No for issai you would need an arguta male. The arctic beauty (kolomitka) blooms weeks earlier than when the Issai (arguta hybrid) blooms. I have both.

I find the taste of the kolomitka fruit (september sun is the female I have for my arctic beauty) is very comparable to the Issai but its only half the size of the issai. But ornamentally its much more attractive than issai.

Tyler

Oh I might add a later blooming male arguta the better if you go that route. I have "meader" male arguta and it is almost done blooming when my issai needs it. It cuts it close.

My Issai are ripening very late. My first thought is that it is either due to it being a young plant (3rd year) or that un-pollinated fruit behaves differently.

Rather than ripen in August, it is just now starting to become edible. I've been picking one every 1-2 weeks since early September and until this week the brix was always under 10 (it started around 6 and tasted horrible). Yesterday I finally got one with 13, which tasted ok, but very tart, so I think I'm getting closer. They are also smaller than the ones I've gotten in the store (large grape sized in stores, medium-small grape sized from the yard), but at this point I think they are done growing.

My most mature male vine only had one flower this year and it rained the day it opened, so there may have been little or no pollination (no fruit on Ken's Red or Geneva, even though they bloomed lightly).

My pollinated Issai are just ripening now too Bob, So is my Anna. My dumbartons oaks ripened back in mid August I believe.