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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Duke cherries.

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  • From: Jwlehman@aol.com
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Duke cherries.
  • Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 23:23:30 EDT

Please do this on-line, so we can all see this!
Jim
Idaho        



Well, OK, but my ignorance will really hang out with this. Lucky Pittman wrote that Donna Hudson has some Dukes but she hasn't jumped in yet. JoanRRosenberg wrote she has some seedlings that might be, but has trouble with cherries in her soil.

Common problem in heavy clay soil which I'm on also, so "me too Joan."  There is a Mazzard X Mahaleb series of rootstocks which go by M x M, or MXM. MxM60 is supposed to be more tolerant of heavy clay than either Mazzard or Mahaleb.  The only two cherry trees that I've been able to establish are on MxM60, from Hilltop Nursery in Michigan. I'm sure others know more than I about that series of rootstocks. I suspect it has problems or would be better accepted.

Back to the Duke cherry I have here and wanted an opinion if it might be worth saving. It is budded (I think) on an unknown understock and given to me by a man who either bred or found it and he thought it was a good one.  I have no other dukes to compare with. It has been here now about 20 years and never had but a few cherries, although bloomed every year, and what few there were the birds took. This year it was loaded with small (smaller than Montmorency) black (looks like small Bing) fruit. The flavor was similar to Bing but with the slight tartness of sour cherry.  

We did can 32 quarts of sweet cherries and froze sour cherries but because if the size and busy doing other things left these to the birds. Did eat quite a few out of hand.

Comments please. Worth saving? If anyone wants bud wood I'll supply. I call it, "Doc's Duke."  The man who gave it to me went by the name of Doc and passed away a few years back.  

Jerry 
zone 5b



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