North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>]

At 08:41 PM 9/4/2006, Ray wrote:
> r
> two years ago I used it (wax toilet ring) on 14 grafts with bad 
> results.   Easy to put
> on and looked good but within a week the scions started to turn black
> and died.   Used it on both cleft and  whip and tongue grafts.  Zero
> take and as a rule I have had close to 100 per cent take using
> grafting compound or the yellow sealant.

Thanks, Ray.
I bought one several years ago, just to try it out, but never got 
around to sticking any on a graft - seemed pliable enough, but heck, 
I've got Parafilm, and I know it works well, so I just never used it.
In light of your experience, I'll retract my recommendation. -
But, I have used cow manure, and it works OK.  Makes a nice wound 
dressing, too if somebody gets too close with the mower or weedeater 
- can't reverse the effects of a girdling cut, but if it's just a 
nick or small chunk of bark knocked off, if you can slap a good thick 
wad of manure on there before the tissues dry out, it helps keep 
things from drying out too much while the cambium  regenerates and 
calluses over.

LLP