Weather, work-notes and planning ahead

I got off to a slow start today. For some reason I have a lot of sore muscles.

The big news is that starting Monday, the weather-guessers are predicting peak heat-indexes over a hundred degrees (F) for four days in a row. I know my readers in TX, OK, LA, AZ etc. are chortling. For you guys, that is a balmy day in April.

Heat indexes over 95(F) get my attention and I plan my work to avoid them.

That means that Joe is a busy-beaver this weekend.

I watered the new trees in the Upper Orchard today. They don't need it now but the models predict that the heat-dome event will suck 1.5" out of the upper soil levels. So, I gave each new tree a 4 gallon drink of water with 300 PPM of nitrogen fertilizer.

I put out some new 110 body-grip traps to let them rust and to get the squirrels used to them. I smeared some peanut butter on the posts where they are mounted. The traps were mounted but not armed. 

I will be pulling weeds in the potato patch tomorrow. I am keeping a close eye on the soil moisture and may till tomorrow afternoon.

I will be erecting a cattle panel for the cucumbers to climb on.

If I get exceptionally motivated I will cut some grass. I really need to take a break from physically demanding work to recover.

I am thinking of watering the gardens on Sunday. The heat-dome will stress the power grid and there is no point in putting it off.

On the plus side, the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, melons, squash and cucumbers should explode in size. They all love heat.

Grafting notes

The TB hazelnut grafts are already pushing buds but the Grand Traverse are not.

The Stearn mulberries I grafted above the Upper Orchard are not pushing buds. The Silk Hope I grafted in Eaton Rapids are.

The peaches (Indian Free) grafts are not breaking bud. The scion I got from (name of nursery redacted) were puny.

Most of my walnut grafts are sulking or dead. The first successful walnut graft I ever made didn't break-bud until July, an honest six weeks after I made it. I was very surprised!.

The pear trees (and the grafts on them) on the bottom-half of the Hill Orchard died. I suspect walnut toxicity. 

The quince that were planted in the rows with the pears seem to be alive, so that warrants attention. Quince is very late blooming and avoids frosts. It is way too soon to make any generalizations, but it would be valuable to have a late-blooming fruit tree that is tolerant of walnuts and produces fruit that stores well. I read somewhere that in some places it was common to put a quince (fruit) in the closet or dresser drawers to make the clothes smell nice. Also, one thin slice of quince in an apple pie adds an interesting dimension to its aroma. 

All of the Golden Russet I grafted on Liberty for pollination have at least 8" of shoot extension. King David on Hazen has 6" of shoot extension.

Only one of the plums I grafted rootstock purchased from (name redacted) is alive. I suspect the rootstock is dead since they aren't pushing shoots from the root collar.