6 enormous apple trees came with the house. I’ve been doing my best to take care of them these last 10 years but just don’t have the time, equipment, or inclination to properly care for 30 foot tall trees. As you can guess the trees suffered, especially with the appearance of cedar apple rust a few years ago. This week a windstorm finally knocked most of them over, and the rest are in such poor shape I’m going to take them out as well.
I am looking for some recommendations on what apples to replace them with. Priorities are CAR resistant, and overall easy to care for in a central IL Z6 climate. Rootstock is a tricky one. Deer pressure is really high, I’m not sure if that rules out dwarf trees or not. Ideally I could prune it above deer browse height, but keep it small enough I can spray it from the ground. I want to plant in the same area, so replant disease resistance will be important too.
M111 and M7 are popular semi-dwarfs for heavier soils.
I would avoid dwarfs for anything besides heavily managed deer proof situations.
Lately I’ve been scouting and planting local crabs and scab resistant trees for seedling rootstock.
I don’t know if there’s any rootstock that imparts CAR resistance , but homemade venison is pretty tasty.
Cedar apple rust pressure is killer where I am (northern jersey 7a/6b, residential) Even my “disease resistant” trees get covered without a couple of sprays at bud break and dormancy of immunox.
With spray, even goldrush had little to no rust.
You can try copper, but it didn’t work for me.
My state extenion said that trees won’t get killed from it untill they are defoiliated entirely.
My zestar, sundance, NY 414, pristine, and black oxford seemed to be the most resilient. Both freedom and wineCrisp got it pretty bad, as did honeycrisp. My other trees just had moderate damage that could probably be outgrown: crunch a bunch, galarina, liberty, sweet 16, Clark’s crab, and Hawaii.
There are different strains of rust, and frog eye leaf spot can also have similar effects so it is hard to find “immunity”. You will get a tree with enough vigour to outgrow it, or some resistance to your local strains.
That tracks with my experience, every year was heavier and heavier CAR pressure and the last couple years the trees are completely defoliated by August. At least if I keep my trees smaller I can effectively spray them.
M111 is great rootstock. But often takes a long time to fruit. Maybe G.890 is the choice if you want fruit much faster. Or G.969 if you want lots of fruit faster.
G,890 being a better home tree with less care. G.969 being the better true production type. Both being very disease resistant.
P.18 is much like M.111 but with more resistance other then Wholly Apple Aphid.
Hi, I am in central Illinois on the hardness zone 5/6 border.
I would recommend the following trees I am growing for disease resistance and ease of growing.
William’s Pride
Enterprise
Pitmaston Pineapple
Ashmead’s Kernel
Goldrush is good but it is highly susceptible to cedar apple rust (CAR). However, with a modest spray program I am easily able to control it at my location in central Illinois. I think you could be successful as well by spraying Immunox at petal fall and two weeks later. You might be successful with just one spray at petal fall. Winecrisp should also work if you spray and it’s a good apple too.
Here is a disease resistance chart that covers CAR and many popular apples.
For rootstocks I think your best bet would be M7 or G890. You could go with M111 but your going to need to prune well to keep it at a reasonable size. I have good soil and that coupled with the local climate means M111 produces a standard size tree for me. So if it isn’t pruned well you could end up with a 30 foot tall tree.
I have mainly dwarf apple trees. I would rate my deer pressure as low to moderate depending on the year. The deer will eat foliage up to 4 feet above the ground. They also like eating apples. So I lose some of my crop to them. It works but I think semi-dwarf trees would be a better choice for you. To be honest though a tall fence surrounding the orchard is the best way to go. I don’t have one but I wish I did. I think Scott who started the forum has one now and he has fairly tall trees.
Also I think you might find my post and the rest of this thread to helpful. It covers spraying and there are some useful tips about tree selection.
I would definitely avoid m111 especially since the OP doesn’t want to care for big trees. I would consider m111 a standard rootstock or at least semi standard. It is definitely not semi-dwarf.
I like g890 depending on soil.
A few people mentioned using M7. The trouble with M7 rootstocks is that they have a tendency to lean, at least in my area. The people I have talked to also have this issue as well. I like the height they produce BUT the leaning makes it a problem. I have three M7’s and two are leaning. I had to pick one up a few times from actually being so close to the ground. I have the one staked up, somewhat. The second one needs to be propped up but because of the lack of rain I cannot do anything to prop it up until spring time since we get more rain then.
I cannot comment about the G 890 and G 969. I do have a few of them but mine have been planted only two years. I do have two G202. They are two different heights and widths. So I am not impressed with those G series trees.
M111 have a LOT better root stability for me. I mostly have M111 rootstocks on my 40 apple trees. Of those only two were too tall. I cut the central leader out so they are more manageable. I get plenty of fruit off the M111’s.
Deer issues are a problem that takes its own issue that needs to be addressed. Deer find a way to get to the fruit unless you put out a HIGH fence around it. IMO.
My M7 lean too. My GD went all the way to the ground before I anchored them up. Many have to be staked or anchored. They also are a sucker making beast. I sigh sometimes when I see the sucker under my trees.
Wind is certainly a problem in my location. I realize I’m asking for opposite things when I want a dwarfing tree with a strong root system, but that’s kinda where I am at.
If M111 can be kept a manageable height that sounds like a winner. I am nearly 7’ tall so I prune my peaches such that the deer don’t bother them but I can still reach them without a ladder, I should be able to do the same with an apple.
Bud 9 runts out bad in heat though. Bud 10 does better so far. M111/P.18 with an M27/P2 interstem perform well anyway. Maybe Bud 118/Bud 9 for colder climates?
Thanks for info on Bud 9 - I am also looking for apple rootstock. I was worried about lack of vigor with some of the dwarfing rootstocks.
I would like to have some dwarf trees in a fenced part of my yard (protected from deer). If anyone wants to recommend an apple rootstock to me: alkaline soil, fireblight risk high, zone 6b. I don’t mind having to support the trees.
It’s important to remember dwarfing rootstocks are bred to be precocious, meaning they fruit early and heavily. Dwarf trees cannot support themselves and are brittle. This is not optional and it burns a lot of home growers. Commercially they are lashed to both a trellis and a trunk stake which provide the support.