2024 Scion Exchange


Redwood Empire Scion Exchange 2024

Saturday, February 17, 2024
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Santa Rosa Veterans Building [Directions]
1351 Maple Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95404

  9:00 am – Members Only (Join/Renew before our Exchange)
10:00 am–2:00 pm – Open to the Public

$5.00 for Members and Non-Members

12:00 pm – Grafting Class with David Ulmer

Custom Tree Grafting Service: $5/graft
Expert grafters are available to graft a custom tree for you. Purchase your rootstock, choose your scion, and then buy a custom grafting ticket for $5.

Rootstock: $5–10 each

Apple:

M111 EMLA – 3/8″ Semi-Dwarf %80 vigorous Apple
Budagovski 9 – 3/8″ Full Dwarf %35 Winter Harty
Geneva 890 – 1/4″ Semi Dwarf %60
Malus domestica Seedling – 3/8″

Pear:
Old Home x Farmingdale 97 1/4″ Standard Size
Old Home x Farmingdale 87 3/8″ Semi Dwarf %75 Winter Hardy Fireblight resistant

Plum:
Prunus marianna 2624 – 1/4″ Large Semi-Dwarf
Prunus myrobalan 29C – 1/4″ Large 16-20 Feet Resistant to Root knot nematode and crown gall.
Prunus myrobalan seedling – 1/4″
Prunus persica peach ‘Lovell’ – 3/8′ and larger – Full-size tree
Prunus persica peach ‘Nemared’ – 1/4′ and larger- Standard tree height

Cherry:
‘Colt’ – Semi Dwarf %90

No price breaks for larger quanities.

Fresh Citrus Fruit for Sale
Enjoy variety of delicious fresh citrus fruit grown by CRFG member Ray Sheehey.

Scion Collection Starter Kit: $2
Available at entry: includes plastic bag, sharpie and tape. Or you bring your own plastic bags, tape, sharpies etc.

Vendor Inquiries: Please contact Phil Pieri at Phil_p_2001@ yahoo.com

  • Select special cultivar cuttings for grafting – often over 500 varieties! 
  • Enjoy grafting and planting demonstrations for beginners
  • Rootable cuttings also available: grapes, figs, pomegranates and more may be planted directly in the ground
  • Fruit Experts available to answer questions
  • Download our flyer to share

Download Your Comprehensive Guide

              How to Make the Best of a CRFG Scion Exchange (pdf)

 

WHAT TO BRING

  1. Scion wish list (based on fruit tastings, research, and experienced recommendations according to the chill-hours and micro-climate of where you live)
  2. Gallon zip-top plastic bag to put your scions in so they stay fresh, (include your name on it in case you lay it down and forget)
  3. Painters or masking tape to label your scions
  4. Permanent Marker to write on your tape
  5. Notebook & pen to take notes
  6. A handled-tote to carry them all in
  7. Scions to share from your trees. (See instructions below.)
  8. Cash for entry for all your purchases

 

What NOT to Bring

 

Scion Exchange Essential Knowledge

Join Now Don't wait until the Scion Exchange to fill in forms. Join or renew your membership to CRFG and to our Chapter for early member only access to the Exchange and exclusive members only opportunities:

 

  • Join CRFG to help us support our mission—including scion exchanges!
  • Subscribe to our Redwood Chapter for exclusive orchard tours, events, grafting classes, fruit tastings, and educational opportunities

 

 

Previous Scion Exchanges

We’re looking forward to getting together again in person in 2024. See below for photos and information from previous scion exchanges.

Our most popular event is the Scion Exchange we host every Febuary, open to the public.

This event is not to be missed for all fruit enthusiasts. We focus on sharing free scion wood from all sorts of fruit trees and vines — common favorites, heirlooms, rare and experimental varieties – usually 500+ varieties. We supply rootstocks to graft them onto at a nominal price, and expert grafters who can custom-graft fruit trees on the spot for a nominal fee.

In addition, multiple vendors supply a tremendous variety of fruiting plants you won’t find anywhere else for some incredible deals.

We offer free grafting demonstration classes for beginners, plus experts are available to answer your fruit-growing questions.

 

 

Collecting and Sharing Scions

Collecting Scions at the Exchange
Bring gallon ziplock baggies, tape and a sharpie marker to label your scions. Help yourself to no more than a scion or two of each variety you will really graft this year.

Download our Scion Exchange guide (pdf).

Preparing Scions for Contribution
Please take care in the labeling of any scions you’d like to bring to the Scion Exchange. Scions should be cut from clean, one-year-old wood, about 1/4 inch in diameter and generally no more than 6 inches long so that they fit in attendees’ gallon ziplock bags. Please bring then in clearly-labelled gallon ziplock bags.

