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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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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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October 12th @ 10 am: Professor Cinzia Fissore on Growing Coffee in Southern California

Our October in-person meeting (at our regular Culver City location) will feature Professor Cinzia Fissore who created the experimental coffee orchard at Whittier College.  In this orchard, 64 plants from ten varieties of Arabica coffee are grown according to organic and regenerative principles. Native California plant species are intermixed with coffee, and 18 avocado trees flank the orchard and provide partial shade. Dr. Fissore, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Illinois Urbana and other institutions, has been specifically working on assessing soil-plant nutrient exchanges, mycorrhizal association in specific varieties of coffee, and California-specific plant performance across varieties. This promises to be a truly fascinating event!

 

Photo by Professor Fissore.

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Air Layering Lecture/Workshop with Jeff Warner on Saturday August 10th @ 10 a.m.

Jeff is the chair of the Orange County Chapter of CRFG and– like many of that grand chapter’s members — is a master propagator. While we have demos of grafting once every year at our February scion exchange (and twice this year with Arnie Bernstein’s talk on citrus grafting in June) we haven’t had a discussion of Air Layering in a very long time.

Air Layering is an astonishingly easy way to produce nicely rooted specimens from otherwise impossible to propagate trees or varieties, though of course it also works on the easy-to-root-or-graft like figs. It is a technique we should all have in our fruit growing tool kits.

This will be a combination lecture and workshop so feel free to bring one of your favorite trees (in a pot of course!) and you will be able to take it home ready to produce a Mini-Me. Please also bring your own favorite knife since air layering does require a small amount of surgery. We will provide the rest of the stuff you will need to complete the job.

And hey, the fruit is ripening out there! Pick some of what you’re growing to share with the rest of us. Other snacks are also always welcome.

BTW, we are back in our beloved MultiPurpose Room, Culver City Veterans Memorial Building, 4117 Overland Ave, Culver City, CA

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Oh no! We are being moved across the street! June 8th @ 10 am

We have just been informed that the entire Culver City Veterans Memorial Building is being pre-empted for city training on Saturday. As a result, we are being moved across Culver Boulevard to the Culver City Senior Center which has ample parking and a room virtually the same size (though not our nifty patio, sniff). We will be in Suite C, 4095 Overland Avenue Culver City, CA 90232.

There is a parking lot entrance on the southbound side of Overland north of Culver Boulevard. If you are coming north on Overland, make the left on Culver and then right into the parking lot. If you are going east on Culver, you will have to make the U-turn at Overland and go into the lot from the north side of Culver.

We have been told that Suite C is on your right as you enter the Center.

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Antonio Sanchez is “Inviting California to Dinner”: on Zoom 4/13th @ 10 am

This not-to-be-missed Zoom will be a guided tour of various native plant foods, including fruits, greens, seeds and more, that can be added to your local landscapes and diets.  Lecture will include how to grow each plant in local gardens, and how to use one or various parts of the plant in recipes.  Among the many plants to be covered include:
Cleveland Sage
CA Wild Grape
Huckleberry
Saltbush
Golden Currant
Hummingbird Sage
Honey Mesquite
And many more

ABOUT THE SPEAKER


Antonio Sanchez is the nursery manager and restoration volunteer outreach coordinator for SAMOFund in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and has been working around native plants for nearly 2 decades. He is co-founder and lead singer of the native plant band Sage Against the Machine (hear him sing “I Want to Be Native Plant“!), and was lead organizer for the California Native Food Symposium, the Southern California Monarch and Milkweed Conference, the first Ventura County Native Plant Symposium, and the California Native Sage Festival.  Antonio has worked at various native plant institutions around the state, and has managed the nurseries at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, worked as a landscaper at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, worked as a nursery technician at the Theodore Payne Foundation for Native Plants, and co-founded and ran Nopalito Native Plant Nursery in Ventura, CA, with a good friend and a cousin, for nearly 4 years.  He believes in making native plants fun and approachable to all, learning about and teaching old and new ways with native plants, and that Hummingbird Sage is probably the prettiest California native sage, but Salvia pachyphylla is a close second.

Note: a similar sold-out event is occurring at Artemesia Nursery in LA this weekend.  If you want to see details of the kind of subjects (and recipes!) Antonio will be covering, you can find them here.

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Zoom Meeting August 12th @ 10 am with Robert Pavlis!

Okay, this meeting is a dream come true for our Program Chair Deborah H.

As a long-time Master Gardener, she devoured Robert Pavlis’ books on Garden Myths,  Soil Science and Compost (among other topics) and now she is making it possible for us to hear him live and (almost) in person.

Robert Pavlis has over 45 years’ experience in the art and science of horticulture, with a particular focus on soil chemistry and health. He is the owner and developer of Aspen Grove Gardens, a 6-acre botanical garden featuring 3,000 varieties of plants. A sought-after speaker, and lecturer, Robert has published many articles in magazines such as Mother Earth News and Ontario Gardening. He maintains two widely read blogs – gardenfundamentals.com and gardenmyths.com – and a popular YouTube channel with tens of thousands of subscribers. Robert is the author of Compost Science for Gardeners, Plant Science for Gardeners, Soil Science for Gardeners, and Building Natural Ponds.

Because he lives in Guelph, Canada this meeting will be by Zoom only.  Links and details will be sent to chapter members.  Be aware that some of his advice is Northeast-centric, so feel free to read the websites ahead of time and come with questions!