When you say it's the perfect weather for pruning - where are you? And what temperature are you? Where I am its 25 at night and 35 by day. I was always confused by the HOS calendar that says it's a good time to prune if it's over 45. If that's a night time low temp - by the time we see that, the trees will be breaking dormancy. Is there really a time when pruning can be harmful if the trees are dormant?
Some trees, like peaches, nectarines, plums, and quinces, are more likely to get a disease if you prune them in the rain.
Dormant scions stay dormant longer for the person who wants to graft them. If you have 15 scions you want to graft, and you have a different job, and you get them on March 30, or whenever they have the scion exchange nowadays, the scions might not last in a dormant state. They are more likely to take if the scions are dormant and the tree is starting to rev up.
You are more careful than I am Daniel. I just cut them while dormant, put them in an open plastic bag with one slightly moist paper towel or newspaper in an outdoor storage shed. Some put them in the fridge, but we cook dinner every night. No room.
John S
PDX (Portland ) OR
Technically I live close outside the city in unincorporated Washington County
If you can find a way to keep scions a bit below freezing the way I always do I would imagine the most important side of the cut to be protected is the side left outdoors and subject to wet above freezing.
Noticing a forcast of temperatures freezing tonight and then warming back up into mid or high 30s can give you a chance to make ice and store scions in a frozen state in a double plastic chest outside. For everything from apples to peaches with being in the high 20s to 30 area for a week in the chest they will be able to withstand any freezer box. In fact the above is required of sweet cherry, apricot, and peach.
Wait too long on that much past mid January (stages of cold acclimation to store the three kinds that need this the most) then the process to save then becomes more risky.
My experience used to be less than 10% grafting dormant sweet cherry saved in the fridge. Now for several years upon using lowered temperatures on the scions mine have been way up there with 100% same as it used to be with apples.
Idyllwild
simplepress
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
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