Love this post. I had a similar moment of madness this spring when I tried grafting random stuff. I didn’t care for them well in the healing stage so most didn’t survive. I tried a plug graft some bean cotyledons into apios americana tubers, and some various physalis species.
My mentor grafted pepper is still going and finally setting fruit (indoors now). It’s C. chinense onto C. Flexuosum. Which I hope will work because when I crossed the flowers they offspring died, possibly due to cytoplasmic sterility? I will try an annuum scion this year. I babied those grafts in an incubation chamber to heal them, which I’ll try again for other species.
I selfed some of the pepper flowers, and some I pollinated with flexuosum pollen.
Looking forward to trying more grafts this year. Thanks for your inspiration and enthusiasm!
This is great. If you have an incubation chamber you can get very far! Keep us updated with your efforts. That pepper graft, has it ever been done before?
Yeah the incubation chamber has been so versatile! We got it years ago secondhand for Queen bee hatching experiments. Have also used it for chicks, mushrooms, yogurt, etc.
I think there must be other people doing the pepper graft. Someone recommended it to me years ago, but didn’t mention the mentor grafting technique.
Inspired by the 3 of you (Shane and Chance too), I'm planting these this spring. With goals of trying some of the techniques that have been discussed. Many of these are recommended for colder climates than mine. Some are interesting hybrids.
If any of you were using these together which combinations would you pursue, and why?
Macrocarpa Medlar
Portugal Quince
Ooharabeni Asian Pear
(cross of Max Red Bartlett and Asian pear Okasankichi)
Shipova European Pear
(European pear and mountain ash cross)
Ivan's Beauty Mountain Ash
(bred by plant breeder Ivan Michurin, a cross between mountain ash and aronia)
Ivan's Belle Mountain Ash
(cross of mountain ash and hawthorn bred by breeder Ivan Michurin)
Mentor grafting, cross pollination including mixing of pollen and use of the cement powder. I am in 10a zone. Some of these are recommended up to zone 9.
I have never tasted a medlar or quince. The sound interesting.
From what I read Michurin had goals of breeding for colder tolerant crops. Would this work for warmer climates?
I found some blueberries that were more tolerant of alkaline soils and warmer climates. I don't have acid soil.
If the acid loving ones don't thrive hopefully I'll have success with crosses with the ones that do.
At my age I want to have fun in my garden and try different things.
Love this post. I had a similar moment of madness this spring when I tried grafting random stuff. I didn’t care for them well in the healing stage so most didn’t survive. I tried a plug graft some bean cotyledons into apios americana tubers, and some various physalis species.
My mentor grafted pepper is still going and finally setting fruit (indoors now). It’s C. chinense onto C. Flexuosum. Which I hope will work because when I crossed the flowers they offspring died, possibly due to cytoplasmic sterility? I will try an annuum scion this year. I babied those grafts in an incubation chamber to heal them, which I’ll try again for other species.
I selfed some of the pepper flowers, and some I pollinated with flexuosum pollen.
Looking forward to trying more grafts this year. Thanks for your inspiration and enthusiasm!
This is great. If you have an incubation chamber you can get very far! Keep us updated with your efforts. That pepper graft, has it ever been done before?
Yeah the incubation chamber has been so versatile! We got it years ago secondhand for Queen bee hatching experiments. Have also used it for chicks, mushrooms, yogurt, etc.
I think there must be other people doing the pepper graft. Someone recommended it to me years ago, but didn’t mention the mentor grafting technique.
Inspired by the 3 of you (Shane and Chance too), I'm planting these this spring. With goals of trying some of the techniques that have been discussed. Many of these are recommended for colder climates than mine. Some are interesting hybrids.
If any of you were using these together which combinations would you pursue, and why?
Macrocarpa Medlar
Portugal Quince
Ooharabeni Asian Pear
(cross of Max Red Bartlett and Asian pear Okasankichi)
Shipova European Pear
(European pear and mountain ash cross)
Ivan's Beauty Mountain Ash
(bred by plant breeder Ivan Michurin, a cross between mountain ash and aronia)
Ivan's Belle Mountain Ash
(cross of mountain ash and hawthorn bred by breeder Ivan Michurin)
And separate from the above:
Lingonberry
Highbush Cranberry
Evergreen Huckleberry
Rabbiteye blueberry
Russian bilberry
I've tried Sorbopyrus titan (another by Michurin) but that one contracted something like fireblight and kicked the bucket.
What techniques were you going to try?
I don't bother with cranberries and similar which need acidic soil because I don't like amending my soil too much,
Mentor grafting, cross pollination including mixing of pollen and use of the cement powder. I am in 10a zone. Some of these are recommended up to zone 9.
I have never tasted a medlar or quince. The sound interesting.
From what I read Michurin had goals of breeding for colder tolerant crops. Would this work for warmer climates?
I found some blueberries that were more tolerant of alkaline soils and warmer climates. I don't have acid soil.
If the acid loving ones don't thrive hopefully I'll have success with crosses with the ones that do.
At my age I want to have fun in my garden and try different things.
I've recently learned about a successful graft of Blueberry to Aronia, which removes the need for acidic soil.
That S. Titan had apple in it. I wonder how it tastes. I could only see it for sale in Europe, same with one that had medlar in it.
I love it! Such fun!!!
Yes, all keen gardeners should try!