What did you do in the garden today?

[lazy gardener]

TY.

 

[jerrey]

love the EE so nice

 

[jerrey]

Started the first seeds of the season: patio pot sized tomatoes. One cherry tomato ( baby boomer hybrid BURPEE) and one a beefsteak ( bushsteak hybrid BURPEE)

That activity in itself says spring is coming fast!!!

what is temp. were you live

 

[Arielle]

Arielle, if these blackberries don't survive in the micro-climate I have picked out for them (along the west side of the house, good sun, bone dry) I'll revert to the idea of transplanting some wild black berries. They often grow very well here, and their fruit is succulent, though more seedy than cultivated fruit. I'll need to move some dwarf lilacs to make room for the black berries. Perhaps I'll find an even better spot, so the lilacs can stay.

I committed an act of treason against my 2 young apple trees. They had been top pruned in the nursery before being shipped bare root last year. But, that set their first scaffold branches about 4' high. I want to keep these trees short enough that I can manage them without any ladders. So, I lopped them down to about 30" high. Time will tell if I just did a stupid, or not! I think my seedling pear is big enough that I can graft it this season. I want to put Seckel, and one other variety on it. Need to take a course, or do some extensive reading. New experience!

My mother is coastal Maine and has some great black berries on the town lot next to her lot. We picked and froze quarts on a good year. Guess I need to plan a road trip this summer....

Well, were there buds below the 30 inch mark???

Quote:

Quote: ROFL depends on the day. Had a couple nights in the forties last week, and now the temps are back to normal which is 20's at night. Crazy swings in temps this year. THe ducks are enjoying a spring run off, where the run off has been channeled to run parallel to drive then under via two culverts and NOT over it.

Kept the mulberries on the northside of house, in the shade to help keep dormant. Also, we are on north slope of a hill.

 

[Arielle]

www.suttonelm.uk

Grrrr laptop wont let me copy n paste the web site page that shows propating roostock. Very interesting........

I'm feeling a bit reluctant to spend $200 on rootstock when the tree has a short lifespan: 30-40% dead at 10 years. That is the number I found for two dwarfing type rootstocks in a university study comparing a new Geneva rootstock to the traditional Malling of the same size.

Might just need to jump in and plan on putting in full size trees, aka standards, in the future. ANyone know what rootstock is "standard" ???? For apple, peach and plum???

 

[lazy gardener]

Check out St. Lawrence Nursery in New York.

As far as my apple trees that got lopped off, the book that I'm reading says they should sprout some new branches just below the cut. Hope so, otherwise, I've just thrown away 2 years and $50.00!

Any reading I've done says that it's better to use standard root stock, and just prune heavily to maintain the shape and size you want. Summer pruning is supposed to be very helpful at maintaining short stature!

 

[Arielle]

Check out St. Lawrence Nursery in New York.

As far as my apple trees that got lopped off, the book that I'm reading says they should sprout some new branches just below the cut. Hope so, otherwise, I've just thrown away 2 years and $50.00!

Any reading I've done says that it's better to use standard root stock, and just prune heavily to maintain the shape and size you want. Summer pruning is supposed to be very helpful at maintaining short stature!

I looked at this nursery. Great that this young man has stepped in to take it over since the retirement of the original owners. Did not find the roostock listed..... did find this via a pig farmers blog and he said these trees he bought are now 10 years old and doing great but didn't know the rootstock.

Really wanted to try my hand at grafting this year........

 

[jerryse]

www.suttonelm.uk

Grrrr laptop wont let me copy n paste the web site page that shows propating roostock. Very interesting........

I'm feeling a bit reluctant to spend $200 on rootstock when the tree has a short lifespan: 30-40% dead at 10 years. That is the number I found for two dwarfing type rootstocks in a university study comparing a new Geneva rootstock to the traditional Malling of the same size.

Might just need to jump in and plan on putting in full size trees, aka standards, in the future. ANyone know what rootstock is "standard" ???? For apple, peach and plum???

Peach seedlings work for peach and plum . Plum seedlings are ok but peach seedlings grow fast so reach grafting or bud grafting size in one year . Seedling apple work for apple . I ordered M26 this year as like semi dwarf size on apple . I have a bunch of sand plum seedlings I can use for Japanese / American plums . Down side is the wild plums sucker . If you are only wanting 1-2 trees any apple tree at the big box store could be grafted over to your favorite old apple tree . European type plums use St. Julian rootstock (damson ) .

 

[Arielle]

Quote: In the long run my goal is to plant a fair number of apple trees all over the farm as fodder for the sheep, etc.

When you mention " seedling apples" do you have a particular variety in mind?? Like cortland?? I'm trying to think of what apples are at the market right now that might work..... realizing that I only know half the parentage.

Will plan to collect peaches from my existing peach trees next summer as these varieties a the winter hardy type and have survived here for some 20 years now. THOUGH I have recently come to realize that by luck I planted them at the edge of the leach field and their feet are well drained. Last fall while walking the dogs I noted areas that formed isolated hills that also might have enough drainage for a peach... but will need some clearing to provide the sunlight necessary. I have come to appreciate all the requirements necessary to put so many fresh fruits in the local grocery stores. And my own back yard!!

 

[jerryse]

In the long run my goal is to plant a fair number of apple trees all over the farm as fodder for the sheep, etc.

When you mention " seedling apples" do you have a particular variety in mind?? Like cortland?? I'm trying to think of what apples are at the market right now that might work..... realizing that I only know half the parentage.

Will plan to collect peaches from my existing peach trees next summer as these varieties a the winter hardy type and have survived here for some 20 years now. THOUGH I have recently come to realize that by luck I planted them at the edge of the leach field and their feet are well drained. Last fall while walking the dogs I noted areas that formed isolated hills that also might have enough drainage for a peach... but will need some clearing to provide the sunlight necessary. I have come to appreciate all the requirements necessary to put so many fresh fruits in the local grocery stores. And my own back yard!!

At one time it was common practice to use any apple seedling for a standard tree . Things have changed a lot since Johnny Appleseed took seeds from cider mills and planted them across the country . These were often grafted to known variates . Some were pretty good and were left alone . Now they have a lot of different rootstocks for different soils or disease resistance and size .