What's happening today 2016?

I originally bought them to dehydrate for later and for some baking, but since I have tomatoes in the dehydrator the boys just keep eating. I may not have enough left to dehydrate. :wink: I knew I should have bought a bushel.

That’s probably right Brenda.I’ve had a few do that,late,sometimes,although no fruit grew. Brady

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It isn’t going to hurt it come winter will it? 3rd set of flowers this year. Crazy plants lol

Yes those do look like flower buds. They may have been partially forced by pruning. But it’s OK as long as it’s only a small fraction of total flower buds. I usually have some flowering in fall but only ~1% of total.

If your plants are zone hardy they’ll be fine.

Very pretty plants…!! Your pH and fertilizer program must be top notch.

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I don’t think so.The flowers will probably mature and fall off.Just don’t fertilize til Spring. Brady

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Thank you. I haven’t pruned them since I just got them as 4" plants in May. They really seem to like ammonium sulfate. It took me a month to figure out their watering, but since then they seem to be really happy.

I discovered they hate my tap water and love rainwater too. This was about 2 weeks ago.Oops wrong picture. This is the flowering one as of 2 wks ago.

@Brenda_nearOmahaNE,
This happens sometimes with lowbush blueberries. Last year my Chippewa flowered the second time in summer and I had a small bunch of berries ripe in October. This year I had quite a lot of blueberries on this bush as a main crop, so that is why it did not flowered the second time.

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I tasted it yesterday and it was plenty strong enough. So I used about 175 berries in I think it’s 750 ml? 25 berries were busted to make sure the flavor was there. Left it for a week. Anyway either it sucks or I discovered a new blend that rivals juniper in gin. It doesn’t taste nothing like juniper berries, yet it penetrates your senses the same way. Magnolia berries have a berry like flavor, sort of. I’m thinking it would be killer with tonic or squirt.

I wonder if that answers your question about the flowering. The ammonium ion is considered the ‘female nitrogen’ in that it stimulates the formation of flowers and fruit. It can also cause bolting in veggies you don’t want to bolt. Nitrate is the male nitrogen and won’t do that.

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Nice.
Are these the schisandra chinensis? I believe schizandra is also called chinese magnolia. If so it is also called 5 flavor berry so it should infuse all 5 tastes into your tincture there. I believe it is one of the few non-root herbs that has ginseng-like properties. Hope to do something like this with mine one day.

Yes

Yes like that but sweet doesn’t have it over the other 4 flavors. It does have that zing, like Ginseng, yet way different.
Once established easy to grow too. Mine produced about 1500 or more berries this year. It is 4th leaf. Unsure exactly how many berries? I have used 475 and have lot’s left. I use about 50 for each cup of tea. I used less for the infusion. These infusions are stable, no settling ever. My favorite is raspberry. I still need to try this schisandra infusion in various mixed drinks to see if I really like it. So unrated for now.

Today, I did more work to establish a post-and-wire support system for my dwarf apple hedge.

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Cool. What kind of apples do you have growing on it now? I’m sure you’ll be adding more later. Is this at your place up in the hills? What is that black handle or hose-like looking thing on the tree in the second shot?

Yes. That is the thick 10-gauge wire. I tried to pull it as taut as possible, but it had some residual memory of being coiled. The black things are huge carabeeners, which I am using to connect the trees to the wires. For now, the wires are running at 2, 3, and 4 feet high. Some of the trees are still small, and are hard to see in the poor lighting.

From left to right, the dwarf hedge includes the following apple varieties:

-Ginger Gold on B.9 budded w/ Rubinette & Sun Tan
-Newtown Pippin on G.16 budded w/ Freyburg
-Red Gravenstein on B.9
-Myers Royal Limbertwig on B.9
-Pink Lady (Maslin) on B.9 budded w/ Stayman
-Carolina Red June on B.9
-Roxbury Russet on G.16 budded w/ Spitzenburg
-Honeycrisp on G.41 budded w/ Lowland Raspberry
-Williams Pride on B.9 budded w/ Lodi

Sixteen (16) varieties of apples on nine (9) trees, and there’s more on the way…

This does not account for all of the other apple varieties I have growing on semi-dwarf understocks.

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Good luck with your hedge! I am doing more or less the same thing just a little taller. I have found clothes pins to be well sized for clipping growth to the wires.

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I’ve killed 4 voles in the last few days. Never killed one all summer. Must just be moving now that the cold weather is upon us. Now is the time to get rid of them…before the snow flies.

This week looks very fallish up here with mid/upper 60Fs and sun all week.

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I thought I spotted a trail the other day - time to set traps

The mice around here are horrible. We catch them all the time. They are terrible.

NWS has a fire weather warning out today, what with the dry air and gusty winds

So what do I smell? Irresponsible neighbors burning brush, which only happens to be illegal here even under safe conditions

Finishing up an extended weekend here. Got a lot done around the house/orchard for a change. Marked off the new trees to be planted in the spring, got everything mowed, winterized all the power equipment I am done with for the season, sharpened and oiled many garden tools, leveled out and planted grass where I recently had a few dozen stumps ground down, caught 6 squirrels, 5 ground hogs and a skunk and finally, cut down and chipped 8 maple trees to make room for some upcoming rows of brambles.

Ended up with four nice piles off wood for the fire pit…

…and a nice little pile of wood chips.

Exhausted now, time for some beers and some advil!

Edit to add: not sure how I made this post a reply to warmwxrules? was meant to be add to the main thread, oh well its been a long day…

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