We have had weather over 30c each day starting Boxing Day. In fact most of those days have been over 35c and the last few over 40c albeit just. The forecast is for this heat to continue for the forecast period with tomorrow tipped to be the hottest and most dangerous fire-wise in my neck of the woods anyway and most things are struggling with the heat.
Except the crabs, they look very comfortable. Their fruit is staying on,
and only a tiny number of their leaves on the most exposed side of the trees are showing distress.
They have a large number of friends too. Masses of lady beetles are cruising the leaves, no doubt eating something but I cant see what. Aphids I guess? Whatever it is they are doing a marvellous job cause I can't see the pest!
All these spots are lady beetles!
I have my garlic chives in pots tucked into the mulch underneath the trees. They benefit from the shade the trees provide and I have heard that garlic chives and apples are good companions - the garlic chives protecting the apples from something.
What are they supposed to protect for? Is this your experience? And does it work when one of the companions is in pots?
Stay cool and fire-proof and may your apples prosper.
Hope the heat breaks soon and that you stay unaffected by fire. Melbourne's forecast for tomorrow is a positively arctic 20C perhaps if I bought a very big fan i could blow some of it your way....
ReplyDeleteYes please! But we will need to check in case it blows a fire our way. I wonder how the crabs coped with today? We will find out soon enough.
DeleteDo you know that the fires just came out of nowhere today. One moment there were no fires at all on the RFS site (NSW equiv of CFA), then suddenly there were two that went 'red' for emergency straight away and not thru the blue and yellow stages... We have learnt so much about fires today and we thankfully can treat today's successful 'leaving early' as a a helpful and safe practice run.
Look at all your lovely lady birds! I expect they are having a munch on powdery mildew - have you seen any signs of that? Whenever my zucchinis (or other plants) get powdery mildew, they attract the lady birds. Have you noticed their larvae? They are quite bizarre and totally different to the end product!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about the garlic chives but you often hear that they or garlic are good for repelling pests. Mind you, they seem to attract black aphids!
How are things in your neck of the woods, today? Touch wood, Gippsland has been relatively spared, so far, though there were a couple of fires in the far East. Today is much cooler and we even had some rain overnight. Like Liz, I'll see if I can send some your way!
The larvae are weird aren't they! I can't see any mildew or any aphids, there is a tiny tiny grey thing with a long nose. what every they are cleaning up they are doing a great job!
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