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  • From: <woodsjay@cox.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Frozen Trees
  • Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:01:29 -0500

It would be fair to say that growing from seed is a personal problem. :-)

However, I have several reasons to do such a thing:

Fruit and nut tree seed comes cheap; tree fruit and nut cultivars are
expensive (10-25 $/tree).
Counter argument - It takes longer to grow them up and you need access to
cultivars for sion wood to graft.
Synthesis - The time lag can be minimized to three years. Also if one doesn't
have enough money or time to purchase and plant all the cultivars in the
first year then the time lag is even smaller. This was the case for me.

Bushes and strawberries clone rapidly for free. Purchased bushes are more
expensive.
Counter argument - The purchased bushes are cheaper.
Synthesis - Lots are needed but the time argument means less. See above also.

The genetics of cultivars are damaged. The seedlings are in much better shape
genetically.
Counter argument - When one buys a cultivar, one isn't buying genetics, one
is buying phenotypic expression.
Synthesis - The seed is a much smaller package and can be stored for long
periods of time. Especially when it germinates under the plant or by
squirrel, there is the feeling that the conditions are right for the plant.
Likewise, improvement of the plant is much faster even if it is from a much
less improved basis.

---- Penny Powell <pph@mac.com> wrote:
> Hello Woodsjay:
>
> Why do you say at the end of your letter, "...of course, all my stuff
> is grown from seed..." Is that better in all cases? Would you
> elaborate for me, please? I've never grown a berry bush from a
> seed... does that take a really long time?
>
> Thank you,
> Penny
> Western Massachusetts
>





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