I have a Satsuma plum and a Santa Rosa. Both are three years in the ground as five foot trees from the nursery. The Satsuma had about 250 blooms last year before the Santa Rosa broke dormancy. This year The Satsuma has about a thousand buds swelling with flower buds just peaking out. The Santa Rosa is still dormant. I am beginning to think that this is going to be a problem. I wonder if I need to graft another Japanese plum to the Satsuma. I am in S E Mich. Oxford. Has anyone else been having issues with Santa Rosa in the mid west? Also what are you using to pollinate your Satsuma plum trees?
I am in the Northeast. My Shiro’s blooms overlapping with Satsuma’s.
Darn I have both of these trees too. I’m going to need Shiro too I guess! And I’m in SE MI too! Argh!
My trees are new this year, so I can’t report the anything yet, also my Santa Rosa is a Weeping Santa Rosa.
Both Satsuma and Santa Rosa plums are pollinated by Krauter Vesuvious Myrobalan plum. I know this for a fact because I have hybridized Satsuma, Santa Rosa, Burgundy, and Mariposa plums with Krauter Vesuvious plum, with KV plum been the pollen parent. All the seedlings are red-leafed.
I think I will look for a Shiro. I have enough room to plant it between the two.
Thanks weatherman, problem is when they bloom. As Santa Rosa will pollinate Satsuma, but only if they bloom at the same time. I have scion to superior, Laroda,Lavinia, and Toka. If I get them to take maybe I will be OK, but they will not be that close. I guess I could graft unto it next year, so I’ll be asking around for Shiro scion! Maybe Nadia can pollinate too?
I do not have room for another tree!
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It might just be my specific Santa Rosa tree. I will be looking for Shiro scion wood too, and maybe the whole tree. It seems like grafting a branch would be the fix though.
I have Shiro Plum scions,if anybody wants some. Brady
Awesome next year please as my satsuma is not even here yet. Not sure I could graft unto it this year, it would probably be better next year. Appreciate the offer!
I’m sure I have something you could use too. If not I’ll catch postage. So a raincheck for now, and thanks for the generous offer! I’m sure Johnny wants some too. Maybe he could use it now though! (is the tree still dormant? bud graft maybe?)
Well my Santa Rosa has bud swell, but it looks like every bud is going to be leaves! The Satsuma flower buds are tight cluster so the race will be on if I can get a flower on the Rosa.
Brady sent me some scion wood. I put two Elephant Heart, one Beauty, and two Toka on my Santa Rosa. The two Toka took, and so did the Beauty. The two Elephant Heart did not. He previously sent me some Shiro. I did two grafts on my Satsuma tree. One took so far. Its just now breaking some green tips out of a bud. These were mostly green swollen buds when I put them on and those did grow out some and then died but a tighter bud is now growing. Yea!
Here are the Toka grafts. I already took the tape off.
The one above is Beauty. It went to green tip then stalled for a long time. It even started to turn brown. Then yesterday it greened up and grew!
Here is the Shiro on my Satsuma tree. It just started grow a bud. It’s the first one up on the left from the tape. It’s just a couple green tips. This graft was my first plum graft. I tried whip grafting it with a bad shoulder so both these were really ugly. I had surgery in Jan. The rest were done with a tool.