Mine just fell over due to heavy weight, nothing snap. That could be because it was supported by a 10 ft metal pole (with only 2.5 ft in ground). It pulled the pole to the side.
Once I removed the pole and staked the tree instead, the tree came down with only 30 mph wind in a sheltered area, nonetheless.
I have not moved the tree. Some apples have been eaten by bunnies. It will take a week before they ripen.
I believe that many nurseries are selling trees on g41 for their dwarfing capabilities and disease resistance, but not taking into account their inability to remain upright without massive supports. I believe that this is to the detriment of the backyard grower. Many retail nurseries fail to explain this to home orchardists and therefore we see trees fail under otherwise survivable conditions, like a 30mph wind.
It seems that trees on g41 require massive supports on trellis, with even metal staking not being adequate. Im going to have to replan my trellis before i put it in.
My G 41 has grown vigorously. It sets a lot of fruit since last year. I do not know if it is because of a variety (Fuji) or a combination of a variety and the rootstock influence.
A B9 next to it was planted at the same time. It has grown moderately. It is an American Golden Russet. Very stingy production. 6 AGR apples vs 50+ of Fuji (after a lot of thinning).
Hopefully my M111/G41 interstems will be up to the challenge. Grew 'em in pots all summer, just planted them out the last few weekends. And I did break one of them in the process⌠Bumped into it right after putting it in the ground and it snapped in two. W&T graft which didnât really come apart there. It literally broke and the âheartwoodâ was very dark and bad looking. I pulled up the M111 part which had very few roots. So I think it was probably not going to grow well anyway. Maybe next time Virginia Limbertwig⌠Hopefully the rest of the trees are in better shape than it!
I donât worry too much about wind where Iâm at but in the coming years Iâll certainly pay attention to fruit weight.
For my situation, it was the weight of the fruit on G41.
The wind was just the last straw that broke the camelâs back.
I have Golden Russet on B.118 and itâs of low vigor. I also grafted my first 10 B.9 and they didnât do well, Iâm guessing due to the dry conditions we had this spring. I even hauled water to the nursery bed a couple times but several of the B.9 rootstocks died. These were my first dwarfing rootstocks that will require staking, everything else has been on freestanding root stock. Since freestanding has been my goal, I havenât ever tried any G.41.
Before mine ,several, failed, they also grew vigorously. I think 41 has a problem with Fuji and gala, I read that in early trial data some where.
Has anybody tried forcing different growth habit with G41? I am wondering if an open center, with a sturdy pole for each main scaffold might do the trick. I also wonder if a Spanish bush form might reduce stress at the graft union and root zone. I bought 2 G41 and 9 G969 from Cummins this Spring, and plan to graft them this Winter. I hope the G41 is useful for more than espalier, but I will be disappointed if the G969 is a failure. A 40% rootstock that is disease resistant, precocious, and free-standing seems perfect for the home garden.