Download the Scion Label Form

Patent and Quarantine Information
Only scions from non-patented non-quarantined trees may be brought to the exchange.

VIDEO: Getting Ready for the CRFG Scion Exchange

Additional Links

Additional scion exchanges are held at CRFG chapters throughout California, Texas, Arizona and Nevada. Click here to find the closest chapter and whom to contact for dates of events.

 

Collecting and Sharing Scions

Collecting Scions at the Exchange
Bring gallon ziplock baggies, tape and a sharpie marker to label your scions. Help yourself to no more than a scion or two of each variety you will really graft this year.

Download our Scion Exchange guide (pdf).

Preparing Scions for Contribution
Please take care in the labeling of any scions you’d like to bring to the Scion Exchange. Scions should be cut from clean, one-year-old wood, about 1/4 inch in diameter and generally no more than 6 inches long so that they fit in attendees’ gallon ziplock bags. Please bring then in clearly-labelled gallon ziplock bags.

Download the Scion Label Form

Patent and Quarantine Information
Only scions from non-patented non-quarantined trees may be brought to the exchange.

VIDEO: Getting Ready for the CRFG Scion Exchange

Additional Links

Additional scion exchanges are held at CRFG chapters throughout California, Texas, Arizona and Nevada. Click here to find the closest chapter and whom to contact for dates of events.

2023 Summer Bud Grafting Clinic and Scion Exchange

WHEN: Sunday August 13th. at 1:00 PM
WHERE: Please join the Redwood Empire chapter to get access to our email list. Address is sent out to members on the email list.

Come learn how or practice your summer bud grafting and participate in our summer scion exchange.

Think about what really good fruit varieties you could share.

The budwood should be cut the day of the event, labeled, and immediately put in a cooler.
Make sure you do not bring patented varieties.
Apricots, Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, Pluots, Apples, Pears and Cherries can all be propagated in the summer.
Almost all of the commercial fruit trees are budded in the summer.
Peaches/nectarines, in particular, seem to do better with summer budding.

Bring your offerings and also select what varietals you would like to have.

Our illustrious plant biologist, David Ulmer, will instruct how to chip bud for the most success.

See you all there.

2023 Scion Exchange Feb 25.

WHEN: Saturday – Feb. 25, 2023
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

WHERE: Santa Rosa Veterans Building

Across from the Sonoma County Fairgrounds
1351 Maple Avenue, Santa Rosa 95404

Free cuttings for grafting – often over 500 varieties! Grafting demonstrations by expert grafters.
Various rootstocks available for sale.
Custom trees grafted at your request (limited).
Fruit Experts available to answer questions.
Tree Sales, Bee Blocks, Crafts, Preserves, Honey!

Bring big baggies, tape to write-on or labels, and a “Sharpie” pen for labeling cuttings

Vendors may contact Phil Pieri at Phil_p_2001@ yahoo.com

2022 Apple and Pear Tasting

We had a great time this year with the tasting and scoring. We were able to get use of the Sebastopol Grange Hall for the event. This year was a public event, and we had such a good time. Thank you to everyone involved.

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday March 21, 2020: ZOOM Grafting Clinic

Although we had planned to enjoy a nice time together at Ettamarie Parson’s place in Petaluma, a certain virus had other plans for our event. Thanks to the efforts (and courage) of David Ulmer, we gathered together on Zoom for the first time.

David hosted a live online grafting tutorial by Zoom. David made two short videos of me doing a cleft graft and a whip and tongue graft that he shared with a live voice-over. We had pelnty of time for questions and answers.

March 8, 2020: Fruit Tree Grafting and Potting Party

CRFG grafters and helpers turned out in force for our annual grafting “party”. This
year we congregated at Maile Pieri’s home. We grafted between 125 and 200 trees. Bob McCarville sourced good compost to add to our potting mixture — hopefully we’ll have great plant growth this year!

Have photos of this event you’d like to share? Send to webmaster at crfg-redwood dot org

 

January 25, 2020: Annual Scion Exchange

We held our annual scion exchange at the Santa Rosa Veteran’s center. Hundreds of people attended this community event, collecting free scions from hundreds of varieties of fruit trees. Rootstocks were available for sale at a nominal price, and CRFG grafters were on hand to create custom- fruit trees on the spot.

More than a dozen vendors offered fruit trees, grape vines and other plants for sale as well as fresh citrus fruit and other items. Local businesses and non-profits provided information tables as well.

We continued our raffle this year with a number of fruit-related prizes raising money for our scholarship and grants fund.

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped put this event together.