A Thread About Trees

[country girl44]

I planted lemon seeds and so far only one has started. tiny but it's growing. I'm hoping for a few more.

 

[Kmac1]

I too have found that I do not like to throw away seeds. We have a very large pony tail palm in our house in a pot 36" across. Just for fun I pushed some orange seeds down in the soil and forgot about them. The only water they got was when I watered the ponytail palm. 30-60 days ( not sure exactly how many days) a small tree sprouted and was about 1.5 inches tall with 2 broad leaves. Since then I have plums, blackberry, sand plums, cherry and apple seeds. As I did with the orange seeds I just pushed the seeds down in some potting soil the last couple weeks but so far nothing has spouted. Any tips or advice is welcome. Thanks Willie

 

[Mschkweasnduck]

I read a fact that 1in every 3 (I think!! Lol been a few months ) Trees is overly dehydrated to the point of cps needing a call if they were our children :/
Poor ole saps.......

I over water all our Non- special trees now ever since I read that
TREE LIVES MATTER

 

[Arielle]

Spring planning is here!!!

GOt three mulberry p lanted late last fall. each surrounded by tall poles, netting and brush piles. To keep the deer off them. Praying the lack of snow has not detrimentally impacted them..

Picked up two end of season apple trees, a Jonathan and cant remember at the moment the second. Both have good growth with 5-6 branches, so I can graft on a few new varieities. I contacted the local source I have been planning to use, The Davenport COllection, but scionwood is not longer made available to the public.

THeir prices are very reasonable and I know the trees are acclimated to my area, as they are only an hour away.

Not sure the local orchard in town is taking phone calls at this time of year. Maybe I should just be rude and stop by and see if they are winter pruning yet. We picked a lot of apples last year, drops, and one variety in particular resisted rotting in storage like no other. Funny I can remember where that tree is and could walk right to it. Spencer.

 

[lazy gardener]

I went out and inspected my orchard today. Recent snow fall. Vole activity noticed with tunnels seen here and there in the yard. Dog caught one about 5 days ago, and it has been her favorite toy since then. She's so proud of herself. Gives her bad breath, though! I stomped the new snow down around the trunks of all the trees to discourage the rodents.

Arielle, have you had success grafting branches onto your apples, and if so, what type of graft union have you used? Do you tape it, wax, tie, or how do you secure it? I would like to try grafting onto my 2 apple trees this spring. Tried a pear last season and was not successful. Further homework said that bud unions should be done with pear. I tried the whip or Z union.

 

[jerryse]

I went out and inspected my orchard today. Recent snow fall. Vole activity noticed with tunnels seen here and there in the yard. Dog caught one about 5 days ago, and it has been her favorite toy since then. She's so proud of herself. Gives her bad breath, though! I stomped the new snow down around the trunks of all the trees to discourage the rodents.

Arielle, have you had success grafting branches onto your apples, and if so, what type of graft union have you used? Do you tape it, wax, tie, or how do you secure it? I would like to try grafting onto my 2 apple trees this spring. Tried a pear last season and was not successful. Further homework said that bud unions should be done with pear. I tried the whip or Z union.

Pear is easy to graft . So any method usually works . I am starting to like cleft grafts on smaller rootstocks . Easy to make and not so fussy about both stock sizes being the same size . So you can say put a 1/4 inch scion into a 3/8 rootstock and get good takes . Just line up on one side . Late leafing trees like mulberry and nut trees are hard to graft . You must let them leaf out a little before grafting . Otherwise the long wait to heal cause failure .

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Jerry, I must have a black thumb!!!! LOL Not one pear graft took last year. I do have several rootstock in grow bags that developed side shoots and seem s all these are still alive. I looked at my old pear trees for more scionwood. Will try again. I think part of the issue was I used wood more than one year old. My pears are about 20 years old and in bad shape. My first attempt at an orchard.

I also think: practice to develop good technique, good hygene, and clean knife might have made a difference. And a sharp knife.

LG-- keep trying!! I made my own wax using parfin and petroleum jelly. in experimental ratios until the right texture was reached. Then wrapped with strips cut from old bread bags. Honestly, I wont repeat that effort. Another technique I viewed online used standard wide rubber bands, cut across the short way, to wrap the graft.

Generally speaking I felt getting a good cut was difficult. I was not surprized that no graft took. Need to order scionwood by tomorrow the 17th from FEDCO, or pass on apples for this year. I looked at their tree list and like how carefully htey list the zones for best tasting apples. List is pared down to about 25 varieties. Obviously I will need to start with just 10 or so.....DH is starting to make noises....rather I just buy a few trees ready to plant. I really should do just that for the apples and keep playing with the pears until I can acheive success on an easy fruit tree.

 

[jerryse]

Jerry, I must have a black thumb!!!! LOL Not one pear graft took last year. I do have several rootstock in grow bags that developed side shoots and seem s all these are still alive. I looked at my old pear trees for more scionwood. Will try again. I think part of the issue was I used wood more than one year old. My pears are about 20 years old and in bad shape. My first attempt at an orchard.

I also think: practice to develop good technique, good hygene, and clean knife might have made a difference. And a sharp knife.

LG-- keep trying!! I made my own wax using parfin and petroleum jelly. in experimental ratios until the right texture was reached. Then wrapped with strips cut from old bread bags. Honestly, I wont repeat that effort. Another technique I viewed online used standard wide rubber bands, cut across the short way, to wrap the graft.

Generally speaking I felt getting a good cut was difficult. I was not surprized that no graft took. Need to order scionwood by tomorrow the 17th from FEDCO, or pass on apples for this year. I looked at their tree list and like how carefully htey list the zones for best tasting apples. List is pared down to about 25 varieties. Obviously I will need to start with just 10 or so.....DH is starting to make noises....rather I just buy a few trees ready to plant. I really should do just that for the apples and keep playing with the pears until I can acheive success on an easy fruit tree.

If you prune your pear tree it will send out better wood for grafting . The other things to do are keep the scion moist not wet until you use it . Wait until the tree is awake . Leaves about the size of a mouse ear . This helps on more difficult trees . If you watch youtube videos just remember a lot of those are in California . We have much different weather . We do not warm up fast and stay warm . We go up and down in temps . So trees are slower to start healing = start a little later . I watched a lot of walnut grafting videos before I figured out I have to wait longer here . They get by with dormant looking trees but they warm up fast and stay warmer .