Three variety espalier

And at the bottom, and example of "playing with novelty grafting to add many different scions to a fruit" - espalier of three varieties, Passe Crassane, Beurre d’Anjou, and Bergamot d'Esperen

Poor Quality rootstocks

Very skinny stock, had to find an equally weedy bit of scionwood to match



Poor amount of root







Again, not much root, with nasty split at the bottom of the wood







As I left it too late to order stocks from Frank Matthews, I ended up ordering them from a new supplier, Blackmoor nurseries. I have to say I was very disappointed with the quality of the rootstocks. The pears in particular were very weedy, they only matched the width of average-sized scions within a few inches of the root, much lower than I would normally like to position a graft. One was completely dead, and a few had minimal roots. The single apple stock of m111 had barely any root, and this was also split down the middle, annoying as I really want this one to succeed as my stock tree for my new variety.

I won't be buying from them again!

Grafting session

Just a few photos to illustrate my grafting method (namely the 'whip and tongue' technique.

I found this page on whip and tongue grafting, which made me laugh. I don't think the author would have much time for the way I do things! The instructions are quite good, apart from the bit about twine and sealing wax - I've tried that when I first started and believe me, crappy, cheap, low-tack duck tape and clothes pegs are much easier!

3rd National Scionwood swap day - Stowe nr Buckingham

3rd National Scionwood swap day 2pm- 5pm where you will be able to swap your scion wood or buy pieces for only a £1
to help cover the events expenses. Trees can be grafted to order on m27,M9,M116 M106 or M111. scion wood already promised to arrive includes Bramley, SturmerPippin, D'Arcy Spice, Brownlees' Russet, James Grieve, Queen Cox, Egremont Russet, Ashmead's Kernel, Chivers Delight, Lord Lambourne, St. Edmund's Pippin, Worcester Pearmain, Norfolk Royal, Margil and Costard. Lord Derby, Charles Ross, Court pendu plat.........and many many more.

Both events take place at The Estate Office, Home Farm, (1st left down the hill past the Green Security PortaKabin) at National Trust Stowe Landscape Gardens., nr Buckingham. Tel 01295 810516 /0795000 6813 or email johoward@metronet.co.uk

New Year - January fruit and some resolutions

A happy new year, if anyone ever reads this blog. The new year has started well, with a reasonable amount of stored fruit still left in good condition. We have just finished the last of the Glou Morceau, half way through our box of Josephine de Malines and had the first Santa Claus, good flavour but still fairly hard/crisp on the bottom half, no not quite ready yet. None of the stored pears has shrivelled, despite being stored in open boxes (many recommend wrapping in paper individually, or covering boxes with straw, but I haven't found the need for this so far with late cultivars). We have finished the Rosemary Russet (mainly due to running out as they keep until March), and still have a few Golden Russet left, still vastly superior in flavour to supermarket russets we have bought recently. We finished the last of our own Wolvercote variety on New Year's day and found it fairly soft but still sweet and highly edible, so it's good to know it has quite a long storage life for this kind of apple.

One new year's resolution was to find out about registering plant breeders' rights for what seems to be a promising and fairly unusual garden cultivar. Plant Breeders' rights are controlled by DEFRA, and the information is presented in a typically labyrinthine manner. Having found the application form, it was then impossible to work out the fees. Fortunately DEFRA was swift to answer my email query personally, but the news was not good. There is no amateur category for fruit growers, which mean that the full annual DUS testing fees (a mere £1700 pa) apply, making it virtually impossible to register rights to a variety as an amateur without sponsorship. However, I'm not going to give up. I'll continue trialling it, on a range of rootstocks, and try to build a local market for the fruit, once I have built up sufficient stocks. If it fulfils expectations on yield, health and habit then I'll try looking for sponsorship/partnership with a commercial nursery. But a long way to go before that point.

The second new year's resolution is to find more land to grow build up stock and grow more half-standards and plums. Having contacted or looked at the rules of local allotments, again the news is not good. Most allotments have strict rules about fruit trees. Only the most dwarfing stocks can be used, fruit area must not exceed 33% of the allotment area (even half plots) and you can be asked to remove trees if your neighbour complains. Worst still, many have communal 'orchards', usually with a higgledy, piggledy assortment of donated stuff, and so can't see why anyone would want to have their own carefully chosen and managed trees when they could share a load of surplus rubbish. So, very difficult for the serious fruit enthusiast to make headway in terms of finding land to trial stock, grow on grafted whips to maiden stage or grow enough of a surplus to sell at the local farmers' market. Maddeningly we missed out on the chance to buy a nice, sheltered half-acre of land, partially walled, in the next village which would have been just about affordable. My lupus-like skin condition was just too distractingly painful at the time to focus on anything else. A shame as it would have been ideal, and the west-facing wall would have been ideal for peaches and the more frail continental pear cultivars.

Third resolution is to get an order for graftwood into Brogdale before the end of January deadline, something didn't get round to in 2011 or 2010. The aim is to try to extend the pear season by a month at each end (into July and March-May). Also to try more late-season apples as we really appreciate having our own late varieties at what is quite a bleak time for nice fruit, the empty months between winter and late spring. Hopefully this at least will work out.

For anyone wanting to acquire graftwood from the National Fruit Collection, here are the contact details:
Farm Advisory Services Team Ltd
Crop Technology Centre
Brogdale Farm, Brogdale Road
Faversham, Kent ME13 8XZ

t: 01795 533225 f: 01795 532422

e: info@fastltd.co.uk

Have also found a new supplier of rootstocks, Blackmoor Nurseries based in Hampshire. I emailed Frank Matthews (who would probably do a rather better deal with trade prices for a large order) but they haven't replied.

