The following was received via email: This is my question: what is a good pollinator for Santa Rosa plum. I have a Yakima Plum (Japanese Plum ) and another yellow Japanese Plum in the backyard, probably Shiro, but I am not sure. Are these two good plinator for Santa Rosa? I got one plum in the first season, but none this season. All fruits dropped after awhile. This season was quite cold and wet in Lower Mainland during flowering. I don't believe it was because of dryness. Maybe the Shiro and Yakima are good pollinators for the Santa Rosa. Question # 2. Alot of people told me that Lower mainland is not a good place to grow Cherry. Is it true. I would like to plant a combination cherry, because I have only one spot left. Is this ok in Surrey, B. C. Thanks. Frank
The Santa Rosa is a standard pollinizer, the term pollinator is accetible here, for a variety of Plums including the Shiro. The Shiro and the Yakima can help the Santa Rosa produce more Plums but this is generally true for any second Plum planted near a Santa Rosa. I have a Sprite Cherry Plum 15' directly to the North of my Santa Rosa here. The Shiro will probably require the Santa Rosa to serve as a pollinizer for it instead of the Shiro acting as a pollinizer for the Santa Rosa. There is a minor issue in that there are more than one form of Santa Rosa. There is an Early Santa Rosa, a Late Santa Rosa and there is a Queen Rosa that has been sold as a Santa Rosa in the past. There are some subtle differences in how well these other early and late forms of Santa Rosa will pollinize other Plums in comparison to the old form Santa Rosa Plum. I would think you can grow a Cherry in Surrey B.C.. I cannot guarantee how well the Cherry will do there. That is not the main issue, it is your wanting a double grafted or double budded Cherry on the same tree which may be hard to find in a nursery. I don't know your area and do not know who to go to but here I can have or order a "cocktail" (3n1) Cherry budded right at the grower nursery for me if I wanted one. I think you will either have to request a double Cherry from a retail nursery or you will have to have a grower nursery do the budding for you if they will do it for only one tree. Best bet is to contact a full service retail nursery near you and have them ask around for any availability of 2n1 Cherries for you for your area. Jim
Home Depot usually has multi-graft (4 in 1) cherry trees here in Ottawa. Probably they may have it in your city as well if there is a Home Depot near you. I had bought one last year grafted with Bing, Lapin, Rainier and Montmorency. I saw some multi-graft cherry trees this year as well at Home Depot.
Also if you are really after a multi-graft cherry tree then you can find one at Dinter Nursery. They are at Duncan near Victoria City (B.C). They have Cherry a "Combination Cherry - 4 way" listed in their catalog. They had it available in April. (http://www.dinternursery.ca/FruitTrees.htm). They don't ship though. I bought a "Combination Plum- 4 way" this year from them and a friend has to ship it to me to Ottawa. Actually I badly wanted a Rainier cherry. So, in order to spread the shipping cost, I added the 4-Way Combo Plum and an "Early Redhaven" peach, all bare-root. Well, the 4-Way Combo Plum and the "Early Redhaven" peach are healthy plants now but the Rainier cherry tree died. I guess my obsession with Rainier cherry might have died with it (or not!). For some reason, garden centres here don't carry Rainier cherry even by mistake. Can't figure out why. Also, I can't figure out why I like Rainier so much except it is nice coloured fruit, yellow with red blush (& good tasting too if the tree ever gets some fruit).
