Hey all, Viron here. I had a real good time at the annual All About Fruit Show ... hadn't been to one in 15 years! The first show I remember was in the Expo Center of the Memorial Coliseum (in downtown Portland). I also remember Glen Mills (Loran's Brother) displaying some "OMSI" quality (because that's who he worked for and what he did!) specimens of actual grafts in wood that had been sawn to reveal the original scions. Fastening!
So after 25 years of grafting everything I could reach with a knife, and inheriting the rest - I've chainsawed through, 'smoothed out,' and finished several examples of my own. …And I finally followed through on my threat to set up a grafting display at the AAFS.
Many of you had questions about grafting and I suggested you follow them up here, before we meet again at the spring event to do it ‘for real.’ Also, watch for the grafting classes at PCC this spring; I'd been given their time and date, but will watch this website for conformation.
I was asked several times where to buy the rubber budding strips, those rubber-band like things I use to wrap the whip & tongue grafts. Check out this thread: viewtopic.php?t=618
It's been suggested we again sell a 'grafting kit;' consisting of some grafting bands (I suggest the largest), and a 'film canister' (remember those?) filled with latex grafting seal, and a pop cycle stick to spread it. ...No knives! And we're in the 'process' of determining how many are too many 'custom' grafted trees for next year’s event? Not the "Make-a-trees" (we’ve a gazillion orders for those!) but the on-the-spot grafted trees at the event itself. I've heard from 3 to 6 mentioned. As I was hit with 25 during last year’s event with my second 'customer,' I'd go as far as 8... And they can always go to the back of the line.
But for anyone I'd suggested checking in here with further questions - ask away! And thanks for coming to our annual All About Fruit Show … on the first dry and sunny weekend in a month! ...and not rubbing that in as we toiled inside!
I also enjoy the AAFS. The range of varieties available is always amazing, though I hope people don't take the tasting table as the last word on varieties. There were specimens of varieties I've experienced many times that just didn't measure up to the full potential. No one's fault, it's just hard to collect that many varieties without having some overripe or less than fully mature. So I hope folk will make their judgements on more than one tasting.
Meanwhile, Fritz and Alma Mohrle came all the way from Onalaska, WA just to try to get a grape identified. I've taken a shot at it, though I'm not 100% satisfied. However, for those who want to see pictures and a possible ID, please feel free to visit
http://www.grapebreeders.org/Gb/Article ... rapeID.htm
and post any comments here.
--Lon Rombough
I agree with Viron that a limit should be placed on the number of on the spot grafts. The lines were extremely long last year, and what are these people doing, A commercial business? That's fine, but the society is called the Home Orchard Society, not the get rich off the kindness of fellow HOBBY orchardists. I really appreciate the classes and the grafts and I have made many successful grafts now. Thanks everyone for helping with the classes and grafting.
John S
PDX OR
So, is this a bad time to ask whether one can still place a make-a-tree order? We messed up and didn't fill out the form at the fruit show, but would love to order a couple of trees before the Spring show (okay, maybe 3....)
I'm looking forward to the PCC classes -- any idea on which rootstock and scions will be available?
This question probably sounds off the wall, but Viron's kit talk got me wondering, where does one buy popcycle sticks?
As far as the grafting at the Scion Exchange goes, how does that work? Generous HOS members like Viron volunteer to do the grafting supplying the skill and materials, members of general public buy a rootstock and then pay a nominal fee for each bench graft, and all of the procedes go to support the HOS?
Or is the grafting free after the purchase of the rootstock?
--><img decoding="async" src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt="Well, we know where to get the bands! Question is - are any of the higher-ups reading this stuff? FYI, I’m just a worker bee...
But I don't want to give the impression my grafting at our event is drudgery, I love it. For some reason my favorite part is teaching, or at least explaining it to others, as perhaps I'd have liked it explained to me. It still holds a fascination for me, but after you’ve ‘explained it’ a half-dozen times ... with 3 three times that many trees left to do for the same people, it begins to feel like work - even with help~
The grafting classes have been fun too; the part that makes me smile is the insistence students have on making ‘their own’ tree. Though instructers are more than willing to jump in there and do it for them -- they're ready to learn, even the hard way! The other nice aspect about the classes (which will need to be emphasized more and more) is latching on to some volunteer grafters for the scion exchange a couple weeks later.
A longtime HOS member, friend and mentor, Wane Huffstutter is no longer up to rounding us grafters up as he once did. Wayne would send the neatest hand-written invitations to us every year (I’ve saved them all Wane – and just used one to correctly spell your name!) …And we sure don't want to let him down. So any of you guys, or gals comfortable with your bench-grafting skills... step forward! Some of the most 'fun' I've had is learning along side real masters. And if there's ever a question, there are several of us there to ponder it. And it's always a thrill when we conclude the same thing! Everyone wins – as the crowd grinns!
Also... our main members aren't getting any younger... And as this forum appears to represent some enthusiastic members, the Board meets... well they meet somewhere (in Tigard I think) to hammer all this good stuff out. You're always welcome!
Idyllwild
simplepress
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
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