Standard Vs. Dwarf Fruit Trees

[deenamr]

We are getting ready to put in an approx 70X100 foot orchard area plus grape vines and one end of it dedicated to berries. I am looking for opinions on which is better dwarf or standard fruit trees. I live in zone 5. I like the idea of dwarfs for easier care, less space, can plant a bigger variety. I have also read that they quit fruiting earlier and that the taste isn't quiet the same as the standard versions.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ducks4you]

Get the dwarves!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have to use a picker to get fruit from the tops of my old apple trees.

 

[vfem]

Given your limited space, you'll get the most variety getting dwarfs.

 

[GardeNerd]

It depends on the type of trees and fruit you want.

Here are my opinions:
*I love all dwarf citrus trees. They taste the same and are well behaved. I want more, but have run out of room!
*The flavor of most of the genetic dwarfs stone fruits I have tired is fair to poor. I have yet to taste one I really like.
*I have semi dwarf apples and I am very happy with both of them.
*I have had better luck with standard sized stone fruits than semi-dwarf, and I grow both. The standard ones have been less prone to disease in general than my semi-dwarf stone fruits. I prune the standard trees really hard after harvest in the summer to control the size. There was a semi dwarf peach at my son's preschool that died at 8 years old.

You can see some of the fruits I have grown on my website.

 

[deenamr]

Thanks GardeNerd,

I really enjoyed your photos. The grapes in particular have me excited about my project. I had previously read that the dwarf apples were good but that the stone fruits were lacking and that with active pruning of standard size trees it would be fairly easy to keep the size down. We haven't made our tree purchases yet but want to get the orchard started this year and then build the house next year. I am mostly wanting fruit for home use and preserving. Summerstonenursery.com has a mini dwarf orchard package where you can pick 14 different trees, 2 each of apple, peach, nectarine, cherry, apricot, pear and plum. So I was thinking of doing that but perhaps instead I will do a custom mix of dwarf or semidwarf apples with standard peaches, nectrines and plums. I am in zone 5 and prone to both occasional late spring freezes as well as late summer early fall freezes so there is a good chance I will just be enjoying the beauty of my trees instead of the fruit.

Thanks so much for your information.

 

[journey11]

I think that standards tend to be a little more hardy, but other than that, the dwarves are easier to pick and manage and they put out a surprizingly nice yield for their size.

 

[Rosalind]

Dwarf, for sure. Standards are just freakin' HUGE. You will barely be able to cram enough standard size trees into a 70x100' orchard to get more than a few kinds of fruit.

My orchard is 84 x 72' and has space for 30 dwarf/semidwarf trees. I'd have room for more, but there is an upper limit to how much pruning and shaping I want to do, especially in winter. If I wanted to train as cordons, I could have three to five times that many! If I was stuck with standard sizes, I would have maybe six to eight trees.

Bear in mind, while actual genetic dwarf trees taste not-so-good, they are not bred for fruit--they are bred to be rootstock for better-tasting trees. You will most likely get standard-type trees grafted onto a dwarfing rootstock; it will taste exactly like the standard type tree fruit, the tree will just be smaller. I have George IV peaches on Citation (semidwarf) rootstock and Nectar peaches on Lovell (standard) rootstock, and they are both absolutely delicious.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might consider planting your larger trees on the noth side of your plot. Fruit trees need sunlight to produce well. If you plant your short trees to the south, you get more available sunlight and may be able to space them just a tad closer. Think 3-dimensions, not 2.

 

[GrowsLotsaPeppers]

You may also want to see if your local county ag agent has an opinion to share on your question. My BIL is one in Arizona's program, and he's a treasure trove of all sorts of wonderful information. He'd know what, where and how to get the best chance of success. And it's likely cheap to free.

Also, your state university likely has some resources tuned to your area.

Orchards are a significant investment of time and energy, and not a little cash, too. Get the best chance at success.

 

[old fashioned]

I have a mix of fruit trees....

3 apples-gravenstein (standard), yellow transparent (semi) and red delicious (dwarf)-this one has had scab

1 pear that is dwarf 3 way (3 different pears on one rootstock)-that rootstock decided to grow and produce quince-tons of em

1 bing cherry-standard I think

1 prune plum-semi-I'm not sure what was going on, but half way up the trunk a branch grew out with leaves that looked like peach, had leaf curl so we cut it off and 3 years later the plum started going down hill. It still produces some fruits, but just doesn't look as healthy

1 cherry-dwarf 5 way

1 asian pear-semi

All are atleast 10 years old (except the 5way cherry-planted just last year) and doing fine. They all produce alot of fruit (plum not so much).

I'd have to say I've had the most problems with the dwarf and semi dwarf trees for reasons stated above, but also the fact of heavy fruit loads break the branches easier atleast with the larger fruited ones like apples and pears. The asian pear has been so loaded every year that I pick off 1/2 the flowers, then 1/2 of what's left of the fruit, sometimes more just to save what's left of the tree.

IMO larger fruit should have larger trees. I'm still up in the air about the smaller fruit. In the long run you may be safer going with all standards and a good pruning/training plan.