The Fruit House
The Fruit House is a clearing house for information related to fruit growing with a special emphasis on the propagation and care of fruit trees for the home orchard.
At a library near you . . .
Recently I read reviews of a couple of books on grafting that I asked our county library to get on inter-library loan so that I could look at them in detail. In both cases the local library went ahead and purchased both of them for our library system. There are both really excellent and I will be reviewing them in this space over the next few weeks on the leadup to grafting season. After that I will move most of the material presented here under the "Grafting Info" menu on this site.
The Manual of Plant Grafting: Practical Techniques for Ornamentals, Vegetables, and Fruit by Peter T. MacDonald
In the introduction MacDonald explains how the content of the book came to be. He notes there was a good mix of a review of what had already been written, what was said in horticultural meeting, and many conversations with those in many places around the world. After reading much of the book already, I think that he has done a really good job of tying together information from all of the many sources into a comprehensive, integrated, and useful whole. But there are two paragraphs in the introductory chapter that are at the same time disconcerting and also hopeful to the grafter looking for a definitive (and perfect) set of techniques that will always yield success.
On page 10 we have these two paragraphs:
"On visiting a number of growers, it was obvious to me that there are many ways of grafting most plants. These may be large differences, such as between budding (attaching a single bud to the rootstock in the field) and grafting (attaching a bud-stick of three or four buds to the rootstock on the bench). Other differences are less obvious, such as waxing or not waxing a side veneer graft.
There is no single, correct way to graft a plant. There are, however, different ways of successfully grafting. These are not necessarily preferred or better-just different. Therefore, it is not possible to provide one technique for the grafting of each species, there are simple to many options available."
That last sentence is really a disappointment - I really did want one option or one technique to so many of the decisions that one makes in grafting. For instance, what is the best material to wrap a chip bud with? Polyfilm? Parafilm? Buddy Tape? A large budding rubber that covers all of the cut surface? The answer is . . . yes. Here is another one: at what temperature should you keep dormant scion wood? This one is not as simple as it sounds. In general you can usually be successful if your refrigerator is at 41 F or lower. However, if you are going to be storing scions for late spring topworking they need to be colder to prevent them from breaking bud prematurely. Ok, but how cold for long-term storage. But how much colder? In practice it appears that there are advocates (with successful experience to back it up) for temperatures down to 28 F.
So with the backdrop of those two paragraphs quoted above from pages 10 I want to steer you to some of the gems that I am finding in MacDonald excellent grafting book.
Watch this space for coming book highlights.
Recently I read reviews of a couple of books on grafting that I asked our county library to get on inter-library loan so that I could look at them in detail. In both cases the local library went ahead and purchased both of them for our library system. There are both really excellent and I will be reviewing them in this space over the next few weeks on the leadup to grafting season. After that I will move most of the material presented here under the "Grafting Info" menu on this site.
The Manual of Plant Grafting: Practical Techniques for Ornamentals, Vegetables, and Fruit by Peter T. MacDonald
In the introduction MacDonald explains how the content of the book came to be. He notes there was a good mix of a review of what had already been written, what was said in horticultural meeting, and many conversations with those in many places around the world. After reading much of the book already, I think that he has done a really good job of tying together information from all of the many sources into a comprehensive, integrated, and useful whole. But there are two paragraphs in the introductory chapter that are at the same time disconcerting and also hopeful to the grafter looking for a definitive (and perfect) set of techniques that will always yield success.
On page 10 we have these two paragraphs:
"On visiting a number of growers, it was obvious to me that there are many ways of grafting most plants. These may be large differences, such as between budding (attaching a single bud to the rootstock in the field) and grafting (attaching a bud-stick of three or four buds to the rootstock on the bench). Other differences are less obvious, such as waxing or not waxing a side veneer graft.
There is no single, correct way to graft a plant. There are, however, different ways of successfully grafting. These are not necessarily preferred or better-just different. Therefore, it is not possible to provide one technique for the grafting of each species, there are simple to many options available."
