Sunday, June 07, 2015

Walking Around. Fruit. 6.7.15

Bagged Apples.  6.7.15

Chinese Haw "Red Sun".  6.7.15
 Walking Around.

For most of the fruits, there isn't a lot that needs to be done, from now to fall.   If I am up to it, I can cut weeds, re-mulch, and do some summer pruning.  Some will need watering.

The zipper lock fruit bags always seem steamed.  I don't know if that hurts anything.  I have not seen that mentioned as an issue.

Ning's Chinese Haw has a nice crop of fruit, still small and green.  First year for that.  Deer like any branches within reach.

Almaden Duke Cherry multigraft.  I finished grafting yesterday.   Nothing to do until about 3 weeks from now, when the ties need to be removed.

Jonared apple multigraft.  Not much to do.  Re-mulch.  Tie down the branches for better spread of scaffold.  Any time this summer.

Fig row.  Lattarula is the most vigorous at the moment.  They will get water, but no fertilizer.

Meyer Lemon, in container.  Blooming nicely.  The fragrance is present even when not in sight.  Very sweet.  Leaves look yellow, but that doesn't seem to hurt.  Just needs water this summer. I do give it some acid-loving plant miracle grow, dilute.

Other citrus, unknown seedling, about 18 years old, just for decoration.  No bloom, not surprised.  Kumquat, no bloom.  I thought it might.  Same treatment as Meyer lemon.

Yates Persimmon.  Now that it's summer, I will back down  on the nitrogen boost.  This is first-leaf, so it will need regular watering.  Same with Mango Pawpaw and Sweet Treat Pluerry.  Speaking of which, the leaves are insect magnets.  Full of holes.  If it continues like that, I may not keep it.

Genetic dwarf peach seedling.  Very lush.  I think it's in it's 3rd or 4th year.  No idea if or when it will bloom.  Kept out of rain all winter.  Zero leaf curl.  Genetic dwarf peaches that were in the rain - covered with leaf curl.
Amaden Duke Cherry multigraft.  6.7.15

Jonared Apple Multigraft.  6.7.15

Lattarula Fig.  2nd year from cutting.  6.7.15

Meyer Lemon.  6.7.15
Yates Persimmon.  6.7.15
Genetic Dwarf Peach Seedling.  6.7.15

Walking Around. Vegetables. 6.7.15

Corn and Squash Bed.  6.7.15
Walking Around.

Corn and Squash are growing nicely.  Squash includes winter squash, summer squash, zucchinis, and pumpkins.  So are the beans, and tomatoes.  Peppers are OK, we might get some.

Ning's garden is ahead of mine.  He's proving to be a great gardener.

I've left this bed un-mulched, so the sun warms the soil.  Then it requires some hoeing.  As long as I don't let the weeds grow beyond small seedlings, it's easy.

The corn and squash have been boosted via pee-cycling.  I think that's why they are so green and lush and growing so fast.

Walking Around. Flowers. 6.7.15

Tuberous begonias.  6.7.15
 Walking around.  A lot of plants that I started much earlier are showing progress.  We are past the Spring bloom, and not quite into the summer bloom.  Since I usually don't buy flowers already in bloom, there is a wait while they are growing.  I like it that way.  By growing plants from seeds, or starts, or tubers, or bulbs, or  divisions, I feel like I am more of a gardener.  I can follow their life cycle, and see them either flourish, or remain or dwindle.

I planted the tuberous begonias about 2 months ago.  Some are just beginning to grow, others a few weeks.  I thought some were dead but they all came up.  Today they got a little flower plant food.

I planted a historic daylily into the front border.  This area by default is becoming a bed for rescued daylilies.  I don't have the names for most of them.


Rescued Daylily Bed.  6.7.15

Small Yellow Daylily.  6.7.15

First nasturtium.  6.7.15

Second Year Growth, Four O'Clock.  6.7.15

Four O'clock Seedlings.  6.7.15

In Ning's Meadow.  6.7.15
Milkweed Seedlings.  Asclepias syriaca.  6.7.15

Zantedeschia.  6.7.5
Most of the daylilies are just starting to bloom

The nasturtiums have opened their first flowers.  The leaves are nice and succulent.  The leaves have a delicious peppery flavor.

Four O'clock seedlings are starting to grow.  There are also volunteer seedlings.

Four O'clocks that were close to the house, survived the winter.  Re-growth started late, but they are very stout and vigorous, and quickly passed the new seedlings in size and vigor.

Zantedeschia are in a shady area.  Most are in their first year.  I have one container of Zantedeschias that I've grown for about 25 years.  That older one is not blooming yet.

Milkweed / Asclepias syriaca are growing slower than I expected.  Maybe as summer heats up they will take off.  I don't expect them to bloom this year.

Ning's meadow is looking beautiful, full of flowers and pollinating insects.

Saturday, June 06, 2015

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



Friday, June 05, 2015

June T-Budding. 6.5.15

Apricot T-buds onto plum.  6.5.15
 Today seemed like a good day to T-bud.  I had a day of vacation.  Temp is 80 degrees F.  The bark is slipping very nicely, on plums, apricots, and cherries.

Several of last year's June T-buds on plum, took and put out about 18 inches of growth before winter.  The others all took, but remained dormant until Spring.  All of those have been growing rapidly, good solid robust growth.

Cherries were another story.  Only one Cherry T-bud took.  Maybe they are just more difficult,  and I'm still a novice.   One observation, was that there was a lot of callous formation under the grafts.  The callous seemed to push the grafts off the unions.

