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nafex - [NAFEX] Re: Apple Tree size

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  • From: Jason MacArthur <rotread@localnet.com>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Re: Apple Tree size
  • Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2003 06:54:45 -0500

Sam- You ask about apple tree size. My feeling is this: plant the smallest tree which works for your situation. You need something which can grow above the sheep- surely a semi-dwarf(even an M26) could be trained to do this. Are you willing/financially able to stake a tree for the first years of it's life? Many smaller trees require a little help staying up, at least for a few years. But, spraying and pruning bigger trees is a lot harder, it takes more time, it's more difficult to get sunlight and air in to your fruit(important since you intend to be marketing dessert fruit), and the time until you start to pay back your investment(and start being able to learn the intricacies of growing fruit as opposed to trees) is much greater. When I first began to wonder about tree size I asked an orchardist neighbor of mine, who has done everything from restore old standard orchards to plant 600 tree per acre dwarf plantings, what size tree he recommended. He thought for a moment and asked, "Well, are you a farmer or a hippie?"
I cannot recommend enough seeking out local orchardists and talking to them about rootstocks which work in your area. They will know the answers to your cold hardiness questions. Good luck!

Jason MacArthur
Marlboro, Vt.
Zone 4b




  • [NAFEX] Re: Apple Tree size, Jason MacArthur, 11/05/2003

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