Hot weather. Ginkgo. Persimmons. Watering with bucket / hole method. 6.30.17

Ginkgo Tree, 19 years from seed.  6.29.17

Persimmon "Nikita's Gift".   Planted 2013.  6.29.17

 I just learned about the "hole in the bucket" watering method last year.  It's probably been around for a while.  Drill one or two quarter-inch holes in the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket.  Sit the bucket by a tree, fill with water, let it drain, move the bucket to the other side, do it again.  This method ensures about 10 gallons with each watering, avoids overwatering or underwatering.  Smaller trees, I fill once and water every few days.  Medium size trees, I fill twice and water once weekly, while somewhat larger trees I fill twice and water once weekly.  If it isn't hot, I space it out further. 

I found that with my water pressure, two quarter-inch holes work OK.

Top photo is a ginkgo tree that I moved here in 2012 from the seedlings that I started in 1998.  It had a slow start due to initial bad location but has taken off and is becoming handsome.

The rest are persimmons.  Saijo is done blooming.  I can see the start of fruits forming in the flowers.  Nikita's gift is just a little behind Saijo.  With a few 100 degree, dry, days, the flowers are brown.  I don't know if that matters for parthenocarpic (bear fruit without pollination) persimmons.   Yates is the third to bloom, and is an American Persimmon.  Yates was smaller and I planted a year or two later compared to the others, but has caught up in size.  There are a few flowers, just blooming, also petals looking singed from the heat.  Yates is sold as parthenocarpic as well.  

At this time of year, new persimmon branches are very droopy.  That puts them in range of deer browsing.  I widened the deer cages.  The ultimate goal is, trees tall enough that I can eliminate the cages for easier care and mowing.  Picking might need a ladder and good health insurance,  or a fruit picking device on a pole, but maintenance will be easier.

Persimmon "Saijo".   Planted 2013.  6.29.17

Deer browsing has been significant this year, but so far these persimmon cages are helping.  I expect to see a little damage at some point, but hoping it's minimal.

Yates Persimmon Flower.  6.29.17

Yates American Persimmon.  Planted 2014?   6.29.17

Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) Transplanting Update. 6.28.17

Last fall, in September, I transplanted two milkweed plants to the front border.  At the time, these had just finished their second summer, and had bloomed for the first time, after I started them from seeds.  I had read that Asclepius syriaca cannot be transplanted, but I had also read that they are hard to kill.  These had nice rhizomes and roots, and soil fell readily from them, without much apparent damage.  I transplanted, watered them in, and tiied to a stake to prevent wind from uprooting them.

This milkweed species is very slow to emerge from dormancy in the Spring.  I tried not to disturb them, and weeds more or less took over that spot.  I gave up on them, thinking they died.  This week I cleaned up the area, and noted new growth for both plants.  That's nice, since I did want them to grow there.  They are behind the others in size, and a bit scrawny due to weed competition, but now I think they will establish and mature nicely in their new home.

Regenerating Milkweed Plants.  6.28.17

This is the root mass for the transplanted milkweed, Sept, 2016.

Daylily Update. 6.28.17

Daylily "Carefree Peach"  6.28.17

Home made Daylily Hybrid, 1st Blossom.  6.28.17

 Dayliliies have started blooming.  The first in my yard is "Luxury Lace", an old variety developed by an amateur in her back yard.  The seccond is "Carefree Peach", which hasn't bloomed much for me before.  I don't recall this varety having green striped tepals (outer petals), but the effect is nice.

Another hybrid daylily, that I made by transferring pollen from one variety, to a flower of a different variety, has bloomed for the first time.  This one is a nice apricot color.  Small plant, somewhat ruffled petals.  Since the labels got messed up last year, I don't know the parents.  Guessing, one mislabeled but floriforous yellow with similar size and shape, crossed with pink Luxury Lace.  Then again, it could be any of them.

The first of my hybrids to bloom, was a very pale pink.  Almost white.  This one is quite different.

I may move this new one into the flower border.  Nice flower, and I'm not as  likely to miss watering them in the border.

Daylily "Luxury Lace".  6.28.17

Apple Grafting Update. 6.17.17

Jonathan on Jonared.  6.17.17

 Here is a grafting update.  Most of the grafts are doing well.  I accidentally broke off the Honeycrisp graft that I added to Winecrisp.  Firecracker red flesh crab did not take, but Grenadine red flesh apple did.  Apple grafts doing well:  Opalescent, Jonathan, Airlie Red Flesh, Fameuse, Dolgo Crab, King David, Sweet 16, Grenadine.  Last year's Airlie Red Flesh has 5 apples, Newtown Pippin has one, and Baldwin about 6. Milo Gibson and Sweet 16 that were very slow, have taken off and growing like gangbusters.  

