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Columbus Ohio

It is common place in the horticultural work to graft a plant with a week root system, but had desirable above ground characteristics to a variety with a very strong root system. I see on Don Young's diary that her has grafted long gourds together. If this the wave of the future in pumpkin growing? How about grafting 2 stumps to one pumpkin?

2/27/2011 10:32:14 PM

Hamburg, NY

OK - this is where I need to tell what was read to me in China eleven years ago by the professor who invited me to speak to college students and garden society members about growing giant vegetables. He read from a book that was written 5,000 years ago and translated from old Chinese to new Chinese. It went on to tell about the efficiencies of producing giant vegetables. In particular about starting several (6 to 12) plants' root systems in a circle and bringing the vines together and binding them to form a graft and then selecting to one vine after they had grafted together. I don't remember a whole lot more. But it sure sounds interesting and there seems to be nothing new about this kind of thinking begining from thousands of years ago.


Ray Waterman

2/28/2011 9:39:57 AM