That last sentence is really a disappointment - I really did want one option or one technique to so many of the decisions that one makes in grafting. For instance, what is the best material to wrap a chip bud with? Polyfilm? Parafilm? Buddy Tape? A large budding rubber that covers all of the cut surface? The answer is . . . yes. Here is another one: at what temperature should you keep dormant scion wood? This one is not as simple as it sounds. In general you can usually be successful if your refrigerator is at 41 F or lower. However, if you are going to be storing scions for late spring topworking they need to be colder to prevent them from breaking bud prematurely. Ok, but how cold for long-term storage. But how much colder? In practice it appears that there are advocates (with successful experience to back it up) for temperatures down to 28 F.
So with the backdrop of those two paragraphs quoted above from pages 10 I want to steer you to some of the gems that I am finding in MacDonald excellent grafting book.
Watch this space for coming book highlights.
Don't Play With Fire!
Ok, kind of a corny headline for a discussion of fire blight, but it is relevant as many of us make purchases of new apple trees and pear trees to plant in 2022. COSTCO has trees in at many locations, including selections of apples and pears. If you live in an area where fire blight is a problem you should be considering only buying fire blight resistant varieties. Thankfully, researchers have been compiling lists that help you steer away from the susceptible varieties and towards the resistant varieties.
Here is a sorting if a list of apples into susceptibility categories from the eXtension Apples Community of Practice website sponsored by the USDA: https://apples.extension.org/table-of-apple-cultivar-fire-blight-susceptibility/
Here is similar list from the WSU horticulture website: http://treefruit.wsu.edu/article/fire-blight-susceptibility-of-apple-cultivars/
In the Purdue University list they cover both apples and pears and also get into the role rootstock plays in susceptibility and resistance: https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/BP-30-W.pdf
Here is an excellent overview of the factors contributing to fire blight problems and methods of reducing the impact of fire blight on apples and pears:
www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/animals-and-crops/plant-health/insects-and-plant-diseases/tree-fruits/fire-blight
If you live in the fruit growing region in southern Idaho check out the links found at: http://pnwpestalert.net/alerts/crop/apple
Utah State University Extension has an excellent publication on dealing with fire blight at: https://extension.usu.edu/pests/uppdl/files/factsheet/fire-blight-08.pdf
One of the nurseries that has the largest selection of apple and pear cultivars on disease resistant rootstock is Cummins Nursery
Ok, kind of a corny headline for a discussion of fire blight, but it is relevant as many of us make purchases of new apple trees and pear trees to plant in 2022. COSTCO has trees in at many locations, including selections of apples and pears. If you live in an area where fire blight is a problem you should be considering only buying fire blight resistant varieties. Thankfully, researchers have been compiling lists that help you steer away from the susceptible varieties and towards the resistant varieties.
Here is a sorting if a list of apples into susceptibility categories from the eXtension Apples Community of Practice website sponsored by the USDA: https://apples.extension.org/table-of-apple-cultivar-fire-blight-susceptibility/
Here is similar list from the WSU horticulture website: http://treefruit.wsu.edu/article/fire-blight-susceptibility-of-apple-cultivars/
In the Purdue University list they cover both apples and pears and also get into the role rootstock plays in susceptibility and resistance: https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/BP-30-W.pdf
Here is an excellent overview of the factors contributing to fire blight problems and methods of reducing the impact of fire blight on apples and pears:
www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/animals-and-crops/plant-health/insects-and-plant-diseases/tree-fruits/fire-blight
If you live in the fruit growing region in southern Idaho check out the links found at: http://pnwpestalert.net/alerts/crop/apple
Utah State University Extension has an excellent publication on dealing with fire blight at: https://extension.usu.edu/pests/uppdl/files/factsheet/fire-blight-08.pdf
One of the nurseries that has the largest selection of apple and pear cultivars on disease resistant rootstock is Cummins Nursery
Scion Sale Offered More Than 100 Apple Varieties for 2022 Grafting Season
Notice: Scion Sale Ended February 15th
Although you can no longer order scions or trees, we are leaving the information up on this website so people can see the varieties that we will likely have for the 2023 scion sale.
