Kerr crabs

[b116757]

Zone 3 and below I suggest burying the graft to prevent graft failure do to extreme cold. My old orchard at my brothers suffered from several graft failures in zone 3 and St Lawrence nursery also suggests burying the graft page 12 of their planting instructions.

 

[keets]

I read that here recently and was a bit surprised, as all other directions tell you to keep it 2" out of the ground

 

[keets]

If anyone else has any suggestion for me, please speak up ....sounds like I want M-111 roots, October drop times

 

[Teeder]

I've planted all my apple and pears with the graft below the surface. They seem to be doing well.

 

[b116757]

I have about 90 fruit trees with the graft buried.

 

[keets]

now I won't panic if I get the mulch too high I guess, interesting on all the conflicting info on that

 

[b116757]

For most folks they don’t wish to defeat the rootstock characteristics. The far north has issues with graft failure from extreme cold and in wildlife plantings in general many of us want self rooted vigorous trees that very well may live 100 years where as grafted trees typically don’t live that long and the more dwarfed the tree the shorter its lifespan. I knew when I did it it might cause me to wait longer on some of the trees to fruit but that was fine with me.

 

[MW22392]

Thoughts on persimmon graft failure? I’m 45/45 with my apples and pears but 1/15 with persimmon. Most have sprouted back from the root stock though. USDA zone 6a however we are at a very high elevation. Pretty sure its the cold as I’ve had some going into 3rd growing season not make it through the winter, any tips? Current plan is to just let the root stocks grow and try to regraft later when the plants are more established.

 

[b116757]

I haven’t graft persimmon but they leaf out quite late are you doing it to early?

 

[MW22392]

I haven’t graft persimmon but they leaf out quite late are you doing it to early?

I haven’t tried my luck at grafting yet, I purchased some from Morse nursery and some from blue hill, with both suppliers the tops dies and the rootstock has sprouted.

 

[bigboreblr]

I havent buried the graft at camp. Probably should have. Antonovka, dolgo, and B118 are about as cold hardy as they get. Not sure if graft failures are from the rootstock itself is not cold hardy enough.

I thought to get "seedling" trees from rootstock, you got to bury them almost a foot in the graft. Just an inch or two keep the graft union warmer.

Several have survived -35 deg F so far. PRobably got 25 on anty, 3 or 4 dolgo, 5 or 6 siberian crab, and only 1 kerr on B118 to try out. Everything is 3 years old or less, so hard to tell. Been weary of using M111 up at camp. PRefer m111 at home due to heavy clay as well as I dont want to be too high up in the air to well prune or spray the entire tree.

 

[bigboreblr]

I haven’t tried my luck at grafting yet, I purchased some from Morse nursery and some from blue hill, with both suppliers the tops dies and the rootstock has sprouted.

Seal the scion ends when you get the scion. You can hydrate the scion in a little water in the fridge overnight before sealing and/or before grafting. Just make sure its not sealed when hydrating.

Put the freshly grafted rootstocks in pot a dark cool place for about 3 weeks. This will let the union heal before being stressed from sun, wind, mechanical damage, etc. Make sure you don't have the soil too wet, because it dries out real slowly in that cool dark place. Might need to add water in a week or 2 after grafting.

Those 2 changes have increased my survival rate greatly.

Grafting to outdoor trees already planted, I wait until they're close to waking up. Swelled buds. Probably late march begining of april.

This i with apples, mulberry, and pears. Never messed with permission.

 

[sandbur]

Zone 3 and below I suggest burying the graft to prevent graft failure do to extreme cold. My old orchard at my brothers suffered from several graft failures in zone 3 and St Lawrence nursery also suggests burying the graft page 12 of their planting instructions.

I have heard a second hand story from a very experienced grower in Montana. He has trouble with Grafted trees on Anty surviving the winter. They survive if he buries the graft.

That might explain some of my struggles with Anty rootstock.

 

[b116757]

I even bury many of my grafted trees in Kansas but I do it down here so they may self root and be long lived trees for my kids and grandkids to enjoy. I don’t do all of them that way because I’d like to enjoy a few myself.

 

[bigboreblr]

I think there is some bit of a learning curve with certain scions and rootstocks. Might be a bit of knowledge to gain which scions do well with what rootstocks.

Fedco in Maine sells trees on antonovka, but some seem to be on m111 only year after year. Saint Lawrence nursery would graft their crabapples on Ranetka or Siberian rootstocks, but apples would be on antonovka rootstocks. But now they're all Siberian rootstocks.

I got a bunch of trees on B118 from whitetail crabs. The liberty trees all need support at 3 years in. Terry's crabapple varieties on B118 are very sturdy rooted.

I am giving P18 rootstocks a try. A nursery owner who is a PhD student from cornell said P18 would be great in zone 3 and is a good choice for low pH soil. Probably doing 1 crabapple and a liberty apple on P18 at home. At camp, probably graft all of them on good wildlife crabapples, but hope one graft fails so I can see what P18 does on it's own.

Playing with some G890 at home. I may put a small 5-6 acre U-pick orchard at home. May go organic to get more money for the fruit. Seeing how they compare to m111 and m7 for manageable sized trees.

 

[sandbur]

I think there is some bit of a learning curve with certain scions and rootstocks. Might be a bit of knowledge to gain which scions do well with what rootstocks.

Fedco in Maine sells trees on antonovka, but some seem to be on m111 only year after year. Saint Lawrence nursery would graft their crabapples on Ranetka or Siberian rootstocks, but apples would be on antonovka rootstocks. But now they're all Siberian rootstocks.

I got a bunch of trees on B118 from whitetail crabs. The liberty trees all need support at 3 years in. Terry's crabapple varieties on B118 are very sturdy rooted.

I am giving P18 rootstocks a try. A nursery owner who is a PhD student from cornell said P18 would be great in zone 3 and is a good choice for low pH soil. Probably doing 1 crabapple and a liberty apple on P18 at home. At camp, probably graft all of them on good wildlife crabapples, but hope one graft fails so I can see what P18 does on it's own.

Playing with some G890 at home. I may put a small 5-6 acre U-pick orchard at home. May go organic to get more money for the fruit. Seeing how they compare to m111 and m7 for manageable sized trees.

It’s interesting that SLN went away from Anty. Good move in my estimation.

I also think there is a learning curve with rootstocks and the various soils we work with.

Interesting about soil pH and rootstock. I have heard crabs can tolerate a slightly lower pH but never knew if the referred to the rootstock, the graft, or both.

 

[uwprunner]

Most of my trees are on Dolgo rootstock and I haven't buried any grafts. Any experience or thought on burying a dolgo rootstock in Zone 3?

 

[Mortenson]

Most of my SLN trees have died. Interesting that the truth comes out. Glad I grafted the types I wanted onto better roots.

 

[homerj]

SLN's website still says they use antonovka. I think they may use siberian for some of the crabapples

 

[bwoods11]

I’m gonna give these guys a try … they really brag up Kerr !