As you know, I'd also like for you to take into consideration my loamy-clay soil with a neutral ph.

What about banksiana; thunbergii; rigida; pitch x loblolly; contorta var. latifolia?

Dax

I'd agree with P. strobus being as good as anything.

Resin

Thank you very much.

Dax

Dax,

I know you got a response from resin, but wanted to let you know Laporte Avenue Nursery in Fort Collins, Co uses P. flexilis for grafting, due to strobus not tolerating our alkaline soil well. I don't think ph is an issue for you, but for us westerners with less than ideal soil, it's an option.

From their website:

Limbers grow all through the four lower life zones of Colorado (Plains 3000-5000 feet, Foothills 5000-7000 feet, Montane 7000-9500 feet, and the Subalpine 9500-11500 feet), with the greatest populations in the subalpine zone. This demonstrates they are adaptable to various soils and growing conditions. I’ve made use of this observation and found they make great rootstocks for the five-needle pine selections from back east ( Eastern White Pine, P. strobus) and Eurasia (Swiss stone Pine, P. cembra and Lacebark Pine, P. bungeana). The species itself can be quite vigorous if the seed is collected in fast growing montane forests, but if collected from the higher subalpine populations yearly growth is greatly reduced. Limbers in the landscape age and grow somewhat irregularly often developing multistems with narrow pyramidal shapes. Growth rate: 1-18”/year depending on seed source.

Barb

Because I can get some big plugs from University of Idaho Nursery, I'm going to get some flexilis.

Kindest regards with thanks, Barb.

Dax

Good luck Dax.

Keep us posted on the bungeana project and all the others you try matching up.

Will do. It will be Fall of 2017 until I know anything if the grafts were successful. Spring of 2018 and Fall of 2018 will seal the deal.

Dax

Good stuff, every year should have it's grafts, I don't see me ever have one without now.

I have two of my five weeping pseudotsuga menz. taken and pushing. Three had clean face rejection but they were tiny calipre, really tested me.

Not sure of my next grafts, I could back up a couple of cherished plants but I'm visiting the Welsh botanical gardens in late July so may see what I could do some late summer (Jarpe) grafting of. Clippers in pocket + cool box.

I'm a backpack carrier on days of opportunity.

I like to put small caliper scions on small caliper seedlings. I always start grafting if I have a bunch of stuff to do all at once with the smallest stuff.

Dax

Of the five it was 3 & 4 that survived. Not sure if that shows I got into the groove with them and was tiring by #5. I think it was also that they were the thickest caliper but Good Lord give me a stout mugo graft any day. That micro stuff is hard in every way, the cuts, the positioning and the wrapping. Also the Pseudotsuga menz. bark is extremely thin, hardly a cut more like a shave.

Do you do late summer grafting like Jarpe suggested? It's nice to work with the juicy just-hardened wood, they almost glue themselves.

Never tried it. I was always advised from my mentor Dennis Dodge that summer grafting yielded very poor results. When in a pinch however, I'd graft anytime of the year if that was the only time scions were available.

Your climate being much cooler than mine will increase your takes 100 fold. We're still in the 90's to high 90's Fahrenheit temps (32 to 36 C) at that time which is a curse for grafting.

Dax