Scions of more than 100 apple varieties are available for purchase through the Inland Empire 2022 Propagation Fair. Although we will not be hosting in a face-to-face venue this year we plan to package and ship just like we did last March. We are delighted to be able offer many lost and rediscovered varieties.
You can download a Word document with descriptions and pictures of those rediscovered varieties being offered here.
David Benscoter gave these suggestions about selecting among the rediscovered varieties available:
"If you want a really good early apple order the Sary Sinap that ripens in late July, early August. For a September apple Fall Jeneting is great. Excellent October apples include Shackleford, Dickinson, Claribel, Ivanhoe, Kay, Iowa Flat, Givens, Goldridge, Streaked Pippin, Buttersweet of Pennsylvania, and Mihalyfi. Ewalt was the only variety in my orchard that last year endured a late freeze and produced apples."
You can see the list of the heirloom (including cider) and modern varieties being offered here.
You can see a list of pear varieties being offered here.
You can see descriptions of plums being offered here.
Details on ordering:
How to order scions: Please send your email requesting scions to lostappleproject@gmail.com (see what to include in email below). You will not be asked for payment until we fill your order and are ready to mail your scions. Once you receive a return email you’ll know your order has been received. You’ll receive another email confirming your order and amount due in early March. Scions should be mailed by the middle of March. Payment options will be via Paypal or by check.
Pricing is as follows: Each scion is $6 and shipping is $10.
How to order trees: You can also order newly grafted trees but they are for local pickup in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Please send an email to lostappleproject@gmail.com to place your order (see what to include in your email below). Once again no payment is needed until your trees are picked up. Specify if you want M111 (Max 22 feet tall) or M7 (Max 14 feet tall) as your rootstock. Both are considered semi-dwarf. Trees will be grafted around April 1st and will be available around July 1st, after the graft heals and new shoots are evident on the scion. We will set up several pick up locations and dates in Spokane, Spokane Valley, and Pullman beginning around July 1st. We will work with you to make sure you get the tree or trees you want. Payment options will be via Paypal or by check.
All trees are $25 and can be paid for when delivered.
Thank you in advance for your support of The Lost Apple Project!
Format of email request (could you include the following information when you send an email request for scions or for trees)
-Name
-scion varieties requested and how many of each
-tree varieties requested and how many of each on which rootstock
-email
-physical address (for shipping scions to)
-any other/additional notes
This just in . . .
One theme that shows up in various places on this site is the pursuit of lost apples and hard-to-find heirloom varieties. Here is a link to a recent article covering efforts in southern Idaho to recover old apples of merit. More on lost apples and the Lost Apple Project can be found here.
Recent Updated Articles on This Website:
Something for the bees:
The health of the bee population for pollinating fruit trees is enhanced by growing other pollen sources, especially prior to the typical fruit tree pollination season. Willows are among the earliest pollen sources and can thrive in poorly drained soil where other plants might not be successful. You can find over 100 varieties of willows at Vermont Willow Nursery.
When to order Rootstock:
Rootstocks usually sell out in January and February, so it is best to order early. You can google "rootstock" to get a list of some of the rootstock sources. My "go to" nurseries for rootstock are Burnt Ridge, One Green World, Cummins, Raintree, and Fedco (you can Google these names to find their web site). If you are planning to get fire blight resistant rootstock, look for the places that offer the Geneva 41 (high density planting - M9 size) and Geneva 890 (semi-dwarfing). G. 30 is also a good Geneva series rootstock unless you are wanting to graft Gala. Do not consider the G. 16, G. 814, G.935 unless you have a sources for virus free scions (this usually precludes using these for heritage varieties). You can learn more about the characteristics of the Geneva apple rootstock series at the Cornell University and Washington State University websites.
As a refresher, this is what you get with the Geneva series apple rootstocks: disease resistance (especial to fire blight), precocity (bears young), high productivity, and cold hardiness.
For a refresher on fire blight check out the WSU summary here.
If you are grafting pears select one of the Pyrus Old Home X Farmingdale rootstocks (e.g., OHxF 97, OHxF87, OHxF333) and specifically do not use a Quince dwarfing rootstock for pears since they are so prone to fire blight.
