View attachment 1449076
Not exactly homemade but recycled this old fridge a third time. Previously I used it to ferment pickles and as an extra ice chest. It's now moved on to storage for various craft supplies and seeds for the garden.
Absolutely awesome repurposing. I love it! Post of the day award!!!
well hello,
instead of going to a nursery to buy fruit trees
I am planning on propagating my own.
I am sort of forced into it, because our township decided to mow the ditches with their weed whacker on steroids.
they wiped out my elderberry bush. IDK if it was on the road right of way or not. border line call..
anyway, I am devising ways to dig up that sprawling root and moving it farther on to my property.
then I got to thinking, our apple tree is wedged between two huge pine trees. not the best place for it, although it has fruited for us for many years. so I want to take some hardwood cuttings, and also do some air layering.. then as I was weeding my grapes, I thought that it would be nice to add some to the new edible fruit park I am planning.. so some more air layering and hardwood cuttings in the planning stage..
then there is the self/bird planted black raspberry plant,. I am going to stick the tips of several canes into buckets of dirt to start a row of black caps..
does this count for ho-made vs store bought ??
.
.....jiminwisc.....
Awesome planning. I'm glad you have the space to increase your fruit holdings. If you watch your Elderberry bush, it should send up lots of suckers either this fall, or in the spring, which can then be replanted. You might try digging SOME of the root, and leaving the rest. That way, if your transplant is not successful, you should still have an abundance of suckers.
When you mess with that apple tree, if it's a cultivated variety, I suggest you also take some root cuttings. I've never done so, but it makes sense to me that if you can get a successful root cutting, that will give you an appropriate root cultivar to then graft your scions onto. Simply rooting hardwood cuttings would work, but the root stock of that venture may not be as hearty as the original root stock.
A friend gave me some grape cuttings. He's a forestry major, so I trust his judgement. He's also helped me with grafting. He suggests taking the grape cuttings in the spring, when buds are swelling, but before they break. Stick them in the ground, keep them well watered, and they should grow nicely for you. Again, don't put all of your propagation eggs in one basket. I'd try some soft wood and semi soft wood cuttings now. Do a read on using a soda bottle to make a mini green house for rooting cuttings.
I don't really have a green thumb either, but what I lack there, I make up for it with determination and lots of dumb luck..
I decided that I will need ten new grape roots.. at 6ft spacing, that will give me a
54 ft row..
about 12 years ago, I successfully grafted an apple tree. got it planted and it was growing nicely.. then the second winter came and I got too close to it with the tractor loader.. GONE ..
.....jiminwisc.....
I hear your pain. My experience with grafting scions onto seedling pear root stock: I tried the whip graft. But had no guidance, and my scion wood was not young enough. It did not take. Next season, my friend came and did a cleft graft with a single scion. It took. IN my exuberance to keep the electrical tape from girdling the graft site, and to give the young tree a good start, I did a vigorous weeding after unwrapping the graft site. knocked the graft off.
This spring, I did a double cleft graft with Seckel. Wrapped with electrical tape and sealed with wax melted from a new toilet ring. Both have taken and are growing nicely.
In the spring, I'll choose one and remove the other. May save the new wood on the other to do a graft onto a new seedling root.
