Eugenia graft compatibility between Uniflora and Involucrata

[snowjunky]

Is it possible to graft Cherry of the Rio Grande to Surinam Cherry rootstock?
Has this been done?
I'm curious because Surinam Cherry grows okay in our crappy calcareous Arizona soil.  Other Eugenias can't grow here without tons of compost or sulfur.
Also Surinam Cherry is one of the most widely available Eugenia seedlings in the USA.

[starch]

Hey snowjunky, I don't have an answer to your main question.

But with regards to Eugenias growing in AZ soil: While most of my Eugenias are on mounds with lots of compost, I have two in the unamended ground directly - E. uniflora (Pitanga) and E. neonitida (Pitangatuba). The Surinam cherries do great in the AZ soil like you mention (if they are given a bit of noon+afternoon shade), but I also find that the Star Cherry does as well. I have another Star Cherry growing in compost that is growing better (fuller and greener) but I have 2 in the AZ soil that are doing very well and producing fruit. Also the Star Cherry takes the heat and sun better than the Surinam. So for Eugenias that are best adapated to our climate and soil, I would have to go with the E. neonitida. The only downside is that it is slower growing than E. uniflora.

[snowjunky]

Hey Starch that's good to know about your pitangatubas.  I have a healthy one in a 3 gal pot, but it's suppose to be only hardy to 27F where as the surinam cherry is hardy to 23F.  The Cherry OTRG is hardy to 20F.  I'm closer to zone 9a, so using surinam cherry for rootstock makes more sense in my case.

By the way do you still want some Duncan mango scions?  My Duncan survived the summer and grew a few notches.

[starch]

Ahhh, that definitely makes sense why you are more interested in the uniflora for a rootstock. I also sent you a PM.