The most versatile rootstock for stone fruit is the St. Julian A since you can use it with plums (both European and Japanese), peaches/nectarines, and apricots. It is regarded as a semi-dwarf and usually displays precocity in comparison to Myro and Mariana rootstocks. Another precocious, productive, and cold hardy plum rootstock is the Krymsk 1 (VVA-1). Manchurian apricot rootstock can be used for apricot grafting. Prunus americana works well for Japanese plums and hybrid plums, while Prunus domestica works well for European plums. Citation is widely used as a rootstock for the interspecific crosses (but not very available from retail sources for rootstocks).
For cherries you can get some size control (and you usually need it) with Krymsk 5 and the Gisela series. You also get precocity with either of those. Mazzard is the full-sized rootstock for sweet cherries and Mahaleb is the full-sized rootstock for tart cherries (note that tart cherries are usually smaller than sweet cherries anyway).
How about rootstock from seed?
Rootstock can also be grown from seed. Here are a couple of sources to check out:
Ordering Scion Wood
If you find that our local Lost Apple Project scion sale does not have certain varieties that you are interested in you can check out other regional and national sources who mail scions (note that many of these sources have a last day to order sometime in February). These include:
Skipley Farm (Snohomish, WA)
Burnt Ridge Nursery (Onalaska, WA)
Queener Farm (Stayton, OR)
Temperate Orchard Conservancy (Molalla, OR)
Purvis Nursery and Orchard (Homedale, ID)
Fruitwood Nursery (Orleans, CA)
Adams Apple Orchard (Ault, CO)
Maple Valley Orchards (Suamico, WI)
Eve's Cidery (Van Etten, NY)
Fedco Trees (Clinton, ME)
Washington State University's Scion Source List
Plum Comparisons for 2021
Since 2011 I have been adding plums each year and currently have about 40 varieties, with most of them now producing. This year I did an evaluation in terms of the comparisons of varieties ripening in early-, mid-, and late season. I identify top 3 and top 5 in that three-season scheme. You can find a Word document of those comparative evaluations here.
You will note that I am a big fan of Luisa, which is fairly new in the U.S. and hard to find (check for it on the Burnt Ridge Nursery and One Green World Nursery). Another of my favorites, Victory, is also hard to find but worth tracking down (Adams County Nursery has it). President, another of my favorites, is also hard to find, but Cummins Nursery has it. Cummins Nursery also has Castleton. I usually look toward our regional nurseries (Burnt Ridge, One Green World, Cloud Mountain, and Raintree first because of the lower shipping costs, but appreciate the good selection of plums at Cummins and also the fact that they are trying to put their apple selections on the disease resistant Geneva Rootstock. Cummins also offers the largest selection of Geneva rootstocks for grafting and chip budding for the retail customer (vs. for large commercial customer buying 100 or more of a rootstock).
Quick Review of the "Grafting Tool"
Until this past spring I had never used one of those grafting tools you see on Amazon when you type "grafting" into the Amazon search bar. Nor had I ever seen one used. Because I was so impressed by the results of the Raggett-designed Fieldcraft topgrafter in the hands of someone who told me, "I don't know how to graft" I had to get one and try my hand with it. I tell that story here.
Quick Review of Pruning Blades
Sometimes all you need is a hand pruning saw, but if you rejuvenating an older tree where you are making a lots of cuts you may like to use a Sawzall-type tool. You can find out which pruning blades seem to work the best here.
Other Articles of Interest to Fruit Growers:
Growing Rootstock from Seed
Rootstock for some stone fruit can be propagated from seed. Check out Tree Seeds for seeds on which to graft peaches, plums, apricots and Pawpaw. If you live in an area without a fire blight problem they also have apple and pear seed as well. If you live in Canada you can get fruit tree seeds for rootstock from The Incredible Seed Co.
Grafting Knives
Read a discussion about grafting knives here.
The Quest For Recovering Lost Apples
Lost (and recently rediscovered) apple varieties will be available through bud stick sale in early August. Here are some interesting stories about the quest to recover old varieties thought gone forever.
