North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Scott Smith <scott@cs.jhu.edu>]

If you are regularly in your orchard I would not be so concerned about black 
knot.  Make sure the trees are in full sun and don't let them get too dense 
anywhere, and then cut out any knots you see.  Pay particular attention in 
winter pruning for knots, they are more visible then and you can reset the 
system by getting rid of nearly all of it in the winter.  I have yet to lose 
a plum to black knot and I have about 30 plum trees in a similar climate.

Scott z7 MD

On Feb 16, 2012, at 9:59 PM, Steven Covacci wrote:

> 
> 
> I'm planting the self-fertile, highly disease-resistant (including 
> black-knot resistant) variety of European plum (P. x domestica) known as 
> 'NY-9' (aka 'Kenmore).
> For a second plum - a purple-fruited variety, I'd like to go with either 
> Imperial Epineuse or D'Agen.  However, President would be my second-choice, 
> right after 'NY-9' for the sake of disease-resistance.  I live in the 
> northeast (NJ).
> Do you think I'd be better-off planting President and then, latter, 
> top-grafting with the better-tasting Imperial Epineuse (or maybe D'Agen; 
> aka D'Ente/707)?  I figure that if the top-grafted variety starts 
> exhibiting high-susceptibilty to black-knot, then I can cut it back to the 
> President variety which it the understock and frame.
> Or would I be better-off just getting the better desired variety (Imperial 
> Epineuse) and just keeping my eye out for black-knot, pruning it off.  One 
> note is that if I just get a grafted tree of Imperial Epineuse, I would 
> steep the graft union and get it on its own roots; however, if on President 
> - there will be a graft-union between the President under-stock/frame and 
> the top-grafted second variety, a point into which borers may enter, being 
> that there will be a graft-union.  Sometimes, albeit rarely, the 
> graft-union can get black-knot also.
> Lastly, does anyone have an opinion as to wether the larger, freestone 
> Imperial Epineuse is better then the more internationally utilized 
> clingstone, smaller D'Agen (aka D'Ente/707 selection)?
> Thanks,
> Steve - NJ
> 
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