Willow Drive Nursery is one of the few nurseries in the U.S. licensed to grow and sell the new Gisela series of cherry rootstocks. This series successfully dwarfs a cherry tree without losing yield, efficiency, or fruit size. The rootstocks promise to revolutionize the cherry industry as Mallings changed the apple industry. Growers have many advantages with Gisela. The smaller, more manageable size reduces harvest and chemical costs while producing large, high quality fruit. Sweet cherries on Gisela stocks bear in the 3rd leaf with a full crop expected by the 5th. Some growers have had crops as large as 22 pounds per tree on 3 year old trees. Trees on Gisela roots are spreading and fruit heavily. They are Winter hardy and tolerant to wet soils. They are suited to many high density growing systems and can be easily covered for protection from rain, birds, and frost. We keep a regular inventory on three of the cultivars but will grow any on contract. 

GISELA® 12 _{(GI 195-2) USPP #9631}– is a precocious, semi-dwarfing stock that produces a tree similar in size to Gisela 6. The tree structure is open and spreading. Gisela 12® has wide soil adaptability and does well on heavy soils. This stock is very precocious and productive. It has good virus resistance and no suckering prolems. Gisela 12® needs a management system designed to maintain extension growth to balance its precocity and high bloom density. Gisela 12® is well anchored, support is recommended to carry its heavy crop.

GISELA® 6 _{(GI®148-1) USPP#8954}–This semi-dwarfing rootstock produces a tree 90% of Mazzard on west coast and 70% of Mazzard on East Coast. Gisela 6 stimulates very early blooming and heavy bearing. It has a wide range of soil adaptability and actually like heavy soils. It has good resistance to Bacterial Canker and a tolerance to viruses equal that of Mazzard or Mahaleb. It requires support for its heavy crop loads and a management system that promotes new shoot growth to balance its early heavy bearing. It has shown no variety incompatiblities.

MAZZARD This seedling rootstock produces a vigorous tree with very good anchorage. It is best compatible with sweet cheries. It tends to resist common cherry diseases better than Mahaleb. It has some tolerance to Phytophthora and is moderately resistant to Oak Root Fungus. It grows best on sandy loam soil, but is also tolerant of heavy soils. It is susceptible to Crown Gall and Bacterial Canker . But it is resistant to water stress, and root knot nematodes. Overall, Mazzard seedling makes a very large and hardy tree, with a few root suckers.

MAHALEB This seedling rootstock comes in more of a bush form than Mazzard. It produces a standard size cherry tree. It is cold hardy, drought tolerant, and highly productive. It's anchorage is excellent. It is susceptible to Oak Root Fungus, Root Knot and especially Phytophthora. It is somewhat resistant to Crown Gall and resistant to Bacterial Canker and Root Lesion. It grows best in light sandy loam soils. It does poorly in heavy soils.