Lost Apple Project Success in 2021
Continued success in discovering lost apple varieties is chronicled in this recent article. The Lost Apple Project leaders hope to have scions of some of these varieties available at its 2022 scion sale. You will find more information about he Lost Apple Project at links below under the heading below titled, "The Quest For Recovering Lost Apples."
Strategy for Buying Fruit Trees for Home Orchard
Check out the home orchard page on this site with recommendations for purchasing fruit trees for spring planting.
Here is a link to an article that has suggestions for selecting fruit trees, with an excellent discussion about where to plant a new fruit tree in your yard: https://happydiyhome.com/how-to-choose-a-fruit-tree/
Strategies for Managing Suckers Around Fruit Trees
Here is a link to an excellent article addressing methods of coping with suckers around fruit tees.
Strategy for Rejuvenating Old Neglected Trees
Even though a tree is old, neglected, and not very productive does not mean that it can not be rejuvenated. Click here for a link on this site that gives excellent guidelines for pruning older trees and bringing them back into production.
Articles from the 2021 grafting season being left up in anticipation of the 2022 grafting season:
Lost Apple Project Training Event
(I am leaving up the info on this past event in 2021 because I am planning to offer the budding workshops again in 2022 - watch for the announcement in late spring for the summer training event.
Chip Budding and T-Budding
Dates: Duplicate classes offered on July 31 and August 7 (both sessions start at 8 am)
Location: Farm of Mike Chase, 3717 E. Keevy Road, Spangle, WA
Instructor: Mike Chase - see https://thefruithouse.weebly.com/chip-budding.html material to read in preparation for workshop)
Cost: Donation to Lost Apple Project (recommend $20 per person/$25 per couple)
Registration: Contact Mike Chase at mikeinspangle@gmail.com to register for this training event.
Notice: Scion Sale Ended February 15th
Although you can no longer order scions or trees, we are leaving the information up on this website so people can see the varieties that we will likely have for the 2023 scion sale.
Scions of more than 100 apple varieties are available for purchase through the Inland Empire 2022 Propagation Fair. Although we will not be hosting in a face-to-face venue this year we plan to package and ship just like we did last March. We are delighted to be able offer many lost and rediscovered varieties.
You can download a Word document with descriptions and pictures of those rediscovered varieties being offered here.
David Benscoter gave these suggestions about selecting among the rediscovered varieties available:
"If you want a really good early apple order the Sary Sinap that ripens in late July, early August. For a September apple Fall Jeneting is great. Excellent October apples include Shackleford, Dickinson, Claribel, Ivanhoe, Kay, Iowa Flat, Givens, Goldridge, Streaked Pippin, Buttersweet of Pennsylvania, and Mihalyfi. Ewalt was the only variety in my orchard that last year endured a late freeze and produced apples."
You can see the list of the heirloom (including cider) and modern varieties being offered here.
You can see a list of pear varieties being offered here.
You can see descriptions of plums being offered here.
Details on ordering:
How to order scions: Please send your email requesting scions to lostappleproject@gmail.com (see what to include in email below). You will not be asked for payment until we fill your order and are ready to mail your scions. Once you receive a return email you’ll know your order has been received. You’ll receive another email confirming your order and amount due in early March. Scions should be mailed by the middle of March. Payment options will be via Paypal or by check.
Pricing is as follows: Each scion is $6 and shipping is $10.
How to order trees: You can also order newly grafted trees but they are for local pickup in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Please send an email to lostappleproject@gmail.com to place your order (see what to include in your email below). Once again no payment is needed until your trees are picked up. Specify if you want M111 (Max 22 feet tall) or M7 (Max 14 feet tall) as your rootstock. Both are considered semi-dwarf. Trees will be grafted around April 1st and will be available around July 1st, after the graft heals and new shoots are evident on the scion. We will set up several pick up locations and dates in Spokane, Spokane Valley, and Pullman beginning around July 1st. We will work with you to make sure you get the tree or trees you want. Payment options will be via Paypal or by check.
