It is very hardy and should do well throughout NH. It should be staked to provide support for heavy crop loads. This rootstock is productive, very precocious and when mature, trees on this rootstock stand only seven to eight feet tall. Most varieties on M.26 can be planted at an 8-foot spacing.īud 9 (Budagovsky 9): This is the number one choice for NH home gardens if a fully dwarf tree is desired. Plant the tree with the graft union only an inch or so above ground so less rootstock is exposed. M.26 is also susceptible to the bacterial disease fire blight. These burr knots are attractive to borers.

It needs support (preferably a stake that will last the life of the tree), and it produces fleshy root initials (called burr knots) on the above-ground portion of the rootstock. It is quite hardy and should do well in reasonably well-drained soils throughout NH. It is precocious, often bearing some fruit as early as the year after planting. M.26 (Malling 26): M.26 is an excellent apple rootstock for home gardens. Apple trees on M.7 should be staked to provide trunk support for the first four or five years. Further, most varieties grafted on M.7 are very fruitful. On the positive side, M.7 is tolerant of collar rot, a major soil-borne disease of apple. M.7 has some weaknesses, for example, it produces numerous root suckers that must be cut each year. Fruiting usually begins by the fifth year from planting. It produces a semi-dwarf tree that reaches 15 feet in height and needs 15 feet of lateral space. M.7 (Malling 7): M.7 was the dominant dwarfing rootstock in NH orchards for many years. They cost less than trees with dwarfing rootstock and will grow rapidly, soon outgrowing the browse reach of deer if provided protection for just a few years However, these trees may have value when used for wildlife plantings. In addition, pest control with these large trees is very difficult, usually requiring power equipment for spray application. Few home gardens have space for these large trees and the wait until first fruit will discourage most growers. Seedling rootstocks are not recommended for use in home gardens. Seedling: Seedling rootstocks produce large trees that are very difficult to prune, harvest and manage for pests. Descriptions of some of the common apple rootstocks follow. Several nurseries offer rootstocks in small quantities to home growers interested in grafting, and many nurseries offer fruit trees on a wide selection of rootstocks. Dwarfing rootstocks are usually rooted cuttings (Fig. Rootstocks are propagated either by seed (for seedling rootstocks), or by the process of rooting cuttings, known as layering. Most dwarf rootstocks are also precocious, meaning that they bear fruit early in the tree’s life. Different rootstocks vary not only in final tree size, but also in their winter hardiness, resistance to certain insects and diseases, and performance in various soil drainage types.

Today we have a wide range of rootstock choices that will produce trees of varying sizes, from full-size “standard” trees to true dwarfs (less than 10 feet tall at maturity). You cannot graft an apple scion on a pear rootstock or vice versa. most apple varieties are compatible with each other as are most pears. Remember that you are almost always limited to grafting within a species.

Grafting can also be used to change varieties of trees in your existing orchard (see Cleft Grafting, below). You can use grafting to create trees with several varieties or to introduce new varieties into your home orchard. Grafting is a fun way to get more enjoyment from your home orchard. The technique of grafting is used to join a piece of vegetative wood (the scion) from a tree we wish to propagate to a rootstock. Grafting is used for two principal reasons: most fruit trees don’t come true to seed (seeds from a McIntosh apple won’t grow into McIntosh trees) and cuttings don’t root easily. Grafting as a means of propagating fruit trees dates back several thousand years or more.

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