Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Paspatur

So sad all the plants people are losing to the frost. I am in NE Scotland so I am well used to frost but it seems to have been more damaging this year. I have hardy plants in the garden that have survived -13 this year but they were covered in snow which I think insulates them a bit. I lost a Lantana in the greenhouse which hit -6.4 at one point so that is no surprise and some morning glory seedlings which I stupidly moved from the house to the greenhouse too soon. But the most surprising loss is a bird bath which has survived snow and frost for over 5 years. I think the extremes between frost early morning then glorious sunshine has done for it. I saw something I thought was a snail on it yesterday so knocked it off but it was like a calcium deposit/stalactite. Anyway it is now leaking where I knocked that off! I have another bird bath so will probably use the top of the leaking one as a sedum planter and the base to stick a pot in. Luckily the birds prefer the other one anyway

twopenny

Productive day. I planted out 24 broad beans - that was a trial I wasn't expecting. Garden 20yrs old but as the builders left it I found the rubble! It took a good half hour to plant 2 small plants because there's a differnece between stones to keep the soil open and stones that could cause a sump!

Crowbar was needed and bent my sturdy trowel.

Still, I won't need to buy hardcore for the steps at the front.

Planted out my charity stall 'Sable' Iris, moved a perennial wallflower from the veg bed to the border and potted up Purple Broccoli.

Cemented in a small post and trellis for the sweet peas and wanted the new wood dark brown so found some Topps Furniture stain and used that. It will be interesting to see how it weathers but you can't get tiny tins of garden wood stain or brown paint.

Everything needed watering again because of the ongoing dry weather and the back is really warm (already have a sun tanned face and hands) and the front has a chilly wind.

Farway

Mixed blessings yesterday, good news is I did pot on some of the tomatoes, Bloody Butcher & Shirley were the largest and needed doing. the remainder will hold for a few more days

Now the swearing part of yesterday, my fruit trees from T & M offer arrived, so duly unpacked.

The blithering ***** [insert foul language by bucket load ] have sent two identical apples & no pear, swines, it was the pear I really needed as a pollinator.

Even two identical apples are chalk & cheese regarding root system, one is vigorous and healthy, other looks like a wispy beard, makes me wonder if they are apple & pear but mis labelled? No label on the tree, just stick on label on the root bag, nothing would surprise me now

I have e mailed them of course and the robot has replied with promise a human will respond within 72 hours

Meanwhile I have planted one tree and the other is in a pot, which depending on T & M response I'll give to my daughter, I doubt they'd want it back and pay postage just for a £6 bare root tree

Good job I only paid £6 each on offer, full price over £20 I'd be extra fuming

Here's photo of the trees any way, look how the root growth differs

twopenny

Definitely not acceptable!
And the time of year for roots to grow. I'll give most things a chance if they are free but not paid for. 

RAS

Farway, obviously when they come into leaf, you will be able to tell what's what. Meantime if you can photo the unopened buds above the graft, I can tell you whether they are both apple. 

Looks to me very much like they are on different rootstocks. The weedy one could be M9 or M27 if it's apple. And neither rootstocks look anything like quince which is the usual rootstock for pears.

Have to say, if these were supermarket trees, it would not surprise me, like the "cherry" my plot mate bought, that produces apples.

Farway

RAS said:

Farway, obviously when they come into leaf, you will be able to tell what's what. Meantime if you can photo the unopened buds above the graft, I can tell you whether they are both apple. 

Looks to me very much like they are on different rootstocks. The weedy one could be M9 or M27 if it's apple. And neither rootstocks look anything like quince which is the usual rootstock for pears.

Have to say, if these were supermarket trees, it would not surprise me, like the "cherry" my plot mate bought, that produces apples.

Thanks, a rare talent you have there, I'll take a photo tomorrow.

The apple root stock is supposed to be M9. pear root stock supposed to be Quince Adams

RAS

Apple rootstock= green overlaid with translucent shiny skin, generally tan or grey depending on variety.

Quince= dark grey almost black very matt, with vertical "fissures" when dehydrated, as I would expect after transport.

Not a talent, just some good teaching and having to work out what the heck I'd got when the label went astray -.I make a few trees each year.

twopenny

Wow that's impressive! I'd like that sort of learning.

Even a good nursery can get names mixed up. I got a Damson marked as Greengage. Beautiful blossom on it. Wish I hadn't swapped it now though the fruit was all stone so hard work to eat.

Just weedkilling and watering today. Sometimes the dull side of real life gets in the way of playing in the garden.

Lovely sunshine again. I got a tad of sunburn yesterday. Still sweater weather outside the garden though.

RAS

Farway said:

The apple root stock is supposed to be M9. pear root stock supposed to be Quince Adams

I don't know Quince Adams personally as Matthew's don't sell it but it is used a lot in the Netherlands instead of Eline. For those interested, there are several useful leaflets on their site including this one:

Rootstocks for Fruit (frankpmatthews.com)

As they say M9 needs staking for life. Used a lot by commercial European orchards and so trees have been quite widely available.

It's been easy to identify the trees on M9 on the allotment site. Just go round after the first gale in September. Anything laden with fruit, in full leaf and at 75 degrees from vertical is on M9. Dig out a bit of soil from the windward side, install a good stake, hoik upright and fasten well. It'll take a couple of years to start fruiting again but otherwise good to go.

Farway

RAS said:

Farway, obviously when they come into leaf, you will be able to tell what's what. Meantime if you can photo the unopened buds above the graft, I can tell you whether they are both apple. 

Just taken bud pictures, to my eye they look the same but would not now be surprised to find both are plums or whatever

No response from a human at T & M yet

This one is the one with lots of roots

This one is the wispy roots

Thanks for looking