Kitchen Garden Progress Report. 3.17.16

Container Planting of Radish and Spinach Seedlings.  3.17.16

 I did a lot of gardening today.

Large half-barrel size containers with greens and favas are coming along nicely, roughly one month after planting.  Pictured, radish and spinach.  Favas are also growing nicely both in containers and in-ground, and scallions are more than a foot tall - Eqyptian Walking Onions.

Grape cuttings look good, about one month.  I am starting Interlaken and Price.  These will get extra TLC this year to achieve planting size as soon as I can manage.

Grape Cuttings at One Month.  3.17.16

Favas Germinating at one month.  3.17.16

Apple Scion, Fedco.  3.17.16

 Fedco apple scion came yesterday.  I stored in refridgeratore overnight.  Scion includes Milo Gibson, Sweet-16, Baldwin, Newtown Pippin.  Some were very small.  I multigrafted 3 existing trees, and also created one from a one-year plant of semidwarf stock taken from the stump of a prior apple tree.  That last was a rind graft, because the scion was so much smaller than the rootstock.  I used Mil Gibson because it is rare and unique.

The seedling gemetic dwarf peach is blooming at 4 years.  Others at same age and younger are not blooming.  I'm designating these as "gremlin peaches" because the trees are so tiny, suitable for container.  I don't know what they will be like.  They need a designation because it's too much typing to continue stating "seedlings of genetic dwarf peaches".

I planted herb seeds indoors in seed starting soil, in reused, washed seedling 6-packs.  I started seeds for greens in the outdoor half barrels.  As pictured below.

Rind Graft, Milo Gibson Apple on unknown semidwwarf rootstock.  3.17.16

Seedling Gremlin Peach at 4 years.  3.17.16

Seeds planted indoors.  3.17.16

Seeds planted outdoors in large containers for greens.  3.17.16

Propagation Projects, Progress Report. 3.3.16

Pink Ornamental Cherry, whip / tongue 3.3.16

Single Pink Ornamental Cherry, whip / tongue  3.3.16

Ginkgo whip / tongue.  3.3.16

Ginkgo whip / tongue  3.3.16

 These are some of my plant propagation projects.

On the past 2 days, I grafted scion from ornamental cherries onto wild cherry root stock.  The root stocks were volunteers in the yard, likely sweet cherry or descendents from sweet cherries.

It was difficult to identify scion that was not already too far along.  The main tree is an ancient - in suburban terms - double flowered, fringed, pink Japanese cherry.  Very beautiful.    From the rootstock of that tree, are growths that bloom much earlier, pink prolific single flowers.    That one is even more advanced, fully blooming.  There were some 1-year growths that have mildly swelling buds, so I used one of those.

If the flowering cherry scion don't take, I can alllow growth of the wild cherry root stocks from below the grafts, and try T-budding this summer.

I've already posted on the ginkgo tree grfts.  The buds might be swelling a little.  Hard to say.  The trees are no further along.  I tiny patch of green is visible in some  buds.  It takes imagination to see that.

Grape Cuttings.  3.3.16

Genetic Dwarf Peach Seedling.  4th year.  3.4.16

Sedum From Stem Cuttings, Overwintered Outdoors.  3.4.16

Buds are swelling on the grape cuttings.  Those are from February.

The seedling genetic dwarf peach has pink flower buds.  I don't know what will happen.  If the flowers take, then the peaches may be small, due to not being on a vigorous peach rootstock.  If dwarfing rootstocks make for normal size fruit, them maybe own-root peaches are no smaller than their grafted counterparts.  This is an experiment.

The large varietiy sedums from stem cuttings last fall are growing nicely.  I kept a few inside - they dried out and died.  The starts that I kept outside for the winter are growing.

Grafting Ginkgo biloba tree. 2.27.16

Whip/Tongue Grafted Ginkgo biloba.  2.27.16

Today I grafted the third of the Ginkgo biloba trees.  The scion if from a tree grown from seeds that my Dad collected, nearly 30 years ago.  I want to keep the tree if possible, after moving from the Vancouver house to the Battleground place. 

The rootstocks are Ginkgo trees that I started from seeds 3 years ago.  They are all on containers.

The cambium layer seems very thin and delicate.  The wood is harder to cut accurately, compared to apple and pear wood.

If the grafts don't take, I'm sure the rootstock trees will regrow from the buds below the graft.  But I want them to take.

In case they need protection longer, compared to apples and pears, I wrapped the entire length of the scion.  They are double-wrapped, first polyethylene grafting tape, then parafilm tape.  Both tapes are 1/2 inch wide.

Grafting a Ginkgo biloba. 2.2.16

Dormant Ginkgo biloba seedling.  2.2.16

Ginkgo biloba whip/tongue applied.  2.2.16

 I have 3 Ginkgo biloba seedlings, each 3 years old, grown from local seeds.  I want a tree from my Dad's Illinois ginkgo tree, for sentimental reasons.  It's now a huge tree, no way to move it to Battleground.

