T budding question

I have a number of healthy scion sticks leftover in the fridge. Can I use the buds for t budding right from the fridge or should I attempt to sprout them with some root tone and a potting mix?

Thanks,

Paul Weideman
Fencerow Cider
Imlay City, MI



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2016 11:07AM by Paul Weideman.

I would not attempt to root them in pots, almost impossible to do that . The T-budding might work, but those scions are quite old. I would wait to chip bud in August with fresh wood if you can get it.

jmho, Pat

Brampton Lake Orchards

Zone 4a Upper Michigan

A slightly oblique response: I too ended up with a number of scions in the fridge, (actually belonging to somebody else, whom I thought was going to come and "park" them on my trees). By the time I determined that they weren't coming, and did it myself, it was mid-June. I grafted them largely with simple whip and tongue grafts, and a few bark flap grafts. They have budded out within the past week, and almost all of them (roughly 30 cultivars), are growing.

Somewhat related: I had also asked a friend for scion wood of a particular cultivar. He didn't get around to cutting it until it had broken dormancy, and delivered it to me, as i recall, around June 10. At the time I got it, it had large green buds, almost leaves. I had a similar situation a number of years ago after a bun fight with Agriculture Canada, who blocked my order for scion wood on the principle that I was not "a bona fide researcher". By the time we worked this through, and got the material released, these sticks had actual small leaves. In both instances, I wrapped the entire stick of scion wood with Parafilm, covering over the growing buds, and including the tip, to seal the scion, and stop it drying out before it could heal in. And I can report that in both instances the grafts took and grew vigorously.

Broomholm Orchard
Zone 5b in Nova Scotia