Chill hours
Sunday May 23rd 2021, 10:43 pm
Filed under: Garden

There was knitting, too, but the picture is somewhere off to lunch.

To answer CCR’s question, apricot seeds need several months of serious chilling in order to be able to sprout in the spring. I had them in the freezer from late summer till early winter, then the fridge while I was debating when to start them.

Pictures from May 9 and May 22 for the kernel in my second batch that sprouted long after the others, right when I was about to give up and toss it. Even then it grew slower than some of the others despite the warmer weather.

It’s also the one that got moved into a pot that was half topsoil/half the newly-arrived Lobster Blend from the coastofmaine.com folks. That’s when it suddenly took off–It definitely approved of the upgrade.

And in the random surprises of nature department: remember that dying apple tree my husband cut down that grew back a different variety from the rootstock? They were mushy as all get-out, but sour till the last moment so the wildlife learns to leave them alone.

They go bad fast after picking. Second day. I figure that tree’s best characteristic is that it consistently blooms right when the Fuji does.

Two years ago I found dozens of snails hiding inside that hollowed-out area and though it was just totally gross I squished them. No poisons.

Friday I discovered the tree’s revenge on them for eating its blossoms. That Yellow Transparent is determined to live no matter what.


3 Comments so far
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Alas, two of my seeds sat then rotted away. One lingers, plump and healthy looking, but not a sign of root or shoot when I checked it this morning. This may not be my year.

Comment by twinsetellen 05.24.21 @ 3:51 pm

Yellow transparent is sturdy, which is why they were often used as rootstock back in the day; they also endure cold winters, as they originated in Russia we found out with a little research when we were identifying your surprise apples. And they are tart, not sour, and my hubby’s favorite for cooking…because he’s weird and doesn’t actually like crisp apples. I miss having a tree at hand here. They never went bad quite that fast for me, but it’s true that they don’t last and they don’t ship because they’re too soft, but ask anyone old enough–they used to be a home-grown staple.

Comment by Marian 05.24.21 @ 10:23 pm

Nature finding a way!

Comment by ccr in MA 05.25.21 @ 10:01 am



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