Waiting for the ketchup to pour from the bottle

 It is that annoying time of year when you see eeks of progress. But it is a while until things are in full swing. I get most annoyed with the non-progress of the supple and quite alive rootstock.

With a small subset of root by cutting test subjects; I will only need about 26 rootstock this year. While only 17 are left from last season. Plus I need another 10 pear rootstock to plant out scions.

Speaking of our Namesake Blairmont; it to is among the lazy that refuses to break bud. Still limber but smaller then most. Need to settle on who we will cross with it soon. Leaning hard toward Pionier this first season.

It too is a late-early season apple. Slightly smaller sweeter fruit. Hope it embues some of it's handsome dark color to the offspring. Both are well thought of dessert types. Pionier seems to be a bit more care free and mild mannered as a grower. With some luck; maybe one of the seeds will better storage times some.

My original thought was to cross any successful offspring with Starr to improve storage and tang factor. But we missed getting it this year; so as an early season apple Mank's Codlin may have to stand in. I shudder thinking though Mank's is yet another care free modest grower. So that might result in a low vigor type where I hoped for something more vigorous. Horse and Starr seem like a better bet for that.

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