Hi Juliana!

I had similar damage at ground level from mice a couple years ago. If the damaged trees are otherwise worth saving, you could try bridge/inarch grafting to mend them. I was able to save some of my trees by inarch grafting (new rootstocks grafted onto the upper part of the tree).

Do a google search on Inarch and/or Bridge Graft for techniques. HereÂs one article. The grafting is best done "when the bark is slipping," which in my area = May. The good news is that you have time to do a little research.

You can order rootstock from Cummins Nursery.

I bungled the first one I tried and it died. The others lived and are growing well at this time.

Regards,
PoseyPlanter

Thanks PoseyPlanter,
The article is very informative, as well as the rootstock link. Since the trees are quite small, and the damage extensive (bark completely stripped from the ground to as high as the varmints could reach), I'm going to replace all of the trees to keep the espalier design. However, I think I'll try to bench graft scion wood from the pristine top growth. Where I would put these trees in the event that I'm successful is another problem entirely, but it will be fun to try.

The former and currently ordered trees are on M-7 and M-26, both did well for me -- do you have any other recommendations?

Juliana

Hi Juliana!

My favorite dwarf rootstock is Geneva 16 because of its reported resistance to Fire Blight.

M.7 is nice for a freestanding tree. M.7 is too vigorous for my espalier Belgium Fence in which the trees are only about 18" apart.

What sort of espalier are you growing? Are they individual specimens? I have to work to keep my trees on G.16/Bud9 at 8Â tall in my hedge. If you donÂt need more than that, why use a more vigorous rootstock like M.7 that would require more pruning of the scion to keep it in bounds? The end result might be a tree that remains in a prolonged juvenile state with lots of leaves, but little fruit. Did your tree on M.7 bloom? If so, I would love to know how old/big was it and the variety of apple.

Here are a couple links comparing rootstock. Hope they are useful.

http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/hort/breeders/appleroots/Factsheets/FSAccess.htm

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/00-007.htm

Regards,
PoseyPlanter

Thanks for your information and links.

Studies from MSU recommended M.7 for free-standing trees on my coarse, sandy soil. I've planted them about 12' apart and expect to do a lot of summer pruning to keep them around 10'. Cultivars: Ashmead's Kernel, Pomme Gris, Pitmaston Pineapple, Rhode Island Greening, and Northern Spy.

The espalier trees are 8' apart, with 3 wires spaced to 6' off the ground. All are comspurs on M.26: Red Rome, Stayman Winesap, and Black Twig. I also have a pear espalier with the same layout.

Summer 2007 was their second season (3 year old trees); and I had a few blossoms. I had cut them back hard in the first year to encourage low branching. This was good for the espalier, but the free-standing trees didn't all shape up as well. I think that I'll ease up on this technique this time around.

In selecting rootstock, tree longevity is one of my major concerns, so I steered away from the most dwarfing types.
Geneva 16 and 30 are currently being tested in Michigan, and will probably do well, but they are also harder to come by this late in the season. I will probably try them at some point in the future.

I also found a Hudson's Golden Gem on M.111 -- I know this one will get much bigger, so it's going to a different spot in the garden. I love the flavor of heirloom varieties, and the best pie in the world, according to my husband, is from a combo of N. Spy, Red Rome, and Winesap.
Anticipation and hope are 9/10 of gardening.

Do you have any photos to post? I've had easy to grow cherry trees for a decade, but this is my first foray into other fruit trees, so I truly value the experience of other gardeners.

Thanks again,
Juliana

Hi Juliana!

Sounds like you have researched this and know what you are doing. I love researching garden projects, especially in the winter. It seems to make spring come faster;)

I have never posted pics of my garden before, but since you asked, I put three in the Garden Galleries.

Here you go: Belgium Fence Espalier, Belgium Fence with bagged apples, Herb Garden Mid-June 2006

I misunderstood and thought that the total size for all files combined needed to be under 500KB instead each individual file, so the files are small.

I hope that you enjoy them!

Regards,
PoseyPlanter

Your espalier is so cool-- I noticed the road in the background I bet that traffic slows down as it passes to get a better look. Have you had any trouble with winter kill? I chose the less formal style to allow larger trees because I didn't have a wall for winter protection. Today it's 3 degrees F with 40 mph gusts...

In the view from the herb garden, what is the purple/blue foliage shrub (?) on the right? I also noted the small rocks lying on the wall--are they interesting specimens? I'm always picking up fossils from the drive to place in planter posts.

I agree about the joy of researching, it makes winter bearable. As far as knowing what I'm doing...with apologies to Pascal, "the plants have reasons that gardeners cannot know." Much in my garden is trial and error, but I always hope for the best.

Thanks for the photos,
Juliana

Hi Juliana!

One of the reasons that planted the trees in the Belgium Fence pattern was to create a screen from the traffic which backs up from a nearby intersection at certain times. The garden gets a lot of attention and has become notorious locally.

IÂve not had any problems with winterkill for the trees themselves, but some fruiting spurs are lost each year. IÂm not sure if thatÂs just normal or a fault of my pruning technique/timing.

The purple shrub to the right in the third link is Rosa Rubrifolia, AKA Rosa Glauca. It is a species rose from Europe. It blooms once a year in the spring and sets abundant hips that turn tomato red by autumn, persisting through the winter. I could not detect any fragrance from the blooms on that particular bush. It died suddenly last summer. I was not able to determine what killed it. The birds scattered so many seeds, that there are lots of volunteer reminders of the parent.

The rocks were jettisoned by one of my children when they moved away from home. I like the contrast of the worn stones against the poured concrete blocks. Hopefully, some day only the tops of the blocks will be visible with the sides obscured by a small boxwood hedge.

Glad you enjoyed the pictures:)

Regards,
PoseyPlanter