North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["del stubbs" <pinewoodel@hotmail.com>]

Edited version of what Hélène wrote:
>Here is a method for transplanting trees during the growing season:
>You plant your seedling in the permanent location.... You make a tent over 
>it with an open> plastic garbage bag black or dark green...
>There is no light, so no photosynthesis and also minimum evaporation from> 
>the leaves. The tree "concentrates" on the roots' establishment and the 
>leaves remain exactly the way they were at transplant.
>I didn't get any information on when you can remove the bag, but,
>personally,  I leave it about three weeks to a month. I remove the bag in > 
>the evening when the weather is expected to be overcast  for the next day 
> >or so and I water the seedlings. The tree resumes growing normally as 
>soon as >it gets light.
Do not let in a bit of light as the vegetation part
>will keep on growing in the reduced light and get long, leggy and weak. >To 
>sum this up, you might say that you give the tree the impression it is 
> >night time (a long  night)....

Hélène, thankyou for thoughtful reply. I got caught unprepared to have 
apricot seeds sprouting so early! It is 5°F this morn, the ground is frozen 
yet. I have 30+ apricot seedlings, planted together in 5 pots...as that was 
all I had available, and can't yet dig soil. (The later fruiting variety is 
the first one to sprout, interesting). Six of them are 1" to 2" high, 
showing leaves, and are spindly. I am thinking it will be too hard on them 
to transplant them out of the pots in June, but even if I could come up with 
30 one gallon pots with potting soil tomorrow, isn't it too late already to 
transplant into pots?
These seedlings are valuable to me, because there is no guessing when this 
apricot will fruit again in this climate.
I am fascinated by the dark tent idea. If I understand correctly, I would 
transplant the little two month old seedlngs into the nursery in June, and 
keep them dark for several weeks as an adaptation period.
Would not this sudden darkness kill them as easily as transplant shock?
Would it be a good idea to 'dark tent' the seedlings where they are in their 
collective pots now?
I have them in a 75°F area now. The oldest ones are already getting leggy. 
Should I get a grow light?
Should I put them in the 40°F basement to slow them down?
Would gallon pots be big enough for a years' growth?
If I decide to transplant to the nursery bed in mid-June, would pint pots be 
big enough for the next 2 1/2 months' growing?

Thanks everyone for any further help!, Del

Del Stubbs http://www.pinewoodforge.com ag zone2/3


_________________________________________________________________
Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. 
http://www.hotmail.com


------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Stock for $4.
No Minimums.
FREE Money 2002.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/6GDALA/VovDAA/ySSFAA/VAOolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->





------------------LIST GUIDELINES----------------------

1) Please sign your posting.  Include climate and location information if 
relevent.
2) Attached files will be stripped from your messages.  Post attachments on 
the www.YahooGroups.com website.
3) To unsubscribe send a BLANK message to 
        nafex-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
4) Include only pertinent comments/questions when replying to a posting and 
NOT the entire message (especially if the initial posting was large). 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/