I was looking though apple books looking at descriptions of verietys. I came across some advice that has me second guessing myself. How far apart would you space apples on m26 trained to a 6 foot 3 wire espailiar in very good soil? Also, how far above the ground should the graft union be on m26 and m111?
I like my graft unions 2-4" above the soil level. Sometimes the nursery grafts are lower so in these cases I just try to get as much clearance as possible. Good luck, Bill
111 should be very close to soil to reduce burr knots. As close to the soil as possible and still maintain reliable separation of contact between soil and scion is usually the way to go with any root stock chosen for some dwarfing affect.
As far as distance between trees, I would tend to keep a 10’ distance between espaliered M26 trees with equal consideration to relative vigor of the scions- but I’m not a fan of very close spacing- especially in “good” soil.
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I spaced the m26 trees 8’ to 12’ depending on vigor. My graft unions on m26 and m111 are more like 4" to 6" off the ground. Should I mound up dirt around the base?
Mike, what spacing are you using for your M.111 trees? While I’m asking, how about B.118 and B.9 too?
Hi Andy,
The devil is always in the details. You have to factor in Variety vigor, Growth habit, and how rich the soil is.
M111 & B118 spacing is recommended anywhere from 12’ to 22’ apart. I spaced mine 12’ apart in poor soil and 15’ to 18’ in rich soil. My B-9s are trellised. 8’ apart trained as 6’ espaliers. I would plant them 9’ or 10’ apart as “free standing” trees (they should still have a stake for support)
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I’m glad you guys are talking about this.
Here in Alaska I have seen a lot of grafts waaaaay higher up, 12" plus. I haven’t observed burr knots.