Apple Root Stocks
16 June 2008

There is something very satisfactory about growing your own apples and a lot of fun selecting varieties to suit your palate or culinary recipe. Bear in mind that most varieties will require pollination by another variety and you will need to check that the selected varieties are compatible.

Of equal importance to the variety is the rootstock it has been grafted onto. That information will be available on the plant label and will dictate the eventual size of the tree.

There are dwarf rootstocks such as M 27 that will never become bigger than 3-4 ft high. Unfortunately the tree will always need a stake and demands a very fertile soil.

M9 will give you a reasonably dwarf tree and is ideal for training the apple trees as cordons. Final height 3 metres.

MM106 is fairly vigorous and tolerant of poor, infertile soil. Where there is sufficient space it will produce a strong bush or half-standard tree. It may take 6-7 years before it produces reasonable quantities of fruit.

MM111.Quite vigorous forming a tree 5-6 metres high thus requiring a ladder for picking fruit. Good as a standard tree but may not produce fruit for 5 years.

RELATED LINKS
Crab Apples
Guaranteed Fruit

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