zephyray's Yes, you got it...if you know someone who can graft, your root stock would make a perfect specimen to top graft, one or more variety fruit on one tree, from plum to apricot and you will most likely have fruit earlier then if you were to re plant. I had a plum tree that died in the same manner and later grafted several plum onto it over several years,...like this But only do it if someone is willing to, since this spot where you had problems growing trees it would make sense. I have top worked many plum trees for other people and they have plums now, where before they tried for more then 10 years without any plums. No or poor pollination is the major failure in aborting fruit set in plums. Heaving around 4 or more on one tree sure can help. Perhaps you have more room where you can replant one or two, the more the better for cross pollination,...unless your neighborhood has allot of plums...usually not, apples yes. If you want apricot only, then fruit set might not be a problem in your area, apricots are somewhat self fruitful, but it's fun to have several cultivar on one tree, [if you don't have room for other trees] also good for cross pollination. Konrad

Blenheims are famous for canker around here, and I wouldn't plant nor graft any Blenheims. So you could have a reservoir of canker on the stock. But I am not sure if it would be the same in your case. Over here, the Blenheims rarely every bear crops. All pluots that I have experimented on are vigorous on apricots, much more so with Apriums that they seem to take over the apricot that you gaft them to. Japanese plums (aka Asian) will also be just right on Apricots (not too vigorous as pluots or apriums would be). Actually the Asian plums were called Japanese plums, and the Japanese plums did not really originate from Japan but from China. As credit to the Japanese, they were the ones who worked hard to improve most of the plums that originally came from China, so the world has known them to be Japanese plums. Now to prevent confusion between origins from China or Japan, we simply call them Asian plums. The European plums, excepting for very few types, are usually poor growers or incompatible on my apricots. I will be experimenting with Nanking Cherry if I can do a lot of prunus cultivar grafts on it. I love its small stature. If you really want many species grafted successfully together on one tree, I would rely on using apriums as the stock or interstem. These interstems first grows upright after grafting and so easy to position and receive various grafts on a tree without them crossing over, minimizing competition and agressive pruning to keep the grafted cultivars balanced.

Melmoth: I have had a dozen different apricot varieties over the past 30 years, including one called Chinese. I still have a Goldcot and a Puget Gold, but expect those will be coming out soon. My advice is very simple: Get rid of the Chinese Mormon you have already planted, and, if you want two apricot trees, plant two Tomcots. All the other apricots I have planted were failures for a variety of reasons, but the net result was no apricots. In contrast, Tomcot produces for me each and every season, in late June, sometimes a smaller crop after a very late freeze, but always something worthwhile. My Tomcot trees are now nearly 20 years old, and completely healthy. They receive dormant sprays of copper, and the fruit is sprayed early with Imidan at thinning time. Plum curculio can be a problem on any apricot early in the season. In a good year, with minimal late freezing temps, my two Tomcot trees will bear over 150 pounds of beautiful, perfect apricots of very high quality. I don't really understand what is so different about Tomcot, but if science consists of repeatable results, this apricot meets the test. Tomcot is self-pollinating, so there would be no pollination concerns and the trees should end up at the same final size. Agree with fruitnut that rootstock differences seem to play a minor role, although St. Julian does grow slower initially. The trees all seem to end up at roughly the same size, and require annual pruning to keep them open and uncrowded, as well as to control vertical height. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Lind, I have the same experience as Hman, the Japanese plums are much more reliable overall. Mainly the Euros take a lot of time before they decide they want to fruit, and they may not bear every year. I have never lost Japanese plums due to frost; that is an issue in some climates but not mine. In fact I have never even lost apricots due to frost, and they are even earlier. Japanese plums are also much less prone to rot since they are earlier. Satsuma is indeed my favorite overall Japanese plum now, its very reliable and productive and tasty. It is mid-season. I don't yet have a top early one but Shiro is probably the one I like the most. Well, Purple Heart is pretty early and I like it more than Shiro, but it is also a red-fleshed plum so for something different Shiro is still a good choice. If you wait a long time to pick them they are quite good. Again it is super reliable/productive. Spring Satin plumcot is also proving excellent for me and its super early; the Satsuma should pollinate it well and I expect it will in turn pollinate a Satsuma, but with crosses like that its hard to be sure. If I had to grow only Euros or Japanese, I would pick the latter. But, they are different so its like comparing apples and oranges. Hman, the negative information I have on brown rot comes secondhand, from people posting here and other places about still getting rot in spite of MFF or similar sprays. I don't think it will be that hard for me to control it, but the timing of the spays may be important, and several could be needed. Scott