i dont have toka but i have wanetta and black ice. got a bunch of black ice scions in the fridge. if i have time ill try grafting a few before leaf out.
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both my nankings died of root rot even though they were on mounds on a incline. must be fairly sensitive to wet feet. got carmine jewel cherry right next to them doing just fine.
sure! still got some time before leaf out. what you looking for to trade? got a bunch of black ice scions in the fridge.
Hi Steve
Would need to wait until dormant, mine are already blossoming so too late to cut now, but I would be happy to send in Feb if you remind me.
Dennis
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I’ve been trialing various prunus species and cultivars for Prunus virginiana compatibility, here in our corner of southern manitoba we have var. melanocarpa, black fruit chokecherry. So far going into year three some selections of Prunus americana have been the most compatible, so if you have wild plum in your area it’s worth trying - just keep in mind americana is often hybridized and it’s seedlings will often appear true to type but graft compatibility I’m sure may vary. Prunus nigra or Canada wild plum has not been compatible in any tests yet but I’m growing out seedlings and will try a better sample of genetics. Toka is an americana hybrid and it’s also compatible, but I would only use it on a larger stock because it outgrows choke cherry quickly - like 3-4 ft with secondary branching in the first season. It can have issues hardening off in time in the first year. I have Toka in year 3 that’s healthy and survived some cold winters and hopefully will fruit. I’ve started double working other plum varieties onto these. We have very sandy soil and we’re in zone 3, and I’m finding these topworked chokecherry are outperforming other prunus rootstocks.
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Many other prunus varieties like I’ve tried Waneta will take initially and grow for part of the summer, long enough to get some budwood. In my experience while almost every plum I’ve grafted does initially grow, but then they decline in the heat of the summer, water stress from a less compatible union seems to be the cause, a couple ft of healthy growth in june just wilts on a hot day in july - but this could be different if you’re say on the east coast and have more rain than us, we tend to have hot dry summers, and for sure there could be populations of choke cherry that are more graft compatible, your milage may vary.
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Interesting! I’ve seen them growing close to an irrigation ditch and to the river, but then our soil is particularly well drained.
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they grew well the 1st. 2 years but last summer was real wet and muggy. both wilted and died by early fall.
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i think we have the black chokecherry here as well but im on heavy clay. we average about 38in. of rain but we got double that last year. our summers are relatively cool as well.