Dolgo Crab on Jonared.  6.17.17

Grafts on Winecrisp.  6.17.17

Grenadine on multigraft.  6.17.17

Persimmons are Blooming. 6.19.17

Saijo Flowers.  6.19.17

Saijo Flowers.  6.19.17

Saijo persimmon flowers have opened.  So have the grafts of Chocolate persimmon.

The leaves on Saijo are much greener this year.  I'm attributing that to correcting a soil, magnesium deficiency, via dose of Epsom salts.  That was 1/4 cup in 2-gallon watering can, late winter.  I did add 1/8 cup Epsom salts in 2 gallon water, last weekend as well.

 Nikita's Gift Persimmon flowers are swelling but not open yet.  Yates American Persimmon flowers are even smaller, possibly because they are smaller anyway, as an American persimmon.  Speculation on my part.  I am watching them with interest.  Since American Persimmons are smaller, compared to Asian Persimmons, maybe they don't need as long to develop in the warm summer weather.

The last one is Prairie Star (Or Prairie Sun?) American Persimmon, which I planted 3 years ago.  First year, it was eaten off by rabbits.  This year, most of the leaves were destroyed by hail.   It has a little regrowth now.   It's only about 18 inches tall.  Maybe growth on the remaining stems will be good this year and give it a better boost for the future.  Of course, no flower buds at this small size.

Edit:  Earlier version of this post stated "coffee cake persimmon".  I should have stated "chocolate".   

Snake. 6.17.17

I'm guessing this is a garter snake, and feeds off moles and voles, bugs, slugs, and snails.   We saw 4 snakes today while planting beans.  They are not particularly afraid of us. 

Indian Runner Ducks. 6.13.17They

Indian Runner Ducks.  Now they have their full adult plumage.  Shy, but healthy looking.  6.13.17

Grafted Ginkgo Tree. 6.13.17

Here is the growth of my dad's ginkgo tree, grafted onto a rootstock from locally obtained ginkgo seeds.  I grafted last year.  Then, the scion grew only a small tuft of leaves.  This year, it is growing by leaps and bounds.

I think ginkgo is more difficult to graft compared to apples and plums.  Of the three that I grafted, one did not take at all, and one fell off this spring, after one year.  But this one is clearly thriving.  This was a whip-and-tongue graft.

More Kitchen Garden. 6.13.17

Garlic, potatoes, some small blackberry plants, and collard greens.  6.13.17

The first planting of onions and potatoes.  6.13.17

One of the hot pepper beds.  6.13.17

One of the tomato beds.  6.13.17

Germinating Sweet Corn.  6.13.17

Kitchen Garden. 6.11.17

Tomato Plants.  6.10.17

Today I planted the 4th batch, probably final batch, of sweet corn seeds.  The variety was Bodaceous, which I bought last fall at Fred Meyer on close out.  I don't think I will try to keep sweet corn seeds any more, they are less able to remain viable with time.  Still, one year old should be OK.

Bodaceous is a yellow sweet corn, SE type (sugary enhanced) - not the supersweet type, but remains sweet longer on the plant - matures in about 75 days, has improved disease resistance, and is well adapted to the Northwest.  Since I'm not planning to save the seeds another year, I planted the entire packet in 4 rows, and will thin to a foot apart if germination turns out to be good.

I noted that a blackberry plant - Arapaho - had purple leaves.  Researching that, it appears to be caused by phosphorus deficiency.  I will need to find a supplement for that.  In some cases, I read that plants with deficient magnesium in the soil, are not able to take up phosphorus.  Since I know from soil test that my soil is magnesium, and probably not phosphorus, deficient, I will apply some Epsom Salts, 2 tablespoons per 2 gallons of water, for more of my kitchen garden plants.  When I did that for Saijo Persimmon, the result was dark green leaves, instead of the usual pale green / yellow leaves.  So I think it helped.  I applied that amount of Epsom salts solution for the tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, and chestnut tree saplings, then ran out.  That kind of gets away from the concept of phosphorus deficiency, but phosphate was normal to high in my soil.  Other side of yard, but that I what I have to go on for the time being.

I don't know if I blogged on this - I added another horticultural blackberry, Triple Crown.  My readings pointed me to this variety, tetraploid - as is Prime Ark Freedom but I don't know about Ebony King.  Triple Crown is described as disease resistant, highly productive, and a delicious fruit that works well in Pacific NW.  I bought the plant at a local nursery, already green and growing; bare-rooted it carefully, removed planting compost, and planted in the native soil of my garden.  I protected from deer and rabbits, with chicken wire.

I read that primocanes should have the growing tip removed, with both primocane-bearing and  floricane-bearing, varieties of blackberry, at around 3 feet tall.  My brambles are young, and only two have primocanes that tall, so I tipped them.  Tipping means the growing tip is snapped off by bending.  That promotes growth of branches, resulting in much higher yield and stronger plants.