North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Heron Breen <breen@fedcoseeds.com>]

Hi Sports Fans,
I had the great privilege of talking with Garfield Schultz by phone the other 
day. 
He is one of the old guard (80+ years old) of NAFEX, wise in experience and 
quick 
to the point. Very sly businessman too! He knows he has some good stuff he's 
bred 
and he doesn't send most people scionwood (me included, although he promised 
a few 
odds and ends someday). Apparently he has a cherry-plum that you would sell 
your 
first-born for.
He has bred a number of cultivars of various species, many of them of very 
high 
quality and at least one has been trademarked by Stark's nursery and sold by 
the 
thousands. You've probably read his entries in Pomona. 
He passed on a trick, which maybe some of you know, but which was new to me. 
He 
stated that one could spray rubbing alcohol followed by a spray of food grade 
calcium chloride on a at least 35 degree F late Fall day. Spraying this 
regimen 
onto your trees would enhance their winter hardiness exponentially. He felt 
this 
had particular usefulness for Peaches.
This regimen could also be sprayed again in Spring, two weeks before 
estimated 
flowering date. This would make blooms very resistant to frost damage. 
Garfield felt this was an ideal technique for us 3-4-5 zone folks to try.
I haven't tried it this, and don't know much about it. I haven't had time to 
research exactly how this works, but I know calcium plays lots of roles with 
cell 
and tree stress response and water maintenance.
If you know more, or have tried this, enlighten us, please. If you end up 
giving 
this a shot at some point, let us know your results. I trust Garfield's 
wisdom, but 
he wasn't specific about application rates per tree or those kinda of things, 
so 
your tree might get damaged by my detail vacant post.
Thought I would pass it on before I forgot to.
Heron Breen
zone 4, Maine