Hi all, I’m new to the forum and just starting out with my home orchard. I’ve been reading and learning a lot and I wanted to ask for some advice in regards to permanent staking of dwarf apple trees. I am planning to plant a “higher density” row of apples, all on dwarfing Geneva rootstock (considering G11, G214, or G935).
I plan to plant 6’ spacing in a single row, but I don’t have much interest in a full trellis build. What do you all recommend for a permanent single stake? I’ve seen mixed feelings about 10’ conduit and T posts.
I’m in northern Indiana, zone 6a. I’m not sure what I would classify my soil as, but it would be on the sandier side, definitely not clay.
Thank you all, looking forward to learning from your experience!
When they finally get big enough to plant; we use budget wooden fence posts. We get them half the price of standard wood posts. You have to ask around. Not all hardware places sell them.
We use t-posts but only for trellis or trained apple tree forms.
That sounded like my best option so far. I am looking for 10’ T posts which are a little harder to come by. Do you think an 8’ post would be sufficient or should I hold out for ten footers?
Twelve years ago I installed fourteen 8’ T posts for a couple of purposes. They are beasts to handle on your own. If you go with 10’, then I’d recommend a motorized post driver for installation and sink them at least 2’. Regardless, you’ll also need an inexpensive post level which can be attached to the post by rubber-band or zip-tie.
I use my T posts to support structural posts, in one case metal and the other case pressure-treated 2 x 4s. I attached them with steel U-clamps. In both cases the structural posts extend above the net height of the T posts.
Very interesting. I hadn’t thought about using a t post in conjunction with a second post. It looks like you used conduit in one of those pictures. Did you drive the t post in the ground and then pound in the taller conduit after it? That might be a great way to get some extra support without dealing with 10’ t posts.
I have used 5 and 6 foot T posts for dwarf and semi-dwarf trees (G935 and 214) with good results. Banging in the longer ones is a tough job. I keep the T-post about 2 feet from the trunk and use wire and cloth to hold the tree. Our winds are usually from W or NW and most years we get a few blows over 60mph. I put the T post on the north side of tree, so the trees blow against the cloth restraint, not the post. So far these have worked fine. I have removed posts on some of my semi-dwarf trees after they have been in the ground a few years. If you search this site, there are some threads about the Geneva rootstocks and breakage you may want to review.
I will do that for sure. I wanted to plant tighter spacing and use dwarf rootstock which, from what I understand, need lifetime support either with a stake or trellis system. Good to know that you have used T posts with good success.
