I have B.118, P.18 and M.111 all in my orchard, but my conditions different. I’m along the southern border of the Adirondacks in NY and we have very sandy soil with a thin layer of topsoil. My orchard property is shaped like a bowl and in spring I have standing water from snow melt for about 1-2 weeks.
For me the B.118 is the least vigorous, but it grafted easily and shows no issues with disease. It’s definitely the least precocious of the 3. The location of B.118 in the orchard receives no standing water at any time.
The M.111 is by far the most vigorous of the 3 roots at my location. I’ve had more fire blight issues with those trees, but I would attribute that to the varieties grafted to it that the root stock itself. These trees are not in any standing water. Although many claim M.111 isn’t precocious, I’ve found many varieties have started blooming and fruiting in 3-4 years. Suckering hasn’t been an issue, M.106 seems to have more suckering.
I chose P.18 specifically for its tolerance of wet feet. These were the trees I intended to plant out in the areas where I get standing water. They seem okay with those temporary wet conditions. It’s not precocious, but I have had a couple varieties bloom and fruit. I’ve seen no issues with disease and it’s quite happy in my Zone 4b temps. It seems a bit slow in it’s first couple of years and then vigor picks up.
I can post a list of the varieties I have on the 3 root stocks if you’re interested.
I read a lot of Southern growers saying B.118 really runts out in the heat. But it was well keeping otherwise. Who sells P.18 rootstock? Or better, P.14. Have not seen much P.16 or P.1 for that matter. Just P.2 and P.22.
I’d be interested in seeing the varieties, thanks!
I got my P.18 from Cummin’s. It doesn’t seem to be very commonly grown. I’m not sure about the other P.xx rootstocks, I haven’t investigated them.
I plant b118 much deeper now. Maybe that will help, but time will tell. I really like b118 otherwise. They can send up suckers out away from the tree, but free rootstock I guess.
Cummins is out of P.18; which at least sounds like a great northern rootstock, disease tolerant, likes the cold and plays well with clays.
Interesting; they say growers{northern implied?} have a strong preference for B.490 as well as B.118. But B.490/491 are also vaporware…lol
@dannytoro1 My P.18 came from Cummins as well. Treco.nu usually has some, they currently list P.2. P.22, and P.18.
@nickh, my current varieties on the 3 rootstocks:
B.118
39th Parallel, Airlies Redflesh, Almata, Black Oxford, Blue Pearmain, Brown’s, Centennial Crab, Chestnut Crab, Cortland, Cox Orange Pippin, Delcon, Dolgo Crab, Dudley’s Winter, Early Joe, Ellis Bitter, Enterprise, Foxwhelp(Fauxwhelp), Golden Russet, Haralson, Harrison, Honeycrisp, Hyslop Crab, McIntosh, Neidzwetzkyana, Red Astrachan, Red Vein Crab, Reinette des Carmes, Smokehouse, Wagener, Red Westfield Seek No Further, Whitney Crab, Wickson Crab, Winekist, Winter Banana, Yellow Bellflower, Medaille d’Or
M.111
39th Parallel, Airlies Redflesh, Arkansas Black, Ashmead’s Kernel, Benoni, Black Twig, Calville Blanc d’Hiver, Campfield, Canadian Strawberry, Centennial Crab, Dabinette, Doux Normandie, Egremont Russet, Enterprise, Esopus Spitzenburg, Fameuse, Glockenapfel, Gloria Mundi, Golden Delicious, Golden Delicious Spur Type, Golden Nugget, Harrison, Hewe’s / Virginia Crab, Idared, Holstein, King David, Liberty, Lubsk Queen, Mollie’s Delicious, Mother, Mott’s Pink, Muscat, Nehou, Nova Spy, November Peach, Redfield, Roxbury Russet, Suncrisp/NJ55, Sweet 16, Tolman Sweet
P.18
Baldwin, Campfield, Empire, Golden Nugget, Golden Winesap, Grimes Golden, Harry Masters Jersey, Herefordshire Redstreak, Kingston Black, LeBret, Macoun,
Manitoba Spy, November Peach, Pomme Gris, Red Stayman, Delcon, Early Joe, Somerset Redstreak, Wealthy, Winter Banana, York Imperial, Redfield
I’m liking B-10 a lot. But, too early.
It’s about M9 sized…bigger and more apt to not fall over than B9.
I’ve heard B.9 labors badly under heat. B.10 does a little better. I think one of my priorities will be to cross good semi-dwarves and dwarves with heat tolerant Southern and Tina crab to see if a better heat tolerant rootstock can be had. Both are highly disease resistant. I’ve seen both doing ok in upper areas of zone 9B .
They made B-10 by crossing B-9 to one of the Malling rootstocks in England.
Has peculiar roots, and I still don’t know if I have to stake it or not.
Had May Queen cultivar produce fruit next year after grafting on B10…one fruit didn’t ride over the 6 foot tree, despite a breezy year. I’ll have some other cultivars bloom this year on B-10. One or 2 years after grafting is quite precocious!