Anyone care to share their growing experience with various Apple rootstocks?

Discussion in 'Fruit and Nut Trees' started by Gardenlover, Feb 7, 2009.

  1. Gardenlover

    Gardenlover Active Member

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    Location:
    Southern Ontario, Canada Zone 6a
    Anyone grow any apple tree on Bud 9...what did you think?
     
  2. Pipestone

    Pipestone Active Member

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    A friend tells me that Bud 9 is not fully hardy here at Edmonton, AB where we can get -45 C with no snow (he lost half his trees in a test winter). If you are looking for general information try the Ontario Government Factsheet on Apple Rootstocks. It has a lot of information and I know it covers the Bud 9 variety.
     
  3. Gardenlover

    Gardenlover Active Member

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    Southern Ontario, Canada Zone 6a
    -45 celcius is zone 3. Maybe that is too extreme for bud 9. Bud 9 is the hardiest of dwarf rootstocks more than M9 and M26....which are the two major leaders of apple dwarfs. Is he sure that the tree was killed to the ground from the root?

    I think Edmonton is not really apple growing friendly....too cold.
    Macintosh would survive those conditions which is a zone 3 tree.
     
  4. Pipestone

    Pipestone Active Member

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    Don't count us out! There is a thriving organic fruit winery (mostly apple juice based) that is north of Edmonton in a colder zone than I'm in. I actually have 50+ different kinds of apple trees (grafting 75 more kinds this year) including a Cox's Orange Pippin (made it thru -45C + a windchill last year) and a MacIntosh which has survived three years of such weather with no die back what so ever! I also have cherries, peaches, plums, apricots, pears, cherry plums... etc. I don't know if the friend lost the top or the whole tree, but he lost half of his 6 trees in that test winter. Some tender varieties do better on a very hardy rootstock in our country while they turn up their leaves and die during a mild winter when we grow them on your kind of rootstock.
     
  5. Gardenlover

    Gardenlover Active Member

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    I hear you....

    anyway you can graft me a honeycrisp on B9?
    I'll pay you for the delivery to southern ontario. So hard to find a nursery around here with someone who actually has real knowledge of rootstocks. Cummins nursery is probably the best out there with service and knowledge but they are in New York State, USA.

    I also had fresh growth on a RED MAC and it survived the winter here in southern Ontario...but I'm a zone 6a.
     
  6. Pipestone

    Pipestone Active Member

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    Sorry, no can do! I do have a couple of Honeycrisp trees, but I don't have any idea where to get Bud 9 rootstock. I personally find that the standard/hardier rootstocks work better here, but I don't have anywhere near the amount of rootstock (pear, apple and apricot) that I need for my personal use this year. Must be someone closer who can custom graft for you.
     
  7. Gardenlover

    Gardenlover Active Member

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    Even Honeycrisp's on Standard rootstock is good for me. Let me know if you hear someone who can help me out.
     
  8. Pipestone

    Pipestone Active Member

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    I highly recommend Boughen Nurseries, Valley River, Manitoba. They have are great to deal with and have great stock: nicely shaped, good sized, and their Honeycrisp tree costs $31.75 this year. As far as I know they put their apples onto Siberian Crab which means they are super hardy, full sized, but a bit slower growing than some of the less hardy standard stock such as Antonovka, Beautiful Arcade or Ranetka. Honeycrisp can also be found at Corn Hill Nursery, Corn Hill, NB: $20.00 for a 1 year whip on a Russian seedlings. My biggest problem is that they like to bend their trees to fit them into very expensive mailing boxes and my trees tend to arrive broken off, apparently I'm the only one with this complaint so maybe it's the extra travel time out here. You could also buy from Windmill Point Farm, N.D Ile Perrot, QC: $29.00, I find their collection of fruiting things to be inspiring, but dealing with them is a bit complicated as you have to send $5.00 for a catalogue, email orders, then send snail-mail payment and their size and quality left a bit to be desired.
     
  9. Gardenlover

    Gardenlover Active Member

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    thanks....if you hear of anymore sources please let me know.
     

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