I am branching out in my fruit tree grafting efforts (I'm the Frankenfig guy), including pears (biscamp/southern barlett/perdue).
The pears were grafted last year onto both p. betulifolia and callery rootstock, both of which are vigorous fireblight resistant varieties, but a bit too vigorous, with mature sizes as large or larger than the species.
There are apparently precious few (any, really?) semi-dwarfing pears that tolerate the heat and humidity in the gulf south, fireblight USA.
I have read that OHxF 51 did very well down here and is semidwarfing, but suckered poorly or otherwise didn't lend itself to propagation as a rootstock. Plus it didn't do well further north.
I ordered some from the USDA and anticipate getting two cuttings. I will be grafting some onto other trees for a ready supply in the future, but also hope to try both rooting some for future grafting, and using some as an interstem between the callery and the fruiting pears. I'm gonna run out of wood real quick like.
The crux: does anyone have access to OHxf 51? an old tree that died back to the rootstock and regrew? an intact grafted specimen that suckers? li'l help?
It's a long shot, but. . .
Thanks
The pears were grafted last year onto both p. betulifolia and callery rootstock, both of which are vigorous fireblight resistant varieties, but a bit too vigorous, with mature sizes as large or larger than the species.
There are apparently precious few (any, really?) semi-dwarfing pears that tolerate the heat and humidity in the gulf south, fireblight USA.
I have read that OHxF 51 did very well down here and is semidwarfing, but suckered poorly or otherwise didn't lend itself to propagation as a rootstock. Plus it didn't do well further north.
I ordered some from the USDA and anticipate getting two cuttings. I will be grafting some onto other trees for a ready supply in the future, but also hope to try both rooting some for future grafting, and using some as an interstem between the callery and the fruiting pears. I'm gonna run out of wood real quick like.
The crux: does anyone have access to OHxf 51? an old tree that died back to the rootstock and regrew? an intact grafted specimen that suckers? li'l help?
It's a long shot, but. . .
Thanks
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