What did you do in your orchard today?

[CrealCritter]

Let's see how we did at bark grafting a peach root sucker from 9 days ago.

Might be hard to tell but I see bud break on all three grafted scion tips. I prefer to graft tips. The variety is contender on a unknown root stock. Looks like tank and I did a good job. Happy to have the original fallen tree put back together. Even jack cat approves

I called fedco today and let them know my mazzard cherry rootstocks and scions got held up in Nebraska, they were supposed to be here Saturday. Why in the world my package went from Maine to Nebraska is a mystery. I can only hope they arrive viable.


Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

Useful information for those of us who prefer organics.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Mini Horses]

Very helpful, thanks. I do those things! Plus I grow comfrey. Great fertilizer and a deep accumulator, so gives to the plants. Of course...goat pellets, chicken & horse contributors. Pretty cheap gardening here.

 

[CrealCritter]

Fedco order came today.

Tank was excite to walk to the mail box. The package didn't quite fit, no time to pull up the drive, I guess. Our mail lady is the world champion mail box stuffer. What's better than a postal rubber band to keep the door closed?

Fedco did a good job wrapping the roots in moist shredded news paper. All the mazzard (cherry) rootstocks broke bud during shipment and are yellow from no sunlight, but that's OK. Atleast I know they didn't get cooked in the back of a truck and are all viable. Fedco sent me some really nice root stocks

Roots need a good soak so the bark will slip when I bark graft them. I've not tried to graft cherry before, but my studies tell me bud and bark grafts are the most successful for cheries, at this young of an age. Tank is really eager to get started grafting but he's gonna have to be patient.

Here is info page about fedco trees and some simple drawing illustrations on two differnt grafting techniques.

Glad my order finally made it. Tank and I will most likely be grafting this evening, depending on rootstock hydration.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

Mazzard root stocks are grafted with 2 each of 5 differnt varieties of cherry. Fedco sent some nice mazzard rootstocks, with plenty enough roots to grow my own rootstocks from root cuttings. It's better to have too many roots than not enough. I'll pot them tomorrow, the treecoat will be dry by then.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

So tank agreed with me that the fedco mazzard rootstocks needed trimming to fit into our coffee can pots. Tank also agreed instead of chewing up the root cutting, let's pot them and see if they grow into new mazzard rootstocks. Even though he initially agreed, I had to help him control the urge to chew them up instead.

Just a couple of easy guidelines to follow...

1) The trimmed roots should be cut to 3" to 4" lengths.
2) Make sure you keep track of the orientation of the cuttings. The part that faces the host is the top of the cutting.
3) Push the bottom of the root cutting into a good mix of loose soil.
4) Cover the tops of the root cuttings with about 2"inches of good loose soil.
5) Label and date the pot so you kmow what it is later.

Fedco massive roots on their mazzard root stocks, very happy with my order

Cut root into 3 to 4 inch lengths, left is the top that faced the host plant.

Make a hole and and push the bottom of the root cutting into the soil. Here you can see the fresh cut tops sticking out of the soil a little bit. If they all take I'll have a lot of free mazzard root stock to graft next year.

Next cover the tops of the root cuttings with about 2" of good loose soil. Then tag the pot, I used the fedco label that came with the rootstocks.

The ones that take in several weeks, will get their own individual pot and I'll baby sit them throughout the growing season.

That's about it, I hope everyone has a blessed rest of the day

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

Early takers breaking bud from pear grafting 5 days ago I prefer grafting tipped scions.

Whip and tongue graft

Cleft graft

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

Late winter early spring grafting is complete

My daughter in law and I grafted the last of the air-layered M111 rootstocks last night. She grafted 2 brandywine crabs (scions from fedco) a pink lady and a golden delicious (scions harvested from our orchard mid February). I grafted 2 brandy wine crabs for FB.

More info on brandy wine crabapple

Brandywine Apple Scionwood - Fedco Trees

20x20' M. ioensis Plena Klehms No. 8 (M. x purpurea Lemoinei x M. Klehms Improved)Incredibly beautiful fragrant flowers followed by unbelievably bitter fruit. Deep red buds open to small deep pink double rose-like blossoms. Put an arrangement of these flowers in a vase, and people will swear...

www.fedcoseeds.com

Here's most of the new tree grafts from this year.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

Planted my mother in laws peach that I grafted last year into the orchard today. We have no idea the variety, so I'm calling it Marge Peach, after my mother in law's name. Hopefully it'll grow and be something for the family to remember her by.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

Eventhough it frosted overnight, the pears are coming into full bloom and apples are just starting to bloom.

The orchard is a buzz with life to the point where you can not have a conversation over the honey bee buzz. There must be thousands of beautiful honey bees in the orchard. I this time of the year when everything is waking up from a long dormancy. Where do the honey bees come from, where do they go? IDK... but I'm very happy they found the orchard and they are more than welcome to stay as long as they want. Bees, they are the essence of life.

Jesus is Lord and Christ