Time of year again! Pruning, grafting and rooting new stuff!

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

well, it's that time of year for some of us to go out into our snow covered orchards, vineyards and backyards for some tree, vine and cane pruning!

i know i've seen a few people mention they feel tossing those clippings is such a waste and wanted to do something else with them. so i thought i would post a link to last year's grafting of apples and a few links i used to do it.

last year i learned how to graft apple trees. and this year i'm hoping to have some success with grafting and rooting some peach tree cuttings Digits will be sending me. i recently got some cuttings of grapevines, currants and Autumn Olive to see if a few will root. i've had luck in the past with getting grapes to root, just got to remember to get them in the ground before they dry out in their pots.

i'll be takeing a walk through my yard today to see what needs a trim and what will need to be taken out because it didn't make it. i should have taken this walk a few weeks ago but we've had some nasty cold weather here in seacoast NH. i need to check my raspberry canes to see what can be clipped and rooted too. i'd like to move those to a more convenient location and this may be a better solution than digging up the mother plants that have thrived so well in their current location. i'm sure a few of my older apple trees will need some trimming and probably a pear or two will need some taken off.

i was hoping if anyone has clippings of Arctic Kiwi's i could get a few so i can root them? i'm also willing to take any apple, plums/prunes, pear and peach cuttings to try to graft.

my thread from last year's grafting: http://www.theeasygarden.com/thread...ting-apple-trees-newest-update-post-30.12959/

 

[thistlebloom]

I found your grafting project fascinating Chickie, it's something I'd also like to try, but realistically, it won't happen in the near future. I'll just follow along with watching your progress.

I'm hoping to do some rootings of my rugosas this spring from the cuttings as I trim them down. A simple, practically
Thistle-proof project!

I'm going to use them to further the edging around the lawn area because I love how they perfume the air in the summer. Also to make a hedge along a portion of the road way in front.
The moose enjoy the hips in the winter.

I haven't pruned my apples yet, but I have Honeycrisp and Macintosh(?) if you're interested.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

one of the trees i grafted last year was Honeycrisp and thought it was doing very well with it's graft. it would be nice to have a few more. i didn't do any MacIntosh last year since they are very common in the area. my neighbors seem to have them but i haven't asked if i could take their clippings for grafting.

if you're taking cuttings for grafting or rooting make sure there are at least 3 buds on each section you want to work with. i want to add some roses to the yard too. they're supposed to be good indicators of health in a vineyard since bugs and disease would affect those before the grapes. but i'm not looking for tea roses, i think those are too delicate for my area. i love the wild roses that grow around my yard but they bloom for 1 week and then fade for the rest of the year. i really like the David Austin roses and the old English or Garden shrub roses. one i remember coming across years ago at a local garden shop is Cardinal de Richelieu, such a gorgeous scent! wish i had taken some cuttings of my Zephirine Drouhin before we moved, another one that had a nice smell. i had it growing on the run to my coop and the chickens left it alone.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I did my pruning about a month ago. Today was my day for dormant oil spray. They haven't budded out yet but some are getting close. It was in the 40's with practically no wind. My apples,peaches, almond, pears, plums, and cherries were sprayed.