Reasonable source of a single rootstok?

I am going to start a new espaliered apple tree and I really want to use G.890 rootstock for it. I have another espalier on it and I think it works very well. I found one on Cummins for 3.95. But as it is small purchase they add handling and together with shipping it converts to almost $30 for a single rootstock. Any idea where, preferably in New England or NY I can buy a single G. 890 rootstock not for the price of full tree?

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I don’t know of anywhere that you won’t pay at least 10-15 dollars for shipping. If you’re paying shipping anyway, might as well buy a few rootstocks, that way you can make multiple grafts as insurance in case the first one doesn’t take. If they all take, then you’ve got a nice present to give someone if you don’t have need for additional trees.

I spent few hours trying ti find a place for one more tree :grin:. I am not sure what i will do with multiple ones. Anybody in NE wants anything ordered?

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Raintree in WA sells 'em at 4.99 each…don’t know if the shipping would make it cheaper from 3000 miles away or not? I agree the shipping and handling is outrageous…that’s where they make their money, apparently, not on plants.

The short answer is no. You have to pay shipping on that size box and that isn’t going to change if the supplier is only putting one rootstock in the box instead of ten. The same goes for trees in larger boxes.

You could drive to Cummins and pick up your one rootstock if the shipping really bothers you but lets be honest the true cost in time and money would be greater if you did that.

As others have said buying say 5 rootstocks makes more sense. You can make multiple grafts and if one scion/g890 combo fails you still get a tree. Also you don’t have to buy all the same rootstocks you could buy two G890 and a couple of more dwarfing rootstocks like B9 or G11 which can be used for 3 foot spacing (tall spindle) or 2 foot spacing (cordon).

Or for not much more money just buy a single tree and save one to two years of your time. The most expensive part of this hobby is time since we only live so long.

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They do not have what I need - Ginger gold - on G 890. I wish I can buy a tree. But is an interesting thought about Cordon . So far I only considered 4 tire espalier, same as I have now. I need to think about it. But the rootstock for dwarf are not very suitable for my area - I have woolly aphids and G11 just is not reliable… Need to think about it.

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Well if woolly aphids are a problem you could go with G41. The main disadvantage of G41 is graft union strength but if it’s supported well and in an area with some shelter from high winds then I think it would be fine. Cummins sells G41.

Another option would be G214. It has a bit more vigor than G11 and G41 but is resistant to woolly aphid and has good graft union strength. Maple Valley Orchards sells both G890 and G214.

http://maplevalleyorchards.com/rootstock/apple-rootstock/

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Interesting… I draw a picture of Belgian fence planted 2’ apart, 5 trees on 8’ row, most left and right will only have branches on one side, but three levels instead of one to make proper pattern. That seems to be most dense espalier. If I keep the fence at 7’ and start the branches (at 45 degrees) at 1’ from the ground I will have total 51’ of branches. But if I plant one tree and let it grow into 4-level espalier with layers spaced 1.5-2’ started at 1.5’ from the ground, I can get 64’ of branches on the same space. What would be a benefit having 5 trees instead of one in this case if I only need one kind of apples? I understand the risk of loosing a single tree, but assuming we had success on that single one, what are the benefits other then a fancy look?

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Thanks a lot for the link! There it is reasonable $15 with shipping. Now I just need to decide if I want a Belgian fence :grin:

G30 would be the same size tree…they have that either?

Thanks to @mroot I have G.890 now!

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And now I want to start a new tree, and I just can’t go there!

:-)M

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Look for a forth dimension! I always do - so far successful!

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We can probably find you some scions if you change your mind… :rofl:

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Speaking as someone who went the Belgian fence route, the main advantage in my mind is that it’s significantly easier to train and keep the trees in balanced growth than a multi-tier espalier.

Speaking as a bad (!!!) mathematician, if you have a 7’ Belgian fence with the Ys starting 1’ above the ground, and A squared plus B squared equals C squared, I’m ending up with (6 x 6) + (6 x 6) = 72, and the square root of 72 is between 8 and 9. So, if we say 8.5’ per scaffold, with five trees that gives you 8 full scaffolds plus the two vertical ends, so (8.5 x 8) + (6 x 2), which I think equals 80’ total. But definitely check my math on that!

