Scionwood for Hunt Russet is available from Tower Hill Botanic Garden in MA. Here is a link that might be useful: Tower Hill Botanic Garden Scionwood List

Scott, Wouldnt surprise me if I dont get scion wood. I figured why not try it to see if they will fulfill a rare variety. I'll just place an order with Maple Valley for those 3 scions as a backup. I'll contact you about Freyberg in February. What I ordered thru USDA Geneva: King of The Pippins Belle de Boskoop Calville Blanc d'Hiver They're not impossible to find on the internet, but not commercially common either. If they show up at my door I'll report back on it. -Eric

Yeah...it's something to be considered. People shouldn't trade scions from trees known to be diseased though. I realize that they could still be infected however. Just because you haven't seen any fireblight that doesn't mean there has never been any pressure though. It would be hard to fathom there never having been Erwinia Amylovora bacterium there. It just so happened nothing was infected, or if it was, you just didn't see it. Could be that unfavorable conditions have existed or the trees just happened to be resistant. I think the disease pressure is everywhere...whether it manifests itself or not. Obviously though it wouldn't be a good idea to introduce it, but how many purchased trees or ornamentals or whatever are certified? I'd say virtually none and you know that is going on all the time.

1000 watt MH is quite bright, but what really matters is distance from the light. outdoor shade on a sunny day may rival even a 1000watt MH, depending on distance, age of bulb, etc. If you cover the pot fully (ziplock/humidity dome/etc) that also cuts down on light. You can certainly fry cuttings, just like anything else, but in my experience light does help them root. Be careful using bleach. Bleach often has chrlorine as a primary component, and plants DO NOT like chrlorine - this much I am sure of. Daniel