ROOTSTOCKS SHOULD BE SELECTED PRIMARILY FOR ADAPTABILITY TO THE SOIL AND CLIMATE OF THE PLANTING SITE
NOT FOR HEIGHT MANAGEMENT
Apple Rootstocks
Domestic Apple Seedling
Advantages:
· Unpruned tree height of standard varieties 18-30 ft.
· Vigorous, deep-rooted, tolerates wet, dry or poor soil
Disadvantages:
· Large Specimen
Antonovka Apple Seedling
Advantages:
· Unpruned tree height of standard varieties 18-30 ft.
· Vigorous, deep-rooted, tolerates both clay and loam soils
·Resistance to apple scab and powdery mildew
Disadvantages:
· Large Specimen
· May take longer to start bearing fruit
· Less tolerant to wet soils
· Susceptible to fireblight
M-111 Apple RootStock - Semi Dwarf
Advantages:
· Unpruned tree height 80-90% of standard, or about 15-25 ft.
· Tolerates waterlogging and drought, well-anchored
· Induces bearing at young age
· Resists woolly apple aphids and collar rot.
Disadvantages:
· Susceptible to crown rot under very poor conditions
M-7 Apple Rootstock - Semi Dwarf
Advantages:
· Unpruned tree height 2/3 of standard, or about 12-20 ft.
·Adapted to various soil conditions
· Induces early and heavy bearing
·Resists fire blight and powdery mildew· Moderately resistant to collar rot & Phytophthora
Disadvantages:
· Suckering
· Staking may be required
· Susceptible to wooly apple aphid
M9 Apple Rootstock - Dwarf
Advantages:
· Dwarfs to 40-45% seedling size
· Precocious and productive, increases fruit size
Disadvantages:
· Shallow rooted & drought sensitive
· Trees require support· Susceptible to fireblight & wooly apple aphid
Geneva® 969 Apple Rootstock - Semi Dwarf
Advantages:
· 50% of standard
· High resistance to woolly apple aphids and fire blight
· Resistance to crown and root rots.
· Few suckers and burr knots
· Precocious and productive
Disadvantages:
· Susceptible to Fire Blight
Cherry Rootstocks
Colt - Standard
Advantages:
· Tolerates wet heavy soils better
· Resists bacterial canker
· Cherries on Colt are field resistant to cherry stem pitting
Disadvantages:
· Drought sensitive
· Slight to not dwarfing under California irrigated conditions
· Susceptible to crown gall· Not cold hardy (not a problem in California climate)
Gisela® 12 - Standard
Advantages:
· Precocious
· Production moderate to heavy
· Well anchored, little suckering
· Suited to a wide range of soils
· Open, spreading growth habit
Disadvantages:
· Crop management may be required
· Dwarfing varies with soil, climate conditions and cultivar
Mazzard - Standard
Advantages:
· Viguous
· More water tolerant
· Cold hardy
· Resists root-knot nematode,
· Moderately resistant to oak root fungus
Disadvantages:
· Slow to bear
· Large tree· Prone to root suckering
· Susceptible to crown gall, bacterial canker & root-lesion nematode
Maxma® 14 (brokforest cv.) - Semi Dwarf
Advantages:·Height of about 2/3 of standard if unpruned.
· Induces early heavy bearing· Tolerates hot climates
· Resistant to bacterial canker and nematodes.
· Well anchored, very little suckering.
Disadvantages:
· Intolerant of waterlogged soils
Interspecific Rootstocks
Citation - Semi Dwarf
Advantages:
· Highly compatible with apricot and plum
· Induces early bearing· Tolerant of wet soil conditions
· Resists root knot nematode
· Advances maturity and increases size and sugar content of fruit
Disadvantages:
· Susceptible to crown gall, bacterial canker and oak root fungus
· Intolerant of virus with peach or nectarine
Lovell Peach - Standard
Advantages:
· More resistant to wet conditions than Nemaguard but prefers well-drained soils
· More resistant to bacterial canker than Nemaguard
Disadvantages:
· Susceptible to root-knot and root-lesion nematode and to oak-root fungus
· Somewhat susceptible to bacterial canker
Myrobalan 29C Plum - Standard
Advantages:
· Makes large tree
· Immune to root-knot nematode
· Tolerates wet soils
· Less sucker development
Disadvantages:
· Tends to lean
· Some incompatibility with almonds, prunes subject to brown line
· Susceptible to oak root fungus
Nemaguard Peach - Standard
Advantages:
· Strong & viguous tree
· Thrives in sandy soils
· Root-knot nematode resistant
Disadvantages:
· Susceptible to root-lesion nematode· Susceptible to oak root fungus & bacterial canker
Viking™Interspecific peach
Advantages:
· Vigorous
· Productive & precocious
· Increases fruit size
· Well anchored
· Root-knot nematode resistance
· Less susceptible to bacterial canker
· Tolerant of wet soil conditions
· Tolerant of saline and alkaline soil conditions
Disadvantages:
· Intolerant of dehydration in transplanting
Pear Rootstocks
Winter Nelis (European) Standard
Advantages:
· Height of 15-25 ft. or held to any desired height by summer pruning.
· Vigorous and tolerant of wet soils
·Resistant to oak root fungus and pear decline.
Disadvantages:
· Susceptibility to Fire Blight
OHxF 333 (European) - Semi Dwarf
Advantages:· Dwarfed to about 2/3 the size of standard, or about 12-18 ft. if not pruned.
· Widely adapted, disease-resistant.
Disadvantages:
· Relatively slow to establish
· Sensitive to "wet feet," meaning it doesn't tolerate soggy or poorly drained soil.
Betulaefolia (Asian) - Standard
Advantages:
· Unpruned tree height of Asian pears 15-25 ft.; or held to any desired height by summer pruning
· Tolerant of wet soil, dry soil, alkaline soil.
· Resists pear decline.
· More vigorous than Calleryana and more winter hardy.
Disadvantages:
· Large Specimen
Calleryana (Asian) - Semi Dwarf
Advantages:
· Calleryana are comparatively small, 15-20 ft. if unpruned
· Suited for warm winter/hot summer climates. · Sandy or heavy soils.·Heavy bearing at a young age
Disadvantages:· Shallow-rooted · Prone to suckering· Susceptibility to Fire Blight
I have tried to list the most common rootstocks you may come across if you don't see your particular rootstock listed click here for more
