North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Heron Breen <breen@fedcoseeds.com>]

Hello Fruit Lovers,
I have a few questions that I cannot seem to clarify: 
Will Prunus americana accept and fruit peach or apricot?
Will seedling apricot rootstock accept and fruit peach? How about Euro, Asian 
and 
American plums also on apricot rootstock?
I have a lot of left over rootstock and wondered what interesting experiments 
can I 
try. Some multi-specie trees would be fun!
 One thing is certain after this winter: Peach rootstock suffers near total 
die 
back here in the zone 4 region of Maine, to the point where I am either going 
wholly into own-root production, or I have got to find another rootstock. 
 The same goes for Prunus cerasifera rootstock. They put on lots of growth 
last 
summer, and lost almost half to two-thirds of it this winter, but that is no 
where 
near the peach damage. But the P.c. grew HUGE fibrous roots! Although this 
was a 
pleasant surprise, for budding and grafting purposes I prefer putting 
cultivars on 
something as hardy or hardier than the scion/bud. 
 What I have been trying to do is trial various rootstocks, letting them grow 
out 
for a few summers. If they survive the winters, I may even let them try and 
produce 
fruit. This is what I was hoping for with the Prunus cerasifera, but it has 
shown 
its flaws and has been yanked.
 I would be very pleased if someone could suggest a supplier of hardy Prunus 
domestica seed or rootstock. I have never come across it in rootstock form in 
the 
wholesale rootstock business. I am interested to try it. If you have a bunch 
of 
pits left over from this year's bounty from some hardy cultivars, let me know!
Overall, if you had a moment, please share the stone fruit rootstock/scion 
combos 
you've experimented with!
Looking for the lock and the key for this Northern stone fruit stuff,
Heron Breen
zone 4 Maine