North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>]

At 01:45 PM 3/6/2007, Hans wrote:
> Are some nurseries in the North of the USA sometimes using other
> rootstock than Pecan for their Pecan graftings?

Most nut tree nurseries that I am familiar with - whether in the 
southern or northern/midwestern US - use seedling pecans as rootstock 
for pecan/hickory/hican varieties.  There *may* be a few northern 
nurseries that are using shagbark hickory as an understock for pecan, 
but I would not find that to be a desirable choice here in zone 6, as 
the pecan would likely overgrow the slower-growing C.ovata 
understock, and be predisposed to break-over at the graft union at 
some time in the future; additionally, I would anticipate smaller nut 
size &/or poorer kernel 'fill' with C.ovata rootstock, as 
C.illinoensis continues to push vegetative growth farther into the 
growing season than does C.ovata.
It's unlikely that many would be using C.cordiformis, as it is known, 
at least anecdotally, to be incompatible with many pecan and hickory 
selections.

LLP