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Orange Pippin Trees USA logoSpecialist fruit trees for your orchard or back-yard

Apple Tree Rootstocks and Tree Sizes

We graft our apple, cider and crab-apple trees on to a wide range of traditional and modern rootstocks, to control the mature size of the tree and confer attributes such as disease-resistance and cold-hardiness. If you have specific requirements please contact us.

  • Very-dwarf (mature height: 4ft-7ft)
    • G65
  • Dwarf (mature height: 6ft-10ft)
    • M9
    • Bud.9
    • G.11
    • G.16
    • G.41
  • Semi-dwarf (mature height: 8ft-12ft)
    • G.935
    • G.202
    • G.210
    • M26
    • G.222
    • M7
    • G.30
    • G.890
    • G.969
  • Semi-vigorous (mature height: 10ft-16ft)
    • MM106
    • MM111
    • Bud. 118
  • Full-size (mature height: 14ft-20ft+)
    • P.18
    • Antonovka

Very-dwarf apple rootstocks

G65 rootstock

  • Mature height: Very small, 5ft-7ft
  • Spacing: 3ft-4ft
  • Bearing age: 2-3 years
  • Staking: Permanent stake required

Suitable forms: Small centre leader, Pyramid, Step-over, Patio container

Derived from the very dwarfing M27 rootstock, but noticeably more vigorous.

Ground around the tree should be kept weed-free (e.g. mulched). Requires regular watering / irrigation.


Dwarf apple rootstocks

M9 rootstock

  • Mature height: Small, 6ft-10ft
  • Spacing: 3ft-7ft
  • Bearing age: 2-3 years
  • Staking: Permanent stake required

Suitable forms: Small centre leader / spindlebush, Cordons, oblique cordons, Small espalier / fan, The most important dwarf apple rootstock, planted worldwide. However not ideal for North American growers because it is not particularly winter-hardy and has poor resistance to fireblight.

Ground around the tree should be kept weed-free (e.g. mulched). Requires regular watering / irrigation.

Bud.9 rootstock

  • Mature height: Small, 6ft-10ft
  • Spacing: 3ft-7ft
  • Bearing age: 2-3 years
  • Staking: Permanent stake required

Suitable forms: Small centre leader / spindlebush, Cordons, oblique cordons, Small espalier / fan

Similar or slightly less vigorous than M9, but with excellent winter cold hardiness. Needs good soils, not happy on sandy soil.

Ground around the tree should be kept weed-free (e.g. mulched). Requires regular watering / irrigation.

G.11 rootstock

  • Mature height: Small, 6ft-10ft
  • Spacing: 3ft-7ft
  • Bearing age: 2-3 years
  • Staking: Permanent stake required

Suitable forms: Small centre leader / spindlebush, Cordons, oblique cordons, Small espalier / fan

G.11 is similar to M9 but with better fireblight resistance. It is also tolerant of wet conditions / phytophthora. It is increasingly used in commercial orchards as a replacement for M9, planted at 2ft or 3ft spacings. For the backyard orchard, 7ft spacings would be more practical. It is not resistant to replant syndrome.

Ground around the tree should be kept weed-free (e.g. mulched). Requires regular watering / irrigation.

G.16 rootstock

  • Mature height: Small, 6ft-10ft
  • Spacing: 3ft-7ft
  • Bearing age: 2-3 years
  • Staking: Required for first 5 years

Suitable forms: Small centre leader / spindlebush, Cordons, oblique cordons, Small espalier / fan, G.16 is slightly more vigorous than M9, and with superior winter cold hardiness. It is resistant to fireblight and has some tolerance of wet conditions / phytophthora. It is not resistant to replant syndrome.

Unusually for a dwarf rootstock, does not always need permanent support (but probably still a good idea). An excellent choice for a small backyard.

Ground around the tree should be kept weed-free (e.g. mulched). Requires regular watering / irrigation.

