The Polar Vortex Adventure

 Greetings and hoping you are all warm and safe. Here we got 4-5" of snow and now have a series of very cold days for us. Of course the kids have enjoyed there first 2 snow days. The goats and dogs would be glad to see it go.

The apple trees seem ok and even sold a pair of extra trees. Also ordered a small Scion order. Bringing Georgia's Kimrome and Shockley Grizzle to the collection. As well as 4 interesting UK apples. Langleigh Delight, Lord Burghley, Mank's Codlin and Willingham Cropper. Perhaps I will get one more small order done this year. But far less then last year.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

First outing with inexpensive foreign grafting tool with omega head

  Have to admit I was hopeful and anxious about how this blade/tool combination worked. Sure you would get a strong graft. But the cambium layer? How would they line up?  Well interestingly enough I noticed even if a scion/root stock mismatched; you can eyeball the cutter to make a great line up. So anyway I felt it would be sacrilegious to not do Blairmont on the first graft. And soon it was sitting in the field in a pot. I also grafted P.1 on M111 and Kaido on M111. Both have resistance M111 does not have. And I felt M111 would bring good vegetative growth for cuttings. Lastly I planted mother trees of G.214, M111 and P.2. Roots on root stocks? All looked good. G.214 had plenty of feathery roots. Can't do a lot more today. Have to get potting soil. And must take the tiller to break the compost pile up. A nearby farm has tested and graded compost soil with no added nitrogen. For a great price by the bucket{about 12 50 pound bags} Also have to settle on my feed bags and how to...
Read more

So soil is here

 Or more exactly Compost. Seems like a lot of bio-char in this. Very dry but full of organic matter. Enough structure I should be able to avoid mixing in my woody composed mulch. But it is definitely getting some weathered manure.  Been experimenting with using feed bags. Ended up cutting them into sheets. Then halving them again to use as you see burlap bags used on saplings. Seem to get a pint and a half in the middle. Add the graft. Make sure the roots are centered. Then another pint and a half on top. Burying the roots. Fold up the tips. Zip tie bag around the graft. Then poke drainage holes and let them soak in a tote. I really did not like this. But today; some of the grafts in bags are taking off.  This means I will have to keep putting them in and out of a tote though.  I doubt this will be my go to method. But useful to park grafts to grow a while until suitable pots emerge. I fear to much soil will leech out this way long term.  Very glad the scions I ...
Read more

Agonizing over "Georgia Origin" Apple varieties.

 After a set back and infection of my chronic leg wound; I've been trying to rationalize what "IS" a Georgia Origin apple. And which apples deserve a spot in the orchard. Truthfully their are some surprises and disappointments. For example "Black Limbertwig" has been claimed as a "Georgia" apple since 1914. However advertising from central Tennessee in  1841 proves it is not "ours".  We will include it though. The same contention lands on "Hackworth" or as it was known in many Georgia Nurseries as "Allsummer". There are some claims this was a Georgia apple absconded away. There is not much evidence Nickademus Hackworth was a pomologist of any sort.  We will include it as "Allsummer" Then we have two Limbertwigs who both do not get much respect. Poor "Old Fashioned" gets so much disrespect. Sorry detractors; OFL is NOT "Red Limbertwig. Red is a medium sized apple that is smaller and keeps longer the...
Read more