Thread: Fruit, Nut, and Vine Grafting, Tree Propagation, Tree Care

My girls and wife would probably sit out there eating blueberries off the bush….lol. Wife cleaned ours the other day but wasn’t many left. That gallon looks like a slushy. Grab a straw….lol

Picking a few more figs now so I took pictures of these first figs of 2025. With the rains daily if I don't pick they will get full of water ruining the figs so we just have to enjoy them.



This first picture is of 2 Magnolia Figs. It is in the Turkey Fig family and is also known as a California Turkey Fig. Big figs with big taste, they are better than average fresh eaters.



This is a fig from a tree over 50 years old that I had once rooted cutting before. We did some concrete work around the front of the house. The concrete moved the water to the tree roots killing it. I went back to the source tree for cuttings that I grew 2 years ago and now the trees are producing. These figs will turn yellow and drip syrup when fully ripe but is sensitive to too much water. I picked then a couple of days early before their flavor could be washed out. Sold as a Caesar Lemon fig (Caesar is a community on the Mississippi Coast) it is a very, very, old fig variety. I was happy to share cuttings to a friend who sells fig trees so the variety would be spread across the country.

Awesome looking figs! Love the color on the Magnolia figs.

I posted this tree back in this post below

https://www.crappie.com/crappie/rojo...ml#post4452909

This is a update to the growth the graft has had since last post.



If you look at the graft joint this is the kind of union you're looking for before graft supports can be removed.



These new grafts are on the other two shoots that I used to keep the stump alive.




The 2 new grafts are Excel so this tree is now a Gafford/Excel dual variety. self Pollinating! Both new grafts are growing very well.

I Topworked this Valencia orange tree earlier this spring and while working on the truck the Swallowtail Moth Larvae ate the leaves on the grafts. I pulled 10 caterpillars off this morning.



If you look at the new growth some of the stems are stripped clean of leaves. This is the damage Swallowtail Moths do. Also Leaf Miners are damaging the leaves.





Leaf Miners are very difficult to control. I do my best. The other Valencia I have will be topworked soon.

Those things are destructive! Grafts look good.

Man of many talents you are

Years ago I bought a peach tree from Stark Bros that is Elberta Queen. They don't offer it any more and it produces the best peaches out of all the peach trees in my yard. I have a lot of varieties. Anyway this tree was blown over by hurricane & tropical storm winds, this last tornado, to the point the truck is about 75 degrees laid on it's side. The sun has scalded the trunk bark to the point it is dead on top but the tree keeps growing. I had 4 very vigorous shoot which is what you want for Air Layering. I drop down the limb to the semi-hardwood to make my Air Layers. Roots usually happen fast in that area.



I mix Coco Coir - Vermiculite - Perlite in a 4:1/4:1/2 ratio for a rooting mix. Hydrated with rain water till when you squeeze it water almost drips but not quite. I like to make the mix a day ahead to ensure it is properly hydrated.



These are Air Layering containers I buy from Amazon. I pack each side with my palm till they are just a little proud.



I like to use new razors each time. Harbor Freight specials.



Of course Clonex is the Rooting Hormone of choice here.



I begin by ringing the shoot I want to Air Layer into a new tree leaving about 2-1/2 to 3 inches between rings. Then I peel away the bark.



Once the bark is removed you use your knife to scrape the wood to remove any Cambium (green tint tissue) because it will try to re-connect the bare area if you don't and not grow roots.



Clonex is then applied to the woody area before clamping a Air Layering pot over it.



Once the rooting pot is installed I wrap it with plastic wrap.



This helps prevent the medium from drying out prematurely.



The last step is to keep the Air Layer covered with aluminum foil (shiny side out) to reflect the suns radiant heat.



The biggest benefit from this is the new trees will be on their own roots. If something happens to the top of the tree you can re-grow the tree from the root system.

I did 10 trees today hopefully all will root so I can replace a few peach & nectarine trees that have bark damage.