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[Alexander Dragotin <a_dragotin@yahoo.de>]

Steve, the storing scion wood in block of ice is a bright idea but the freesing watter expand the volume and the arising pressure in the ice block should be considered.

Using freesing the stored scion wood can be dehydrated only if the humidity escape. If the stored matherial is closed in a proper plastick bag there is no way to loose the enclosed humidity. The some air in the plastick bag remains humidity saturated by the multilayer moist paper and there is no place for scion drying. The process of drying by freesing is widely used, but there is the removal of the exhaling from the drayed products humidity enabled.

The temperature can be controlled using every one temperature controller with sensor located in the frieser. For example KT4 Panasonic temperature controller with relay switching output. Using it the only additional work is to connect the located in a frieser (not refrigerator) the selected sensor, connect the controller to main, connect the frieser main connector plug over the controller relay output and fulfill the somewhat programming, setting the type of the choosed sensor , temperature and controlling mode.

If it seems to be complicated, look for the help of electrician.

The frieser remains unchanged. In the spring garfting period the freeser is connected to the main over the controller. After the grafting spring period is over, the frieser can be plugged direct to the main and used for freesing at 0 Degree F of edible products.

The temperature controll can be used for storing green scion wood in the  sommer.  The temperature should be set cose above 32 F. The scions are again wrapped in a moist paper. The stored green scions remain long time vital. As close to 32 F as longer are they usable. Setting the temperature should be considered the deviation of the on/off regulation to avoid dropping the temperature less than 32 F and damage the green buds.

I hope the described idea of using temperature controller could be helpful for you, Sarah. The upper friesing box in an usual refrigerator don’t assure the needed temperature stability in the range (26 to 21 F). The cooling walls may get much lower temperature and damage the buds.

Good grafting,

Alex


--- Steve <sdw12986@aol.com> schrieb am So, 15.3.2009:

Von: Steve <sdw12986@aol.com>
Betreff: Re: [NAFEX] frozen scion wood
An: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Datum: Sonntag, 15. März 2009, 4:26

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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