today I bought them a lamp (Megaman plant lamp BRO515P). It was a bit more on the expensive side, but I think it should do, for I want what's best for my plants. I was looking for it at almost every specialized store there is, that I've known of, but they only kept neon lamps, and I don't have a fitting lamp for such bulbs. So, I almost gave up. But then, in the last store I went to, I found the right one. It was just right for my old table lamp.
So this is how I did it:
I fixed the lamp on the table, which I refer to as the 'table lamp', and because the thing is old, the screws that should hold the lamp in position that you had set, didn’t do their job, I had to block it with a wooden stick. And then of course, put the bulb in.
I set the light on timer for 12 hours (from 6am to 6 pm), and so turned the light on. I hope that now my little mosos will be all right. I just wonder, if I should give some fertilizer to seedlings.
Those days I'd been on a journey with a Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. Well, not literally, but with two of his books that I read.
But let us start at the beginning. If you have read my blog of GRRM, you probably already know that I have two favourite writers. The first one is GRRM and the second is Murakami. Actually, they are not a first and a second for me - they are equal. Yes, they do write differently, but I find myself in both.
I really found myself or my style of writing in this book of his.
'The Elephant Vanishes' (original title: Zō no shōmetsu) was his first book in my 'from autumn to winter' journey. I got this book as a present. Well, more as a self-treating gift. I got these gift cards, that were to be used at some book shop, from my school mates at the end of the year and, because I was about to buy a book and didn’t have the money at the time (being a student is hard, you are constantly “poor”), I'd get myself this one (thanks mates!).
It is a collection of short stories, which were originally written from 1983 to 1990, therefore they are from his early days as writer. And gosh, some of the stories (style of writing) are so similar to mine (sometimes I write a little, if I get inspired). Most of the stories in this book are a sort of a set up for Murakamis later novels.
My personal favourites are: The Sleep (about a woman that does not sleep), The Silence (a story of a boy, who was victimised by a school mate for an ego revenge), The Window (a guy who works at a small firm as a letter writer, meets a woman who makes a minced-meat steak for him), …
I could list almost all of the stories from this book, but then this blog would be way too long. But all of them have something in common. They all talk about things we an see daily and live in the real world, such as loss; pain; loneliness, and then Murakami wrappes them up in mysticism and surrealism (in some cases). But still, stories are much likely the every-days peoples lives.
While I was still reading the vanishing elephant, one day I stopped at an antique book shop, not looking for anything, just harmlessly passing by. And there I found the book, that I had been looking for a long while. 'A Wild Sheep Chase' (original title: Hitsuji o meguru bōken).
I was a bit disappointed by the Slovene translation and by the design of the Slovene edition. The story is great though. Actually it's a thriller, where the main character is literally looking for a sheep, which shouldn’t exist. Again, in this book (it’s divided on two parts), we can find Murakamis parallel worlds. It was a book to feed on. I'd read it in a week; reading it while I was working (I work in a phone centre - a student work -, so I have some time to read while calling out). And the book was so unpredictable, that I didn't know what will happen, straight to the end.
These two books were my companions since the end of autumn to the beginning of winter. And I sure enjoyed it. One of his books though, was with me a few years ago during a summer. Oh, gosh, when I remember the reading and the story of the book, I can still smell those summer breezes and the sound of the tree leaves, played with by the wind, behind boarding school … Many times I wanted to read it again, but I really have to wait for the right summer. Well, this is my favourite book.
Kafka on the Shore (original title: Umibe no Kafuka)
How did I get this book?
Once I had a magazine in front of me (like at the time, when I discovered 'The Game of Thrones') and I found a short passage into the book. Probably it was the talking cat from there. I bought it and started reading it.
This book is really something! Talking cats, imaginary friends or living conscience, raining fish, Oedipus syndrome, stones that open doors … it can give you so much. It’s quite a heavy book to read. Well, shortly it is about a boy that runs away from home, away from his father, and he is companied by a boy named Crow.
