Apparently, once cannot graft a European plum onto a Japanese plum even though it's possible to graft a Japanese plum onto a European plum.
Is there an interstem one can use that would make it possible?
I know for example that one can use a Winter banana apple as an interstem to graft apples onto Quince rootstock. So it would be nice to know what variety of plum acts as an interstem to provide the required compatibility.
Thank you.
It is not the case that prunus domestica will not graft to diploid Japanese plums. It will graft just fine. But after 5 years or so, the hexaploid domestica will have far outgrown the graft union, and usually a mild wind will just break it off. So it is very do-able if you want only a temporary parking spot, but do not count on the union for long term.
I would encourage you to experiment with Krymsk 86 and Krymsk 2 as interstems. Could be they would work for your purposes. LINK
Thanks, I will check the interstems a a possibility I was actually interested in top working a Japanese plum grafted onto Citation. I don't much like citation as a rootstock, so I may get a Myro 29C or Marianna rootstock instead.
I wanted to just graft the European plum on the mature branches of the Japanese plum, but perhaps I might as well replace the entire tree and benefit from a better rootstock.
Perhaps I can cut the entire tree down below the rootstock, it's only about a 3 inch diameter trunk. What's the best graft to top work at that point?
Thanks.
Axel, you would have better luck grafting in branches of Japanese to an existing P. domestica framework. No failure in that.
If you want to convert a 3 inch diameter stump, just plug in 2 or 3-bud scions in every inch and a half or 2 inches all around the circumference, using the single cut bark graft. Let them all grow the first season, then prune all but your favorite one back to one or two buds in winter. Let your favorite whip grow tall. The smaller ones will keep all the bark alive until the big one takes over. Last thing you need is for part of the trunk to die.
I have had individual whips on such a trunk grow 8 or 10 feet in a single season when done this way. All that stored energy has to go somewhere!
“Perhaps I can cut the entire tree down below the rootstock, it's only about a 3 inch diameter trunk. What's the best graft to top work at that point?â€
You could mess around with several grafts… I’d suggest a bark, or ‘bark veneer’ graft come March – when the bark's ‘slipping.’ You could also split the stock, perhaps in quarters, and do a classic (two to four scion) ‘cleft graft.’ If the scion’s don't take I suspect the stock will send up “suckers.â€
You could also cut it off and let it “sucker.†Allow several suckers to form from the base then tip-pinch the competition as you allow one to become dominate. It may be mature enough to ‘Bud’ (graft) in late Summer / early Fall; but if you allowed it to harden off, about 3 months and one year from now you could easily ‘whip & tongue’ graft it with near matching diameter scions.
It’s often more of a loss losing an established rootstock than a Cultivar you don’t care for. Keep us posted 
" title="Wink" />
Idyllwild
simplepress
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
John S
1 Guest(s)