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August 9th @ 10 a.m Avocados! Avocados! Avocados! with J. J. Licea

You loved him when he spoke to us on mangoes last March, so JJ has agreed to come back and speak to us on his first love, the Alligator Pear or persea americana.  Just about the only commercially grown fruit that originated in this hemisphere (well, okay, along with its pal, the tomato) it was first domesticated in Mesoamerica more than 5,000 years ago but has never stopped evolving, often at the hands of amateurs like us. Informed by ancient techniques of agriculture passed on to him by his father and grandfather , JJ will speak on the history and future of avocados, as well as the best varieties,  how to grow them, propagate them and (if we’re lucky!) eat them.    To recap his bio:  “I am a military veteran and third generation farmer who has been grafting for over 10 years with a 75 percent success rate (ed: I suspect he is being modest). I grow many fruit trees as a backyard grower… from Annona to Lilly Pilly’s, Mangoes and Hog Plums.”

See you there! (in the MultiPurpose Room). Note the folks picking up rhubarb plants:  our meetings are free and open to the public so you are welcome to stay and enjoy JJ’s lecture.

 

Photo by Jonathan Kabugo on Unsplash

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Amazing fig propagation (and hybridization) meeting

We started off with  Carlos (aka Epiphyte to the knowledgeable) giving a stunning presentation on his work hybridizing carica with other ficuses. He had even brought in some of his successful crosses which filled us with awe.  He also passed around male carica figs (both cut-open and intact) the existence of which in the wild had escaped most of our notice.  He then instructed us in the art of artificially inseminating figs (yes, syringes are involved).  What he ultimately hopes for is the development of a carica resistant to the Silba Adipata (Black Fig Fruit Fly) that is decimating many of our orchards and he has purchased 10 acres in Florida for more extensive research in that area. We are encouraging him to publish his work in the Fruit Gardener since everyone needs to hear this is possible and is being done.

Then Greg and Bruce took over with their extremely knowledgeable comedy routine called Many Many Ways to Propagate Figs even when you don’t agree on all the details.  This featured of course the infamous Zone of Death which we now know can be defeated by about half an inch of perlite at the bottom of your bottom-punctured 24 oz clear plastic cup otherwise filled with Gary’s Top Pot (DIY version: 35% peat moss, 30% pumice, 20% coarse perlite, 10% sand and 5% charcoal or Biochar).  The Top Pot was lightened with even more perlite, (4 gallons/ cubic foot of Top Pot) and then lightly moistened with 1 gallon of water with 3 t of Gnatrol and ¼ t. Miracle-Go fertilizer.  Greg stressed the important of synthetic salts at the rooting stage much to the horror of us organic growers, but he assured us we can switch to organics once the cuttings are actual plants and not just hopeful sticks.  Greg also emphasized the importance of correct  pH for your water and lauded a water droplet pH test  as being invincible and cheap.  The pros and cons of bark scraping were discussed as well as different forms of rooting hormones and the need for bottom watering.   Plus many many other hints and other techniques: FigPops, Cloners, etc. etc.… but this newsletter is already way too long and I am not getting any younger.  If you weren’t there, you should have been!

Note that the fig scions used were provided by FigFanatic.com, a wonderfully non-materialistic bunch of fig growers who provide information — like most of what’s above —  and hand holding when you do brain dead things like rooting upside down (yes, I speak from experience).  Greg urges us all to join.  It’s free!

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The Rhubarb Rodeo returns (SoCal’s famous perennial, year-round rhubarb!)

Yes, we usually wait for our annual plant sale (which will be October 11th this year) to offer these,  but our by-popular-demand rhubarb seedlings are growing like crazy and many are really ready to go into the ground.    Check them out here.  You can pick up plants at our regular meeting on August 9h here.  Or by arrangement in Santa Monica.  Please let us know which you prefer when you pay.

If you want to read about the beginning of our Rhubarb Project it is here .  And a progress report from last year is here.

For sale we have  Tina’s Noble of course (the one that does great for everyone), as well as Success  from Queensland (the reddest and sweetest) , Ebony and the Best of the Best.  These are all from French Harvest seeds developed by Colin and Tina Clayton on their farm outside of Melbourne, Australia (You can read Colin’s description of all his varieties here. ) Prices range from $10 for 5″ pots to $25 for 1 gallon Ebony (more expensive seed and harder to germinate)

Read the rest of the wonderful site for information on the history of rhubarb and his family’s involvement over four generations.  And then come and buy some plants from us!  These are all growing organically  year-round in Santa Monica and West LA (though we tend to stop harvesting during the very hottest months), survive year after year (we have had some in the ground for 5 years  now)  and are absolutely delicious.

These are some seedlings I put in the ground only 6 months ago and are already huge, though I usually wait at least a year before beginning harvests to allow strong roots to develop and the stems to thicken.

 

 

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Fig Propagation with Greg Gomer and Bruce Blavin on Saturday, June 14th @ 10 am.

Many of you  may recall Greg Gomer from our Scion Exchange in February. He was stationed by the fig table and was an amazing font of knowledge on fig varieties exotic and rare (which he was disappointed to see were NOT among our scions).  In the weeks immediately after, he and fellow members of FigFanatic.com made 100s of  scions from these rarest figs available to several CRFG chapters, including  — happily — ours.   Now Bruce, Margaret and I are growing them up so that in ensuing years they will be available to everyone at our exchanges.

Then, at our April field trip to Ian Kimbrey’s, Alan C passed out scions of additional rare figs to anyone interested and some of you began to wonder about the best way to deal with them.  And I realized that while — thanks to Charles Portney – we have had great talks on general propagation, we have never delved into the mysteries of fig propagation via rooted cuttings, a process which has definitely evolved and been fine turned over the years.  So Greg agreed to come back and speak to us on that topic (and on FigFanatic.com as well).

PLUS while Jeff Warner gave an excellent talk on air-layering last August, Bruce has offered to speak to its specific application in figs.  As you may remember, Jeff felt Memorial Day to July 4th was the best air-layering window so our June meeting is a perfect time to put it in action.

PLUS PLUS Member Carlos Cruz has been experimenting with fig hybridization and will speak to us briefly on that topic.

PLUS PLUS PLUS Greg and Bruce will be bringing supplies so the 10 members who have signed up to participate in hands-on propagation can get started on the spot.  Anyone else (member or not) who is interested can join in for only a $5 donation for materials.

All around a great fig meeting is in store for you.  Come prepared to be amazed…  and, please,  with SNACKS!

Where: MultiPurpose Room
Culver City Veterans Memorial Building
4117 Overland Ave, Culver City, CA 90230

 

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Saturday March 8th @ 10 am – noon: Mangos! Mangos! Mango! with JJ Licea

GARDEN Room (note the different room!)
Culver City Veterans Memorial Building
4117 Overland Ave, Culver City, CA 90230

I can’t begin to count the number of people who have asked for a speaker on mangos or the number of years we have been looking for one.  But at long last, victory!  JJ Licea of the South Bay Chapter has agreed to trundle north and fill us in on, well, just about everything:  the best varieties, how to grow them, how to graft them and how to otherwise propagate them.   JJ says: “I am a military veteran and third generation farmer who has been grafting for over 10 years with a 75 percent success rate (ed: I suspect he is being modest). I grow many fruit trees as a backyard grower… from Annona to Lilly Pilly’s, Mangoes and Hog Plums.”

Come and bring your mango questions.

And yes, bring snacks.  Your humble chair is personally allergic to mangos and will therefore be bringing just her standard molasses cookies. But if some of you could bring mangos or whatever else you’re growing for us to taste, that would be great!

Speaking of great, Farshad Rafii is kindly donating a dozen grapevines (in 1-gallon pots) for you to buy.  Those who visited his amazing mountain a couple of years ago will recall he was just beginning to establish a vineyard there and these are from that.  There should be some amazing varieties.

You may have noticed that we are out of sync with our normal odd-month field trip, even-month lecture schedule.  This is because the Culver City Easter Eggztravangza meant we weren’t going to be able to get anywhere near the parking lot on April 12th.  There will be a field trip for members on that date instead.   Details to follow in your newsletter.

 

Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash

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Changes and additions for the Scion Exchange/Grafting Demos Feb 15th @ 10 am

Both Bruce and Arnie — who provided basic grafting instruction to generations of high school students and us older newbies as well—  lost homes in the Palisades fire and are understandably overwhelmed right now. Nonetheless WLA Chapter does not lack for expert grafters. This includes AJ, famed as The Graft Man on Youtube, and Sagi, who has shared his knowledge at many  meetings over the years.  They both did much-appreciated grafting demos last year and have amazing yards jam-packed with trees both in pots and in the ground that demonstrate the brilliance of their work.   And they will kindly share what they have learned with us.

They will start with a general talk on the whys and wherefore of grafting and a demo of the basic cleft graft.  (You can read more about that here.) Then we will break into smaller groups so we can get up close and personal as they demonstrate various more complicated grafts.  Because we are unable to have the graft-your-own clinic we had hoped for, the LA chapter is allowing us to join theirs (details below).

Scions for our Exchange should be brought in to the MultiPurpose Room between 9:30 and 10:00.  Members who bring in scions to share will get priority at choosing other ones, followed by chapter members and then by non-members.

Please please please, if possible,  renew your memberships online before coming.  It cuts down on the utter chaos (and lines) at the entrance.  You can renew your chapter membership here.  And national membership here.

Instructions on how to cut and store scion wood are here.  No citrus or curry leaf (because of huanglongbing disease) or patented varieties, please!

The LA Chapter Grafting Clinic will take place February 22nd @ 10 am at the Sepulveda Garden Center, 16633 Magnolia Blvd, Encino, CA.  They tell us:  “Bill Brandt (who is also a member of WLA) will provide an informative talk about various ways to graft scions. Then we’ll break into groups so our additional guest instructors can guide you through each step to graft onto your rootstock. If you own grafting tools, you are encouraged to bring them to the workshop.  A limited number of rootstocks will be available for purchase for $5 for members and $10 for non-members to cover the cost of materials.  Of course WLA members are welcome to join the LA chapter on the spot if they so desire.”

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Annual Scion Exchange/Grafting Demos Saturday, February 15 @ 10 am – noon

Normally, Scion Exchange season is the most hopeful of the year.  We prune our trees in gratitude for what they have borne for us, share our scions in gratitude for the friendship and fellowship we have found at CRFG and then graft our trees or rootstocks with exciting dreams of new crops in the not-to-distant future.

This year, however, as we reel from fires still not entirely under control, at the total loss of at least two members homes and with no idea of the impact of heat, smoke, retardant and salt water on other still-evacuated members’ homes and gardens, it is very hard to  muster the traditional joy.

Nonetheless, because fruit growers — by the nature of what we do — are always looking to the future, we will press on.   In fact, we will do more than press on.  We will dedicate this Scion Exchange and all of 2025 to Propagation.  Whether or not we want more trees in our yards, we are going to make them.  So that when  Bruce and Susan and whoever else needs them are ready, we will have them for them.  So we all can be grateful and joyous again.

Obviously, Bruce won’t be doing his inimitable grafting demo this year, but Ajmal, Sagi and (hopefully) Arnie all will.  Scions should be brought to the MultiPurpose Room  between 9:30 and 10:00.  Members who bring in scions to share will get priority at choosing other ones, followed by chapter members and then by non-members.

Please please please, if possible,  renew your memberships online before coming.  It cuts down on the utter chaos (and lines) at the entrance.  You can renew your chapter membership here

Instructions on how to cut and store scion wood are here.  No citrus or curry leaf (because of huanglongbing disease) or patented varieties, please!

We are still trying to figure out if we can try hands-on grafting under Arnie’s tutelage as we did before the Pandemic.  It mostly has to do with whether we can obtain sufficient rootstock.  Stay tuned.

Location: MultiPurpose Room, Culver City Veterans Memorial Building, 4117 Overland Avenue, Culver City

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Holiday Plant Sale/Party parking issues

We have just been informed that the entire parking lot adjacent to our MultiPurpose Room will be closed to vehicles for some other event this coming Saturday  There will still, of course, be free parking in the main lots accessible from  Culver Boulevard.  And pedestrian access to the MultiPurpose Room will be still be available as usual.

Members bringing plants for the sale and/or food for the party have the option of hauling it in on foot though the MPR gate, or entering instead through the “Historical Society” which will take you into the party room and then out onto the patio.

The public can still access the patio on foot through the closed parking lot.  Please be aware that the closure of our usual lot will definitely impact parking all around the complex where there is both a  Breakfast with Santa Event and also a Toy Giveaway scheduled, so allow extra time to find  a spot.  Remember that meters are vigilantly patrolled but that there is often parking at the Senior Center across  Culver Boulevard. Needless to say this is not an optimal situation but we will carry on.  See you Saturday.

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Our Holiday Plant sale is coming December 14th!

It will begin at 11:30 am in the MultiPurpose Room.  Absolutely NO plants will be sold before then (though of course we will be there setting up).

Given our chapter’s multi-year experiment with perennial rhubarb, there will be a LOT of rhubarb plants on offer, as well as many other items including banana pups, grafted avocados, black sapote, ice cream bean, rose apples, pepinos,  and much much more.

The specific inventory will begin appearing on our Holiday Sale page  in the next couple of weeks though will grow right up to and even during the sale.  Stay tuned!

Zettle willing, credit cards will be accepted.

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Our Holiday Plant sale is coming!

Since we continue to get queries about when this or that item from last year’s sale will be available, we are putting up this notice of the 2024 sale even before our Halloween decorations go up (sheesh!) It will take place on Saturday, December 14th from 11:30 to 1:30 (or until plants run out) in our traditional MultiPurpose Room at the Culver City Veterans Memorial Building.

Given our chapter’s multi-year experiment with perennial rhubarb, there will be a LOT of rhubarb plants on offer, as well as many other items including (so far) banana pups, grafted avocados, black sapote, ice cream bean, rose apples, pepinos,  and much much more.  Early in December, the specific plant list will go up on this site, and will continue to grow (inevitably) right through the sale.   Circle the date on your calendar.  It is always a highlight of the fruit growing season.

Zettle willing, credit cards will be accepted.