Sunday 23 May 2010

Me and Mr. Miyagi?

Sunshine and 25 degrees yesterday. Strong winds, rain and 10 degrees today.

Can you guess what that means for a chile grower who has moved the plants out to the balcony?
























Yes... I sort of knew it when we went out at lunchtime today. That the winds would do some harm. But I didn't take action. It has happened before, and it will probably happen again.

When we came home in the afternoon, a chair had fallen over one of the plants. Breaking two branches completely, and damaged two other branches.
















It's sad. It's my "olho de pombo", Capsicum chinense. Full of flowers.

So I tried to do my best with surgery tape, and try to fix the damaged branches. The other two I will try to make them develop roots.














Anyway, I felt a little like Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid, when he fixed the broken bonzai tree. What do you think about my new skills? :-)

Saturday 22 May 2010

With a little help from my friends

With the chiles out on the balcony, I got unexpected help with the aphid problem today. It definitely came from an unexpected source.

A tiny spider got a good meal tonight. Actually, I didn't know that spiders eat aphids. Flies and insects yes, but not aphids. But now I know!

I think this specific spider will take some time to digest tonight's meal :-)




Sorry for the unsharp images, but it's windy tonight, and I was in a hurry :-)

Wednesday 19 May 2010

Moving out

Without a warning, summer temperatures arrived Stockholm.



So, I have kept some plants out on the balcony during the days.

And tonight it looks like it's going to be a warm night, so I decided to move all of the plants out on the balcony, and keep them there during the night.

It's always exciting for me and a struggle for the plants in the beginning. If it isn't too cold, the sun is too strong for the young leaves. Or, the winds are too strong.

More details later...

Hot regards,
  Mats