Do you have any experience growing Elderberry Trees from Seeds? Do you know if it is normal for them to produce true, without grafting?
Same for Chokeberry bushes from seed?
I am considering adding some for food for our quail. The population is very low because of the drought. It will take some time to rebuild.
Thanks for any advice my friend.
Fireants have hit the quail population pretty hard, too. I don't remember the last time I flushed a covey when out walking. When I was a kid, I did all the time.
/johnny
That’s the only way the wild thickets in Oregon reproduced, and they were all the same. Can’t speak for named varieties, though. You might be better off rooting cuttings; they are one of the easier ones for that. Remember though, that those ‘named varieties’ are likely patented, so probably illegal to propagate. ;-)
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-elderberries-cuttings-46434.html
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/95-005.htm
Only elderberry I grew from seed was a couple of small clusters of 3-6 of them. They sprouted from a pile of seeds I dumped for the chickens after making a batch of wine.
Hardy little buggers, but I never got any berries because we moved about the time they were getting big enough to start flowering. We do plan on getting some for here.
That wine is now 20-25 years old, and we had a small glass with dinner tonight, as well as using a bit to cook tonight’s venison shoulder chops.