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Abies nordmanniana rootstock - hardy in Zone 4b?

B (Western Wisconsin, Zone 4b)

last month

Hi all,

I'm considering purchasing an Abies concolor 'Blue Cloak' that is grafted onto Abies nordmanniana rootstock. Is this a good rootstock for the Upper Midwestern climate, and is it sufficiently hardy to Zone 4? Most online sources list A. nordmanniana as hardy to Zone 4, but some say it's only hardy to Zone 5 or even Zone 6, and I've seen mixed opinions from searching through old discussions in this forum. How important is rootstock species with regards to hardiness? Have any of you grown this species or cultivars grafted onto it in cold climates?

Thanks for any advice!

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Comments (3)

tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
last month
There may be some cultivars less hardy, but the species is hardy to zone 4. If you mulch well, as you should with any tree, I would plant it..

tj
B (Western Wisconsin, Zone 4b) thanked tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last month
of my collection of 500 conifers ...i was not successful with nordmanns in my z5 MI ...

but you could beat a concolor back with a stick.. though i have no idea what the understock was ...

how important is it.. if the roots dies.. that which you grafted above dies.. period ... its imperative ...

ken
B (Western Wisconsin, Zone 4b) thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
maackia
last month
I’ll take a contrarian approach and recommend you go with a seedling. I’ve got two of them, one of which rivals Blue Cloak (first pic). The other (second pic) has more typical needle color, but is still very nice.
B (Western Wisconsin, Zone 4b) thanked maackia

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