This is a great thread.

Greg
Great stuff. Really enjoyed your research and you BM's look great. Congratulations my friend
Coop

7/4/14 update:  I had three 1g survivors from the root cube experiment.  This winter I sold one, but that one died frozen in transit due to USPS losing the package for nine days...  So I sent a replacement in May leaving just one survivor from the 6 root cubes, and the one grown from a full cutting (let's call that one BM1).

But that survivor is now larger than BM1 side by side, and has two healthy vigorous shoots.  Here it is side by side with BM1 (she's the one with the purple fruit.)

Now, in BM1's defense, she's been growing fruit all year and that takes a whole lot of energy.  But the survivor is grown from 1/6 the amount of wood BM1 is grown from.  It is worth noting that this survivor was the shortest of the three I had.

So I think by now it is fair to say that the node cuttings in rock wool grew more tree faster than the one grown from the tried and true root chamber method.  But the rooted cutting is much thicker and fruiting.  At least for now... 


 

How does BM1 compare now to the lone root cube survivors, 2 years on?

BM1 died last year to root shock when I was stupid in transplanting it in July.

The first root cube survivor is 6 and a half feet tall and is my biggest tree right now, my second BM mother tree is also one of the root cubes from back then.

Thanks for the update. Sorry to hear about the BM1's ultimate fate and congrats on having such mature Black Madeira trees! I see you also grow White Madeira. What are your thoughts on White Madeira as a mutation of Black Madeira? Taste differences?

I just got my white madeira in the mail 2 days ago and potted it up.  Won't have fruit for some time! 

Ahh, I didn't know. Once again congratulations are in order. The only thread I read about it had been Tam's and wanted to see the similarities and differences. Definitely report on its progress in the future.

Mine is from Tam!

Actually I got it from Rewton who got it from Tam.  Thus "white madeira #1"

Cool. I tried to get more info. from Tam, but apparently he's not active here anymore. It will be interesting to see behavior differences as it grows into maturity.

Same situation, I tried to contact Tam for a while and ended up with the same result that he's been inactive for a while.

Worth nothing, the BM rock wool nodes are just producing fruit for the first time this year.  The cutting produced fruit at least a year earlier.  But the rock wool node that is now over 6' has many fruit.  I'll get some pics later this month.

Whenever you have time. I appreciate it. At this point, I value Black Madeiras that actually grow, establish themselves, and mature. Fruiting a year later than cuttings is okay. Your rooting method is one of a few I am evaluating, which is economically feasible to create lots of viable wood, to establish an orchard. The long term goal is to have so much fruit that I can make Black/White Madeira jam. : )

I had been advised that the white madeira doesn't taste like black at all, which makes sense.  It's just that the leaf looks similar is my understanding thus far.  But we will see!

Ok. Bummer. I was hoping it is a mutation that affects the color and not the taste. Once it fruits in a year or so, we will have a definite answer.