Thursday, April 18, 2013

Journal April 18, 2013

The absolutely last olive trees for my collection arrived today from a farm in Texas.  I was looking for an Italian varietal, as I really was not sure of the origin of the OblongaUsing Google as a search tool, I found a site on page four or so that had a nice selection and great pricing.  The site was: Sandy Oak Olive Orchard.

The price per tree in four inch pots was only ten dollars, however, they wanted about fourteen dollars for UPS, and another ten dollars for a box.  That would make the cost twenty four dollars to ship a ten dollar tree.  Ridiculous

So, I contacted them, telling them that as I intend to grow the trees hydroponically, there is no sense shipping the soil, and, that the tree could be shipped bare root with the roots wrapped in wet paper and a plastic bag.  Additionally, I said that the Post Office has a priority service where they provide the envelope and two trees could be shipped for about five dollars.

Well, they said they did not know that, but would check.  When they got back to me they said they could do that, but charge two dollars to wash the soil from the roots, and a handling charge of two dollars and fifty cents per tree.   I was still not happy with the extra charges, but agreed, so I ordered two trees, as the shipping price with the Post Office would not change.

 The trees, shown above, are a Pendolino in front and a Chamlali in the back. 

Pendolino is considered a universal pollinator and is compatible with all other cultivars. This cold hardy varietal originated in Tuscany, and is a constant and abundant producer.  The oil is light and fruity with the olives being medium sized.  This variety is also an early producer.

Chemlali: This variety is the most common cultivar in the central and southern regions of Tunisia. It is resistant to drought and very cold hardy. Chemlali is self-fertile and begins to bear early. It is a constant intermediate producer.  The oil has a mild, fruity flavor that stands alone or blends well with other varieties.  Although the olives are small they are delicious and suitable for the table. 

Normally I would remove about two thirds  of the trunk and clone the sections when I plant the trees, but I did not do so with these trees.  The trees were obviously stressed from being shipped, and, to my amazement, the Chamlali actually has OLIVES ON IT!

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