I was doing to some research as I have a location I need to plant apples in that has higher pH (7.5) than what we would normally like. I found a research paper showing a small sample size of various root stocks and their response to different pH ranges among other things. The paper indicated that M111 actually performed best at 7.5 pH out of all other tested pHs. I know it is kind of hard to compare vigor and performance unless you have a multi specimen study in a small area, but I was wondering if anybody had a sense of which apple root stocks that they felt were better suited to calcareous or higher pH soils just from there own plantings? Anybody have a link to other research on the subject?
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I have not conducted any scientific study of the matter, but can report my own limited experience:
We have a thin layer of loam over decomposed granite as a bedrock, thicker in some spots, thinner in others. Raw pH is in the mid 7’s. I have planted roughly 30 apple trees, on M111, Anatonovka, and B111 root stocks. In general all have fared well. Trees tend to be smaller here, likely more due to climate than soil, so a M111 tree rarely gets over 12’ and I expect the same for the other root stocks but have not had them long enough to see. There is some variation tree to tree, but no obvious patterns in regards to all trees on this root stock do well/badly.
At this point I tend to choose Anatonovka or B111 as it seems they are a bit more robust here than M111.
Also, my area tends to cold, dry and windy, and as such is probably not a good test for diseases which grow in hot and humid.
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Thanks for including your climate as well. Just another factor that “complicates” the whole process. One of these days I would love to run a test where I choose a small number of scion varieties and then plant them on some differing root stocks on a side by side trial. I think the NC140 projects kind of do that, but pH is something I dont think is routinely reported on.
I’ve had very good luck with mm111 on my 7.5-8.0 ph soil. The soil is clay loam so the trees do not get huge but are extremely productive. Like Steve my experience is limited to a small number of apples that are in production. They grew very slow at times.
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I can tell my personal experience.
My land is clay loam with high pH (8.5), and irrigation water, also it has high pH.
I have in my orchard about 200 apple trees, grafted onto rootstock M-9, the distance between trees 6,5 feet.
The trees have not presented problems of iron chlorosis, the harvest are huge, the size and the colour of the fruit is escepcional.
For me this rootstock is ideal for apple trees.
Inconvenient :
It has a very small root system, and the trees necessarily have to be on trellises
Joseph
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