Hello ;)

[Ace]

I am thankful for this site. I started planting trees this spring and cannot stop. I am preparing to plant a high density orchard and nursery. I want to have a small pick your own orchard and propagate rare / heirloom Trees. The plan is to order up to 2000 rootstocks and collect scion where I can. I need advice on rootstock selection, organic fungus and pest control, grafting ect. Thanks in advance for your patience with the 100s of questions I have.

Mike

[PA_Docent]

I have 20 apple trees on my one acre lot (also pear, plum, cherry, quince). The apple trees are on different rootstocks, however in my soil, the best rootstock is the M111. The M111 does well in sandy soil and is resilient to the weather here. One apple on an M26 rootstock did not survive a freak wind storm we experienced this spring. The M26 rootstock was severed where the main truck was attached to the roots. After this incident, I decided to stick with M111 rootstock.

Apple trees on M111 are described here:
http://www.treesofantiquity.com/index.p ... =page&id=6

This is also where I have most of my fruit trees from.

[Ace]

I have a back acre that I am planting just for fun. It has peaches, plums, cherries, apples. Figs, mulberry Asian pears and paw paws are on the way. I personally like standard trees the best. When you plant a standard tree, chances are someone will be enjoying it 40 years later.

On the top 3 acres I’m planning something a little more commercial. The idea is an espalier orchard on two acres and another acre to raise trees for sale. I’m trying to decide on the best rootstock. I want a 30%- 40% tree with disease resistance that roots deep. I need to make some friends that can supply scion this winter.

[mmi]

hear is a couple places to get scion wood .
http://www.maplevalleyorchards.com/Pages/ScionWood.aspx
http://www.masonvilleorchard.com/scionwood.htm

here is a good place to get older trees my grandad used to get from (better price after 25 trees)
http://www.acnursery.com/

[Skipley]

Ace,
I did the same 6 years ago. bought 3500 bud-9 and grafted them. I wanted dwarf trees because my land is so precious. In Netherlands where land is really precious, they want mini dwarfs (m27/p-22) to plant 1-3 feet apart. Why Budagovsky 9 or something else: For me I have heavy, poorly drained soil which means phytophthora root rot / crown rot and bud-9 is resistant. I also I ridged the rows a foot high, about 4 feet wide, planted 3 feet apart in the row and 10 feet between. Still getting around to staking- initially every 12 trees/30 feet in the row with 1 wire running at 18". Every other year I added another t-post or steel grape post (preferred)-bisecting the 12 trees to now every 6 trees and again every 3 trees. It's a lot of steel and cost spread out over 6 years but I can't use treated wood for organic. Every tree is tied down when I get around to it. It helps a lot! Summer Pruning-even on this dwarf stock in my super-fertile clayloam still causes radical, unproductive growth. Always: less pruning-the better . tie 'em down.
Now if you want a free standing dwarf tree I suggest trying Mark rootstock-(Forum readers?). but to be sure I would double graft with EMLA 111 rootstock, 10"-12" bud-9 interstem- could also be m27, Mark, even p22 (I just don't know compatibility issues) and then the scion variety. The double grafts can be done at the same time- I've done this with 90% success.
I resell rootstock (certified stock) and cut my own scionwood (not virus certified) for sale. Hope this helps http://skipleyfarm.org/apple-scionwood- ... ashington/