Apple trees - dwarf vs. semi-dwarf

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Hello all. Does anyone have experience with dwarf and semi-dwarf apple trees? I am putting in an order from Stark Bro's online and I'm not sure which size I should get.

According to the website, dwarf apple trees grow a max height and width of 8-10 feet, and semi-dwarfs are about 10-15 feet tall and wide. I live in an urban area but have a decent sized yard. However, it's still not a ton of space compared to rural areas. I instantly thought I should order the dwarf because it will fit in my yard better and not shade my vegetable garden if I decide to put it in my backyard. I could still get a decent harvest from the small tree too. But, I was wondering if deer and other animals can easily eat the apples from the dwarf tree. Another thing: dwarf trees only live 10-15 years.

To anyone who has had one or both of these sized fruit trees: Are dwarf trees worth it or should I just go with the semi-dwarf? What are the pros and cons of each in your opinion?

Thank you!!!

 

[TooCheep]

Dwarf and semi-dwarf versions of a full-sized fruit tree are created by grafting the desired upper onto a dwarf/semi-dwarf root stock. The dwarf/semi-dwarf root stocks achieve the shrinkage by restricting how much water and nutrients they absorb from the soil. That is why the dwarf has a shorter life. The root stock is starving the tree which keeps it smaller.

Personal opinion: I never buy anything smaller than semi-dwarf even though I have 6 dwarfed fruit trees of different types. I want a root stock that isn't starving the tree. Instead, I've learned how to prune them each year and keep them under 10' tall/wide. If you decide to try this route, you'll want to prune them annually when the tree has dropped its leaves and is dormant.

I buy most of my trees and berry bushes from Stark Bros. Good company.

 

[tlcmurphy]

I’ve purchased a semi-dwarf peach tree from Stark Brothers years ago. It really wasn’t tall at all, I don’t think you’d notice the difference from dwarf, although I guess big difference from full size. Very good company!

 

[Acre4Me]

In general, any fruit tree you purchase should be pruned to open it up for max sunlight to the branches. There are different ways to do this, but more sunlight means more fruit. Less fruit due to pruning branches when dormant or thinning immature fruit, means larger fruit.

Rootstock is the key to size, not the fruit variety. I’d go with semi dwarf over dwarf, and then learn more about pruning. The semi dwarf tree will get taller, but still be manageable.

I’ve bought 8 fruit trees from Stark. 6 were purchased last year, most bare root. Two died, although they were planted immediately upon receipt, in good location. One of these was an EZ Start, and one was a bare root. Stark will only replace 1x. So, the EZ start one was replanted late summer/early fall and the other was finally in stock this weekend, so I should get that one this spring. And, one Stark tree planted in 2020 gave us 1 fruit last year, so hopefully we get a few more this year!

Good luck

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Dwarf and semi-dwarf versions of a full-sized fruit tree are created by grafting the desired upper onto a dwarf/semi-dwarf root stock. The dwarf/semi-dwarf root stocks achieve the shrinkage by restricting how much water and nutrients they absorb from the soil. That is why the dwarf has a shorter life. The root stock is starving the tree which keeps it smaller.

Personal opinion: I never buy anything smaller than semi-dwarf even though I have 6 dwarfed fruit trees of different types. I want a root stock that isn't starving the tree. Instead, I've learned how to prune them each year and keep them under 10' tall/wide. If you decide to try this route, you'll want to prune them annually when the tree has dropped its leaves and is dormant.

I buy most of my trees and berry bushes from Stark Bros. Good company.

Thank you for this advice! So do you actually prune the ends of the branches to keep them from getting too long? I'm just having trouble picturing how to keep it from getting too tall or wide. The only pruning I am familiar with so far is with my young peach tree, which I am trying to get to 3 main branches with an open center. I don't actually trim the ends though after the initial prune - just clear most of the small twigs from the center to keep it open.

And good to know you like Stark Bro's. I also have gooseberry and currant plants in my cart.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I’ve purchased a semi-dwarf peach tree from Stark Brothers years ago. It really wasn’t tall at all, I don’t think you’d notice the difference from dwarf, although I guess big difference from full size. Very good company!

Thanks! How tall would you say yours is? And how old is yours?

 

[tlcmurphy]

Thanks! How tall would you say yours is? And how old is yours?

This was many years and several houses ago, but it was probably about 10 feet tall if I had to guess.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

In general, any fruit tree you purchase should be pruned to open it up for max sunlight to the branches. There are different ways to do this, but more sunlight means more fruit. Less fruit due to pruning branches when dormant or thinning immature fruit, means larger fruit.

Rootstock is the key to size, not the fruit variety. I’d go with semi dwarf over dwarf, and then learn more about pruning. The semi dwarf tree will get taller, but still be manageable.

I’ve bought 8 fruit trees from Stark. 6 were purchased last year, most bare root. Two died, although they were planted immediately upon receipt, in good location. One of these was an EZ Start, and one was a bare root. Stark will only replace 1x. So, the EZ start one was replanted late summer/early fall and the other was finally in stock this weekend, so I should get that one this spring. And, one Stark tree planted in 2020 gave us 1 fruit last year, so hopefully we get a few more this year!

Good luck

Thanks for sharing your experience. I was planning to prune this one similar to my peach tree (a few main branches with an open center). I was planning to go with the bare root, just since it fits my budget better. I hope mine has a better survival rate than yours! I was just thinking about getting one self-pollinating variety since someone from the local university's science department is planting a pawpaw tree (or two) in my yard this year. That's a lot of trees for my small yard.

 

[BDutch]

We bought a dwarf apricot for on balcony and terrace over 15 years ago. We planted in fertile soil in the garden. After few years it was growing to normal size. We pruned it to keep it reasonably small.

All fruit trees will grow high with long branches if you don’t prune. And keep on pruning every year or every two years.

fruit tree low stem, half stem and normal or high stem.

Instead of Google, I use Ecosia as my search engine because they spend 100% of their profits on the planet. We have planted almost 200 million trees! Give it a try: https://ecosia.co/200M

 

[Acre4Me]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I was planning to prune this one similar to my peach tree (a few main branches with an open center). I was planning to go with the bare root, just since it fits my budget better. I hope mine has a better survival rate than yours! I was just thinking about getting one self-pollinating variety since someone from the local university's science department is planting a pawpaw tree (or two) in my yard this year. That's a lot of trees for my small yard.

That’s great that you will get some pawpaw trees! Here, they are understory native trees. Some years we manage a few to bring home from the local woods.

We have only bought bare roots in the past until we were unable to find bare root for a couple trees we wanted from Stark. The bare root that died last year is being replaced by an EZstart bc that is all that is in stock for organic (organic was the only available option last year, so that is what we bought bc we wanted that variety).

We have just under an acre, rural. But, we have a large barn and long driveway to the barn, so that takes up a lot of space. We planted 8 fruit trees along the driveway to the barn bc there was enough room between the drive and the property line to fit them in without risking encroaching on the neighbors. We then added raised beds for raspberry plants between the trees (several feet between ends of the beds to the trees). Raspberries do like sun, but get “baked” without a little shade, so we figured this would be a good solution. The other 6 trees are on the south side of the property, again near the property line, but with enough space so as not to encroach the neighbors. Our garden is behind and to the side of the barn, and the trees won’t impact the garden. Only 1 tree will be near a garden bed, and two are near other raspberry beds. Pay attention to where the sun rises/sets in the spring/summer months bc then you can place your trees in such a way as to have less impact on your future garden.

Good luck!!