North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Ed Fackler" <rocmdw@aye.net>]

Brian, you wrote----------------

>
> The other night we had a rain storm come through; not much rain and not
really what I consider a strong wind.  When I woke up and looked in the
garden, I notice that one of my 2 yr. old cider tree on a Bud 9 rootstock
had blown over.  Thinking it was uprooted, I immediately went out with a
shovel to place it back into the ground.  What I found was that the
rootstock had snapped at the soil line with only two small feeder roots
still attached.   I immediately restaked it and tied a plastic bag around
the injured area to support it and to keep it moist.
>
> My question is, what could have caused this seemingly healthy tree to
break like this?  Is it borers?  I did not see any sign of them upon
inspection.  Is the Bud 9 rootstock that weak wooded?
>

My response-------

     All dwarfing stocks from M26 (40%) on down possess brittle (or weak, as
you put it) wood.  This of course is why they require life-long support when
they are planted.

Ed, So. Indiana, heaven, etc.
>
>