Meetings

January 15 Meeting: Grafting Demonstrations

The 2026 grafting season is about to begin. In preparation for the Great Scion Wood Exchange (see below), a fabulous group of volunteers will be demonstrating various grafting and propagation techniques.

Each station will be demonstrating something different:
  • Air-layering
  • Cleft grafting
  • Crown bark grafting
  • Dragon fruit grafting and propagation
  • Omega grafting tool grafting
  • Side grafting
  • Whip and tongue grafting
Bring a grafting knife to be touched up at our sharpening station! 

You can also drop-off your scion wood at this meeting. We will store your cuttings in a cooler and bring them to the scion exchange for you. Even if you are unable to attend the scion exchange this year, we still very much appreciate your contributions.

Please join us in person for this meeting. Because there will be multiple demonstrations going on at the same time, we will not be broadcasting this meeting on Zoom.

Attendees are encouraged to bring fresh fruit from their garden and other snacks to share at the tasting table. 

Thursday 1/15, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Red Hill Lutheran Church
13200 Red Hill Ave, Tustin, CA 92780

Click here for a Google Map. We meet in the CLC Fellowship Hall.

For more information contact Kathy Connell - vicechair@ocfruit.com

John McNeill demonstrated the Side Graft
Some of the demonstration stations at the January 2025 meeting

Denny Luby demonstrated the Crown Bark graft

Nohad Sabbagh demonstrated several Dragon Fruit
grafting and propagation techniques

Dick Malueg sharpened grafting knives


Events

January 17: The Great Scion Wood Exchange (GSWX 2026)

We are fortunate to once again have Dick Malueg running our 2026 Great Scion Wood Exchange.  As in previous years, the exchange will be held in the Millennium Barn at the Orange County Fairgrounds. 

GSWX has always been a very successful event, but that success depends on the scion wood donations of our members and guests. Please take the time to bring in cuttings from your favorite varieties to share with others. If you are unable to attend the exchange, please drop off your cuttings at the Jan 15 meeting (see above) or contact Dick Malueg to make other arrangements.

Members and guests dropping off scion wood and/or breakfast items may do so between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. 

Always check the patent status of varieties before sharing any cuttings. We do not accept varieties that are protected by an active patent. Here are two lists of patented fruit varieties.

Please lookup the patent status for newer varieties on the Dave Wilson Nursery website.

Note: the list from CRFG has not been updated since June 2018. Varieties that have been patented since then are missing from our list (e.g. the recently patented Luna avocado from UCR.) It also appears that some common names are missing, making it more difficult to search for the variety (e.g. the Prime Ark Freedom blackberry is listed under its patent name APF-153T.) 

We cannot except any citrus cuttings because of the ongoing citrus quarantine for HuangLongBing disease.

We would like to the thank The Fig Hunter for making a large donation of fig scions this year!
  • TFH-82 - Razz Jelly 
  • TFH-110 - Banwarth Black
  • TFH-111 - Banwarth Green
  • TFH-491 - Sweet Tart
  • TFH-727 - Realta Theas
  • TFH-808
  • TFH-880 - Eau Noir
  • TFH-1180 - Brothers 8
  • TFH-1845 - Kelli Lyn
Schedule: Saturday 1/17.26
  • 8:30 am - Volunteers will begin setting up in the Millennium Barn   
  • 9:00 am - Breakfast buffet items will be accepted
  • 9:00 am - Scions will be collected and organized
  • 9:00 am - Chapter experts will be available to answer questions
  • 9:30 am - Volunteers will be given the opportunity to collect scions 
  • 10:00 am - Doors open!
  • 12:00 pm - Scion exchange ends and volunteers will clean up
Millennium Barn in the Centennial Farm
Orange County Fairgrounds
88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Park in Lot B off of Fair Drive. Enter the farm area through the back gate. Parking and admission for the Centennial Farm is Free.

Click here for a Google map
Click here for a map of the OC Fair & Event Center.

For more information contact Dick Malueg - gsx@ocfruit.com
The Great Scion Wood Exchange 2025

Photos curtesy of OC CRFG member Joan Day

The OC CRFG Grafting DVD is available to watch on our YouTube channel

Five OC CRFG members demonstrate methods they have used with success for grafting, air-layering and clonal propagation.

Click here for the full video.