I would suggest antonovka in your situation but the others would probably do
fine. The ranetka might grow faster though, depending on the variety, (it
seems to produce slow growth on purely southern apple varieties). I have
used both antonovka and ranetka to grow my trees to seven to eight feet
before allowing branching. I am arranging two rows across from each other
which will eventually meet and be grafted in the middle forming a platform
to walk on while harvesting. By eliminating low branches I will probably be
able to either block out (by using metal shields around the trunks) or grow
beyond the reach of the following animals: chipmunks, squirrels, raccoon,
deer, maybe bear.
Good luck in your venture.
Kevin Bradley
Here are some standard rootstock descriptions:
Malus ranetka:
Extremely cold hardy rootstock, survives 40 below w/ no snow, dry soil, Fast
growing, adapts to dry soils.. Standard size.Z 2
Malus baccata:
Most cold hardy rootstock available. Adapts to various soils. Bears a year
or two earlier. Semi dwf size. Z 2 (Maybe Z 1)
Antonovka: V winter hardy rootstock. . Compatible with all apples, long
lived, adaptable to various soils. Standard size. Z 3
PS my website is temporarily down
www.edibleforestnursery.com
<html><DIV>Kevin Bradley </DIV></html>
[NAFEX] Standard Rootstocks,
Ed Forest, 11/18/2004