DWARF APPLE TREES

Dwarf trees are easier to pick, require less space in the landscape and tend to fruit at a younger age. I have found that fruit is consistently produced 2 years earlier on these dwarf trees. The fruit is the same or larger in size than on the standard trees. The best way to ensure good fruit size is to thin heavy apple crops to only two or three apples per cluster. The thinning procedure is much easier on the dwarf trees as you can reach all of a mature tree from a six-foot step ladder. It is no wonder that the demand for these trees is growing everywhere, including on the prairies.

The dwarf characteristic is the result of the influence of a dwarf variety used either as a rootstock or an interstem. An interstem is a piece of plant material grafted between the root and the desired variety at the top of the tree, essentially you have a tree that is a composite of the three different trees. Interstem trees are costly and time consuming to produce, so the most common type of dwarf tree you will find uses dwarfing rootstocks. There are numerous dwarfing rootstocks available around the world. Unfortunately our prairie growing conditions severely restrict the types of roots we can use to be successful at dwarfing. We have experimented with several varieties with varying degrees of success. The very dwarfing roots, such as the Mailing varieties from England do not appear to be hardy enough here for commercial production. There are trees growing in the Edmonton area that are on Mailing roots but they are few and far between. Our experience has been that they live for a few years and then suddenly die out.

We have the best success with Ottawa 3 rootstock. Ottawa 3 has proven to be very hardy for us - I don't believe that I have had any rootstock winterkill. I would recommend that mulch be added if your snow cover is inconsistent. The Ottawa 3 produces a tree of about 3 meters in height with a nice sturdy framework. If your area is exposed to wind you may want to stake them for stability. They do tend to have droopy branches and staking may help you keep these under control. Consistent pruning will also alleviate this problem.

We are always trying new rootstocks and would be delighted to hear about any successes that you may have had in growing dwarf plants. It will take all interested people working together to determine the success of these plants under the varying prairie conditions.

I recommend these trees wholeheartedly, they are a great addition to any yard.

Amanda Chedzoy

Return to 'Growing Tips'