I am trying to get a hold of a Mustang Cherry Plum plant/bush, but cannot seem to find any places that sell them in the USA. Or, if they do, they’re out of stock. Does anyone know of somewhere I could get one? Or does anyone have some to share?
Burntridge Nursery uses Mustang as rootstock sometimes. They have this Toka Plum in stock on Mustang rootstock. You could cut it off at the graft union and let the rootstock grow if you can’t find it anywhere else.
1 Like
Thank you, I’ll check it out! I’m also looking for Pembina and Patterson Pride plum trees. Same issue with them being in Canada!
1 Like
St Lawrence Nursery sells Pembina but they’re sold out this year.
1 Like
Pembina is available from several US nurseries (such as St. Lawrence), but they will likely be out of stock this late in the season. Best time to order is Nov-Jan. Patterson Pride has not yet made its way down through customs. There are lots of other cold-hardy hybrid plum varieties around though.
For Zone 4B you don’t need Mustang. It has longevity and compatibility issues anyway. Prunus Americana and Prunus Nigra are good rootstocks to Zone 3, as is Prunus Mandshurica. Krymst 1(semi-dwarfing) and Myrobalan are good for Zone 4. Some people here have used nanking and sandcherry, but they are too dwarfing to yeild much fruit. All of these should work with plums, as well as many other stone fruit.
2 Likes
Are you seeking this cultivar Mustang for fruit or for rootstock use? As far as fruit goes, Sapalta by St Lawrence Nursery is 10x better and it’s still a chum.
I was looking for it just to grow as I’d read it had a very intense cherry flavor. I am totally open to other better options though as I’ve not tried these myself. I will definitely look into Sapalta!
I was looking for fruit, but if Sapalta is better I’ll check that out!
Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, I’d imagine it is too late for most nurseries to still have stock.
The toka plum on mustang rootstock belowtheterrace recommended might be a good fit. Toka is one of the best tasting and most-interesting flavored plums for Zone 3, although the fruit tends to be small unless heavily thinned. You could also look into Lavina plum if you want interesting flavors. Otherwise Black Ice and Mt. Royal would be my recommendations (in addition to Pembina).
It’s my favorite one and I’ve grown at least a half dozen chums.
Purple Heart is my favorite plum in my entire orchard, and I have a lot of them. It’s a hybrid. By far I’d choose Purple Heart without question, and Lavina if you want a yellow.
1 Like
I bought Toka on Mustang this year. After I graft Toka to Hollywood plum, I plan to try to stool it next season. I have a decent size root cutting of Mustang potted to see if i can get it to put up suckers.
Purple Heart will likely experience winter dieback in Zone 4b, but would be a top pick for 5b and up.
1 Like
I did purchase a Toka this year, as well as a Green Gage. I’m zone 4 so a little limited on which varieties I can plant compared to other zones. I’ve heard Toka is excellent.
Can you clarify on the compatibilty and longevity issues?
I have 8 year old apricots and 10 year old plums on Mustang with no problems.
Glad to hear your apricots/plums are holding up well; I hope they continue to do well.
I saw on this old Houzz thread that two respected growers have had issues with Mustang: Bakers Gold Apricot - NW Calgary
I think the apricots they are referencing are P. armeniaca x P. mandichurica hybrids, which also have compatibility issues with Krymst 1. I assume yours are pure armeniaca?
Here on GF a thread reported mixed compatibility with Euro plums, but compatibility with an apricot: Mustang chum graft compatibility
Longevity usually is a price paid for precocity. Two of mustangs’ parents are short lived: P. Besseyl (10-20 years) and P. Americana (15-20 years). The above forum thread notes disease issues, which also shorten lifespans. For Zone 3 it probably doesn’t make much difference, but for Z4+ there are definitely longer-lived options.