Still hoping for you input. I think I hear crickets under my apple tree that is going to be of questionable size. All jokes aside, any input is appreciated.

A lot depends on chilling, soil, water, management, and climate. In my climate and growing conditions I haven't been able to make my apples on M111 to grow decently at all. I think it's a combination of lack of chilling, droughty low fertility soil, and too much heat/sun.

In other conditions 111 can produce a large tree.

So you are zone 8 and probably lack sufficient chilling to expect heavy growth but even that could be wrong and doesn't give us much to go on.

Thanks Fruitnut. From what I read the spur apple reduces the overall tree size, and I was hoping that grafting onto M111 would get the spur trees to 8-10'' a more manageable tree size. Hoping to still have the good anchoring ability of M111. I'm sure my lack of experience shows. Each of your input is greatly appreciated. Bill

Bill you are probably on the right track. Spur varieties on 111 would probably be a manageable size tree under many growing conditions.

OK, I grow Jonagold, Goldrush, Ark Black, Empire and Honeycrisp on 111. Ark Black is the most spur bound variety I grow and literally binds itself up with flowering spurs after only a couple of years and while still quite small- I have to pull off flowers and prune that one for vigor, much like Smokehouse. It is the strain provided by Adams County Nursery and they don't market it as a "spur type".

Goldrush will also bear quite young and is not a vigorous tree. Empire is similar to Goldrush in precocity, but produces more obvious spurs when young. Jonagold is moderately vigorous and will take more time than the others to come into fruiting.

How little space you can keep the trees in while still being productive is quite variable (soil, pruning, training,climate) and not something I've personally tinkered with much, but I believe the earlier fruiting varieties are easier to keep in a smaller space while keeping them productive.

Harvestman. Thanks for sharing your first hand experience with these varieties. Although I have followed the fruit forum for about three years, I have just started posting. It wonderful to be able to post a question on here and get answers back from from experienced people like yourself and many others. Bill

I have Anna on M111. I have a small yard and don't want to use a ladder for harvesting so I keep it pruned to 6 or 7 feet. It is easy to keep to that size with pruning.

socalgal. Thanks for the help on the Anna apple. I'm not sure how this apple will do in my zone. I'm going to give it a try.