North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Geoffrey Stone" <gfstone@bellsouth.net>]

NOTE: This was initially sent to Don Basler, the focalizer of the Nut Group. It bounced back so I am submitting it to the list.

 

    I am a newbie to nafex and plant propagation in general. I recently went to a grafting workshop in Asheville, NC where I was gifted with some English Walnut branches. I'm seeking advise on how best to honor this gift.

1) Can I cut the branches to into scion wood and attempt to graft to some kind of nut tree common to our community ( www.earthaven.org ) ? Would I use "volunteer" seedlings for root stock found in the community? Should I dig up said seedlings for the grafting process and "bed" the grafted stock for 6 - 8 weeks to give the graft a chance to heal? Is an oak taxonomically (a new word that I picked up) compatible with English Walnut? Another possibility is to attempt to graft to some filberts that someone planted here 5 or 6 years ago. Should I look for some other stock that would be better taxonomically speaking?

 

2) Should I cut the branches into scion wood, dip in rooting hormone, and attempt to get them to root? I've had good success w/ elderberry but I gather thats an easy one to propagate.

 

    I have thoughts of transforming our 350 acres into a forest garden of food producing plants a la the book "1491:New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus" by Charles C. Mann. These thoughts include setting up beds to produce root stock for the various species of plants we want. I understand we will need root stock that is taxonomically compatible with each group of plants. Is there a recommended resource book on such matters? Does it make sense to try to do this ourselves or would it be better to use commercial root stock?

 

 

Geoffrey Stone