Note: rootstock descriptions are for reference only. Dave Wilson Nursery does not offer rootstock for sale.
Domestic Apple
Most rugged rootstock for apples. Vigorous, deep-rooted, tolerates wet soil, dry soil, poor soil. Cold-hardy. Unpruned tree height of standard varieties 18' to 30 feet. Trees on apple seedling may be held to any desired height by summer pruning.
M-111
Excellent all-around rootstock for apples. Tolerates wet, dry or poor soil. Resists woolly apple aphids and collar rot. Induces bearing at young age. Unpruned tree height 80-90% of standard, or about 15-25 ft. Trees on M-111 may be held to any desired height by summer pruning.
M-27
Extremely dwarfing rootstock for apples. Trees dwarfed to 6-8 ft, ideal for high density planting, small spaces in garden. Induces early and heavy bearing. Small root system, young trees may need staking. Requires constant soil moisture. Good for container growing.
M-7 & M-7A
Dwarfs to 65% of standard. Induces early and heavy bearing. Resistant to fireblight, powdery mildew, moderately resistant to collar rot. Good anchorage. Very winter hardy, widely adapted. Disadvantage: prone to suckering (prune or break off at least once per year). Trees may be held to any desired height by summer pruning.
M-9
Advantages: dwarfs trees to 40 to 45% of seedling size, increases fruit size, may slightly advance maturity. Disadvantages: susceptible to fireblight and wooly apple aphid, trees must be supported, shallow root system may be drought sensitive.
Mark
Trees dwarfed to half of standard size. Resists fireblight and phytophthora root rot. Well anchored, no staking required. Few or no suckers. Young trees bear so heavily that thinning is essential to control stress on tree. Requires fertile soil, constant moisture. Trees on Mark may be held to any desired height by summer pruning. Not presently used by Dave Wilson Nursery.
BUD-9
Dwarfing to 1/3 of Standard. Approximate height to 10', width to 6'. Resistant to Phytopthora. Excellent precocity & cold hardiness. Produces large fruit. Supports heavy crops and recovers from over-production much better than Mark. Good choice for heavy soils.
Geneva® 935
A Cornell University introduction, unpruned height is about 1/3 to 40% of standard (8'-10'). Very cold hardy and very fire blight resistant. A precocious bearer of large fruit, this rootstock resists crown rot and root rot while suckering very little.
