At the end of the year, the Christmas tree is a staple in many homes, along with stockings, firewood, and hot chocolate. Everything is fine for hiking in the cold Arctic, but in the southern hemisphere, the weather is more suitable for beach barbecues. Like the island’s kauri trees, the pohutukawa (kiwifruit tree Xmas) is revered by the first Maori (a member of the aboriginal people of New Zealand.) to arrive on the island.
In fact, the tree played one of the most important roles in their journey to the afterlife. At Cape Reinga, a tree overcame adversity and survived the edge of a steep cliff with choppy waves. It is said that recently deceased souls came here for the first time and climbed from the roots of this tree into the sea, where they would begin their journey through the underworld (Reinga).
This earned him the shady name “The Land of the Leaps”. The tree itself is small and is said to have never bloomed, but it is said to be over 800 years old. Another Maori legend says that a young warrior named Tawhaki (a semi-supernatural being associated with lightning and thunder.) died while trying to go to heaven to seek the gods’ help, and his blood sprinkled on the pohutukawa tree when it fell, giving its flowers a distinctive deep red color.
However, these flowers are not only red but are also known for their white, yellow, and orange colors. When the first European settlers celebrated their first birthdays, they were forced to do without the distinctive sacred trees that decorate churches and homes.
The Pohutukawa tree, with its red flowers in summer, is an ideal choice. It is known as the “Settlers’ Christmas Tree” and “Australian Holly”. The earliest record of a Christmas tree explicitly used for Christmas decoration dates back to 1857. A short excerpt from The Kiwi’s December 30 entitled “Māori Christmas” states: On Christmas Day, the famous Chief Patton threw a traditional party for his local friends at his Waiwara Riki home.
North Shore … A large 120-foot-long guest tent erected, with tables and chairs tossed along its length; flanked by flags, branches, and crimson pohutukawa flowers (or “Christmas tree”), with the Union Jack flying to each end to recognize them as loyal subjects of Her Majesty the Queen.
For his part, even His Majesty seems to love the nectar of trees. Queen Elizabeth II reportedly received a jar as a gift and ordered one every year. It is said to have medicinal properties and can be used like honey to relieve sore throats
kiwifruit tree
Kiwi grows on vigorous, woody, twining vines or climbing shrubs up to a height of 30 feet (9 m). Its alternating long-petiole deciduous leaves are oval to suborbicular, corded at the base, and 3 to 5 inches (7.5-12.5 cm) long. The leaves and young shoots are covered with red hairs; the mature leaves are dark green and glabrous above, gray-white, with prominent light veins below.
Aromatic, dioecious or bisexual flowers, solitary or triple at the axil of the leaves, with 5 to 6 petals, initially white, turning pale yellow, 1 to 2 inches (2.5-5 cm) wide, two Both have clusters centers of many stamens in both sexes, although the stamens of female flowers do not have viable pollen.
Fruit oval, oval or oblong, up to 2 1/2 inches (6.25 cm) long, with a russet skin densely covered with short brown hairs, with a prominent 5-pointed calyx at the base. The young, but ripe fruit withers and dehiscences, while 5 small sepals persist at the apex. The pulp is firm until fully ripe, shiny, juicy, succulent, bright green, sometimes yellow, brown, or whitish, except for a juicy white center that gives off many fine, pale lines.
Interspersed between these lines are tiny dark purple or near black seeds that are unnoticeable when eaten. The cross-section is very interesting. In some lower types, the central core is fibrous or even woody. The taste ranges from slightly sour to quite sour, a bit like a gooseberry with a hint of strawberry.
Kiwifruit plant
Kiwifruit is said to be a difficult crop to grow, and many new plantations in California have failed. The soil should be well tilled to a good slope for easy penetration of the shallow fibrous root system. Fumigation before planting is important. The soil should be leveled so that all plants have the same amount of moisture. There should be good drainage and strong winds to avoid severe damage to the shoots.