Brogdale deadline missed again

Yet another year when I simply haven't got round to thinking about ordering graftwood early enough. The deadline for ordering from Brogdale is strictly the end of January, as pruning commences in earnest during the first week in February. I have quite a bit of topping and changing to do with wood from my own trees, and still haven't decided what to do with my new land (general maintenance will probably take all my limited energy again this year).

I almost went to the 'National Scionwood Exchange', held at Stowe Landscape Gardens. I have a lot of pear wood to exchange, and wondered if I could buy pear stocks in small quantity, as I need some maidens to establish new cordons. I got a pretty patronising response. No they didn't have any Quince A, but had I thought of using Pyrus communis or wild pear? I thought of my in-laws' 100 year old wall pear, which produces a profusion of spiny suckers, uncontrollably vigourous growth and very poor quality pears, plus the great length of time I'd have to wait before such a tree produced its first pear,  and bit my tongue quite hard so I didn't feel tempted to reply with what was going through my mind. 

Following that suggestion, I've a fair idea that the only wood on offer in exchange for mine would be 'heritage' varieties I've never heard of, fine to keep going if you have unlimited space for a fruit archive, but probably varieties I would personally discard within my own semi-intensive system for not offering minimum standards of health, productiveness or fruit quality. I'm all for the preservation and re-establishments of traditional orchards, but the primary purpose of growing fruit has to be for personal need; maintaining fruit museum would be lovely, but simply not practical for the majority for small amateur growers.

A pollination mystery?

Some years ago I grafted a multiple variety pear tree for my parents, the idea being that three varieties on a single tree would cross pollinate efficiently and give a succession of fruit. The varieties were Bristol Cross (as South Wales is very wet compared to Oxford, so a particularly scab-resistant variety seemed a good idea); Dr Jules Guyot and Concorde. The first two are in the same pollination group, and Concorde is slightly later; both Concorde and Dr Jules are reputed to be partially self-fertile, whilst Bristol is self sterile.

This tree has been in about 8 years, but has never produced any fruit. This year it has set a small number of Dr Jules only. For once I was at home to observe flowering, and all varieties did flower, though some of the Concorde blossom did appear to be later than the other varieties. Even so, the Dr Jules should have provided pollen for the Bristol Cross (it obviously flowered this year, as it has set fruit).  Frost shouldn't be a problem as the climate is much milder than here. 

I think the problem with this tree must be some sort of incompatibility between these varieties. I did quite a lot of research before grafting the tree, so I'm quite annoyed the combination has worked out so badly.

The only solution will be to add an appropriate pollinator, either as graftwood or by squeezing in another small tree. It seems a shame as the tree is growing well and healthily and the three varieties seem very well matched in vigour, which can often be a problem on 'family trees'.

Pear : Sierra - failed graft?

I'm beginning to despair of both grafts of 'Sierra'. Whilst those of Passe Crassane, made in the same session, have romped away and are now virtually indistinguishable from the parent growth, neither graft of Sierra is showing any signs of having taken. The scions haven't started to shrivel yet, and the buds are still green so there is still a small chance.

Passe Crassane: graft

The extension graft of wood from Passe Crassane made to one of the front garden step-overs is now virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the cordon, with strong growth. I will leave the pegs and tapes on for a while longer, until the new growth hardens a little more.

The two scions of Sierra haven't yet shown any signs of breaking, though happily there is no shrivelling visible yet, which gives me some hope they will eventually take. 

Passe Crassane - new graft

An extension graft a of Passe Crassane scion onto Sucrée de Montluçon, one of the front-garden step-overs (using wood supplied by Brogdale). The buds are breaking quite healthily, which makes me reasonably positive the graft will take.

Apple Grafting Demonstration

A bit late, but a visit to the in-laws reminded me that I'd given them some trees that I didn't have duplicates of myself. This is a scion of Ard Cairn Russet that I'm trying on a M27 sucker (as the parent tree is very vigourous on M26).

First make slanting cuts on both scion and rootstock, taking care to select wood of similar diameter and making the cuts of matching length/angle.

Then make a triangular 'tongue' in both ends, so that the different bits of wood can be interlocked. This is best done against a hard surface, rather than by holding in one hand and pressing down, which can result in rather nasty finger wounds. It's a good idea to do one first, then use the first as a guide for the second cut, as it can be difficult to rectify mistakes.

Next, interlock the two pieces together. If you have done it carefully, the match should be exact.

Using a special material (ultra-low tack duck tape, only available from the very cheapest £ Shops; I recommend HyperValue in Swansea) carefully cover the union, making sure you cut enough tape to cover both ends. Press the pieces together as you wrap to ensure as much contact between the pieces as possible. Low-adhesiveness of the tape is quite important, as really sticky tape will pull off the bark later on when you want to remove the tape. Really cheap stuff sometimes just comes loose with weather after about 6 months.

Finally, use clothes pegs to exert gentle pressure to union, making sure that it presses against the cut surfaces. 

Hard graft?

Pomona's year always begins with thoughts of how to increase the sum and substance of her orchards. Unlike mortals, Pomona cannot simply nip down to the garden centre but has to conjure new trees from a couple of twigs. The twigs usually arrive courtesy of Brogdale in early February, and grafted at leisure in mid-March.

Pomona drew upon Ancient Wisdom to learn her craft. Unfortunately Ancient Wisdom did not know about the more useful Modern Wisdom of duck tape and clothes-pegs, so the first trees grew from unions barely held together with rafia and sealed with molten wax. How many hours and candles were wasted in this method is not recorded, but the grafts were successful, and a large Beurré Precoce de Morettini and Dutch Medlar flourish to this day.