Opata Chum Scionwood

Available for pre-order Dec-Feb - Ships in the spring (Mar-May)

Ask to be put on our waitlist!

Grown by: Silver Creek Nursery Ltd.

Scionwood is not a tree, yet!

Scionwood, or scions (pronounced 'sigh-ons'), are the young, one-year shoots you graft with in order to propagate a variety. If you want to propagate a Gala apple tree, for example, you would graft with Gala scionwood!

We collect these scions from trees in our test orchards and are happy to be able to offer rare/heritage varieties!

For more information on scionwood and grafting, click HERE!

Why We Grow It:  Opata produces a red chum with yellow flesh that is freestone, firm, juicy, and considered to be one of the better tasting chums. It is pleasantly sweet with only a hint of acidity. It is good for fresh eating as well as jams, jellies, preserves, and pies. Like other chums, the shrub itself is compact, cold hardy, and relatively free of pests and disease.

Recommended Use: Fresh eating, cooking, baking, preserving

Fruit Size: Small

Storage: Keeps about a week in the fridge.

Harvest: August - Middle

Cider or Perry Class (if applicable):

Canadian Hardiness Zone: 2

Soil Preferance: Sandy loam and loam, like plenty of organic material. Prefers average to moist conditions with well-drained soils, avoid planting anywhere that floods for more than two weeks in the spring.

Flowering Time: Spring

Bloom Colour: White

Pollination Requirements: Requires a pollinator of a different chum variety or western sandcherry that blooms around the same time

Sun/Shade Requirements: Full sun (approx. 8-10 hours of sun daily)

General Growth Habit: Produces shrub that reaches 2.5m tall. Hardy and generally resistant to disease.

Overall Grower Ease Rating: High

This rating is a combination of our experience growing in our test orchards and current available information on the cultivar.

Each scion will have at least 2-4 grafts' worth of material and ideally will be approximately 12-18" or 30cm+ long. Since we specialize in so many varieties/species, there will be natural differences in growth habit and vigour so some varieties may be shorter or thinner. We will provide the best quality we can, within natural restraints.

If a scion is less than 6" or 15cm, it will be discounted accordingly.

Shipping: Scionwood can be shipped anytime in the spring, although we generally recommend that customers receive their scionwood by mid-April at the latest to ensure it arrives dormant. We can hold it longer if customers accept the risk that the scionwood may start breaking dormancy after this time.

Pickup: We will notify you as soon as your scionwood is ready. We recommend picking it up as soon as you are able and storing it at home.

Click HERE for tips on storing scionwood!

CLICK HERE to see our shipping policy.

$10.00

Propagation Material: Scionwood

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