Oh, it’s hard to put in words, the description of such a great book, so I will just write you a passage from the book and hope that it will get you to read it.
Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjust. Over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why? Because this storm isn’t something that blew in from far away, something has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Somethinginside of you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn’t get in, and walk through it, step by step. There’s no sun there, no moon, no direction, no sense of time. Just fine, white sand swirling up into the sky like pulverized bones. That’s the kind of sandstorm you need to imagine.
…
And you really will have to make it through that violent, metaphysical, symbolic storm. No matter how metaphysical or symbolic it might be, make no mistake about it: it will cut through flash like thousand razor blades. People will bleed there, and you will bleed too. Hot, red blood. You’ll catch that blood in your hand, your own blood and the blood of others.
And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be shore, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.
And here is the same passage to listen (prologue and first chapter of the book, just to taste):
As you probably realize, I’m in frogs lately. Just the previous day I was looking for something bout them on internet and I found this:
It’s a CD with sounds of 13 frog and toads that live in our country, recorded by Tomi Trilar and it was published by Slovenian Museum of Natural History.
O this CD you can found calls of Yellow-bellied Toad (Bombina variegata), Fire-Bellied Toad (Bombina bombina), Common Spade Foot Toad (Pelobates fuscus), Common Toad (Bufo bufo), Green Toad (Bufo viridis), European Tree Frog (Hyla arborea), Common or Grass frog (Rana temporaria), Moor Frog (Rana arvalis), Agile Frog (Rana dalmatina), Italian Agile Frog (Rana latastel), Lake Frog (Rana (Pelophylax) ridibunda), Edible Frog (Rana (Pelophylax) kl. esculenta) and Pool Frog (Rana (Pelophylax) lessonae). All spieces of frogs and toads that live in our country.
I was listening this sounds for all day long, and I think I will start so sound like a frog to. Well but the main thing for me to buy these CD is to learn sounds of frogs and toads, because this spring I will try to find them in their mating season, because I want to take photos of them. Right now my main goal for this comeing spring is Green Toad (I just love her color), Common Spade Foot Toad and Moor Frog.
Finally the autumn has come. Everything was still green and warm only a week ago . It seemed then, that the summer just didn’t want to go. But then, in just a few days of rain the temperatures dropped rapidly, and the trees changed their leaves from green to yellow, like if you would turn a switch on.
Well, with the cold my P. nigra came at risk. Of course, this bamboo can hold on even to -15°C, but I don’t want to take any risks, for the plant to get frost damage. Well, if it was only for the cold and snow, it would have been ok, but the problem is: where my bamboo grows it doesn't have enough shelter, so It’s pretty windy, what is usually the main cause for winter drought.
What I have done is, that I have “protected” my bamboo against winter. And here is, how I had done it:
First, I tied the bamboo up, on several places from bottom to top, so that the plant itself is protected by it’s leaves, and because it is easier to do the next steps, where the branches could be damaged during the process.
Second, I put a net for defense (which was a leftover form when we put the fence on) around the bamboo and stuffed it with straw, which will protect the lower and underground parts of the plant. Last year, when I also did it this way, I stuffed it with straw a little to much, so the water didn’t drain as it should, and because of that, I found a few rotten leaves on culms above ground, therefore this year I didn't go so tuff on stuffing.
Then I put a 1,60m long stick next to the plant, and tied up the upper parts of bamboo on it, for stability.
And as the third part, I put the so-called winter felt around it. First on the lower part, and then on upper. I have fixed the whole lower part with stones, and then did the same with the upper one, just that I didn’t use straw there. I tied up everything with a rope, so that the wind wouldn’t get any funny ideas.
When I was preparing the bamboo for the winter, I also removed one of the rhizomes, that came up the same as some others, of which I have already written about in post: 'Dividing Phyllostachys nigra'. At first, I wanted to throw it away, but then I noticed it had already had roots on it, and I saw some sleeping buds on it as well.