G.41 rootstock

  • Mature height: Small, 6ft-10ft
  • Spacing: 3ft-7ft
  • Bearing age: 2-3 years
  • Staking: Permanent stake required

Suitable forms: Small centre leader / spindlebush, Cordons, oblique cordons

G.41 is a new rootstock in the M9-class, very resistant to fireblight and collar rot and tolerant of replant disease.

Ground around the tree should be kept weed-free (e.g. mulched). Requires regular watering / irrigation.

G.41 tends to have a very brittle, therefore a solid vertical permanent stake is essential as soon as the tree is planted.


Semi-dwarf apple rootstocks

G.935 rootstock

  • Mature height: Medium, 8ft-12ft
  • Spacing: 6ft-12ft
  • Bearing age: 3 years
  • Staking: Permanent stake required

Suitable forms: Bush, Centre leader / spindlebush, Large cordons, Fan or espalier

G.935 is classed as semi-dwarf, but could also be considered a vigorous dwarf rootstock. Given space, it behaves like a semi-dwarf, but it can also be planted at near-dwarf spacings.

It was developed by Cornell University specifically for low-vigor commercial varieties such as Honeycrisp and PixieCrunch, where a dwarf tree is required but an M9-class rootstock would be too weak.

For scion varieties with average or high vigor, G.935 can be considered a small semi-dwarf rootstock, producing a tree a bit smaller than M26 - but more productive.

It is productive and precocious, resistant to fireblight and replant disease.

Ground around the tree should be kept weed-free (e.g. mulched). Requires regular watering / irrigation.

G.202 rootstock

  • Mature height: Medium, 8ft-12ft
  • Spacing: 6ft-12ft
  • Bearing age: 3 years
  • Staking: Permanent stake required

Suitable forms: Bush, Centre leader / spindlebush, Large cordons, Fan or espalier

G.202 is another low-vigor semi-dwarf rootstock, and can be used interchangeably with G.935.

G.202 has much better resistance to fireblight, collar rot (phytophthora), and woolly aphid than M26, and is therefore a better alternative to M26 in warmer climates where woolly aphid can be an issue.

Ground around the tree should be kept weed-free (e.g. mulched). Requires regular watering / irrigation.

G.210 rootstock

  • Mature height: Medium, 8ft-12ft
  • Spacing: 6ft-12ft
  • Bearing age: 3 years
  • Staking: Permanent stake required

Suitable forms: Bush, Centre leader / spindlebush, Large cordons, Fan or espalier

G.210 is a good choice for the backyard orchardist wanting a medium-size (M26-class) tree, and although staking is recommended it might not be essential in the longer term.

G.210 was developed by Cornell University as an M7 class rootstock but in practice has proved to be much less vigorous and is best considered a strong dwarf rootstock on poor soils or in high-density plantings, and a semi-dwarf on good soils or in medium-density plantings.

It is significantly more productive than M7 and M9, particularly in replant situations, and much more precocious than M7 or M26.

Ground around the tree should be kept weed-free (e.g. mulched). Requires regular watering / irrigation.

M26 rootstock

  • Mature height: Medium, 8ft-12ft
  • Spacing: 9ft-12ft
  • Bearing age: 3 years
  • Staking: Permanent stake required

Suitable forms: Bush, Centre leader / spindlebush, Large cordons, Fan or espalier

The original Malling series semi-dwarf rootstock.

Ground around the tree should be kept weed-free (e.g. mulched). Requires regular watering / irrigation.

G.222 rootstock

  • Mature height: Medium, 8ft-12ft
  • Spacing: 9ft-12ft
  • Bearing age: 3 years
  • Staking: Permanent stake required

Suitable forms: Bush, Centre leader / spindlebush, Large cordons, Fan or espalier

Slightly larger than M26, but far more productive and precocious. Resistant to fireblight.

M7 rootstock

  • Mature height: Medium, 9ft-12ft
  • Spacing: 10ft-12ft
  • Bearing age: 3 years
  • Staking: Permanent stake required

Suitable forms: Bush, Centre leader / spindlebush, Large cordons, Fan or espalier

One of the original Malling series rootstocks, widely planted in North America, and noticeably more vigorous than M26.

