Spot the mikan

Summer... hot as hell. Every single day. Of course, except the days when it just pours down worse than a shower. So, I didn't get out and go to the forest plot at all for 2 months. As it happened, I also had pretty severe post-concussion syndrome from the time the bamboo fell and hit me on the head. It comes back from occasionally and renders me totally unable to function. Reminder of how being stupid for one split second can ruin your whole life. This wave I believe was triggered by stress. Now I am sloooowly recovering again. 

Anyway, during those 2 months, the weeds had their chance, and they took it. For now let's not even think where they originated, despite me having removed all their roots and what not with my bare hands. Japanese Forest Magic I suppose. So this morning when it was cloudy and not raining for the first time in couple of months, I took a trip down to see what it looks like. This is what hit me.

Instant jungle

It is quite obvious what difference a couple times of cutting weeds can make, as is apparent from the picture taken from inside Mr. O's plot, looking at mine.

Why! Won't! You! DIE!

The weeds have just poured in from all over. Go back and compare with the picture of 2 months ago from the same spot. The tatami path, most of the north wall, the mikans etc are all covered with wild crap. Below is a picture taken just from the middle of the tatami path.

Where is the mikan?

If you look real hard you might be able to distinguish the mikan sapling on the left side. But no worries, the mikan on the right is also there. Here, I take a closer pic.

See?

Of course I couldn't just leave the struggling mikan like this. So I cleared out a little bit around each of them. My arms are all itchy afterwards cause I was in T-shirt and didn't have gloves. Some of the saplings were really hidden under the vegetation and I had to spend minutes just looking for them although I knew the spot where they are planted. Hopefully they will manage somehow until a couple months later when it will be cool enough for me to go there with my weed cutter and get serious.

Breath little buddy

So I end this post with a couple more pictures of the other saplings that I freed from beneath the heaps of weed.

There there... grow a little stronger will ya

Double shot looking toward west

Lucky for me there was just one nettle