27. Looking at the results: grafting and some more on apple trees.
We were away from home — leaving on the 1st of June and coming back late on the 8th. Yes, one of the first things I did when back home — I checked all the apple trees with the grafting efforts and ! yes, so far a secret! — with artificial pollination effort. I am rather happy with the success of my very first attempts — and even more, I found today two more twigs of the varieties that are/were challenging — and keeping in mind I have last days in 2018 to try again — made today another diverse grafting effort. OK, step by step and with photo’s.
This is the tree I was most curios to graft. Four of five now in grow, one still to be observed.
Our apple (suspected to be Virginische Rozeappel; two twigs here); Transparent Blanche (он же белый налив из ботсада МГУ), Zigeurnerin with white tag from Harry (Цыганочка). Пятый привой — Коричное. Ну пока терплю — может и прирастет. The 5th as I just said — is that Russian Cinnamon Appel — keep patient, may be it will still grow.
The left one with young leaves — James Grieve. The right one (still hope it lives as well) — Oranje Reinette.
Both twigs of Champagne Reinette seem to look happy.
And in the bigger effort with Russian apples: 50% success so far. Moscow Late and Tikhomirov’s Memory are OK. Коричное и Юбилей биофака загнулись кажется. НО…
I had two more twigs — one per variety — and this is the last week for 2018 efforts. Thus: I tried some more.
I tried grafting with one bud… first this — for both twigs, done to The Northern Spy.
And I grafted the rest of these two twigs — to the Schoon van Boskoop. Did one more attempt, likely useless, skip here.
OK, yet another reason I felt myself as if Uncle Scrooge — it was about my artificial pollination effort. Yes, I did find DIY instructions and I did follow the rules, also with hand-made sacks/bags to protect the 2-b-pollinated flowers.
I have now 3 + 3 fruitlets to take care of.
Three fruitlets in The Northern Spy tree…
And three fruitlets (pics below) in the southern early apple tree of yet unconfirmed variety.
Unrelated directly — but I bought two apples at the farmers’ market in Olhao, Portugal — one we tasted, lovely smell but “een beetje meelig” (early June !!), and the second one flew with us to home and stays now in the fridge unless I take it out for a botanical aquarelle.
Wow, happens — I googled — that I spotted indeed the most Portugese apple variety: Casa Nova Apple. Have to finish it tomorrow (as watercolour).
Update — while sorting photo’s from Portugal: happens I took a picture of the 2nd Casa Nova.