All trees are $25 and can be paid for when delivered.
Thank you in advance for your support of The Lost Apple Project!
Format of email request (could you include the following information when you send an email request for scions or for trees)
-Name
-scion varieties requested and how many of each
-tree varieties requested and how many of each on which rootstock
-physical address (for shipping scions to)
-any other/additional notes
This just in . . .
One theme that shows up in various places on this site is the pursuit of lost apples and hard-to-find heirloom varieties. Here is a link to a recent article covering efforts in southern Idaho to recover old apples of merit. More on lost apples and the Lost Apple Project can be found here.
Recent Updated Articles on This Website:
Something for the bees:
The health of the bee population for pollinating fruit trees is enhanced by growing other pollen sources, especially prior to the typical fruit tree pollination season. Willows are among the earliest pollen sources and can thrive in poorly drained soil where other plants might not be successful. You can find over 100 varieties of willows at Vermont Willow Nursery.
When to order Rootstock:
Rootstocks usually sell out in January and February, so it is best to order early. You can google "rootstock" to get a list of some of the rootstock sources. My "go to" nurseries for rootstock are Burnt Ridge, One Green World, Cummins, Raintree, and Fedco (you can Google these names to find their web site). If you are planning to get fire blight resistant rootstock, look for the places that offer the Geneva 41 (high density planting - M9 size) and Geneva 890 (semi-dwarfing). G. 30 is also a good Geneva series rootstock unless you are wanting to graft Gala. Do not consider the G. 16, G. 814, G.935 unless you have a sources for virus free scions (this usually precludes using these for heritage varieties). You can learn more about the characteristics of the Geneva apple rootstock series at the Cornell University and Washington State University websites.
As a refresher, this is what you get with the Geneva series apple rootstocks: disease resistance (especial to fire blight), precocity (bears young), high productivity, and cold hardiness.
For a refresher on fire blight check out the WSU summary here.
If you are grafting pears select one of the Pyrus Old Home X Farmingdale rootstocks (e.g., OHxF 97, OHxF87, OHxF333) and specifically do not use a Quince dwarfing rootstock for pears since they are so prone to fire blight.
The most versatile rootstock for stone fruit is the St. Julian A since you can use it with plums (both European and Japanese), peaches/nectarines, and apricots. It is regarded as a semi-dwarf and usually displays precocity in comparison to Myro and Mariana rootstocks. Another precocious, productive, and cold hardy plum rootstock is the Krymsk 1 (VVA-1). Manchurian apricot rootstock can be used for apricot grafting. Prunus americana works well for Japanese plums and hybrid plums, while Prunus domestica works well for European plums. Citation is widely used as a rootstock for the interspecific crosses (but not very available from retail sources for rootstocks).
For cherries you can get some size control (and you usually need it) with Krymsk 5 and the Gisela series. You also get precocity with either of those. Mazzard is the full-sized rootstock for sweet cherries and Mahaleb is the full-sized rootstock for tart cherries (note that tart cherries are usually smaller than sweet cherries anyway).
How about rootstock from seed?
Rootstock can also be grown from seed. Here are a couple of sources to check out:
Ordering Scion Wood
If you find that our local Lost Apple Project scion sale does not have certain varieties that you are interested in you can check out other regional and national sources who mail scions (note that many of these sources have a last day to order sometime in February). These include:
Skipley Farm (Snohomish, WA)
Burnt Ridge Nursery (Onalaska, WA)
Queener Farm (Stayton, OR)
Temperate Orchard Conservancy (Molalla, OR)
Purvis Nursery and Orchard (Homedale, ID)
Fruitwood Nursery (Orleans, CA)
Adams Apple Orchard (Ault, CO)
Maple Valley Orchards (Suamico, WI)
Eve's Cidery (Van Etten, NY)
Fedco Trees (Clinton, ME)
Washington State University's Scion Source List
Plum Comparisons for 2021
Since 2011 I have been adding plums each year and currently have about 40 varieties, with most of them now producing. This year I did an evaluation in terms of the comparisons of varieties ripening in early-, mid-, and late season. I identify top 3 and top 5 in that three-season scheme. You can find a Word document of those comparative evaluations here.
