North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Charles Paradise <machelp@attglobal.net>]

The P. Americana rootstock I have used have suckered a lot.  For me that's a 
major problem with choosing P.
Americana as a rootstock.  But P. Americana grows over a thousand mile range 
[conservatively] and so variation
within the species may indeed be allowing Kevin B to be experiencing no 
suckering on his P. Americana.

Indeed grafts of the 48-chromosome european cherries will take on the 
16-chromosome P. Americana roots.  I do
not know if compatibility will be sustained for many years, maybe it would.

Another question:  how sure can anyone be that their "P. Americana" so-called 
is not mixed with other species?
If it is indeed pure P. Americana, low vigor is a possibility.
Charlie Paradise
zone 5/Massachusetts

Ed Forest wrote:

> Frank Foltz of Northwind Nursery has been growing Euro plums on amercana for
> decades and could give you some info. His email address is:
> frankfoltz@usfamily.net
> I myself have been growing all my cultivated plums on americana for fifteen
> years and really like this rootstock, no problems, a few suckers but after
> five years of neglect only a few to worry about.
> I have noticed on one varitey, South Dakota, that ther is extreme overgrowth
> at the union, high grafted. Not a problem with any low grafted plums I've
> got. (Alderman, Superior, Pipestone, Waneta, Monitor, and several others.)
> The P domestica plums I've grafted to it do fine so far for me. Bob Purvis
> mentioned a possible incompatability but I haven't noticed it but I don't
> have any old trees on demestica. I would just bury the graft union.
> Kevin B
> Kevin Bradley