North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Kevin Moore <aleguy33@yahoo.com>]

Trying not to go too far off topic, but if you want good temperature control in a chest freezer, this little gadget will allow you to set it for any temperature you like. Hombrewers use them to turn chest freezers into refrigerators for small beer kegs.

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/CONTROLLER_P762C100.cfm

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From: Steve <sdw12986@aol.com>
To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 14, 2009 10:26:29 PM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] frozen scion wood



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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