Apples and Pears

Hi folks. I`m nearly at the stage where I need to buy some fruit trees (2 apple, 1 pear and a plum). I have limited space as my garden is narrow(only 12ft). I therefore assume I`ll need dwarf rootstock. If all 4 trees have the same rootstock, is it safe to assume they`ll all be pretty much the same size at maturity? Also...the rootstock...is it M6 or something? Cheers...freddy.

 

Hi freddy i fancy a couple of fruit trees, i saw some in wilkos, apple, pear, orange, trees for �£3.99.. i wonder if anyone on gc has any advice, eg, are they any good, do they need polinated, and do you really get fruit as in the pics on the labels..

 

Hi Freddy and Dee. Got mine from Wilkos. No problem except the fig died within 2 weeks. Freddy is quite right with 2 apples. They pollinate far better even those that don't technically require cross pollination. I think the ones in Wilko at the moment are dwarf plants. OK if you want dwarf but no they won't fruit like the picture - unless you are Percy Thrower. Got another fig this year about 2 weeks ago and so far looks fine but of course I left it late to buy before (fatal with Scarborough Wilko) but now I have the g.house.

 

Hey I got this posted and then realised I am talking gardening for the first time in months. Is Spring here? YIPPEE

 

Hi `daisy`. I myself have seen trees like the ones you mention, but I dont think there was any information about the rootstock. If I had plenty of space it wouldn`t be an issue. I`m no expert on pollination(unless you count the kids ) but I DO know that Cox`s require a cross-pollinator which happens to be one of the trees I`m after. If anyone could suggest something to go with it? Cheers...freddy.

 

thanks john, freddy, suppose ill buy two apple trees then..Cheers, By the way john i would love to see a pic of your greenhouse.. I went all through the greenhouse pics thread last week and i really enjoyed it..Dee.

 

I'm redeveloping the entire area Dee and will post a piccie then.

P.S. Lend me a fiver for a cup of tea will you. :D

 

I'm no expert either Freddy but a neighbour has a Cox and a Granny Smith which apparently flower about the same time (which is what you need).

 

Thanks Sarraceniac. A LONG time ago I grew one alongside a James Grieve which was recommended, but I can`t for the life of me remember if it was any good ! Rootstock info ? Cheers...freddy.

 

hope you took before during and after pics john..

Re lending you a fiver for a cuppa..........NO :D

 

Got a pear and a fig from Wilkos a few weeks ago both doing well the pear is grafted on dwarf root stock.

 

I think it's an M9 you need for a dwarf root stock or M27 for a very dwarf tree. You can get a self fertile cox and the victoria plum is also self fertile as are concorde and conference pears. Hope this helps.

 

Hi folks. Well, I`ve placed the order for 2 apple (queen cox and james grieve) 1 pear(conference) and plum(victoria). The apples are on M26 rootstock, the pear is on Quince 1 and the plum is on Pixey. Seems like the really dwarf rootstock can be troublesome, ie requires a lot of attention whereas the semi-dwarf is easier and produces more fruit, and I`m assured that all I need to do is stop the leader when it`s reached the size I want. I paid around �£15 for each tree from a nursery called Blackmoor`s. They are 2 year old bare rooted trees, dont seem like a bad price, I`ve seen a lot higher. So, just have to wait and see how they turn out. Cheers...freddy.

 

Sounds good Freddy. Keep us informed.

 

Im going shopping tomorrow Freddy, If i see a wilkos ill buy a couple of the apple trees we talked about.. maybe we can compare over summer, see which ones yield the most fruit :rolleyes: