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October 13th @ 10 am: Edgar Valdivia on Cherimoya and Figs

Edgar Valdivia is one of the great fruit growers and researchers in the Southland with a specific interest in developing  new varieties of fruit.  Seven years ago he counted 112 different types of fruit in his orchard and he has surely developed even  more by now.  It is the  casual way he imparts a lifetime of fruit growing wisdom, however, that  makes him a living legend and a cherished speaker.  We are extremely lucky to have snared him for our October 13th meeting.  He will be talking to us about  cherimoyas and figs.  Do not miss him!!

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LET IT ROT! August 11th @ 10 am

Denise  “Deni” Friese of Custom Landscapes (whose services include eco-friendly design, consultation and installation) will speak to us on August 11th about composting and mulching in the orchard.   If you heard her at our last field trip/workshop, you know she is incredibly knowledgeable.  This time she will have the floor mostly to herself (though I’m sure our membership will be contributing their voices and experience as well.)

[Deni adds: “I am an Eco-Friendly Landscaper, own business since 1995, I do design, consultation, installation, specialty maintenance and irrigation. Love putting in edible gardens. My specialty is knowing plants and what they need to thrive. I try to help my clients design their own “dream yard”. I have been a Plant-a-holic for many years and have way too many plants. Joined CRFG a few years ago and love it]

Also the renowned Charles Portney will be describing rare  fruit trees he has propagated and will be generously donating to the day’s plant raffle.  These raffles seem to be shaping up as only semiannual  events so don’t miss this one!  The next one probably won’t be until our Holiday Party in December.

On the same note, if you have plants of your own to donate, this is the time.   And if you happen to have any treepots (the tall skinny pots used for rooting plants with long taproots, they come between 8” and 14” deep) Charles desperately needs them to continue his generous work.  They look like this.

And per usual, snacks to share will always be welcome. Now that Jane has donated a lovely glass beverage holder, we will be having something to drink at most meetings, so either homegrown fruit or hand-held crunchy things will be appreciated by one and all.

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Field Trip/Workshop on July 14th

With some misgivings, I am throwing open my yard for our July field trip/workshop.  The topic will be Wise Watering for the Hot Months Ahead.  I have 6 different watering systems in use, ranging from the laundry-to-landscape greywater our April speaker Sergio Scabuzzo  installed in front , to basic inline drip from Smiths Plumbing, individual drippers on a solid hose from various sources, hand watering from 10 gallon buckets where I store shower water not yet heated up (and I just got the niftiest watering can!), and a small rotary sprinkler system on the tiny lawn. If the rest of you could bring samples of whatever you are using to water your gardens, we could answer one of the biggest recurring questions members have here in Drought City.

Members should enter through the big driveway gate and head to the backyard where I will put fences around anything I am concerned about people trampling.  As is true of all field trips, please do not pick, poke or otherwise molest the green-age.

The driveway is in perpetual shade but I have no chairs there so if any of you have portable ones, it would be great to bring them.  There are a (very) few chairs on the back deck plus steps where the younger folk can sit, so if it is not too hot,  we can have our workshop there.

The backyard has some mature trees: a Black Mission fig, 2 Satsuma tangerines, Moro blood orange, Meyer and Eureka lemons, Bearss and Mexican lime, Big Jim Loquat with a Champagne graft from Marjane, Black Persian Mulberry (plus a new little Pakistani from Hal), Saijo persimmon plus half a dozen cherimoyas from seed (and one transplanted from Gary Richwald’s yard), 2 passionflower vines from Jorge Ochoa, a new little Sweetheart Lychee, four apple trees, two ridiculously huge Laurus Nobilis (an object lesson in why they shouldn’t be planted here especially on the south side of our yards) a couple of Cherry of Rio Grande, one Surinam cherry and probably other stuff I’m forgetting (oh yeah, papayas from seed and a Babaco from Charles Portney, plus a new Stewart avocado–ed. the Stewart just ended up in the front yard). The tiny lawn is the UC Verde drought tolerant stuff developed by, right, UC Riverside.

The front yard is not to be entered and will be rung with Home Depot’s best DANGER tape. It is full of bee and butterfly plants, an extremely fragile drip system and an even more fragile graft of Yang Mei onto Pacific Wax Myrtle.  Fang Liu did approximately 15 such grafts and only the one took. Needless to say, I am extremely protective of it.

Nonetheless most of the front yard’s residents are visible from the front sidewalk or the driveway, including two Gros Michel bananas, a Janice Kadota fig and some seedlings from Marjane’s Panache, the Cotton Candy tree some of you have cuttings from, a lot of Pomegranates from sticks stuck in the ground after scion exchanges, three pears (well, only one is really visible from sidewalk), two apple trees (and two more which never really took and are probably coming out for avocados!) a new and struggling Hachiya Persimmon — struggling because the sunflowers and borage tend to crowd it out. Half a dozen roses.  And my rose apple seedling from Marjane which is NOT bearing and is asking to be chopped down. The Burgundy plum next to it may be gone soon too.  It has two plums on it after three years. Not  especially visible are the blueberries and self-sown strawberries.  Please do not walk in my neighbors’ driveway on that side.  They are extremely hostile to Rare Fruit Growers, including me.  Sofia will be monitoring with a machete

There is also a native California garden on the parkway (and a lot in  the front yard too) which is a whole other topic we discussed at Hal’s but people can see in action.

There will be cookies.  Please don’t feed them to the extremely large but friendly dog.

 

 

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Pictures from our scion exchange

David King runs the Learning Garden at Venice High and also teaches the Plant Propagation class at UCLA extension.  Each year he brings students to our Scion Exchange, and this  year, they sent us a lovely note of thanks!  And photos!  Thank you, kids,  for being a great part of our group.  And thank you, volunteer grafter/speakers.  The depicted grafter is our pineapple guava expert, Glen Woodmansee.

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All About the Avocado! June 9th @ 10 am

Julie Frink and Denny Luby will present “All About The Avocado.” Julie is the Curator of the Avocado Collection at the U.C. Field Station in Orange. Denny – a 20 year member of CRFG – volunteered with Julie at the South Coast Research Center and they have done talks and demonstrations together ever since. Between them, they know LOTS about the avocado; the different botanical races, the named and research varieties, the question of poisonous or non-poisonous, growth habits, grafting, seed size, hybridization, propagation, diseases, etc. Come, learn and bring your questions!

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Field Trip May 12th @ 10 am

We’re going to Jane’s!  She is a long-time member with an interesting path to her current orchard. This is how she describes it:

“It is a simple collection of plants on clay soil amended over the years primarily by mulching. Three camellias and a fig were mature when we bought the property in 1974. This was followed by years of grass lawns, play houses, and sports areas for three sons. We planted a Meyer lemon tree and removed an avocado and a peach which had been killed or severely weakened by the smog of the 1970’s (according to neighbors). We did plant vegetables most years, and I divided and added to the bulbs that were here. Most notably there was a highly fragrant tagette type of narcissus which returns every year. The bulbs have bloomed and you will see the foliage maturing and dying back, a messy necessity as they get next year’s energy after bloom. Some summer bulbs may have started.

For years I was a member of the Tinseltown Rose Society. Then I added a lot of perennials and annual flowers, and my friends encouraged me to start selling bouquets. I had clients (mostly therapists) who received a weekly bouquet in their offices. After a much needed divorce, I enrolled in and completed the UCLA Extension Gardening and Horticulture Certificate Program. For about ten years I did specialized garden maintenance in Westside and Santa Monica gardens, mostly for elderly clients. Pruning roses and vines and planting vegetable gardens were my specialties.

Kiwi was what brought me to CRFG. I bought a male and female. I never had a flower on the male or the next three males I bought. Roger Meyers offered some male flowers so I could assure myself that the impotent males were the problem. My pollinating worked, but driving to Orange County was hardly a reliable long term solution. You will not see Kiwi in my garden. You will see the still-producing Meyer lemon, figs, jujube, guavas, persimmons, mangoes, finger limes, calamondin, Kaffir lime, mandarin, pomegranate, pineapple guava, blackberries, moringa, galanga, oregano, and my latest passion: mulberries. Starting with a Persian mulberry, I now have four more little ones (small plants and in one case small fruit).

I have four compost bins and two worm farms. One of the bins is a variation on one I built based on a design from UC Davis. Mine is from fencing posts but is adaptable to different materials for those whose family or neighbors balk at the farm look. Bring a little container (yoghurt or similar) if you would like some worms.  My Kaffir lime needs pruning, so you Asian food cooks can take home some branches. The galanga (Thai ginger) needs dividing so bring a bag or sheet if you are interested in this root plant.

There is ample unrestricted street parking. Take all the pictures you want but please turn off the cell phones. ”

If you are a current member, you should have already received your newsletter with Jane’s address. If you didn’t, please use the Contact Us button to let us know.

 

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Greywater in the Orchard – Saturday, April 14th @ 10 am

Sergio Scabuzzo of the Greenman Project will be speaking to the chapter at our April meeting.  You can read more about him at https://www.thegreenmanproject.com/ (and even see a 3-year old photo of my newly planted front yard with his laundry-to-landscape installation) but I cribbed the following bio from the Greywater Action site:

After 15 years of work in construction, including managing an office with a crew of 30+ contractors, Sergio decided to move on to a more ecologically minded lifestyle. In early 2014 he began installing greywater systems and while working for Greywater Corps started advocating for their widespread implementation. He holds several certifications and is trained in greywater systems installation, water harvesting, permaculture, natural building, native landscaping, web design, and has a strong focus on appropriate use of resources. Sergio is from Argentina and currently lives in Topanga Canyon where he spends most of his free time talking about sustainability.

Despite our March rains, drought is never far from the minds of us Southern Californians. While capturing rainwater is always a good idea, it rains here only a few weeks a year while we use water in our homes 24/7. Capturing at least some of it for our orchards is among the most ecological and economical things we can do.  Come learn how to do it!

Note: because the bodybuilders will be holding one of their extravaganzas at the same time as our meeting, we have been moved to the Rotunda Room (where we held our Holiday Party last December).  Parking, unfortunately, will be at a premium so please plan ahead.  Also, because of the inevitable crush at the main entrance, be aware there is another entrance to the Rotunda Room directly from the parking lot on the Culver Boulevard side.   We will attempt to hang our banner there so keep your eyes peeled.  Of course, it is always possible to enter the main entrance and turn right immediately into the Rotunda Room, but it will be crowded!

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Field Trip March 10th @ 9 am: Fruit Tree Symposium withTom Spellman

In a joint field trip with the LA Chapter, we will be the beneficiaries of the experience and wisdom of the famous Tom Spellman of Dave Wilson Nurseries.   Tom is  a specialist in backyard fruit growing, and author/lecturer on topics near to our heart, such as Low-Chill Winners for successful fruit production,  The Art of Successive Ripening and Recommendations for Multiple Planting

He will be speaking at Sylmar High School in a program that will include tours of the school’s agricultural gardens and hothouse, plus one of the pot lucks for which the LA Chapter is so famous.  Come on, West LA!  Time to get those pans out and rise to the challenge.   If the past is any indication, Tom will also be bringing trees for raffle.

Note that space for this field trip is extremely limited and attendance is absolutely restricted to members of the LA and West LA chapters.

 

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Grafting demos/Scion Exchange February 10th

Our famous annual Grafting Demos and Scion Exchange will take place on February 10th in the Multi-Purpose Room and its adjacent Patio at the Culver City Veterans Memorial Building.

We will have demonstrations of three grafting techniques, including the use of the common cleft graft (such as you would use with stone fruit), the side veneer graft (such as you would use for avocados) and the traditional whip-and-tongue graft.  You will be able to get up close and observe every detail of these techniques.  Our grafters will be available to answer your grafting questions.

With grafting, you can build your own fruit tree, with multiple varieties of apples, peaches, pears, sapotes, cherimoyas, etc.  You can even have peaches, nectarines, plums, and pluots on the same tree, or almonds on one side of your tree and plums on the other.  You can completely graft over a non-productive variety (called topworking).  With grafting, the possibilities are almost unlimited.

 We will also have our annual scion wood exchange, so please bring your scion wood to share.  If we all bring wood, we should have many different varieties from many different trees.  If you have rootstock growing in small pots, please bring them to the meeting and take home a grafted plant or share your rootstock with others.  Remember to bring extra bags, labels, and a marker for the scion wood you collect!

At the exchange, please limit your selections to two of any variety until everyone has had an opportunity to collect wood.  Then feel free to go back.   Please do not collect wood you do not plan to use. By the way, members who have paid for 2018 and who bring in scions to share will get first choice of scion wood that they want to use in their own gardens.  So, if you haven’t renewed for 2018 (both WLA and CRFG, Inc.), now might be a good time to send your dues to Andrée.

To minimize chaos and give our speakers the respect they deserve, we are adopting the following schedule.

10:00 – 10:15: Registration and scion wood donation

10:15 to 11:15: Demonstrations of grafting on the patio

11:15 to 11:30: Scion exchange open to members in the Multi-Purpose Room

11:30 to 11:45: Scion exchange open to non-members in the Multi-Purpose Room

No one will be allowed to enter the Multi-Purpose Room during the grafting demonstrations (unless it rains).

 Note: There will also be a sale of quite sizable Blue Passionflower vines grown by one of our members, Terry Brockert. These are considered a great pollinator for other passionflower vines.  You can read more about them here.

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Fruit tree pruning demo January 6th @ 10 am (note the earlier date!)

We will start 2018 with a great Pruning Demonstration by WLA member Pieter Severynen, a professional arborist and landscape architect. Pieter is a California licensed landscape architect and ISA certified arborist. He has been working with fruit trees for over 40 years. He studied subtropical agriculture in the Netherlands, where he received his pruning diploma from the State Agricultural College in Deventer. He graduated in landscape architecture from the University of California at Berkeley. After a career in land planning with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, he set up his own landscape architect and consulting arborist office in Los Angeles.

Pieter’s company, Pieter Severynen Associates, specializes in the establishment and pruning of sustainable organic orchards and fruit trees, aiming for high yield and maximum enjoyment. His company provides two key services: 1) Arboriculture: consulting on trees and landscaping, and 2) Landscape Architecture: outdoor environment & garden design. Pieter provides on-site advice on selecting climate- appropriate trees and plants and keeping them healthy for a very long time, using minimum water and fertilizer, while keeping gardens sustainable with minimum impact on the environment.

Pieter has taught at UCLA Extension, written articles for various newsletters, and blogged “Tree of the Week” articles for the LA Times. He teaches classes in and publicly speaks on arboriculture, planning, environmental subjects, gardening, urban forestry, and fruit tree pruning and maintenance. He has been the Director of Planning and Design for North East Trees, a nonprofit Los Angeles environmental design/build firm that practices urban forestry, watershed rehabilitation, park design and community stewardship.

The demonstration will be hosted at the lovely home garden of member Sue Oppenheimer. Thank you in advance, Sue!

If you have trees, then you need to prune. If you need to prune, then you need to see Pieter’s demonstration! Bring any pruning questions you have because this is your chance to have them answered by a professional.