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nafex - [nafex ibiblio list] Steeping Prunus (dwarf strains of plum & sour-cherry) graft-union/getting on own roots

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  • From: Steven Covacci <filtertitle@aol.com>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [nafex ibiblio list] Steeping Prunus (dwarf strains of plum & sour-cherry) graft-union/getting on own roots
  • Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2012 01:50:15 -0500 (EST)



Group:
Would it be a good, or at least acceptable, plant to steep the graft-union of
dwarf strains of plum (i.e. European plum cv. 'Mt. Royal') or dwarf strains
of sour cherry (i.e. 'North Star')?
Pros:
1. No 'unsightly' graft-union (the least of the benefits), so that the
rootsystem on up is all contiguously the same material
2. No risk of future graft-rejection due to graft-incompatibiltiy or an
improperly rendered grafting job
3. No risk of the scion over-growing the under-stock (for dwarf strains that,
yet, less dwarfed then the under-stock)
4. No graft-union into which borers would, otherwise, aim to enter the tree
(the most signficant benefit)
Potential Cons:
1. The specially developed rootstock, in some cases, is specially selected
(i.e. P. mahaleb, etc.) or bred (i.e. Krymsk series, etc.) for its resistance
to soil-bourne pathogens and soil conditions; the variety itself (scion) may
not have the same disease resistance or soil-condition suitability as the
selected understock had, before being buried and succeeded over by the roots
of the scion, after steeping.
2. The scion may not put forth roots before the now buried rootstock rots
away.
In my situation:
A. I'd like to get my 'North Star' sour cherry on its own roots so that, in
the future, the base of the trunk (being on P. mahaleb) doesn't form a big
bulge as it will do; since 'North Star' is a true dwarf variety, the P.
mahaleb will not confer any (further) dwarfing - my guess it that it might
even add a little size, if anything. I'd love the tree to sucker, if that's
what would happen on its own roots. I'm not one to train a Magnolia into a
single-trunk specimen, etc.
B. I'd like to get my European plum cv. 'President' since it's already a
semi-dwarf and since the scion is highly black-knot resistant, and the
under-stock - although rarely effected by the disease, may or may not be.
C. I'd like to get my flowering dogwood on its own roots since the
graft-union is highly subject to infiltration by borers.
Thanks,
Steve
New Jersey




  • [nafex ibiblio list] Steeping Prunus (dwarf strains of plum & sour-cherry) graft-union/getting on own roots, Steven Covacci, 01/08/2012

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