Rootstalk on store bought apples And keeping large growers small?

Discussion in 'Fruit and Nut Trees' started by Fruit nut, Sep 7, 2009.

  1. Fruit nut

    Fruit nut Member

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    I'm worried that my orchard spacing is much too tight.
    Most of my trees are from Cannor, Cedar Rim and Gardenworks (lower mainland BC garden centres).

    Is there a "standard" rootstalk used for these apples? They all have a solid/stiff trunk, even in their first year so that excludes some right there.

    And... these trees have now been moved 2 and 3 times, last time last spring (moving house, poor initial placement at the new house, etc etc). I'd rather not move them all yet again!!
    Can even a larger rootstalk be pruned to keep within an 8-10' diameter position and still be decently fruitful? Or will all growth be vegetative, no apples?

    Thanks again for any help!
     
  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Nowadays you are unlikely to have ended up with standard rootstocks without having sought them out. You might have gotten a number of grafts on semi-dwarfing rootstocks, these may want to push out of the 8'-10' height umbrella. If any are on fully dwarfing stocks you should have little trouble keeping them short.
     
  3. Fruit nut

    Fruit nut Member

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    Thanks Ron!

    Yes I believe they said 'semi dwarf'.

    It was 10' width the trees can't be exceed without overlapping others (Planted 20' on centres...). Will an average semi dwarf kept to such strict pruning possibly be productive or would it be suggested I remove some trees from the orchard?
     
  4. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Pruning intensively from the start and keeping it up you can probably make it work. If you would rather have optimal spacing, then I guess you will have to reduce their number. Most probably will become a problem to keep below the height cutoff, unless your pruning is effective in preventing it.
     

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