Playtime in the chestnut patch :)

[jocelyn]

Just did 3 little grafts into new shoots of chestnuts.  One tree has thick twigs, so was only able to do 2 to match up....oh, well, grin.
Will have to do cleft grafts into year old potted trees from the porch.  I just took some in to the kitchen to wake up.
That will take care of the scions that are bigger diameter.  The skinny ones, from the stump sprout, will be OK on the etiolated shoots....but what a finger cramper!  I see another nut has sent up a shoot, but like all of these, it will be a tiny shoot, sigh.  I lost the first blooms to frost last year, and pollinated to make these nuts the 2nd of August.....so very tiny nuts.....so very skinny shoots.  Sure hope the blooms this spring don't freeze, I would love bigger nuts!

If the mice haven't eaten ALL of last years' grafts, I might get pollen this spring to set nuts on the single tree by the road, happy anticipation:)  Kitchen table plants sure make it easier to wait for spring....it's minus 22 with the windchill today.  Brrrrrr.

Suppose I'll have to venture out sooner or later, water the chickens, get the paper, already fed the wild birds....brrr.

[richardw]

well, good luck

[jocelyn]

Thanks. Those etiolated shoots ones usually take. They are just small and hard on the fingers at the time, grin. Their main advantage is they are small enough to transport to a nut meeting and bring to the swap table. Anybody can take them, and someone else has usually brought something you, yourself, want. It's fun. There are some old trees around that breed well, make real good seedlings, so I'm keen to spread them around.

[jocelyn]

You can check out these pictures here, if you like.

maritimen.webs.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=15974429

I like to play, grin

[jocelyn]

Maritime webs doesn't seem to be working, so here's one from postimage.org

imgur
This is Dragan's graft, but he said I can share the picture

[jocelyn]

here's one at my place, last year.

free image host