The Blairmont Apple Project

  A worthwhile read: https://nmfruitgrowers.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/inbreeding-in-modern-apple-cultivation-by-hans-joachim-bannier/

 Good ole triple digit heat on the thermometer. 101F. Have to water all the critters well early. Made a count on the pad. 47 live trees and 3 iffy. Over on the work bench there are another 6-7. Still going to chip bud some Anna and Dorsett Gold yet.

 Really perturbed with fireblight this year. I am down to 42 live grafts on the grow pad. Hope those grafts yet to bud take soon. Probably another 35 are there. I have some surviving scions I pulled of root stocks. I will attempt to chip bud as many as possibly on saved root stock from dead grafts. The G.214 line is the sorriest of the line up. With a Mother Plant and 4 surviving grafts. I'm really disappointed in Geneva root stock. P.2 was doing far better. But the last really hit P.2 hard. Lost 6 beautiful Shockley grafts. All told 18 P.2 grafts survive. Plus the mother. And my ironic favorite; P.1 on P.2! As soon as it gets more height it is going deep planted as a nurse root so I get a true P.1 tree{much like M.7Elma} The rest of course are good ole M111. 20 of them. Will definitely have to re-order some scions. Terry Winter, Tarbutton, Hoover, Mrs.Bryan after such a great start. Cauley. Norfolk Beefing, Hudson Golden Gem. Devine, St.Clair.  So far a few seem pretty robust...

 So far 14 grafts have been lost to fireblight. 8 on G.214. 4 on P.2 and 2 on M111. By no means is that final.I still have to go through the stooling pots and plants on the pad. And also does not count any of the late grafts which are to early to tell. On the bright side; quite a few are making the transition to young saplings now.

 Yes; two plagues of the South have arrived. Oppressive heat and high humidity. And if you try to go out in the cooler morning the swarms of Yellow Flies have arrived. And only some heat relief. Monitoring fireblight it seems to have stabilized with the drier weather. But the damage is done. Have vigorously sprayed fungicides, and some copper sulfate though it's a bit late for it. I'd guess a 3rd of the grafts were seriously damaged. I've topped and beheaded about 4 grafts to save the root stock after a through cleaning. More are coming.  Of the late grafts courtesy of UGA; Mrs. Bryan is the first to leaf out.  Sill have 7 or 8 community pots to re-bag. So far the trees bagged seem to be doing well. But aghast! Have to make more soil mix to finish. Going to add more sandy loam to be less wet. Talking to other growers this is a bad year for fireblight with a new strain. I have Rouville which was a bullet proof rated tree on Fireblight. I think one will die. Pear growers se...

 Not surprisingly Fireblight on blossoms has arrived. My have lost a few grafts. I drenched the trees and especially buds with fungicide that includes copper sulphate. We will have to wait and see. Also have now bagged 18 grafts in the new bags.  I think Devine got wiped out on all buds. Though the rootstock is ok.

 .....I still managed to get a dozen trees moved to their new 3 Gallon grow bag homes. other then restringing the weed eater; this was the sole item accomplished today. I found it takes a bit of getting use too. But you can arrange the bags flat bottomed and mutually supporting. And I believe they are tough enough to last despite their thinness. Taking the rest of my hatch day off!