I read on a post here about using Winter Banana as an interstem between callery pear and apple. Is this working long-term? I read that cedar apple rust is a problem for winter banana. Will it be a problem in cedar apple rust areas?
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Everyone I’ve ever known who used WB as an interstem or framework was putting pears (usually Asian) on apple. I suppose it might work in the inverse… I would not have major concern about CAR affecting a WB interstem… I don’t see nearly the amount of stem lesions on apple that I do on quince, mayhaw, serviceberry that tend to be affected with the cedar-quince strain of Gymnosporangium fungus.
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Part of me wonders if winter hardiness would be a concern too assuming it is like quince for pears. The reason you always see pears for sale on OHxF rootstock in America is because they are winter hardy compared to quince and fairly disease resistant. Quince has the issue of if you are in a southern state in the Bible Belt you are ok but if you are north of the Bible Belt good luck with quince.
Just saw this post cedar apple rust is a problem for winter banana. Most apples require heavy spraying which is why i prefer growing pears. Callery will not die without spraying but many apples do. Ohxf rootstocks are targeted by rabbits and other things but callery and bet rootstocks are not targeted.
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