Last year I also grafted the cherries in mid July.  This time is more than a month earlier.

  Today, I T-budded some apricot onto the multi-graft plum.  It's a long shot as to whether they ever bear, because apricot blooms too early and is frost killed.  But if those couple of branches do that, it's OK.  I also T-budded Methley onto the plum multigraft.  The Methley is from my 4-year tree, which has not yet borne fruit.  I thought about also adding Toka, but did not find good understock branches. I can wait and do them as whip and tongue grafts next Spring, if I still want to add them.

As for Cherries, I T-budded 3 each of Stella and Ranier onto Almaden Duke.  Also 4 of Lapins, onto the same Almaden Duke.  This time, I double-wrapped as I did this Spring's whip-tongue grafts, first with polyethylene tape, then with Parafilm.  Then, to hold the cambium at the back of the bud, firmly against the stock, I overwrapped tightly, with a non-stretching nylon twine.

 Now it's wait and see.  From what I've read, the string will need to be cut at 3 weeks.
Ranier Cherry T-bud onto Almaden Duke Cherry.  6.5.15

These will need to be observed for the right time to unwrap, without letting the twine girdle the grafts.  It's worth a try.

I copied the bud-wood illustration from last year's attempts.  



Budwood Illustration from 7.15.14

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

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Progress Report. Hardy Palms in Battleground, WA. 5.30.15

Trachycarpus fortunei palm, in ground one year.  5.30.15

Chamaerops humilis palm, in ground one year.  5.30.15
The two palms that I planted last summer, survived the hard freeze and the rest of the winter.

I'm not surprised that Trachycarpus fortunei survived.  I have one of the same species in Vancouver, that is about 25 foot tall in 14 years.    I bit more than one foot per year, with no plant food, no watering, no treatment other than cutting off drooping leaves.

Chamaerops humulis was looking worn, but survived the winter.  Despite the small size, the largest stem has a flower bud.  Good to watch for bee activity.  I don't know when the flowers will open.

Both have new leaves.  Both got the pee-cycling treatment, a thick layer of grass clipping mulch, and extra water today.

Neither needs deer protection.  They are too spiky.  Trachycarpus leaves rattle and quiver in the wind, sounding like rattlesnakes and looking like wild dancers.  Chamaerops carries inconspicuous sharp spines, that readily draw blood and curses when I attempt to weed it.

Here they are when planted, one year ago.  It takes looking at last year's photo to appreciate that there has been growth.  Especially the Chamaerops, the difference is subtle.

The same Trachycarpus, 5.25.14

The same Chamaerops.  5.25.14

Fig, Persimmon,Progress Report. 5.30.15

Container Figs.  5.130.15
 Container figs all have thick mulch of chopped fir tree.  Some are doing better than others.  I've snapped off the growing tips, for branches of 4 or more leaves, to stimulate fig development.  For in-ground fig row south of house, I've done the same for side branches but allowed the central leaders to continue.

Persimmons.  The 2 trees in 3rd leaf, and the American Persimmon in 1st leaf, are all growing vigorously.  Nikita's Gift and Yates' flower buds persist. Chances are they will fall off, but I watch anyway.   All have protection from deer and rodents, and all have thick grass clipping mulch.  All have been given pee-cycling fertilizer, and all have been given extra water.

American Persimmon "Yates".  5.30.15

Hybrid Persimmon "Nikita's Gift"  5.30.15
 Pawpaws.   The three in 3rd leaf are growing well. "Sunflower" 3 fruit embryo / one flower, persists.  All have had doses of pee-cycling fertilizer, diluted 1:10, and all have been given extra water.  All have thick layers of grass clipping mulch, and nearby grass/weeds are removed.

Pawpaw "Mango", in first leaf, looks great.  That too, has been given the spa treatment, with  diluted pee, grass clipping mulch, protective fencing, and weed/grass clearance.
Kaki Persimmon "Saijo".  5.30.15
Pawpaw trees @ 3rd Leaf.  5.30 15

Squash and Corn Bed. 5.30.15

Fig, corn, and squash bed.  5.30.15
The original plan for this bed was to plant bee forage.  I have plenty of those.  I needed a place for squash and corn.  This is the warmest, sunniest part of the  yard, south of the house.

I also planted two rows of Asclepias syriaca, Common milkweed / Butterfly flower.  Those are for honeybees and local bees.  As perennials, they may not bloom until next year.

The fig trees on the left look healthy.  They do not need the space yet.  The small fig trees will not shade the annual crops, which are on the south side of the fig trees.

Gardening this area saves some mowing.  This has always been a difficult spot.  A fence, to the neighbor's field, is directly adjacent.

Chamomile for tea (tisane). 5.30.15

German Chamomile in garden bed.  5.30.15

Harvested chamomile flowers.  5.30.15
In 2012 I bough 2 plants of German chamomile and planted in a vegetable bed.   They grew too large, so I moved them to another location.  New plants self-seeded last year and this year.  I left them in place, thinking I could eventually dry the flowers for chamomile tea.  Since chamomile tea does not contain tea leaves, it is technically a tisane.  I drink chamomile / ginger almost every evening, with some honey, to settle my stomach.  Since I already use it, I might as well dry my own, fresh, local, free, organic chamomile flowers for that purpose.

I cut the flowers.   They will go into the food drier for a day or two.  I think that should do it.