I don't know much about grafting ginkgos.  This may not work.  If they don't take, I should still have trees from the stocks, since they have lots of buds.  I cut the branches, leaving one 1-inch long spur below the graft.  The other branches are flush with the stem.

Grafting was standard whip & tongue method.  Ginkgo stems turn out to be quite soft, pliable, and easily cut with a grafting knife.   Easier than the pears I did last weekend.  They are also rather delicate and easily damaged.

Two of the three are now grafted, wrapped and sealed.  I used ½ inch polyethylene tape for the internal wrapping, works well for a tight wrap.  I over-wrapped with ½ inch Parafilm tape.   I made the ½ inch parafilm tape by cutting one-inch tape with scissors.

This may be too early.  Weather is predicted this week up into the mid 60s.   Given the warm weather, I wanted to graft while still dormant.  The cambium is soft and green. 

Grafted Ginkgo biloba, wrapped.  2.2.16

Progress Report. Columnar Apple Graft. 6.6.15

Whip-Tongue, 3 months later.  Columnar Apple.  6.6.15

 These are the grafts I did in march on 1-year-old columnar apple trees.

There is some callous formation distorting the shape of the graft.  That does not hurt anything.  Just cosmetic.

The grafts are fully healed.  Growth is strong.

Below the graft, there are lots of spurs.  Maybe fruit next year.  There are a few spurs above the graft, but I don't expect much from those next year,

Spurs on 2nd year of Columnar Apple.  6.6.15

Whip and Tongue Grafts, Unwrapped. 6.5.15

Apple Whip / Tongue at 3 months.  6.5.15

Apple Whip / Tongue Graft at 3 months.  6.5.15

 Today I unwrapped the 3-month old whip & tongue grafts on apple and plum.  They turned out the best of any I have ever done.  Very pleased.

The incisions are very closely approximated.  The graft unions healed without excessive callous.  On the plums, some are so close, it's difficult to see the unions.

I'll need to take better photos tomorrow, and update this post.  My better camera had a bad battery.

What worked:

These were standard whip and tongue grafts.

I wrapped with polyethylene tape, then over-wrapped with Parafilm.  It must be that, and not my carpentry, that improved the results.

I waited until now to unwrap them.  This is 3 months.  The new growth ranges from about 6 inches to about 2 foot.  

Hybrid Plum Whip / Tongue @ 3 months.  6.5.15

Hybrid Plum Whip / Tongue @ 3 months.  6.5.15

Ember Plum on Hollywood Rootstock.  5.19.15

 The grafts are growing like crazy.  A couple of container apples on salvaged rootstock are not growing, but everything else is really growing.

Most of the bud grafts from last summer have about the same amount of growth as whip / tongue grafts from this late winter.

Hanska Plum, Top Grafted Onto Unknown Plum.  5.19.15

I've started removing some of the wrappings.  It doesn't seem to be girdling anything yet.  From the couple that I removed, doing so does not appear to have caused harm.

LaCrescent Plum Top-grafted Onto Unknown Plum.  5.19.15

Hollywood Plum Grafted Onto Toka.  Bud graft from 2014.  5.19.15

Fedco Apple Grafts.  5.19.15

Plum Grafting. Progress Report. 5.3.15

Ember Plum.  Whip Tongue Graft at 43 days.  5.3.15

Ember grafted onto Hollywood at 41 days.   Growing rapidly.  The rootstock was bent, so this tree will need staking to grow more vertically.  Not a problem.

I have not removed the wrapping yet.  Probably could.  I the growth is this advanced, I'm convinced the graft has fully merged and healed.  Leaving the wrapping in place for strength.   Remove at about 6 inches of growth.  We are close to that.

All I read about the need to bud graft plums was wrong.   I did 6 whip / tongue, using 3 varieties, and all took.  This is good.  Many of the bud grafts need more than 1/2 year to start growing.  The whip / tongue grafts are growing fast, a few weeks after grafting.

Apple Grafting Progress Report. 5.3.15

Whip / Tongue with Parafilm.  Columnar Apple.   Two months after grafting.   5.3.15

Whip / Tongue Graft on Columnar Apple.  Two months after grafting.   4.3.15

I grafted a 2nd columnar apple onto 1-year-old growth of another variety of columnar apple, at end of February. 

Not being familiar with Parafilm, I have tried a couple of methods.  For this graft, I used Parafilm and no other material, to wrap the graft.  It was a good fit, and I did not need a tighter material.

Now, 2 months later, the graft has taken, and the join has expanded to the point where the Parafilm wrapping is torn wide open.

At the lower end, a stock bud grew through the parafilm.  That also happened at the terminal aspect of the wrapping.

Since the graft has taken, is strong, and the wrap is no longer holding anything together, I removed the rest of the Parafilm.  That is probably not necessary, since it looks like the tree can stretch it to breakage, by itself.

This graft took very well.  The scion is growing nicely.  There is no open wound.

Grafting Progress Report. 4.25.15

Ember whip/tongue @ 6 weeks.   4.25.15

Columnar apple multigraft.  8 weeks.  4.25.15

Sketch for columnar apple multigraft.

