Wondering if service berry can be grafted to anything else .
Jerry,
Yes it can see @Lucky_P post on this GW thread http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2120259/grafting-novice
That was some time ago. I’ve lost or misplaced my Amelanchier grafts… but have seen ‘complaints’ in the past, of folks who purchased grafted specimens of named-variety serviceberries that were placed on hawthorn understocks - and presented a constant issue of suckering .
Had a friend, many years ago, who was in a zone 3/4 setting and was trialing Amelanchier understocks under some apples to see if they would lend some additional cold-hardiness… but I’ve not heard from him in quite some time… have no idea how that deal worked out.
On the topic of serviceberries… I picked a cup of fruits today from 2 or 3 A. laevis (Allegheny serviceberry) trees in the urban landscape around town…and am slowly eating them and picking out the seeds to attempt growing my own seedlings to plant out around the farm.
Googling around, I’m seeing articles talking about picking the fruits in August - heck, they call them JUNEberries for a reason… they ripen here in late May/early June…not a chance any would be left here by then…one article even claimed that they hang on the tree well into winter for the birds - not in any world I’m familiar with!
And they talk about ‘scarifying’ - though what they describe is ‘stratifying’ not scarifying. So… I’m a bit distrustful of gardening advice from folks who don’t know the difference between the two very different procedures.
Guess I’ll let the seeds dry for a few days, then do 3-4 months of cold moist stratification in the fridge and plant 'em next spring. Unless y’all have better recommendations.
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Lucky,
If you need more let me know and I will send you some scions next spring or seeds. I have a row of juneberries which are nearly ripe now, They are not a named type but the berries are good and they are hardy enough for Kansas.
I’ve got a number of them, Clark. Have several alnifolia/stolonifera types, several of them tissue-cultured, named varieties, like Smokey, Regent, Theissen, etc., but none of those are as productive as two that started out as cheap (like $2) row-run seedlings of Timm & Success, from the now-defunct Bear Creek Nursery.
Also bought some row-run A.x grandiflora seedlings from BCN about the same time, and planted them at the elementary school my kids attended, back around 2001. Stopped and picked a red Solo cup full of berries on my way home from work this afternoon; those are probably 12-15 ft tall now, and have been fruiting well for a number of years.
Have a few select seedlings of A.laevis, A.lamarckii, and A.x grandiflora planted around the wife’s tennis court. They’ve just about all finally gotten ahead of the rabbits (Grrrr.) but no flowers/fruits yet.
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