[z_willus_d]

Yesterday (Sunday), I took the day for some backbreaking work to clean out three InnTainers, replace their landscape, and refill. I used the standard 3*:2:1 ratio of Adv. Sunshine #4 (1/3 FoxFarm's Ocean Forest Potting mix), Microbark, and Perlite. To this on a per container basis I added 1.5 cups of Dolomite Lime, 1 cup of Epsom Salt, 2 small packets of Espoma PlantTone (sample packets from Burpee), and the standard ~1-cup trench of Espoma, delayed release Tomato Tone (new formulation). I haven't checked PH yet, but I expect to be in the right ballpark.

Having cleaned and prepped the InnTainers, I then transplanted my grafted Yukon Quest, Iditarod, and Perth's Pride dwarflings, two to a tote. Besides the experimentation with dwarf grafting, I'm also modifying procedure this year in that I will try to grow in a small room fully indoors as opposed to last year where I used the garage. This means I don't have to worry about heating my garage to keep the vines happy, but also that I have to worry about overheating in the side room. I'll have less access to natural light (I could open the garage door for direct southern exposure), but I will have some afternoon light through a window. This also puts a heavy onus upon me to ensure no insect infestation may occur, lest the whole experiment end-up face down in the gutter on homecoming on sad weeknight.

You can see that most of the grafted seedlings were looking rather haggard at transplant, save for perhaps the Perth's Pride. I'm not sure if this is due to my LED light setup, insufficient feeding (Martha's guess on sight), or some other undefined issue. I'm hopeful that the vines perk up now that they have room to spread their roots.

You might also be able to make out the discontinuity in the girth of the trunk at the union site. The Maxifort rootstock (also one Beaufort w/ blue tag) just isn't a beefy as the dwarf scions. I hope this doesn't result in trouble down the line.

A bit later when my back has recovered some, I'll probably try and plant the other three InnTainers with the un-grafted dwarf peers. Whether or not I can find enough room in the grow area for this is another thing, and they may just end up freezing out in the garage with the bugs and spiderwebs. So if our hypothesis is true (grafted plants are more hardy to systemic disease) these "control" subjects will make poor control with the double or triple disadvantage of temperature, insect vectors, and non-graft status. That's ok though, as I'm happy to have the experiment up and running, unbound and unscientific as it is.
-naysen