Redfield apple whip/tongue.  6 weeks.  4.25.15

 This is my little tree nursery as of today.  It's been chilly and raining, so growth is slower.  I expect it to take of with warmer sunny days next week.

Ember on Hollywood - nice growth.

2nd multigraft on columnar apple - nice growth.  The sketch shows the general idea.  These are columnar, so I am grafting one on top of the other.  Reason is for novelty and pollination.  In-ground is on old rootstock sucker that persisted from a Yellow Delicious semidwarf that I cut down 2 years ago for never bearing.  In-container is from the same, moved into container last winter, very few roots.  Doing OK and I assume rooting well, in container.

Redfield from Fedco at 6 weeks.  The rootstock seemed to be doing poorly, with result that the graft was doing poorly, but now looking better.

Deck wall tree nursery.  Some are cuttings or seedlings in 3rd or 4th year, I forget.  I moved them back into containers for TLC.  I get better young tree growth in containers with extra warmth, nutrients, and attention on the deck.

Deck Tree nursery.  4.25.15

Columnar apple multigraft, container.  4.25.15

This is a terminal whip/tongue yellow columnar apple graft,  onto potted columnar red apple graft.  The bare-rooted specimen is how it looked Nov 2014 when I removed it from the tree roots that had produced the sucker that I grafted it on to.  Apples can regenerate roots from minimal source, quite well.  I hoped that as long as there were root primordia, this would grow.  I don't think the top would be doing so well if it has not generated adequate roots by now, much more than it had in November.  This one is also meant to be like the sketch. 

Bare rooted columnar apple graft Nov 2014

Apple Grafts. Progress Report. 4.18.15

Keepsake Apple whip.tongue onto Jonared stock tree.  4 weeks.  4.19.15

Apple varieties whip/tongue onto Jonared stock tree.  4 weeks.  4.19.15

 The apple Fedco whip and tongue grafts from last month look good.  Most have swelling buds with leaves still smaller than a mouse ear.  Redfield, Porter, Priscilla, and Keepsake all have evidence of growth.  Granite Beauty is not there yet but is also not dehydrated so there is still a good chance.  This will be my sampling  / experiment tree, with a branch of each variety.  Very pleased so far.

I looked at the Fedco scion list again.  They are not selling more this year.  There are a couple of apple varieties that look interesting for next year - a long way away, and who knows what will happen.  The ones that I liked this time were King David and Sweet Sixteen, for interesting sounding flavors and disease resistance, and for the stories.

Jonared Apple with 4 whip and tongue grafts.  4.18.15

Jonagold W+T graft on M27 at one year.  4.18.15

The Jonagold that I whip and tongue grafted last year on M27, and planted in ground late winter, has bloomed nicely.  I've played the honeybee and pollinated with other varieties, especially Prairie Fire.

The unkown apple from the neighbor, on M27, shows no evidence of growth so far.  The Redfield on M27 has leaves the size of a baby mouse ear, but I'm not sure the rootstock is viable so it may be lost.

Plum Grafts. Progress Report for T-buds and Whip and Tongue Grafts. 4.18.15

The plum whip and tongue grafts that I did last month are looking good.   Buds are swelling for most of the grafts.

Of the Fedco grafts, Ember on Hollywood rootstock is almost leafing out.  Ember top-worked onto unknown plum, buds are swelling nicely.  Both Hanska top-worked onto unknown plum are greening and swelling.  One LaCrescent is doing so, the other one does not look dehydrated, so still has a chance.

Ember whip/tongue onto 1-year Hollywood rootstock.  4 weeks.  4.19.15

Of bud grafts from last summer, they were worth the wait.  Most are growing nicely.  Hollywood top-worked onto  several other trees, is growing.  One of the Prunus cerasifera buds bloomed and set fruit.   The other is growing leaves and stem.  I think I'll leave the fruit there, curious to see how they turn out.  I want only one branch of P. cerasifera, so if the fruiting bud-graft does not grow further, that's fine.  Shiro top-worked onto various trees is also growing on all, with some vigor.

I read several references recommending bud grafting for plums.  Clearly  bud grafting works for plums, but it looks like whip and tongue can also be successful.  There is still some growing to be done before I know for certain.  The advantage of whip and tongue is that budstock can be obtained as I did, in late winter/early Spring, and it does not take the long wait to see if they take.  That is also true in some cases for June budding, such as the Shiro and P. cerasifera buds that grew several foot after I June grafted them last year.

So far this looks like this year has great potential for plums and for grafting plums.

Hollywood Plum bud graft, approx 10 months.  4.18.15

Prunus cerasifera bud graft at 10 months.  4.18.15

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P. cerasifera plum T-budded onto unknown stock.  8 months..  4.19.15

La Crescent Plum whip/tongue top worked onto unknown plum  4 weeks.  4.19.15

Hanska whip/tongue onto unknown plum.  4 weeks.  4.19.15

Shiro T-bud onto unknown plum.  8 months.  4.19.15