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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] frozen scion wood

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  • From: Steve <sdw12986@aol.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] frozen scion wood
  • Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 23:26:29 -0400



Alexander Dragotin wrote:
I shouldn’t intervene in other’s talk, but I would tell my experience.

I am freesing my budwood since more than 15 years. I wrap the wood in moist paper (usually newspaper), put it in a plastick bag and friese it at ca. 25 Degree F/-4 Degree C.

Up to the late spring meintains the stored wood its excellent condition. I have made it with drupes, pipfruit, persimmon and every other kind of scion wood.

Alex

Alex, someone (possibly you) mentioned in the past about storing scion wood at about that temperature. That might actually be an ideal temperature for storying scions because it is cold enough to really stop fungus growth but not so cold that it damages the scions.

The problem is that, for most of us, if we were to freeze our scions, our freezers are set to about 0 degrees F. That might lead to drying out or other damage. I would not be able to easily make an area that stays only a few degrees below freezing. I could figure out how to do it but it's not worth my time since I handle only a small number of scions each year.

Here's another thought. When I was a kid, I had a great uncle who owned a cabin on Drummond Island (Google it if you are curious). We would go out fishing and catch dozens of perch. My uncle had a method of freezing them so that they would last for months, even years, without freezer burn. We would put a little water in a half gallon milk carton, place as many perch fillets as it could hold. Top it off with more water and freeze it into a solid block. So, when we say the scions dry out, that is basically freezer burn, right? Maybe if there was a reason that scions had to be collected at the beginning of the winter and held until spring, they would stay completely dormant and completely hydrated if frozen in a block of ice. I know it's not necessary for apples (I know someone who grafted apples the following year and Lon just mentioned a similar story) but I have had trouble with apricot scions popping buds in the refrigerator and even pears have pushed out some green tips before it was time to graft them. Just some thoughts that I'll probably never test myself.

Steve in the Adirondacks




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