I’m researching cherry rootstocks. I’m in zone 4b. I currently have a grafted Montmorency onto Mazzard. I have been looking into Gisela 6 and Krymsk. For my location, what would likely work the best? I like standard or almost standard trees, for example I use Bud118 and OHxF97 and 87 for apples and pears. Any advice from northern cold climate cherry growers would be appreciated.
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I actually want a Monty on mazzard 
But I wanted a more dwarfing one but it’s more difficult to find for me.
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My Montmorency’s (2) came from Cummins on Mahaleb and have done very well. They’re noted as vigorous, cold hardy standard trees.
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I do believe that the Krymsk rootstock is very cold hardy but it is very sensitive to pollen viruses, like PNRSV or PDV so I wouldn’t recommend that. I like Gisela or if you have sandy/light soil mahaleb is pretty good.
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Hi Gary - I had an Evans and a Meteor grow fine for about ten years here on Mazzard, until raccoons got in, tore off branches and canker set in. I didn’t have any luck with multiple tries at grafting onto the Mazzard suckers, except one Meteor that we root grafted (3 yrs now). I planted one sucker in my outer “rough” orchard just to see what the fruit would be like and it has grown vigorously with no winter kill for 4 yrs. Not immune to deer pushing in the fence surround and eating/pulling off all the new branches, but it recovered and is growing fine again. It seems to be hardy enough here. I did have a young Garfield Plantation from Fedco winterkill its first year but the Mazzard rootstock regrew. I haven’t tried any other rootstocks. I now have a 5 yrs old Evans on its own roots (first harvest this year!) and two Univ Sask cherries. Sue
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That’s the Montmorency on Mazzard. Bench grafted this year. My mother has a nice Montmorency tree down in Albany area zone 5. Also has an unknown peach tree that pumps out peaches. I’d like to try growing cold hardy peaches up here too, but need the right rootstock, possible interstem and variety of peach. Any recommendations?
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I am excited to see how your grafted trees do over the next few years, report back next year 
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Todays photos of my Montmorency on Mazzard 1st year bench graft. Happy with the results of this one so far. I’ll plan on playing it next spring. Hopefully it will do ok up here in zone 4b.
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I would carefully trim off the edges of that dead wood at the graft site so that the graft union callous can quickly finish swelling over all exposed areas of wood.
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What was the diameter of wood of the rootstock 
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Thick, not sure, worked out great though. I’d say like magic marker thick.
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Is there an advantage to putting the montmorency on mazzard vs mahaleb? Seems mahaleb is the standard.
How are your grafts doing this year?
I looked up mahaleb rootstock, since I planted some last year quite late & a couple survived my neglect. (Will be grafting on 'em soon, as spring finally showed up last Friday.) Checking several university sites we find Mahaleb slightly less vigorous than mazzard and quite tolerant of sandy dry soils. Mahaleb can’t handle prolonged wet soil, though. Perfect for ponderosa pine & sage brush country, where I live. Mazzard is less attractive to gophers.
