Far Lands

I'm pruning my fruit trees at the moment - apples and pears. It's part science, part art and involves numerous decisions and contemplations. Usually, I like to have a night's sleep in the middle to let my subconscious have a go too. At the NFG (Northern Fruit Group) session last week there was a useful tip to distinguish between the two types of buds. Fruit buds (which become the apples and pears) are 'sticking out bits' whereas growth buds are far more streamlined. So, if you are pruning a lateral for growth, then cut to an outward facing growth bud, and if no more growth is required, then cut back to a decent sticking out bit. Well, it helped me! The photo is of a russett which was here when we arrived - I have lopped the top third of the tree off, and I have pruned the bottom two-thirds (which I can reach) to fruit buds. Hopefully!

Even self-sufficiency wannabees need a break everyone now and then. This year we went to Scotland rather than trekking to attack the roadside ice in the Alps. Surprisingly, it was quite wet . . . but we did find some snow and bag a few munros. Wherever I go I always like to carry a reminder of my true vocation in life . . .

Those of you following my blog will know that I have been trying a little grafting over the last couple of years, mainly apple and pear scions to my hawthorn hedge. Surprisingly with some success. I wanted some root stocks to continue my grafting experiments, and came up with three solutions. 1. buy 2. grow from pips - but then there is no control over the size of the subsequent trees 3. make my  cloned rootstocks (the same as you would buy) I already have an experiment  for solution '2' going (I have about a dozen saplings about 20 cm high). The attached picture is my experiment for solution '3'. I was given an MM106 sapling (the severed sapling in the photo) and planted it in my new tree nursery. Then I made a coppicing saw cut (see stump in centre of sawdust). I built the box around the stump and filled it with sawdust (normally covering the stump too). Hopefully, the roots will send up shoots through the sawdust, and after a year (or possibly two) the