Just curious who else is living super frugal

[perchie.girl]

My newest frugal living endeavor: Learning to graft fruit trees. Also will try propagating some of my fruiting shrubs. I could go the easy route, and buy grafted trees, but where's the challenge in that? Hoping to grow my own seedling trees to use as root stock, and then get scion wood from friends.

both sets of grandparents were into grafting.... Stone fruit can be grown on the same rootsock.... oNe tree would have peaches apricots plums.... Great grandma had Grapefruit trees but she had one that was oranges lemons and grapefruit too.

 

[lazy gardener]

My dad has tried grafting citrus with no success. That wood is almost brittle when compared to pomes. I have a Meyer's lemon. It would be fun to try grafting that onto regular lemon root stock.

 

[perchie.girl]

My dad has tried grafting citrus with no success. That wood is almost brittle when compared to pomes. I have a Meyer's lemon. It would be fun to try grafting that onto regular lemon root stock.

all Citrus commercially sold are grafted on to a Lemon root stalk. But I believe they did bud grafting.... I have only read about it a very very long time ago.

Here is an article:
http://www.fruitmentor.com/bud-grafting-citrus-trees

 

[lazy gardener]

I'll be sure to tell him that. I'm actually thinking of starting some lemon seedlings this summer just for grins and giggles.

 

[perchie.girl]

Lemons Limes and tangerines can take some frost but not long term. Do you have a green house or hot house to put your citrus in?

There are dwarf varieties that can be container grown....

Here in the high desert most of the year is great for growing citrus but we have a blast chill at night that can bring temps low enough to freeze the water tank over for my horses water. And the ice will be at least a half an inch thick. may not sound like much to you... but for citrus who arent tolerant its a death sentince.

One of dads jobs in the winter as a teen was to light smudge pots. in the winter if temps were headed too low they would walk through the Orange groves lighting the pots filled with either diesel or kerosine... the pix below is circa 1952 and yep those are palm trees along the other side of the power lines

 

[lazy gardener]

Lemons Limes and tangerines can take some frost but not long term. Do you have a green house or hot house to put your citrus in?

There are dwarf varieties that can be container grown....

Here in the high desert most of the year is great for growing citrus but we have a blast chill at night that can bring temps low enough to freeze the water tank over for my horses water. And the ice will be at least a half an inch thick. may not sound like much to you... but for citrus who arent tolerant its a death sentince.

One of dads jobs in the winter as a teen was to light smudge pots. in the winter if temps were headed too low they would walk through the Orange groves lighting the pots filled with either diesel or kerosine... the pix below is circa 1952 and yep those are palm trees along the other side of the power lines


Hey, Deb!

My Dwarf Meyers is an indoor plant 6 months of the year. It's woefully pitiful looking, keeps dropping most of it's leaves due to my neglect and an ongoing issue with spider mites. But, I have a vision in my head of it sitting on my book case in front of the living room window, all lush and green, happily cranking out lots of blossoms and copious amounts of ripe lemons. Enough to keep me in iced tea, and keep my fish tasty all winter. A citrus wouldn't survive outside here after mid Sept or before mid May. But, a girl can always dream! My Dad had an orange tree years ago (in Maine) that did just that. It was lush, always loaded with blossoms, and then gorgeous little tiny oranges that looked like a cross between tangerine and kumquat. Those things were not edible. Tasted like vomit.

 

[perchie.girl]

@lazy gardener Meyer lemon is one of my favorites.

All citrus feed off the surface the deep roots are only for structural support. In the ground you have to clear out all foliage from the trunk to the edge of the drip line. Then they require that the soil dry out before watering again.

I had one each of Lemon, tangerine, Naval orange, Valencia Orange and Grapefruit at my mobile home when I bought the place they were over grown and choke out by iceplant....

But once cleared and thinned and shaped for their spot they thrived. only the tangerine was not a dwarf. All citrus benefit from sprinkler type watering not flood.

So in a pot Drainage Drainage Drainage.... Here is an excellent article

http://garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=201106-how-to

deb

 

[lazy gardener]

@lazy gardener Meyer lemon is one of my favorites.

All citrus feed off the surface the deep roots are only for structural support. In the ground you have to clear out all foliage from the trunk to the edge of the drip line. Then they require that the soil dry out before watering again.

I had one each of Lemon, tangerine, Naval orange, Valencia Orange and Grapefruit at my mobile home when I bought the place they were over grown and choke out by iceplant....

But once cleared and thinned and shaped for their spot they thrived. only the tangerine was not a dwarf. All citrus benefit from sprinkler type watering not flood.

So in a pot Drainage Drainage Drainage.... Here is an excellent article

http://garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=201106-how-to

deb

Thanks, Deb.

 

[lazy gardener]

Not spending as much on flowers at the box stores this year. Wintered over one geranium from last year. Clipped it back severely a week ago. Now have the original one which is going to be VERY bushy, and 5 new rooted plants to pot up today. 2 bags of huge glad. bulbs that have wintered well ready to go in the ground. Pansies planted among the strawberries to add some color. Flowers for the season... done. Bought a potted rosemary at the grocery store. It was actually a clump of seedlings. So... divided those up yesterday. Hoping they will survive (they may have some sort of fungus at the base of the plants) and will have 10 rosemary plants if they do. (compared to the price of a single plant from a box store)

 

[DreamsInPink]

We need to. And we keep saying 'we will'... but we don't.