orchard rootstock and design

9 years ago

Hi, I am planning a small backyard orchard for my brother and I'm having some difficulty making a final decision. He would like to have up to 25 trees of different, but usual, varieties. honeycrisp, braeburn, cortland, and others are all on the list. Tree height needs to be as low as possible since apple bagging will most likely be used. Dwarfing RS with no permanent staking would be ideal.

I'll be doing the grafting that will be needed but I'm really stuck on the rootstock as none seem to fit his location perfectly. He has about 5 acres and can space the trees out as needed but would prefer a more compact setup. He's on a slopping hill so I don't think cold damage will be an issue but I need to get to the site again and really look to make sure. I think wind will be an issue as there are few large trees around and being on the hill doesn't seem to help, either.

The biggest issue that I've been researching is the soil requirements. He's on a new development that's under 10 years old and under his topsoil is a very dense clay. This is the issue that I'm most worried about. He says he loses many of his trees he plants and assumes it's the clay.

I've settled on an equal combination of g.41 and g.202 for the disease resistance along with the dwarfing characteristics. I will plant the RS (and stake for maybe three years), bud the trees in summer, and then make sure he's mulching and using manure regularly. I personally like the open center look so we'll probably use that pruning method. In addition, there would be a lot of thinning when trees are fruiting to keep the load down so the trees can exist without stakes.

Does anyone see any gaping holes in the plan? I know 41 and 202 probably should be staked permanently but he has enough trees that we should be able to keep the fruit count down early in the life of the trees in order to develop the root structure. any thoughts would be appreciated!

Comments (5)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
9 years ago
Crop load isn't the most important factor in the tree stability question. It's a factor but some trees on some roots will eventually lean or get blown over even without fruit. A T post by each tree isn't really that much trouble.

I'd be much more concerned about the drainage issue. If trees are dying that's a big deal. You should consider planting on a raised bed. That might not solve everything but will help. Throw up a berm at least 12 inches tall and 6-8ft wide and plant in center.
kbk00
Original Author
9 years ago
the property is all a part of a slope so it seems unlikely that it's too water logged. is that an incorrect statement?

The site isn't super steep but it seems hard to imaging that water wouldn't drain after a good rain within an hour or two. perhaps i'm more ignorant than I know.

I've read a lot of different descriptions of 41 and 202 and there's never a definitive 'stake these' yet i see that on some other rootstocks. Staking is certainly a good idea but it would be a big deal to my brother and he's the customer here :)
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fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
9 years ago
Your surface drainage is good on a slope. But internal drainage can still be too slow for fruit trees. There's really not a lot you can do for that other than pile up some topsoil or new material hauled in that drains better than the subsoil. If you do make berms maintain the surface drainage, ie berms up and down hill, not across.

If trees have died there before they will again although correct rootstock can have positive effects.

Some soils with very dense clay simply don't have enough air space to support fruit tree roots. What pores there are in the soil are so small that they don't drain easily of water to allow in enough air to keep roots alive. A good soil is 50-60% solids, 20-25% air, and 20-25% water by volume within a day after a big rain. The air is as important as anything else.

This post was edited by fruitnut on Tue, Oct 7, 14 at 15:31
alan haigh
9 years ago
FN's right. I have seen many poor drainage situations on slopes. Not just the result of clay either. Around here it is sometimes the result of a fairly shallow layer of silt over sand. Fine soil over coarse breaks capillary pull and keeps the top pretty soggy for a long time after rain. Gravity alone only pulls out so much water.
Chris-7b-GA
9 years ago
Not sure if its applicable to your situation, but when I started my orchard, the land was a forest of tall poplar trees. After cutting the trees I rented a bobcat and pretty much scraped all the topsoil off leaving me with bare Ga red clay. I am on a slight slope and used my 8hp walk behind garden tiller and really pulverized the clay all around the planting hole to around a 12-16" depth throwing in handfuls of lime as I went. I probably spent 20 to 30 minutes on each hole and also created a nice berm that sits above ground level around 6". I now have around 50 dwarf trees on B-9 and G-11 in their 1st and 2nd year, all doing great. I am new to growing fruit trees but using that planting method on clay has worked for me. Good luck, Chris.