All posts from

July 2007

Monday 2nd July, 2007

treeblog seedling update (Day 95)

By Ash

Well, today is actually Day 96... but consider this as written yesterday (more internet troubles are to blame). First of all I bring good news: there is a third wave of cider gums. Including the 'runt' of the second wave (not transplanted into an individual pot), there are now five cider gum seedlings in the seed tray awaiting transplantation! There seems to be a new one popping up on an almost daily basis.

And in the bad news department... Remember the root of the slug-eaten beta Scots pine and the treeblog surprise grey alder seed which had a root but no above-ground parts (Number 5)? Well, I had a rummage in their respective pots yestoday and no signs of life could be found. Therefore I pronounce them missing, presumed dead.

Those still with us are doing remarkably well considering that they are growing in perpetually wet soil. The Scots pine continues to plod steadily onwards, as do the leading treeblog surprises grey alders. The most advanced cider gums (Numbers 1 and 2) are doing rather nicely, and a half of the second wave of cider gums already have their first 'real' pair of leaves in development.

The alpha Scots pine seedling.

treeblog surprise grey alder Number 4.

Cider gum Number 9 (of the 'second wave').

Cider gum Number 1 (left) and cider gum Number 2 (right).

tags: cider gum + grey alder + Scots pine + Set A

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Wednesday 4th July, 2007

The Great Flood of 2007

By Ash

I promised photos; here are a few I took myself:

Part of a nearby road turned raging torrent.

Taken close to the above photo. The red lines highlight the kerbs at either side of the road.

Under that brown water is a roundabout!

This silver (or downy) birch fell across a main road into Sheffield. About a dozen people helped to saw it up and clear it out of the way in the space of about ten minutes. Large sections of this road were knee-deep in water and a bit has since slid into the adjacent river.

The above photos were taken on Monday the 25th of June and give only a small taste of the devastation caused by the floods. The following photograph was taken on Tuesday the 26th and shows the same section of road as seen in the first two photographs once the water had mostly subsided. This particular road was just an inch or so deep in water, yet it was flowing with such ferocity that over the course of only a few hours it ripped up an impressive amount of tarmac and carried away quite a lot of road base.

The morning after. A gash approximately one metre wide.

tags: birch + news + photos + unusual

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Tuesday 10th July, 2007

Cider gum third wave

By Ash

A mere 16 days after transplanting the second wave of cider gum seedlings from seed tray to individual pots, a third wave has made the transition. I spent some time yesterday transplanting all six of the newest seedlings, including the "runtish" plant which was left out of the second wave. That particular individual (cider gum Number 10) no longer looks sickly, but has its first set of proper leaves on the go. Cider gum Number 15 is the smallest of the new wave by far, and perhaps should have stayed in the seed tray a bit longer before I disturbed it. Its future doesn't look bright.

From left to right, cider gums Nos. 10 to 15.

tags: cider gum + Set A

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Thursday 12th July, 2007

treeblog hiatus

By Ash

treeblog will return at the end of the month.

tags: uncategorised

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Tuesday 31st July, 2007

treeblog monthly summary (July 2007)

By Ash

Synopsis:
     - The incessant rain continued (although stopped by the end of the month).
     - A third wave of cider gums!
     - Good all round growth.
Woah there!: Where are all these cider gums coming from?!
General feeling: Steady progress in spite of the unseasonal and freakish wet weather. I can't wait to see what these seedlings look like in one years time.

And that was July 2007.

tags: summary

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