Announcing a new arrival

[digitS']

NW, @jackb ? Okay, up at 3am, I'm finally able to organize thoughts ~ without them rolling out from under me.

First, @murphysranch may want to move to Oregon's Applegate Valley to grow olives . I remember seeing olive groves, somewhere around Sacramento. Wait! Northern California is considered the PNW. Probably more because of climate than anything else. You'd think they'd at least allow what is below the Mason Dixon, and almost in line with @marshallsmyth 's garden, to be considered "Southern."

Anyway, I didn't know olives could be grown north of California's Central Valley. Russian olives - an invasive in Nevada and Utah. The climate seems to keep it under control around here ... maybe not on the coast.

Anyway, the Russian olives bloom like mad with the first real warm weather of spring. Could olives be attracting pollinators to grape vineyards? Value in that way ..?

Steve
who isn't far from 1 or 2 wineries but suspect that most of the grapes are brought in from the other side of the Columbia Basin.

 

[jackb]

Steve, I know they are grown in Oregon, which I consider the Northwest. I have purchased a few trees from growers in Oregon. Russian olives can be grown in New York, but they are not a true olive, they just resemble the olive in appearance.
"The fruits are edible and sweet, though with a dryish, mealy texture. Its common name comes from its similarity in appearance to the olive (Olea europaea), in a different botanical family, Oleaceae." I believe the Russian olive is from the family Elaeagnaceae.

jackb

http://www.oregonolivetrees.com/index_files/Growing.htm

 

[digitS']

Odd. The website loaded poorly in my browser - pictures over the top of text and such. The links to Facebook didn't work and the blog has an "about us" which didn't load a page, either!

For those interested, a Google search turned up this newspaper article. Altho the author is too cute by half ... all this may be more of a reflection of my lack of coffee than anything else .

Anyway, here's the Portland Oregon article: link.

In the comments, someone notes that olives are now being planted in London ..!

Steve

 

[bobm]

In the Fresno, Cal. area, there is a nursery that has LOTS of burlaped and boxed , larger, several year old to mature Olive trees to sell to the new subdivision home owners to plant in their new yards. After a while they finally realize that the pruning of sucker growth and very messy falling olives onto their sidewalks and patios are NOT what they signed up for. Out they go ! The Central Valley of Cal. has vineyards as far as the eye can see. Mechanical grape harvesters are increasing as the farm worker numbers are decreasing. These huge machines are quite large as well as the need for bins to hold the harvested grapes so they require a fairly large turn around area at the end of each row. So planting of olive trees is not the best of ideas as it would require an even more loss of grape vines to acomadate the machines which equates to less grape crop therefore loss of income. So will these olive trees be cut down when the owner realizes their loss of income ? Many vineyards use roses at the road end of the grape rows for decoration as well as a aphid pest trap.

 

[897tgigvib]

That is quite true Bob. The vineyards I'm talking about mostly specialize in the high to very high end wines. The Yandel's wines are not even available in stores, but are reserve only.

The Martinelli wines are quality, by year and varietal, and are available in stores.

Next time I am down in the areas I'm talking about I'll try to remember to bring my camera and post some photos. It's very beautiful. Not sure how they run the machinery by. It's been decades since I worked in a vineyard.

But when I did, and drove the tractor, the method i used was to skip a row on each turn. These days I suppose they'd take a wider turn and skip 2 rows, and have a bit more road room.

These vineyards don't seem to skimp to put a plant at each possible square foot. They'd just buy more land to do that. And they seem to be doing that. New vines are going higher up the hills every year.

I know. Photos needed. Will do, but give me some time.

 

[jackb]

This morning while checking my trees I was astounded when I noticed the Ascolano cutting that I named El Primo is forming buds! The cutting was the subject of this post and it is only 17 months since it was struck from the mother plant. The mother plant, which is the most developed tree I have, has yet to flower. Truly amazing when you compare today's photo with the one taken at the beginning of this post.

 

[ninnymary]

Well that's really weird that this young plant is getting ready to flower yet the mother which is much older hasn't. Wonder why? Any guesses?

Mary

 

[jackb]

Well that's really weird that this young plant is getting ready to flower yet the mother which is much older hasn't. Wonder why? Any guesses?

Mary

Mary,
I have not a clue as they have been right next to each other the entire time, in the same growing conditions, even the same soil mix. Mamma is a magnificent plant with a trunk larger in diameter than all of my other trees. Beats the heck out of me.

PS Perhaps I should rename the tree Baby Huey..

 

[thistlebloom]

Do you think being a clone would have anything to do with it?

 

[jackb]

Do you think being a clone would have anything to do with it?

If anything it should be an exact duplicate of the parent plant in terms of its genetic makeup, so to answer your question, no.