@SkillCult,
Thank you for sharing your methods with us. Very much appreciated!
One take-away for me from almost all the posters is NOT to use paper towels. Wood shavings, nothing at all, or newsprint are better options. I have used wetter than “damp” paper towels and found out how quickly mold will grow in that environment. Thanks again!
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I just watched your videos on YouTube on grafting @SkillCult and although I am new to grafting, I will be using this strategy for any scions I ship in the future. Such a simple inexpensive way to ship and still assure some moisture remains in the bag without overdoing it.
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I have used the zipper bag method without paper towel for so long that I forgot how bad paper towels are, yet my logic for using something besides just a baggie was to help prevent freeze damage to the cuttings during delivery. Yet now that I am reading this thread I am remembering how mold formed on a paper towel with a hydrogen peroxide solution soaked in to it, even the hydrogen peroxide could not prevent the paper towel from molding.
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I used a well-wrung out paper towel ball in the corner of the bag for years and never had any problems. The towel would mold a bit but it would not move to the scions. It is excess moisture that is the main problem. That said, now I just flick in a bit of water with my fingers and skip the paper towel.
Not putting any water in can be bad, especially if the bag is not a thick freezer-type bag. I have had scions in storage dry out badly in such bags even if I had hydrated them well initially. Note this is in longer-term storage, not just for shipping. But shipping in the heat I would like to have a little water in the bag just in case.
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Great stuff here of course.
Maybe this might end this thread since we all are talking about means other than allowing nature to the complete job.
My friend John Brittain now deceased (Nolin River Nursery) would wait until trees would be pumping sap into their canopy and just before they would break bud, John would cut. Then, he dipped each side in a thick wax to close off, and that’s how he kept and stored his scions also. John was a firm believer to never cut scions until the trees had pumped (water + nutrients) into the branches.
So there’s artificial means (I think it’s been beaten into the ground pretty good now - and by a lot of experts on this forum) and then there’s natural means. If you didn’t know John, he was one of the horticultural minds that had simple steps (pelleted chicken manure from the Amish) and John used to say, ‘be careful & don’t put it down heavy, this stuff is really “hot” and will burn) and he paid excavators with very small excavators to dig his trees during Fall while getting the entire root. He’s send you a tree that was 6’ tall with a 6’ tall root where you could see the tip. And then John put all his grafts laying on the ground and laid leaf mulch (city or county would bring them to him for free) over his trees and he would walk away and not turn around until it was Spring shipping time. And he always sold out.
So, there are people with very simple minds that know a lot more than a lot of us do. They might have grown up ‘on the farm’ you could say. Or, who knows… but it’s likely not the city.
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To prevent/delay mold, spray the paper towels with hydrogen peroxide. This works for me when starting seeds (damp paper towel in ziplock bag method).
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… or use newsprint instead of paper towels. Supposedly the soy-based ink on the newsprint is anti-fungal.
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Hi Bob,
I saw your awesome list of apples based on flavor on Houzz. You had a long list and I read the descriptions but I wanted to ask you what variety of apples you think have the most unique and complex flavors. I’m stuck on Sweet 16 and Frostbite as being really unique. Any insights would be much appreciated.
That’s how they look before I ship mine worldwide.
This pic was taken yesterday and today it was posted.
All that needs to be done is to dip each cut in hot bee wax and place them in a zip-lock (without any damp cloth or towel).
I always make sure there is no fruitful buds.
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I think I’ve got a small Frostbite tree, but don’t recall ever sampling one. So, I’ve got to go with Sweet 16 as the most interestingly distinctive apple flavor. I like them, but I can see why some would be put off.
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BobVance, Frostbite is a parent to Sweet 16 and Keepsake (and grandparent to HoneyCrisp).
So–who is surprised that they would be named in the same sentence for “unique flavor”?
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Are you saying that someone who is unique could be that way because of their parent 
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