G.30 rootstock

  • Mature height: Medium, 9ft-12ft
  • Spacing: 10ft-12ft
  • Bearing age: 2-3 years
  • Staking: Permanent stake required

Suitable forms: Bush, Centre leader / spindlebush, Large cordons, Fan or espalier

An adaptable, precocious, and productive new rootstock. It produces a tree somewhat larger than M26, similar to M7, and much heavier-cropping than either. It has good fireblight resistance and cold-hardiness.

G.30 is very well anchored but nevertheless permanent staking or support is essential for trees on this rootstock, because of the weight of apples it can produce which on some varieties can over-stress the graft union.

Probably the best rootstock of any size class if your ground is subject to flooding - but it requires a permanent stake.

G.890 rootstock

  • Mature height: Medium, 9ft-12ft
  • Spacing: 10ft-12ft
  • Bearing age: 2-3 years
  • Staking: Staking required for first few years

Suitable forms: Bush, Centre leader / spindlebush, Large cordons, Fan or espalier

An M7-class rootstock with good resistance to fireblight and woolly aphid, crown rot and root rot, and tolerance of re-plant disease.

May not need staking when used with vigorous scions - but if in doubt, make sure it is staked.

G.969 rootstock

  • Mature height: Medium, 9ft-12ft
  • Spacing: 10ft-12ft
  • Bearing age: 2-3 years
  • Staking: Permanent stake required

Suitable forms: Bush, Centre leader / spindlebush, Large cordons, Fan or espalier

Similar to G.890 in most respects, but tree size is more variable depending on soil and climate.


Semi-vigorous apple rootstocks

MM106 rootstock

  • Mature height: Large, 10ft-14ft
  • Spacing: 12ft-18ft
  • Bearing age: 2-3 years
  • Staking: Not necessary

Suitable forms: Half-standard, Bush, Large centre leader / spindlebush, Large fan or espalier

MM106 is one of the most widely-grown semi-vigorous rootstocks. Susceptible to collar rot on wet sites. Easy to grow and versatile.

MM111 rootstock

  • Mature height: Large, 10ft-16ft
  • Spacing: 12ft-18ft
  • Bearing age: 4-5 years
  • Staking: Not necessary

Suitable forms: Half-standard, Bush, Large centre leader / spindlebush, Large fan or espalier

MM111 is one of the most adaptable of all rootstocks, and will grow in a very wide range of soil conditions. It is a good choice for a traditional orchard. MM111 is also noted for its good drought tolerance when mature - thanks to its extensive spreading root system.

MM111 can be slow to come into bearing, and is not suitable for the coldest zones.

Bud. 118 rootstock

  • Mature height: Large, 10ft-16ft
  • Spacing: 12ft-18ft
  • Bearing age: 3-4 years
  • Staking: May require staking for the first few years

Suitable forms: Half-standard, Large centre leader / spindlebush, Large fan or espalier

Produces a semi-standard tree, similar to MM111 but with much better cold hardiness.

Bud. 118 also confers some fireblight resistance (although not as much as the Geneva-series rootstocks).

It is very precocious compared to other semi-vigorous rootstocks, and tolerates heavy soils and difficult conditions.

Unusually for a semi-vigorous rootstock, B.118 is likely to need staking for the first few years as it is not initially well-anchored.


Full-size apple rootstocks

P.18 rootstock

  • Mature height: Very large, 14ft-20ft+
  • Spacing: 24ft+
  • Bearing age: 5 years
  • Staking: Not necessary

Suitable forms: Full-standard

P.18 is a vigorous apple rootstock and will eventually produce a full-size tree. It is also very cold-hardy, and has some resistance to crown-rot and fireblight.

P.18 is derived from Antonovka.

Antonovka rootstock

  • Mature height: Very large, 14ft-20ft+
  • Spacing: 24ft+
  • Bearing age: 5 years
  • Staking: Not necessary

Suitable forms: Full-standard

Antonovka is a seedling apple rootstock and will eventually produce a full-size tree. It is also very cold-hardy.



Introduction to rootstocks