Q&A Master Gardeners with

What is the process and ideal time of year to starting apple, pear, and peach trees from seed? What if you want to plant apple, pear, and peaches starting as small trees?

Many people mistakenly believe that fruit trees grow true to name from seeds. In reality, if you collect seed from a fruit grown on a plant, the seeds will produce plants that will be a hybrid of two plants. The new plant will be the same kind of plant, but its fruit and vegetative portions may not look the same as the parent because the plant is “heterozygous.” Therefore, all fruit trees must be vegetatively propagated by either grafting or budding methods. Grafting and budding require a compatible rootstock or stock plant onto which you attach your desired variety of fruit plant. An inexpensive way to obtain a seedling rootstock is tocollectseedsfromthetypeofplant you are propagating. The seeds of all common tree fruits (apple, pear, peach, and cherry) require a chilling period before they will germinate and form new plants. Grafting and budding are relatively easy for apple trees, though for us that are more interested in having a fruit tree to plant purchasing a bar root tree is a preferredmethod.

Time of planting: We have routinely advised growers to plant bare rooted trees mid- to late March, April, or May. Several research studies have demonstrated the advantages of planting as soon in the spring as the soil conditions will allow. Trees planted in April have a decided advantage over those planted even one month later. As temperaturesincreaseinlatespring, trees planted late will break bud sooner and struggle initially without a regenerated new root system developed. Avoid planting trees in frozenorwater-saturatedsoils.

Kenneth Glenn Estes, Jr, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Livingston County

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SCHOOLS, PARENTS AND COVID-19

(NAPSI) — K–12 education has gone through a seismic shift in the wake of COVID-19. Parents are finding themselves thrust into homeschooling, and educators, into virtual schooling. EdChoice, a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, teamed up with Morning Consult to release results of a recent poll to find out how it has affected families and teachers.

They found that parents are clearly anxious about sending their kids back to school; 66 percent said they were concerned their children will be exposed to the virus in school. The majority (68%) are also concerned their child is missing important instruction time.

The silver lining to so many states having closed down brick and mortar schools: A solid majority of parents said they felt at least somewhat prepared for the transition to e-learning and distance learning. Parents are slightly more likely to say they felt very or somewhat prepared (70%) than were teachers (67 percent).

There is only one type of school choice program that allows families to receive funds into a flexible spending account to customize an education for their child. They are called education savings accounts, or ESAs. And according to EdChoice’s Public Opinion Tracker, 67 percent of Americans support them.

These results are part of a new, larger polling project, the EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker. is new dashboard updates every month with results of public survey questions not only on COVID-19 but also on K–12 education topics such as schooling, testing, spending and school choice.

Learn More: For more findings from EdChoice’s Public Opinion Tracker visit www.edchoice.org.

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There are certain things you must do and should do if you plan to erect a fence. Most people find neighbors appreciate being informed of any decisions you are thinking of making to the property that can affect their views or their adjoining property. Before drawing up fence plans with a contractor, talk to the neighbors on either side of your home and gauge their receptiveness to a fence. At this point, you may want to consider offering to make the fencing project a joint deal to save money should the neighbors decide to install a fence as well. Contractors will often discount if they have several customers doing an installation at the same time. Property owners can save by splitting the costs of the shared walls of the fence where their property lines meet.

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Interesting Facts About Greyhounds

Racing greyhounds aren’t predators; many just love to chase things. As The Greyhound Project notes, retired racing greyhounds have been trained to chase lures. That love of the chase may lead some to believe greyhounds are natural predators, but that’s not the case. Many greyhounds just love to run, and some retired racing greyhounds really love to run. However, when they’re no longer racing and have fully adapted to a new home, many greyhounds become disinterested in chasing.