Saturday, July 07, 2012

Lilies

I've been going around the yard cross pollinating various lilies.  Anything that happens to be in bloom, crossed with anything else that happens to be in bloom. I am sticking with pollinating Asiatics with Asiatics. and Orientals with Orientals. I don't know the names of any of these. They happen to be blooming today.

Saturday, June 02, 2012

Backyard Orchard Culture: Stimulate fig crop

This is how you stimulate fig trees to initiate fall crop. It's very easy. If I don't do this, I barely get any fall figs. If I do, the trees are stimulated to make lots of figs - then it's a matter of weather permitting. I think the growing tip produces hormones that prevent figs from growing at the leaf nodes. By snapping off the growing tip, the hormonal inhibition is stopped, and soon a fig will start to form at each leaf node. I do this when the new branches are at 4 or 5 leaves. I try to do it early, so I get figs before the weather is too cool and days too short in the fall to sweeten the figs. I used to use a scissors for this, but they snap so easily, scissors are not necessary. Some references refer to this as pinching", but I don't pinch, I bend the tip and it easily snaps off.

This tree is Hardy Chicago. Almost all of the breba figs fell off. That doesn't bother me too much, because several other fig trees promise a big breba crop this year. Since it's not making figs now, the branches are growing fast, and it's time to plan for the fall crop.
Find the branch growing tips.
The place to snap off the growth is just below the little leaf forming at the end. Just bend over the tip, and it snaps off. No cutting or pinching is needed - just snap.
The tip will ooze white latex sap for a few hours. I don't think that hurts anything. Some people have allergic reactions to the latex, so I wouldn't get carried away until after snapping one or two and waiting a day to see if there is a reaction. I don't worry about it, and have never had a problem, so I snap all of the tips that I see, that have 3 or 4 or 5 leaves. This technique limits tree size, and stimulates compact branching, as well as stimulating a crop. It works for the fall crop (main crop) if snapping is done in early summer. I don't do it for the spring (breba) crop because I don't want figs to form before winter rains and frost.

Iris Final

It's been raining for most of the last week, so the flower forms are not the greatest. These are the last couple to open up.
"Kissed by the Sun" This was a new planting - noted in previous blog entry. I bought it in bud. The timing and size of the flower are probably affected by the fact that I just planted it. This one did better than the companion iris, "American Classic" which had such a puny flower I didn't take a photo. I hope that's a temporary issue due to being freshly planted.
I would like to give it the name "Rescue me" since this is the one Ning rescued from an illegal yard waste pile a few years ago. It didn't bloom as well this year due to weeds. I've been pollinating the pistols with pollen from "Immortality" and "China Moon". We'll see if they take.
No ID variety. I'm not even sure where it came from - maybe a rescue as well. I don't have a record of this one, and it doesn't look like one I would buy.
I've been taking pollen from stamens of blooming iris around the yard, and pollinating other flowers. It's the first time I've done that. If they take, then I'll try to grow them and see what happens. I like Immortality for size and form, and it's pure white, so should mix OK with any of the others. I thought especially interesting if the antique is pollinated by Immortality. They may not all have the same chromosome number, and some may be sterile, so it's just a semi-random experiment.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

A couple more iris

Unidentified yellow iris. This is on the 2-acre property that Ning is planning to buy.
Immortality
Unidentified apricot colored iris. Today I played the honey bee and took stamens from various irises and transferred them to pistils of other irises, to see if hybrids will develop. This was semi-random. No idea if they will set seeds.

Backyard Orchard Culture: Progress Report

Here are the two plums today. As the fruit grow larger, I can see them better. Not covered with fruit, but will have more this year than ever before. Not bad for 3 year old trees.
Hollywood Plum
Shiro Plum
Liberty apples
Strawberrys in bloom

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Kitchen Garden

The containerized beans are growing great, and now have their first flowers. I guess I didn't start them too early.
Ning set up this raised bed. The potatoes were volunteer - I don't know what type they are. They are so vigorous. He used compost that came from the chicken bedding.
The tomatoes are starting to bloom. The first is Better Boy. I guess I didn't start these too early either. Despite the rain and rain and rain and rain.

Figs

Not doing anything to the figs now - they are just growing. This might be the best breba crop ever.
King.  The crop is so heavy, the branches are already drooping.
Lattarula - ditto.  I'll hold off any pruning until after the June harvest.
Cuttings from King. I have more - what will I do with them?

More on Irises

It's raining and raining and raining and raining. Not the best for perfect form and durability of iris blossoms, but the rains are part of living in the Pacific Northwest.
I think this one is "Blue Knight". A contrast to the dark purple iris in the back yard.
Immortality. I will move this after it blooms. Immortality can rebloom in the fall if it's happy. The invading grass has been a problem, but by blooming it's identified itself for refurbishing.
Sunny Disposition. Also a rebloomer. I'll do a similar renovation after it blooms.
Edith Wolford. This is not the best time to move German Irises, but this plant was completely overwhelmed by grass. the leaves and rhizomes are weak and spindly. If it recovers, it will be more because of this plant's durability than my treatment. I thought this might be Edith Wolford, and after digging it up discovered a tag that confirmed my "theory". Lucky.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Bumblebee Delite - a small flowered variety. I need to clean it up so that it blooms better next year. Not fragrant.
"Liaison". It's been blooming for 10 years, and is is several places in my yard. I think it's time for a selected special location. fragrant.
Spiced Custard - a subtle color combination, bought at a big box store about Oct 2010, this is the first bloom. Nice. Not so fragrant. Mid size, more compact than some of the others.
This is the plan - edging to keep the grass out. For newer plants that are not too large, 2 or 3 can go into a group. For established selections, there may be one in a group. For rescues I may add several to the same group. These are slightly raised, to reduce risk for rot. The edging should keep grass out.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Field Trip to Shreiner's Iris Farm

Yesterday we made a trip to the Shreiner's Iris Farm in Oregon. These are some of the photos.

Grown for preparation of rhizomes for sale and shipping. Row upon row, beautiful irises as far as I can see.
Standing in the field.
Bought these 2, one as a replacement for American Classic, that I seem to have lost, and the other, Kissed By The Sun, is new to me.  I will plant them in one of the beds I'm preparing for improved iris growth.