So, I planted it, and what will happen will happen.
I also have to tell you, that only one of the small plants has survived; the one with more roots. It has already made its first shoot.
And now, the final part of my Autumn update are moso sprouts. I’m quite happy with the results. Out of 30 seeds, 10 of them sprouted. So, I had 33,3% germination rate. But, of course, not all of them will survive. Three of the them are quite in a bad shape; they just don’t want to develop. But I also have two different from the others.
One of them has yellow stripes on its leaves, so I assume, that this one could be P. e. ‘Bicolor’.
And the other is much lighter than the others, so the leaves as the stem. At first, I thought that it’s because of soil; that it didn’t get enough nutrients; but it had the same soil as the others, as well as other conditions as light, water, temperature, … So, I hope, it’s a different variety. If you have any clue about this, as of which it could be, please le me know.
You probably remember, that I have sown F.nitida seeds. Sadly nothing has come out yet, and I’m start to lose hope, that anything will happen.
This week, again at my girlfriends, I took photos of European tree frog - Hyla arborea. Actually, I have cheated a little bit, because I didn't find this frog in nature. I asked my friend, whom works at Ocean Orchids company, and these tree frogs have come to live in the greenhouses, where they have perfect conditions to live. So, I asked her if she can catch me one, because I need a photo of it for my diploma. Well these are the photos of the frog. Of course I let it go free in nature.
Today I would like to write about a book, that was recommended to me by someone. It’s about a story that had high influence on me, and, we could say, on my meaning of life. This is a blog about a story written by Jean Giono – The man who planted trees (original title: L'Homme qui plantait des arbres).
It’s been probably round year and half, if not two years, since I bought this book. As I said before, it was recommended to me by my friend, with words: “This book will be probably right for you,” when I begged her to write me a list of books that I should read. And it really was.
It took me a while to find it. There weren’t any books left in bookstores in the dozen places I checked, so I had to buy it over the internet. I don’t really like to buy books that way, because it’s too unpersonal if you haven’t had that book (or one of it's sibling-books) in hands before, but sometimes there is no other way.
The Slovene copy of the book is printed on special paper, and equipped with wood engravings by Peter Abram.
When the book arrived, I was surprised by how thick it was. But luckily, I have learned already, that the quantity of the written is not always quality. And then I smelled it. I just love the smell of books, of their paper, and sometimes I even think that I can smell the letters in them. So when I smelled it, I was surprised again, it smelled so differently from the other books. Maybe because of the paper they used for the book.
The story is partly autobiographical, and it talks about a shepherd, who had unselfishly planted thousands of trees in the ruthless landscape in the French Alps.
I won’t talk about the meaning of the story, because I believe, that every story gives different wisdoms to different people (if you don’t have the time to read it, you can watch it below). For me, this story was inspiring, and it has woke up the calls in me, which I hadn’t heard in a long time. The calls, which made me become a gardener, but during the school time, and this whole world going so fast, I had forgotten about them.
So, I started planting my own trees. I started with Ginkgo biloba. I had collected seeds in autumn, in the city where my school was. I planted them in spring, on the day of the earth, 27. April 2010, and soon they sprouted. I have them on the balcony, where they are exposed to the sun and the wind, so that plants can be more resistant.I decided that I will give them to the people, I care about a lot, and are special for me. I have already given a few to some of them, and as they say, their ginkgos are growing nicely. This year I also planed gingko seeds. And because this is an international year of forests, I will plant them on the land we own, to form a little forest.
Last year's, and this year's plant of Ginkgo biloba
I have already prepared seeds of a Dove tree – Davidia involucrate, of Monkey puzzle tree – Araucaria araucana, and I will probably some other tree seeds.
So, now if you would like, well actually I highly recommend you to watch this short movie 'The men who planted trees' by Jean Giono, and I hope it will touch you too, but still try to read the book.
