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yukkuri_kame

Brassicas: Tree Collards X Dino Kale (lacinato)

yukkuri_kame
11 years ago

OK - so I have 3 types of kale that are over 1 year old (planted last winter, survived summer, growing beautifully now).

The tree collard has been flowering (which supposedly I am not supposed to allow) and now I see the Lacinato Kale has a flowering head on it...

I want to cross them - I'm looking for a kale that has the perennial tendencies of the tree collard (lives 5 years) with an improved flavor and texture - like the lacinato.

The lacinato has survived a year, so it is acting somewhat perennial anyway, but that's another story.

The plants are a few feet away from each other, and there is ample bee activity, so a chance they will cross without my help.

But what can I do to improve my chances?

Can I prevent either of these plants from self-pollinating?

Or just actively hand-pollinate early & often?

Any help appreciated.

Comments (7)

  • farmfreedom
    10 years ago

    To improve your chances , hand pollinate all you need is an artist's paint brush and a air tight bag . Caril Depp's book : "breeding Your own vegetables" would also be a help . You can also get this book through inter-library loan. Good Luck . I never heard of this "tree collard " how big is it ? Where do I get seeds?

  • farmfreedom
    10 years ago

    To improve your chances , hand pollinate all you need is an artist's paint brush and a air tight bag . Caril Depp's book : "breeding Your own vegetables" would also be a help . You can also get this book through inter-library loan. Good Luck . I never heard of this "tree collard " how big is it ? Where do I get seeds?

  • spez718
    10 years ago

    hey thats cool man. i dont know much but best thing you should do is take seeds from both and plant the collads (x) seeds and kale (y) seeds together sperated from a group by some distance atleast. but one on the left and other on the right. and see which ones are showing qualities of both and pick out the rest. the kids will be xy and yx. one you get both hybrids than cross pollinate them from there to make more mixed hybrids. it also helps get in the recessive genes in my opinion. good luck! im down to trade seeds if you want. also why not try to hand pollinate them if it helps. than try to remember which area of flowers you pollinated for sure when whey become seeds pods.

    i got purple peacock seeds which is a red russian kale and green goliath hybrid in the mail and am excited. im going to trying to make a broccoli x collard hybrid to bolt late and resist the heat too.

    This post was edited by spez718 on Thu, May 9, 13 at 22:11

  • yukkuri_kame
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I've saved some seed from both plants. I was not very precise about it.

    Tree collards are mostly propagated by cuttings & generally said to not produce seed or not breed true-to-type. Well, I've got seed, but no telling what will come up.

    Will be sowing soon for fall/winter crop, certainly willing to trade seeds but who knows what you'd get.

  • yukkuri_kame
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Well... the Tree Collards produced plenty of seed (which I think is somewhat uncommon). I accidentally spilled some seed in the sink. Since it was already wet, I figured why not sow a bit.... germination rate was high, seedlings growing vigorously so far, but no true leaves yet.

  • spez718
    10 years ago

    That is awsome. check out my trade list. can you send some with the dino kale as the mom and some with the tree collard as the mom?

    This post was edited by spez718 on Sun, Sep 1, 13 at 15:48

  • Baby G (USDA:10a, Sunset:21&23 SoCal-NE. Mt Washington, Lo-Chill: 200-400 Hrs, So
    8 years ago

    Yukkurri_Kame: How did your crosses turn out??? I've always heard the tree collard won't grow true from seed. My guess is that you will like likely have to do many many (1000's?) hand pollinations to get the characteristics you want in a cross.

    FarmFreedom: If you want tree collard you need to get a cutting or a plant grown from one, not from seed.

    I'm reposting this from Hawaii forum.

    the purple "tree" collard or "walking stick" kale is Brassica oleracea var. acephala. It has no oxalic acid. After reading this link,http://treecollards.blogspot.com/I realize that it might be a more accurate description if we called it a "headless cabbage tree" or a "walking stick cabbage," because it's more of a cabbage.

    A lot of people order the cuttings from California: Tree Collard Cuttings from Bountiful Gardens. Apparently Annie's Annuals in N. California is now also selling plants.

    But I got mine on craigslist from someone who already grew the cutting.

    Here is a good search methodology on CL. Go to the "for sale" section of your local craigslist and cut and paste: " collard|brassica collard|acephala|tree" It should pull up any ads for tree collards. The little line is like an "EITHER/OR" in search terms.

    If you are interested in perennial greens, here is another search term setup for craigslist: "alba|procumbens|Longevity|Malabar spinach|basella|gynura." It will search for longevity spinach and malabar spinach.

    This site has more information on pruning and care:http://richardsfarms.vpweb.com/Tree-Collard-Information.html

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