Plum Bloom Times. 3.15.18

Sweet Treat Pluerry.  3.15.18

It's hard to find overlapping bloom times for fruit trees. Many of the plums and hybrid plums need a pollenizer, but that only helps if they bloom at the same time.  In addition, for areas with late frosts, it's better to plant cultivars that have later bloom times.

So far this year, the following are in bloom at the same time.  These are early bloomers:  Sweet Treat Pluerry (hybrid plum / cherry with some peach and apricot in its ancestry), Crimson Spire ornamental plum (small but flavorful fruits), Hollywood plum, and Shiro plum.  My multigraft is blooming too, but I don't know the main variety - I think it's a pluot.  Methley plum is not quite open now.  Nadia Cherry/Plum is also on the verge, with a few blossoms open.

I removed some blooming twigs from Hollywood and Crimson Spire, and placed them into the branches of Sweet Treat, to improve the chances of pollination.  There are no honeybees around now,  but there are lots of tiny pollinating insects within the tree.  Since they don't appear to fly from tree to tree, I added those branches to improve the chances of good pollination.

Sunroom. Budding. 6.17.14

Homework day.

Not bad.  The sunroom makes for a more tolerable time.  The tile floor warms up nicely, even on cloudy day.  Under the floor, is 6 inches of insulation, so it should be warm in winter, too.

I did take an hour break for garden project.  I grafted new buds from Shiro and Hollywood plums, onto the existing plum trees.  I imagine if they take, it will be 2016 when they first bloom and bear.  That will help with pollination, so I don't have to run form tree to tree with a little paintbrush.

I used Hollywood and Shiro because those are what I have.  I think they are good choices - easy to see the burgundy leaves of Hollywoodo, so I easily know those are grafted, and easy to identify which plums are the small bright yellow plums of Shiro, and burgundy of Hollywood, for harvesting.

It rained Sunday and Monday.  Today drizzled.  So the tree tissues were moist, the bark slipped easily, and the grafts were not too difficult for a novice.  I don't know if they will take and grow.  If not, there is July and August budding as well, and now I have more practice.

Seedlings and Progress Report. 4.12.14

Culinary Ginger Plant 4.12.14

 The ginger is growing rapidly.  Not enough room in the light stand.  Moved to south window.

Fig plants from south window are transitioning to outside.

Seedlings went into ground -
Phacelia, oregano, snowpeas, bunching onions.  The Phacelia was at cotyledon stage so delicate.  I was careful.

Will leave kitchen garden open starting tomorrow but with screening for rabbits and deer.

Two more buddlea starts went into the ground.

Harvested a row of radishes and planted 2 new rows of radish seeds.

Played the bee with Asian pears, Tart and Sweet Cherries.

Montmorency and North Star cherries about in full bloom.  Almaden Duke and the two sweet cherries are almost done.

Seedlings 4.12.14

Progress Report. Rain. No Puttering. Grafting Illustrations. 3.26.14

It's been very rainy.  Constant rain for a week.  I'm concerned the plums and peaches may not pollinate.

When I use a small paintbrush on anthers there is no visible pollen.  Washed off.  Just water.

Today about 50F.  Inside poly tunnel raised bed, 55F.  Not enough sun to warm it up.  Portugal Red Pepper I moved a week ago looks OK, maybe some new growth.  Chinese chives a foot tall.

At about 3 weeks, only one Four O'clock from the first, room temp non-soaked batch has germinated.  At about 1 week, one Four O'clock from the second, soaked, seed-warmer batch germinated.  So now, so far, I have 2 plants.  Better than none.  It looks like another is beginning to push up seed growing medium.   Will keep them on the seed warmer a few weeks.   No conclusions.  Not a randomized, controlled, statistically analyzed trial.  I think the soaking and warming is probably beneficial.

On Grafting, so far the grafts look OK.  Slowly swelling buds on all.  None have shriveled.  With the cool wet weather, they might look OK if they have not taken.  Found some illustrations from Gutenberg.org which are available to everyone to download.

Whip and Tongue Graft Illustration.  Dr. John A Warder.  1867.  American Pomology.  Apples. 

Side Graft Illustration.  Dr. John A Warder.  1867. American Pomology.  Apples. 

Whip and Tongue Graft Illustration.  H. Harold Hume.  1906.  The Pecan and Its Culture.  

Cleft Graft Illustration.  H. Harold Hume.  1906.  The Pecan and Its Culture. 

Pear grafts. Progress report.

Some are growing better than others.

At the moment, all grafts are growing.

Very few incipient pears on the trees. It may take a couple of years for these to bloom. When they do bloom, the grafts should help the pollination issue.  Establihsed hives may also help.