Where to buy Black Pearl Sweet Cherry on Gisela Rootstock

Title pretty much says it.

I did the search of’course, and I have googled the heck out of this. Black Pearl has only showed up on a couple searches but they were not grafted onto the Gisela. (I can not recall which site had it) Has anyone recently seen the Black Pearl on a Gisela rootstock show up in their searches?

-Jim

Which of the Gisela series of rootstocks do you want?

Gisela 3,5,6 or 12?

I have seen it on Gisela 6 before but I think you will have a hard time finding Black Pearl on it now. Commercial growers seem to be switching to Krymsk 5 due to canker problems with Gisela 6. I believe Raintree nursery offered it on 3 and 5 before but they don’t have it this year. I know of 2 vendors that have Black Pearl on Krymsk if your interested.

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c-onursery.com has Black Pearl listed in their catalog, and Gisela 5, 6 & 12 (among others) listed as possible rootstocks available for their cherries. However, you need to log in to check their inventory. They seem to cater mostly to commercial growers, not sure if they sell retail.

Grandpa’s orchard has a cherry on Gisela with similar charecteristics as Black Pearl.

https://www.grandpasorchard.com/Tree/Prunus-Rynbrandt

Grandpa’s Early Black™ Sweet Cherry is one of the earliest ripening dark sweet cherries suitable for the eastern growing areas. It is crack resistant, hardy, and a good eater.

Grandpa’s Early Black™ has gone by several names like Cavalier™ and Rynbrandt cultivar. Over time it has shown itself to be one of the better early cherries for areas where sweet cherries are hard to grow.

If you’re really desperate, you could order a Black Gold on Gisela from Raintree, and a Black Pearl on Krymsk from somewhere else, then benchgraft a cutting from the Black Pearl onto the Black Gold and still have the Black Pearl on Krymsk as a back-up. Schlabach’s has Black Pearl on Krymsk, but they only have a print catalog (no website). Wintercovefarm has it on Krysmk as well, but I’ve never dealt with them.

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I was finally able to log on to c-onursery’s inventory, seems like they have 97 available on Gisela 6. They mention having a surcharge on orders with less than 50 trees, but I’m not sure if there is an absolute minimum number required to order or not.

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Yeah they probably will not take your order. You could ask them what nurseries they are selling Black Pearl to? I would think they would want to help their customers when they can…

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Thank you folks! I may give the Krymsk a shot and also try a different variety, because I can, on the Gisela 3. I’m trying to find a decent B. Canker resistant combo, but stick with a precosious rootstock. At the end of the day, I just need to make sure I take care to time the maintenance right and be diligent. Pearl happens to fit the Projected harvest window, rain cracking resistance and storage check marks.

Well Grandpa’s Orchard has Black Pearl on Krymsk 5 and they also have Burgundy Pearl on Semi-Dwarf MaxMa. That would be option.

Schlabach’s Nursery also carries Black Pearl on Krymsk. They also offer quite a few cherries that are good for Eastern conditions.

Ebony Pearl
Burgundy Pearl
Black York (has good canker resistance)
Emperor Francis

To get a catalog from them you can call 866-600-5203 and leave a voicemail with your name and address. They also offer apples and other stone fruits.

If you want a different early cherry with good resistance to brown rot and good flavor you might also consider Black Tartarian. It’s available from Trees of Antiquity on Krymsk.

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