Without knowing what the stock is there is no way to know what characteristics it will have

the usual logic would be.. if the root stock had any value.. it wouldnt have been used for root stock ... eh???

i dont understand this comment: 2 days ago grafted onto it a piece from my Beauty plum to see if it will take. If it does, I think I will cut it off the original root system

if you mean.. cut off the top above the graft.. correct .. but you cant cut the roots off the graft ...

you should be able to find all kinds of videos on grafting fruit trees ... in not sure about the timing of such for fruit ... with other trees.. you usually do it in dormancy.. so the graft can seal etc ... before the plant leafs out and start stressing the plant and the graft ... but to be clear.. the fruit peeps march to their own drummer ... so maybe they do it different ... lol ..

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffcm&q=grafting+fruit+trees&iax=videos&ia=videos

Typically, fruit tree root stock will not produce a fruit that is worth eating. Most plums are grafted to a Prunus root stock, often Marianna 2624. This is a hybrid of two Prunus species that both produce pretty much inedible fruit.

I wouldn't hold out much hope for the volunteer being of any value.

Well, I see that some don't like experimentation. They say that the root stock will probably produce inedible fruit, which it very well might. That doesn't mean it will not produce very good and edible fruit however. Time will tell, and if the fruit is no good, then I can always graft onto it later a cutting from the Beauty or any other of the Asiatic Plums I have...

For those who don't understand about the graft I made 2 days ago...now 3, I realize this isn't the optimal time to do a graft. If it doesn't work, then next year I can always do a graft at the more proper time. Also, since maybe I didn't make myself clear on what I have done. The original Beauty tree would have been grafted onto some root stock. This root stock sent up a volunteer which is still attached to this original root stock. I grafted onto this volunteer 3 days ago n ow. If it takes, then I will sever it from the original root stock and replant it. I hope that makes things more clear....YES, totally out of the normal procedure, I understand. But if there is never any experiments, how do things go along and further knowledge. It isn't like I have anything at stake here other than having something work out...If Not, the No Harm, No foul. There is no monetary loss. Thanks for listening and I hope others will experiment too---Bob

Experimentation is fine. But it might help if you understood something about root stocks :-) They are not chosen for their ability to produce great tasting fruit but for other attributes - ability to dwarf growth, precocity, increased hardiness, disease resistance and scion compatibility. If you study the type of root stocks most often used for plums, they are of species or hybrids that do NOT produce an edible or tasty fruit. Once grafted onto another tree or producing root shoot volunteers is not going to change that.

So go ahead and experiment if you wish but I can pretty much guarantee you will not get anything recognizable as an edible or tasty plum from the grafted-to-the-Beauty root stock!

So Gardengal---Are you saying that if I graft a piece from my Beauty Plum onto a volunteer from

the original root stock, the graft will not be a Beauty plum and I will not get good edible fruit? I am a bit confused I must say. I understand by letting my volunteer from the root stock that was dug and repotted might not be worth anything edible, but why not the grafted?

No, that was not my point :-) If you graft a Beauty scion to your volunteer root stock you will get a Beauty tree, provided the graft takes.

Rather, I was responding to this comment specifically: " Has anyone ever allowed one of these volunteers to live and produce fruit? What was it like...any good? I have some I dug up and potted a few years ago that has blooms on it this year and so I guess I will see if they do anything. " This is what is not going to generate an edible fruit.

Sorry for any confusion.

Actually it depends on what particular kind happened to be used as a rootstock by the grower that generated the original, presumably purchased specimen - it doesn't automatically follow that every time a stone fruit is used as a stock it will be fruitless or produce completely mediocre fruit, if allowed to shoot up and mature its own tops. Otherwise in this particular instance all sprouts identified in the original post merely as "volunteers" aren't necessarily rootstock sprouts, maybe one of more are seedlings of the named variety. Again there is not enough known about the source of the sprouts for anybody coming onto the thread to make very specific predictions.

There are a limited number of possible root stocks for any plum. And none of them produce an edible fruit!