IN-PERSON MONTHLY MEETING & SCION EXCHANGE
Schedule
Sat Feb 07 2026 at 10:00 am to 01:00 pm
UTC-08:00Location
Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District | Riverside, CA
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Presentation "To Graft or to Root" (10am-11am). Learn about advantages/disadvantages of grafting on scions vs rooting cuttings. Also, find out about growing rare and unusual fruits, as well as common ones; exchanging scions; local group activities, and more. Following the presentation, watch demos of basic grafting. Then we will have a Scion Exchange. What is a Scion you ask? That is a cutting taken from a plant, usually in the dormant season. It can be used for grafting onto another plant, or in the case of figs, grapes, pomegranates, and mulberries, they can be rooted to start a new plant. Everyone is welcome to participate (priority given to members, and those who bring cuttings).
MEETING TIME:
10 am: Presentation
11 am: Scion exchange set up and prep
~11:45 am: Scion exchange
SIGN IN: As you arrive, be sure to sign in on our list. We will use the order on the attendance list for helping determine the order of picking scions (plus priority for members and those who bring cuttings).
GRAFTING DEMOS: Grafting and propagation of cuttings
Would you like to grow several varieties of fruit on one tree? Or learn how to take an unknown seedling tree and turn it into a known variety? Or grow whole new plants from cuttings? We will be demonstrating some basic grafting techniques, plus easy non-grafting ways to propagate cuttings from pomegranates, mulberries, figs, grapes, berries, etc. We will break into small groups, and rotate to see different demonstration stations.
TASTING TABLE: We all like trying and learning about new and different varieties of fruit. So feel free to bring any of your current harvest, preserved fruits, or just anything created in your kitchen.
SCION EXCHANGE
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Begins after meeting and grafting demos conclude, approx. 11:45 am.
SET UP/PREP: During the presentation (10-11 a.m. approx), and for 30 minutes after it ends. We will have signs set out on various tables, so before, (quietly) during, or shortly after our general meeting, you can lay out your scions and cuttings in the appropriate areas.
WHAT: A scion exchange is where we swap cuttings (scions) from known varieties of fruit, in order to graft them onto our own trees, or in some cases, grow them into their own trees.
Those who bring scions, cuttings, plant starts, seeds, or gardening supplies to trade or donate to our sale, and are members will get higher priority to go through and select scions.
IMPORTANT: Please, bring no citrus, due to the quarantine for HLB.
Non-members will have an opportunity to become a member that morning or ahead of time (email [email protected] for an application). Bring exactly $41 in cash or bring a check - minimum level to join national is $29 which includes 6 electronic magazines to the Fruit Gardener, plus chapter dues are $12. It is $39 for a mailed hard-copy color magazine plus $12 chapter dues, totaling $51. Other memberships (i.e. multi-year or lifetime) available, price varies.
GUIDELINES FOR SHARING SCIONS
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(Used with permission from the CRFG Foothills Chapter)
• Do not share citrus and citrus relatives (see notes above).
• Do not share cuttings of patented fruit varieties that are still under patent protection. If the tag on your tree says “Propagation Prohibited” or “PPAF”, do not bring cuttings from it to the exchange.
• Do take cuttings of dormant wood (not newly-sprouted) from clean, healthy plants.
• Cuttings should be of wood that is only 1-2 years old, about the size of a pencil (6”-8” long and 1/8” to ¾” in diameter), and include at least 2-3 buds.
• When you cut scions, make a slanted cut at the top of the scion and make a straight cut at the bottom (perpendicular to the stem). The slanted cut identifies the top so the stem can be oriented correctly during grafting.*
• Label each bundle of cuttings. Include variety name (such as “Santa Rosa plum” or “Granny Smith apple”), description, and, if possible, your name (in case someone wants to know more about the cuttings)
• Place the cuttings into a plastic bag, wrapped in a clean, damp paper towel or damp newspaper to keep them from drying out.
• Store bags of cuttings in the refrigerator (not the freezer) until you are ready to bring them to the scion exchange or to graft them onto one of your trees.
• During the exchange please take only 1-2 scions of a variety and leave the rest for others to share. (After everyone has had a chance to get cuttings, we can announce when people can go back and get more from the left overs).
7 MIN VIDEO ON COLLECTING SCIONS
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HELPFUL TO BRING
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If you are planning to take scions or other plant cuttings home the following items are helpful to bring:
a: ziplock bags to separate and keep your scions from drying out. Moistened paper towels in each bag are also very helpful.
b: permanent marker and/or white out pen - to write on labels, and also you can write straight on the thicker cuttings. Liquid paper pens that write in white are even better than black permanent markers. Black markers, even when permanent, do fade with time, even within a few months. The Liquid Paper/White Out ink lasts much longer. So far labels I wrote more than a year ago show no change on my trees.
c: some kind of tape: masking tape, duct tape, even scotch tape wrapped around a cutting and stuck to itself. Then you can write on the tape itself.
d: A bigger bag or box to collect all your bagged up scions or other garden treasures.
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Where is it happening?
Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District, 4500 Glenwood Dr, Riverside, CA 92501-3066, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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