Journal May 26, 2013

The Chemlali olive tree dropped the little olives that it had when I received it, so I decided to begin shaping it into more of a bush.  I don't know how a tree so small could have possibly produced olives, and I suspect that it was lack of pollination that caused the olives to drop.

When the tree was cut back to the first laterals, there was a large enough section trimmed to attempt to clone two more trees.  The cuttings were sprayed with anti-wilt, dipped in Clonex, potted and watered with  nutrients specifically mixed to promote rooting.

The cuttings struck previously are looking pretty good and it has been more than a month since they were started; they have not dropped any leaves, which is a good sign that they are at least alive.

Left over from when I first began indoor growing were three large Hydrofarm reflectors that held mogul based CFL grow lights.  I stopped using them after LEDs came on the market because of the price of the bulbs, about seventy dollars each.   A few unsuccessful attempts were made to sell the reflectors on Craig's list, however, I am now glad that I did not sell them.

Surfing eBay, I found an insert that screws into the mogul base that allows the reflector to accept a standard CFL bulb.   The inserts were purchased for four dollars each, delivered, and I purchased two 100 watt equivalent CFL daylight bulbs at Wal-Mart to use in the reflectors.  

The lights are now ideal for starting seeds and rooting cuttings, and are very cost effective to run and maintain.