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Time to cut scions yet?
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John S
PDX OR
2941 Posts
(Offline)
1
December 23, 2023 - 7:39 pm

It was clearer to me last year about this time that it was the time to cut scions.  We have had a few freezing days here, but we haven't had the really cold temperatures that make it obvious. The Oregonian was saying that this is the 2nd warmest December ever.  I don't want to wait too long and cut them in late February when the trees are starting to wake up. 

 

Whaddya think?
John S
PDX OR

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sweepbjames
NE Portland, OR Cully Neighborhood
242 Posts
(Offline)
2
December 25, 2023 - 8:38 pm

Ume buds are really swollen.

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Dannytoro1
66 Posts
(Offline)
3
December 26, 2023 - 1:37 am

It has been colder here much like last year. They claim due to the El/La Nino cycle. Summer Apples are evergreen as ever. The crabapple and pears have gone dormant. Have many figs putting out green buds; but not all.

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John S
PDX OR
2941 Posts
(Offline)
4
January 3, 2024 - 8:41 am

It may never get really cold.  I am going to start cutting some scions soon, because if you wait until February, you can see the quince buds leafing out.

John S
PDX OR

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jafar
834 Posts
(Offline)
5
January 4, 2024 - 3:32 am

I've already collected scions.

It's supposed to get mid to low 20s or worse here on Jan 12th.

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jafar
834 Posts
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6
January 4, 2024 - 11:53 am

Now weather.com is showing a low of 29, quite a difference!

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John S
PDX OR
2941 Posts
(Offline)
7
January 12, 2024 - 5:52 pm

There should be no doubt that if you get down to the teens F, or even low 20's,  the time has arrived to cut scions. The trees are definitely dormant.

John S
PDX OR

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Rooney
Vancouver SW Washington
833 Posts
(Offline)
8
January 14, 2024 - 2:54 pm

Those experiencing more than two days of 25-32 degrees of freezing and want to collect scions and we live around PDX, then today is okay to put them in a near zero freezer to store them. Supercooling or vapor pressure is as laid out by OSU and hosted at goodfruit dot com in the following:

How-The-Cold-Affects-Fruit-Buds

One word of caution is to follow the OSU guide and not to thaw out the scion before having it frozen at near zero.

I am local, so if I pick sweet cherry, and one other picks another kind, then let's both do it. We each should seal two scions in a baggie. We will move one of the two in an above freezing fridge in a month, then the other with it in 2 months. When we graft we can compare results and then we would know for sure that freezer chest temperatures for long periods of time won't kill.

This is applicable right now based on location only and this PDF used as the minumum 2-3 days conditioning period of time durations and the still early stages of dormancy on the scions;
So this is our local conditions already to date

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John S
PDX OR
2941 Posts
(Offline)
9
February 7, 2024 - 4:13 pm

It's getting too late.  I checked my shiro plums and they were already showing white blossoms. They haven't quite bloomed yet, but they are close.  With Santa Rosa and Methley, they are getting close to too late as well. 

On other species, it might be ok. Just don't keep waiting if you need dormant scions.

JohN S
PDX OR

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Reinettes
Lewis Co., WA
429 Posts
(Offline)
10
February 16, 2024 - 5:23 pm

John S.,

I usually collect scions in February, which in the past has been the coldest month here.  However, the climate is changing and the weather is ever less predictable.  I'm already behind, but thankfully we're in a slightly colder area than those of you in the greater Portland area and, locally, we're in a bit of a microclimate.

Several miles away is a very old roadside tree that I discovered to be a pear with roundish, russeted fruit.  It's next to an intersection that was once known by the historical place name of 'Klaus' on topographic maps, but, when we moved here, was locally known as 'Stinky's Corner' for a gas station that was already defunct.  [It's on the N-S Jackson Highway which was the N-S route between Portland and Olympia before the Interstate 5 went through in the '50s.]  I figure that it might be the "Sugar Pear" that was so popular in earlier times.  I wanna collect that and graft it to a spare OHxF rootstock that I have.  I think that the 'Sugar Pear' of old times is considered to be the 'Kieffer'.

I have some apple grafts to collect as well across a fairly broad area.  Time is ticking down....  Neither the scions or the rootstocks should break dormancy before the deed is done!  🙂

Reinettes.

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