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| Chocolate persimmon scion, grafted 4.14.16. 6.8.16 |
I was away for a week. This time of the year, a lot changes. Some of the last grafts are taking off. Not fully there yet, but growth is encouraging.
Chocolate persimmon on Saijo, Fuzzy male
kiwi on Blake kiwi, and
Petite negri fig on Dominic.
I have left the scions wrapped. The graft tape can be removed when they are more mature and more growth has occurred.
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| Nikita's Gift Persimmon Flowers. 6.8.16 |
It's been unusually hot. I missed the persimmon flowers (
Nikita's Gift and
Saijo) at their peak. Even though Saijo was much bigger than Nikita when planted, Nikita is much more vigorous. There were many more fowers this year. The primordial fruits seem to be swelling, so maybe they will take. These are in their 3rd year. I
planted them from dry root, mail order trees in 2013.'
This is the first year that I have put significant effort into the row of grape vines and kiwis. They were planted from early 2013 to this spring. This year I cleaned up the row, mulched with grass clippings, and fertilized (peecycle) to promote vigor. Most are at or above their deer cages. There is some risk for deer damageif those animals become more ambitious.
The mulberries (
Illinois Everbearing) are producing very well. They are incredibly sweet. For some reason, there isn't much, if any, bird theft.
I moved this tree from Vancouver to Battleground in October, 2012. I originally planted it March, 2010.
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| Saijo Persimmon Flower. 6.8.16 |
The
Fig graft,
Petite Negri on Domonic understock, is growing better. This was grafted late March, so about 2 1/2 months now. I tried before in 2009, but was less experienced with grafting then. Fig grafting is not new -
Eisen wrote about it in1901. He used cleft grafting, and recommended 2 year old scion for reduced pith, and terminal buds. So far, only one of my three scions, has taken. But that's all I need.
All of the brebas fell off
Smith Fig, but now there are main crop buds. This tree is an experiment, not know to do well in Patcific Northwest. Meanwhile, Lattarula figs are swelling bigger, showing promise. Same for
Carini.
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| Grapevines and kiwis. 6.8.16 |
The last of the
pawpaw fruits fell off. The trees look good. Maybe next year.
With more nurturing, mulch, water, fertilizer,
Blake Kiwi is growinbg more vigorously this year. The male fuzzy kiwi graft on that vine is also still looking good. There isn't a lot of info on growing kiwis in the Pacific NW, so I am on untested ground with this one. So far, deer have avoided this vine, while eating any grape leaf that sticks out of the cages.
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| Illinois Everbearing Mulberries. 6.8.16 |
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| Illinois Everbearing Mulberries. 6.8.16 |
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| Petite negri graft 6.8.16, Graftged whip / tongue, 3.21.16 |
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| Image of grafted fig tree. Eisen, 1901. |
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| Eisen's method for grafting figs. 1901. |
I've never dream of graft figs but you've given me an idea. Running out of room but have lots of good figs why not put them all in one tree!
ReplyDeleteRandy, I've seen a number of articles or web posts about grafting figs. They are not as easy as apples and pears, but it can be done. I have one graft take, for the 3 that I did. It is not out of the woods yet - even cuttings can have almost as much growth without roots. But it looks promising and I think it is beyond the point were it would survive without take.
DeleteGood pics. My mulberries are coming on, too. However, I don't eat them. I noticed in Greece, everybody, and I mean everybody, grows grapes. My "starts" in sand never took.
ReplyDeleteRandy, sorry your cuttings didnt take. Keep trying. I have things that don't work all of the time, then for some reason, sometimes they do. I don't recall all of the steps that I did for grape cuttings, but I may have used rooting hormone. Sometimes I make an inch-long vertical incision in the lower part of the cutting, into the green cambium layer, to encourage root-promoting callous formation.
DeleteThe Greek tradition of growing fruit in everyone's yard, would be beneficial here too. I suspect there are many reasons we dont. Gardening is simply not a topic taught in schools. People move often enough, that many would not see their vines or trees come to fruition. I'm told that realtors here tell people to cut down their fruit trees to make houses easier to sell. Misplaced values.
Update -
ReplyDeleteDeer came by and ate half of the growth on the kiwi scion. Damn giant rats. They have never touched the kiwi before, so I hoped it would be, not on their menu of good foods. But they often fool me. THe kiwi is now surrounded by a deer cage.
Hi, your graft fig is quite interesting.
ReplyDeleteHi, your graft fig is quite interesting.
ReplyDelete