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if you look at this picture, you can see that not all branches are the same length. They have to stop at 0 and 8 feet post…

4X2.8’
4X5.7
2X8.5

Galina,
Thanks for bring up this topic.

@JinMA, you posted the pics of your Belgian Fence once. I can’t find that post or the thread. Could you be able to post the pics again, please?

I would like to ask for the info on how you do it. I may do the same right in the front of my house just for the fun of it. Thank you for your advice.

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Right, but then you’re going to either train the branch back or have an additional branch coming off the end post, so you always end up with a full Y for each tree except the end trees, but the Ys are “folded” (if that makes sense).

Handling the ends of the fence does add a little difficulty.

Hi mamuang,

I went back and tracked down the post. Here is the thread: Attempting Espalier with Two Super-Dwarf Apples.

I’m copying and pasting the pictures and reference info below:

The fence faces south and runs east to west. For reference, this is currently the overall arrangement:

East endpost: Edward VII
Court Pendu Plat
Post: Hunt Russet
Roxbury Russet
Ashmead’s Kernel (started to go downhill last year and unfortunately seems to be pining for the fjords) Update: It died.
Roxbury Russet
Post: Kidd’s Orange Red
Pitmaston Pineapple
Adams Pearmain
Gray Pearmain
Post: Black Oxford
Westfield Seek No Further
Wheeler’s Golden Russet
Westfield Seek No Further
Post: Black Oxford
American Beauty
Mother
Reine des Reinettes
Post: Kidd’s Orange Red
Orleans Reinette
Hoople’s Antique Gold
(G41 rootstock that I plan to graft to Orleans Reinette next year)
Post: (space for Claygate Pearmain that I grafted this year - hopefully…) Update: Claygate Pearmain graft took, hoping for a successful transplant this spring.
Cornish Aromatic
West endpost: Old Nonpareil

I extended the endposts this spring and moved a few things around on the outer panels (partly bringing in trees that I grafted last year). As you can see, I still have a few spaces to fill in and will probably end up doing some more adjustments down the line, but it gives you the general idea.

Here is a view looking down the fence from east to west:

espalier%20east%20to%20west

Here is a view of a panel looking toward the street:

espalier%20toward%20street

Here is a view of the same panel (I think) looking from the street:

espalier%20from%20street

I believe that is Black Oxford-Westfield-Wheeler’s-Westfield-Black Oxford. As you can see, the diamond pattern isn’t perfect, though you don’t notice it so much in person. I’m not necessarily going for perfection, but I’ll probably tinker with it a bit this spring, and I also have to do a little work extending/replacing some of the bamboo, especially where the trees are starting to outgrow the lattice. (Wheeler’s Golden Russet and Black Oxford have been among my more vigorous trees, Wheeler’s especially.)

Here is a view of one of the black locust endposts with part of the lattice under construction:

espalier%20end%20post

Here is a closeup that shows the bamboo tied onto the wire and the tree tied on to the bamboo:

espalier%20ties

And finally, just for kicks, here is a closeup of some of our first flower buds:

espalier%20flower%20buds

These are on Reine des Reinettes. There are also a couple on Wheeler’s and a couple more on the Blue Pearmain that’s in the fence that I’m working on in the back yard.

Note: As you can see, some of the panels are somewhat less than perfectly aligned. I think that’s just going to happen to some extent, but I did straighten out some of them. It’s not something you really notice if you’re just walking by, but I’m planning to make a little more of a concerted effort to straighten it out in the coming year.

Also, I added a second layer of bamboo supports to extend the framework up another level. I’ll try to take some new pictures to update in the spring if people are interested.

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No, I am not sure I understand what saying about folding. I am geometrically stupid, I need to draw. Let me draw a new picture with different color for each tree. And when I did, I got your point. I have 4 8.5 branches, not 2. But still it comes to 68’, not 80

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