Which stone fruit rootsrocks are best for sandy soil? I have very sandy soil that drains quickly and am in Minnesota zone 4b/5a. Ordered some apricot and cherry scion to try grafting for the first time! I’m planning on pruning them to remain small per the “grow a little fruit treee” method.
I’m not sure which rootstock is best for sandy soil conditions and would love advice pointing me in the right direction.
Apricot: St. Julien A, Myrobalan, Myrobalan seedling, Marianna 2624, Lovell, Nemaguard
Hi Melinda,
For Apricot I would always go with Lovell peach rootstock. I think in all soil types they perform well.
For cherries the below article tells me that for soils like yours that have excellent drainage, Mazzard might be ideal.
Depending on your actual location in the state, these two publications merit reading to help you make good decisions since it’s very likely you have some form of clay in your soil. Your goal should be to add the correct amendments to the planting hole to maximize the CEC of the local condition for purposes of maximizing soil fertility.
In most sandy soils often it’s a challenge to keep the moisture level high enough for plant growth. You cannot go wrong therefore by adding mediums such as Compost, and Spagnum peat moss to your sandy soil. I would suggest a mixture of 1/3 each in the backfill of your planting hole. If it’s possible to locate a clay deposit I would add 10-20% of it to the backfill mixture and mix it in very well before using it to assure the clay particles are well dispersed among the other media.
Finally, after planting you should mulch the tree out to a perimeter well beyond the future drip line of the tree with media such as hardwood leaves or hardwood woodchips. The mulch is kept only an inch or so deep in closed proximity of the tree trunk to avoid affecting the trees ability to breathe, and about 6-8” deep towards the drip line. This will help conserve moisture in the zone where your feeder roots are growing.
Take care
Dennis