Liability for injured workers falling from ladders was a factor pushing dwarf rootstock. Also
the standard trees take longer to bear fruit.
Have to say
Old Apple trees are very appealing in the landscape.
Modern Orchards are ugly.
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Of course, it’s all about bushes now in commercial production, at least commercial production in scale. I don’t find those rows of supported bushes ugly but the monarchs of our ancestors can be majestic.
Early bearing, lower maintenance costs requiring much less skill and labor and consistent sizing of fruit- the list goes on. However, most home growers don’t want to grow their fruit on small bushes and kids love a tree they can climb.
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Some of the older Apple varieties
Like Golden Delicious
Were not all that big.
The Triploid Hybrids
Like King
Jonagold
Mutsu
And Gravenstein
are enormous trees on std. rootstock.
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