Apple Trees on Dwarf Rootstock

[Nyboy]

I am getting ready to order some apple trees. I like the advantages of dwarf trees fruit younger, easy to reach fruit, more trees per space, easier to spray. A lot of the nursery's say they need to be staked or can blow over.What they don't say is for how long. Do dwarfs need to be staked for year or 2 till root system develops or for life of tree?

 

[thistlebloom]

I think it might depend on how windy you get.
If you get a lot of wind during the growing season when the canopies are all leafed out and they are heavy with fruit you should probably keep them staked, but loose enough that the trunk has movement.

Trees that are tightly staked never develop the trunk strength that unstaked trees have. I think staking for one year is reasonable, so the roots have the time to grow out into the soil.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I pretty much agree but I don't stake mine when they are loaded with fruit, dwarf or full-sized. Some people prop the branches up but I remove excess fruit. Last year I probably removed about 2/3 of the apples that set on and still had a huge harvest. Some limbs were still drooping pretty badly.

I got mostly dwarf when I got my apple trees. They are space savers and normally bear fruit earlier than larger trees. They normally don't live as long as larger trees. Smaller trees are easier to spray and harvest.

One potential problem is that they are within reach of deer. I have lots of deer and have not had that problem, but the potential concerns me some. If it ever becomes a problem I'll probably find out by losing most of my crop and then have to put up some type of deer-proofing, probably fencing.

If I had it to do again I'd probably get semi-dwarf. Those non-domesticated goats haven't been a problem yet, except for the buck that killed a couple of apple trees by rubbing the velvet off his antlers but that can happen with any tree. I just worry about my crop disappearing just as it is getting good. I know. Worry is interest paid before it is due. That's why I'm not doing anything preventative now.

 

[ninnymary]

All of my fruit trees are semi-dwarfs multi-grafted. I plan to keep them around 6-7 ft tall by pruning them. You need to prune for size the first 3 years to keep them small. It's much easier to keep a tree small early on than to make a tall tree small.

Mary

 

[Nyboy]

Good point about deer!! Never thought about them

 

[thistlebloom]

Good point about deer!! Never thought about them

If you have a deer problem already a fence would be the best idea. Or a few strands of hot wire.
If the deer are around but not already habituated to eating a lot at your property, you can easily discourage them with a deer repellent spray.

I've mentioned it before around the forum, but I find it to be really effective on my clients ornamentals in deer infested neighborhoods, and I use it on my own property. I don't have a deer problem necessarily, but they are around and move through the yard at night.

When I remember to apply it in the fall on my trees it even keeps the moose from tip pruning for me.

 

[flowerweaver]

We planted some dwarf apples when we first bought the place and never staked them, but they weren't subject to any strong winds, having a hedgerow as a windbreak. Unfortunately they succumbed to cotton root rot after about six years and never really thrived. I planted an olive tree across the creek and had to stake it because of the prevailing winds. So the trunk is straight but all the branches look windswept like a person having a bad hair day!

 

[valley ranch]

Greetings Nyboy, What works for us is: We make a good large dig to plant the trees into. Set the tree, usually bare root, in, holding it where we want it. Then fill alternate layers of manure and soil, in the soft area we drive two 3/4" PVC pipes in to the soil, one on each side of the tree both in line with the wind direction. We tie the tree from both sides, the part of the tie that goes around the tree, we thread through a piece of old garden hose.

After that we shield the trunk from chewing animals as high as needed. If it is a small tree, bare root, we make a small cage out of chicken wire, for as long as it needs it.

For deer a small fence is needed and a single hot wire is a great help, if you want to keep deer out.
At the mountain ranch we have different animals to deal with than in the high desert.
Dwarf,most, trees still need to be pruned to keep them low.

When you plant your trees, it would be neat if you show us pictures of your method.

Good luck with your planting.

Richard

 

[Nyboy]

@thistlebloom is there a brand you recommend ? @valley ranch because of poor draining heavy clay, I had soil trucked in will be planting on mounds for better drainage, fingers crossed.

 

[thistlebloom]

@thistlebloom is there a brand you recommend ? @valley ranch because of poor draining heavy clay, I had soil trucked in will be planting on mounds for better drainage, fingers crossed.

There are many good repellent brands out there. One thing to keep in mind, as most of them are olfactory repellents, is that what we find repulsive is not automatically so to deer. What the aim is with repellents is to disrupt their ability to discern danger and evidently mint is a good one for that. two mint based sprays that I use are Deer Out and Deer Away. They are concentrates and easily mixed with water.
In the fall I mess with their tiny minds a bit to confuse them and use a blood base spray. Plantskydd is a bloodbase that I have found to be most effective. It's drawback is that the powder concentrate is a pain to mix.
These 3 brands are not offensive when sprayed, and indiscernible when dry.