North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Steven Covacci <filtertitle@aol.com>]

I'm about to order a number of self-fertile, crack-resistant sweet cherries 
(White Gold, Benton, Black Gold).  My soil is moist, so drought is not a 
concern; neither is flooding.   I want them on dwarfing rootstocks, but I'm 
concerned for the long-term results.
Firstly, I think that Krymsk will succumb to virus.  As for Gisela, I'm going 
that trees on Gisela-6 will last a life time, and not runt-out.  Maybe for 
the first years, I'll take the garden hose and spray the spring blossoms to 
prevent over-bearing as the rootsystems establish.  It is said that once 
growth stops (i.e. due to over-bearing, etc.), growth may not again resume; 
also, that over-cropping will leave the tree low on carbohydrates reserved 
for winter-survival.
If Gisela is too much of a risk, maybe I should go with the traditional colt, 
mazzard, or other rootstock and prepare to climb the tree and keep it pruned 
to 18'?
Or should I chance the Gisela-6 solution?
Thank you,
Steve; NJ