I thought I’d take the above questions to a new thread to hopefully attract more attention. Thomis, do I recall correctly that you’re also in North Carolina. In any case, I’m in NC, also zone 7, and I’d like to know about my options for cherry rootstock. I have a sour cherry tree that was here and pretty good size already when I bought my place in 2007 and it’s reasonably productive of sour cherries that I find completely unappealing fresh but make pretty good pies and dried cherries. It occasionally sends up suckers out away from the tree. I’m assuming they’re suckers anyways. Is there any reason not to transplant them and use them for rootstock? Is there anything to be gained from rootstocks I could purchase?
You may want to try the Romance series. They are super hardy and good sweet tart cherries. I have Crimson Passion and Carmine Jewel. I only spray copper at buds swell and that’s all. No bacterial canker in their 4th leaf.
If you are in NC zone 7 then you probably wouldn’t have to worry too much about getting a super hardy cherry or rootstock I wouldn’t think.
ACN sent me a bunch of Montmorency on a rootstock called CT500 Mahaleb. I do not know the difference, except that it did not work here. It may work for you, they seem to love it in NY.
As far as trying to transplant some suckers from your tree, I would definitely try it if that tree has survived well there.
Tony, do you know what kind of rootstock they have on the romance cherries? Their own root maybe even? I have heard northstar is sometimes grafted and sometimes on its own root? I know mine survived this winter, but I don’t know what root it is on.
The Romance series are all on their roots. Same for Carmine Jewel which was produced out of the same breeding work, but is technically not of the “Romance” series since it was released about 10 years earlier and doesn’t have a “romantic” name Some of the varieties sucker little to not at all, others are more agressive at suckering. I have 4 plants of different varietiies, about 5-6’ tall, and there are two suckers in the row now (not sure what the suckers are since the plants are spaced fairly closely in the row).
Yes cousinfloyd, I am in the central Piedmont of NC.
I have a surefire dwarf (well, I guess they are naturally dwarf) and a montmorency supposedly on dwarfing stock in the mail. I’m willing to try a few more. I sent a question to the retailer asking what rootstock this “dwarf” montmorency is grafted to. We shall see…
Some of the varieties sucker little to not at all, others are more agressive at suckering. I have 4 plants of different varietiies, about 5-6’ tall, and there are two suckers in the row now (not sure what the suckers are since the plants are spaced fairly closely in the row).