You will note that I am a big fan of Luisa, which is fairly new in the U.S. and hard to find (check for it on the Burnt Ridge Nursery and One Green World Nursery). Another of my favorites, Victory, is also hard to find but worth tracking down (Adams County Nursery has it). President, another of my favorites, is also hard to find, but Cummins Nursery has it. Cummins Nursery also has Castleton. I usually look toward our regional nurseries (Burnt Ridge, One Green World, Cloud Mountain, and Raintree first because of the lower shipping costs, but appreciate the good selection of plums at Cummins and also the fact that they are trying to put their apple selections on the disease resistant Geneva Rootstock. Cummins also offers the largest selection of Geneva rootstocks for grafting and chip budding for the retail customer (vs. for large commercial customer buying 100 or more of a rootstock).
Quick Review of the "Grafting Tool"
Until this past spring I had never used one of those grafting tools you see on Amazon when you type "grafting" into the Amazon search bar. Nor had I ever seen one used. Because I was so impressed by the results of the Raggett-designed Fieldcraft topgrafter in the hands of someone who told me, "I don't know how to graft" I had to get one and try my hand with it. I tell that story here.
Quick Review of Pruning Blades
Sometimes all you need is a hand pruning saw, but if you rejuvenating an older tree where you are making a lots of cuts you may like to use a Sawzall-type tool. You can find out which pruning blades seem to work the best here.
Other Articles of Interest to Fruit Growers:
Growing Rootstock from Seed
Rootstock for some stone fruit can be propagated from seed. Check out Tree Seeds for seeds on which to graft peaches, plums, apricots and Pawpaw. If you live in an area without a fire blight problem they also have apple and pear seed as well. If you live in Canada you can get fruit tree seeds for rootstock from The Incredible Seed Co.
Grafting Knives
Read a discussion about grafting knives here.
The Quest For Recovering Lost Apples
Lost (and recently rediscovered) apple varieties will be available through bud stick sale in early August. Here are some interesting stories about the quest to recover old varieties thought gone forever.
Lost Apple Project Success in 2021
Continued success in discovering lost apple varieties is chronicled in this recent article. The Lost Apple Project leaders hope to have scions of some of these varieties available at its 2022 scion sale. You will find more information about he Lost Apple Project at links below under the heading below titled, "The Quest For Recovering Lost Apples."
Strategy for Buying Fruit Trees for Home Orchard
Check out the home orchard page on this site with recommendations for purchasing fruit trees for spring planting.
Here is a link to an article that has suggestions for selecting fruit trees, with an excellent discussion about where to plant a new fruit tree in your yard: https://happydiyhome.com/how-to-choose-a-fruit-tree/
Strategies for Managing Suckers Around Fruit Trees
Here is a link to an excellent article addressing methods of coping with suckers around fruit tees.
Strategy for Rejuvenating Old Neglected Trees
Even though a tree is old, neglected, and not very productive does not mean that it can not be rejuvenated. Click here for a link on this site that gives excellent guidelines for pruning older trees and bringing them back into production.
Articles from the 2021 grafting season being left up in anticipation of the 2022 grafting season:
Lost Apple Project Training Event
(I am leaving up the info on this past event in 2021 because I am planning to offer the budding workshops again in 2022 - watch for the announcement in late spring for the summer training event.
Chip Budding and T-Budding
Dates: Duplicate classes offered on July 31 and August 7 (both sessions start at 8 am)
Location: Farm of Mike Chase, 3717 E. Keevy Road, Spangle, WA
Instructor: Mike Chase - see https://thefruithouse.weebly.com/chip-budding.html material to read in preparation for workshop)
Cost: Donation to Lost Apple Project (recommend $20 per person/$25 per couple)
Registration: Contact Mike Chase at mikeinspangle@gmail.com to register for this training event.
Site maintained by Mike Chase of Spangle Washington. You can contact him at mikeinspangle@gmail.com or (509)723-4990 (no text)
