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.
The bark is also useful and is a traditional folk remedy for dysentery and diarrhea. The wood is very soft and the heartwood is red with a beautiful grain.
However, not much has been collected due to its "threatening" status on the island. The charity Project Crimson works to protect endemic trees.
Today, the tree is known as the Kiwi Christmas Tree and is a symbol of kiwi festivals at home and abroad.
These trees are found in other parts of the world, such as San Francisco, where their roots can cause problems with sewage systems, in South Africa, they are an invasive species that must be eradicated, and even in the Spanish city of A Coruña, where it is named after the city's floral emblem.
However, she has always held a special place in the hearts of New Zealanders.
The bark is also useful and is a traditional folk remedy for dysentery and diarrhea.
The wood is very soft and the heartwood is red with a beautiful grain. However, not much has been collected due to its "threatening" status on the island. The charity Project Crimson works to protect endemic trees.
Today, the tree is known as the Kiwi Christmas Tree and is a symbol of kiwi festivals at home and abroad.
These trees are found in other parts of the world, such as San Francisco, where their roots can cause problems with sewage systems, in South Africa, they are an invasive species that must be eradicated, and even in the Spanish city of A Coruña, where it is named after the city's floral emblem.
However, she has always held a special place in the hearts of New Zealanders.
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.
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