Cloning every fruit & nut tree in this region for my future food forest 🌴

It is true that I do not yet have land upon which I will plant my future food forest but this isn't important when compared to the dream itself, achieved not just through visualisation techniques but also through physical action which aids the overall manifesting process.

Gandhi used to speak of looking at the world not how it is but how you want it to be and obviously, physical action cements our vibrational belief system, sometimes to the extent that the world around us shifts into alignment with our strong perception of how things should be.

I heard a story once about a guy who wanted to go on holiday so he hung out at an airport where he could better visualise the excitement of people going on holiday and needless to say, through some complicated 'coincidental' events he ended up getting his free holiday as intended.

Even back when I was in rehab we had a saying "when you hang out in a bar long enough, eventually you'll have a drink" because the environment (or thought patterns) we become most familiar with become the very fabric of what makes of us us.

For this reason, each night before I sleep I make an effort to walk in my future food forest, reaching out to touch the branches of each tree. And now that I have finally started to plant my forest it is even easier for me to experience my dream of it!

One week ago I discovered the infinite possibilities of grafting and have since then been collecting cuttings from each and every tree I like the look of in this region, all of which are within walking distance of our home.

These ones here are almond trees, just starting to show their wonderful pink blossom. Esteban & Luna sat patiently while I jumped that fence with my cutters to snip four branches for our collection.

They know the drill.

Next up we visited this fig tree which seems a good strong variety to me. Four more branches in the bag.

We also snagged a red variety of hazelnut I've had my eye on for a while.

Quite beautiful when observed close-up.

All the branches are then labelled and kept in water while they wait.

I already have a bunch of different fruit trees grown from seed lining up here in the garden, mostly apples, pears, plums, pomegranates & grapes, all ready for their Spring inspection.

The avocado & citrus trees are hiding next to the warmth of our home for another month before they can return to the group for the summer.

While these plants are all going to be great no doubt, they may not match their parent plant exactly as they are not clones but naturally fertilised by the pollen of plants from elsewhere, making them a crossbreed and potentially less (or more!) effective than the original.

Even if these seed grown trees don't make amazing fruit however, I will use them as root stock for grafting.

Low budget DIY cloning

Just as it is for grafting, these cuttings I have been taking over the last few days will be a direct replica of their parent plant, producing the same quality of fruit.

Once home I snipped all my branches into bits (around 9 inches long) and wrapped around two thirds of each stick in cling film.

This creates a mini green house of sorts, keeping the twig humid enough to survive while it makes roots at the bottom.

If you have clear plastic bottles you could also cut them in half and place over the top of each twig, eliminating the need for cling film. And if you want to make your system even more effective, use clear plastic cups for the cuttings rather than plant pots. This way you will be able to see the roots as soon as they arrive.

I scraped a little of the bark off the bottom of the twigs with a knife as this will encourage root growth.

I wet the soil and made holes in it with a dry stick. Then I rubbed the ends of the sticks in aloe vera juice before pushing them in. The aloe acts as a root hormone.

After around 2-3 months they should have roots and will be ready to unwrap. Don't forget to keep the soil damp throughout this period. And don't let them get too cold.

I understand that soft wood cuttings are taken in the Spring while hard wood cuttings are taken in the Winter but I am not too sure how to categorise these twigs. It's a bit of a mix I would say, so some may work, some may not.

Over the last three days I have collected peach, apricot, nectarine, two varieties of plum, two varieties of apple, two varieties of fig, two varieties of hazelnut, cherry, elderflower, almond, persimmons & passion fruit.

For kiwis I understand a male and a female is needed to make fruit and for this reason it is better to buy as a grafted male/female plant rather than to try and create your own.

No matter. I have plenty going on for now.

My beautiful twig babies ;)

I also put two twigs from each variety directly into water, just to see what happens. Who knows, perhaps this is all you have to do? I saw many people on YouTube claiming it to be this simple.

Will let you know in three months which ones have grown roots!

The rainbow tree

Those of you who saw my grafting post will already know my mission with this humble little plum tree.

The genus Prunus permits all stone fruits to be grown on the same tree so this little guy will soon become our first 'rainbow tree' with different varieties of plum, peach, apricot, nectarine, cherry & almond.

Esteban is as excited about this as I am, so he had a little ceremony of sorts at the tree yesterday, placing flowers and colourful natural items around it.

His instinctive actions around such matters come from Bali I think, where ceremonies like this were a part of daily life.

I am happy to go with it, always ready to acknowledge his wisdom & guidance.

Many parents are confused about the direction in which the most important lessons flow and this has not much helped the forward progress of humanity over the last few centuries.

We can but try.

Here's Luna on her swing, posing for the camera.

And here's me! I know I don't often show you my face but I'm still here, busy being the guy behind the camera.

A little older, a little greyer, a little wiser and still dreaming ;)

Love & Light everyone 🌴