The vines are not facing each other but arranged alternately, typically using 18 to 20 feet (5.56-6m) spacing in 15-foot (4.5m) rows. In 1983, it was announced that plant spacing was reduced to 2.5 meters (8.2 feet). It is customary to train vines to grow on a sturdy horizontal trellis, with wooden “T” supports 6 to 7 feet (1.8-2.1m) high and 3 strands 2 feet (60cm) apart.
A New Zealand grower has developed a metal arch system that provides space under the canopy of trees for pruning and harvesting and also provides frost protection by allowing fresh air to flow down and onto the ground. the frequency of diseases. Furthermore, it was found that the A-trellis produces 3 times more fruit than the conventional flat trellis.
Using ordinary methods, the plants are pinned until they reach the wire, and as they grow, they need to be checked, otherwise, there will be a lot of clumps of vegetation tangled together. The cultivation of vines is very important. There should be only one leader and result in arm every 18-28 inches (45-71 cm). Summer pruning is designed to guide fruiting arms and suppress buds.
Summer pruning shoots will not bear fruit until the second year after dormancy. Male plants will produce more pollen in the spring if the new shoots produce 5 to 7 shoots in the summer. Fruiting branches are renewed every 4 years in winter.
Vines should be trained to bear fruit above the leaves rather than below, as excessive leaf shading can cause stunted shoots, delayed flowering, bud dehydration and death, and reduced fruit size. This is more critical in New Zealand than in California, where the light is more intense and penetrating.
Kiwi fruit plant
Mature kiwi fruit plants need at least 150 pounds of nitrogen per acre (about 150 kg/ha). In New Zealand, they are usually fertilized twice a year, once in spring and once in early summer, using a total of 500 lbs (225 kg) of nitrogen, 220 lbs (100 kg) P2O5, 121 lbs (55 kg) K2O per hectare – equivalent to 202 lbs (92 kg) of nitrogen, 89 lbs (4.5 kg) P2O5, 49 lbs (22.2 kg) K2O per acre.
In addition to land costs, a minimum of $ 3,500 per acre put into production is required. The first 2 years are the most critical period for dealing with the variable growth habits of individual plants, but with age, the vines become more manageable. A California grower who also grows and sells grafted plants believes many are growing too young.
It only sells 2-year-old bare-root vines to plant during the dormancy season, unlike container-grown vines, which give the roots maximum freedom. In France, cuttings from New Zealand are stored in cold storage in winter and planted in spring, with vines growing 5 to 6 feet (1.5-1.8m) in the first 2 months.
Kiwifruit vines can withstand the rainy season that destroys peach orchards. In addition to the added value of plant protection in the cold season and heat protection in the dry season, drip irrigation is now used in California. A mature orchard is said to require 40 inches (1,000 mm) of water during the 8-month growing season, more than 1/2 of the 3 summer months.
Some growers plant permanent cover crops inoculated with clover to control dust, promote water infiltration, and provide additional nitrogen to the kiwifruit crop. However, clover must be trimmed when pollinating to prevent the flowers from attracting bees away from the kiwi vines.
kiwifruit flower
The kiwifruit flowers are mostly pollinated by insects. For small single-row implants, one male screw for every 5 females is required. In commercial plantings, 10 to 12 percent of the vines should be male or about 1 male for every 8 or 9 female vines, and the males should be evenly staggered throughout the block planting. The flowering time must be determined so that the male and female plants coincide.
Female plants do not produce nectar. When 10% to 15% of the kiwifruit flowers are open, 3 1/3 hives per acre (8 per hectare) are recommended to ensure adequate pollination. Due to an anticipated shortage of beehives for expanded agriculture, work began in New Zealand around 1980 to refine methods of collecting and drying pollen and preparing suspensions for spraying on flowering vines with towed equipment. tractor. Pollen is also available for artificial pollination in California.
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