I wonder...

[_nick_]

how does one plant seedless grapes?

I am ill. With Avian Bird Flu. Possibly SARS. My head keeps spinning round and round and every time I cough I have splitting headache.

Have just booked a holiday, though - going to Barcelona for four nights, leaving a week today!

Anyone have any suggestions for things to see while we're there?

Comments

[lourens]

Seedless grapes do not come from seeds. They come from cuttings.

;)

[_nick_]

That makes sense, I suppose. But where do the cuttings come from?

Tip of the day..

[lourens]

They come from the original planted grape vine. You take a cutting from them, plant it so it sprouts roots and leaves - it is a a basic clone from the original. Then there is some gentic error or something. Seedless grapes does actually have seeds, they're just dont have a 'hard' shell like normal seeds.

I learnt this when I was on a trip down the 'wine route' in the Cape province in South Africa. you get on this bus and go to all these different wine farms where you drink yourself into oblivion taste wine and such like.

I was pissed so don't quote me on this. :P

Re: Tip of the day..

[brokenbeast]

True that... (and Wine Route FTW!)... although there are actually three separate sources of seedlessness in commercial use.

Also true of bananas - all commercial cultivars are sterile and propagated asexually.

[kingtiger]

[bluecassandra]

Grafting is a wonderful process and used for all sorts of random plants, including that fluffy pink cherry blossom you see everyhwere in spring.

We went to see all the Gaudi stuff (cathedral, park, building on big road, can't remember name) in Barcelona and it was brilliant!

[nemitode]

you so totally have to to the food market, buy an emu egg, and then carry it to the top of gaudi's cathedral.
then sit on the egg at the top till an emu comes out, and march triumphantly back down from the tower with an emu.
you're not allowed to use the lift either - we couldnt cos of high winds.

is amazing that cathedral.

like nothing i'd ever imagined seeing before.

and yes. the food market on the las ramblas. (sp?) eat lunch there from the seafood place.
and look for the wild green parrots everywhere.
and
and
and.

:)

[_abby_]

The beach is nice as well. And the ye olde bit with little narrow streets.