Note – Almost all fruit trees, whether on standard or dwarfing rootstocks, are too big for a typical backyard orchard. The easiest, most effective way to keep fruit trees at manageable size (about eight feet high) is by summer pruning.

Standard (15-30 feet at maturity) Betulaefolia – For Asian pears. Very vigorous, tolerates wet soil, dry soil, alkaline soil. Resists pear decline. More vigorous than Calleryana, and more winter hardy. Unpruned trees 15′-25′ at maturity.

Calleryana – For flowering pears and Asian pears. Preferred rootstock for warm winter/hot summer climates and for sandy soils. Also adapted to wet soils. Asian pear varieties slightly dwarfed (90%), bear heavily at young age.

Domestic Apple/Standard Apple – Most rugged rootstock for apples. Vigorous, deep-rooted, cold-hardy. Tolerates wet soil, dry soil, poor soil. Unpruned tree height of standard varieties 18′ to 30 feet. Trees on apple seedling may be held to any desired height by summer pruning.

Lovell – More tolerant of wet soils than Nemaguard. Also more cold hardy. Susceptible to nematodes in sandy soils. For plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots, prunes, almond.

M-111 –  Excellent all-around rootstock for apples. Induces early and heavy bearing. Tolerates wet soil, dry soil, poor soil. Resists woolly apple aphids and collar rot. Trees dwarfed to 85%.

Mahaleb – The most winter hardy of the commonly used cherry rootstocks. Sweet cherries slightly dwarfed, no dwarfing effect on sour types. Induces early, heavy bearing. Resists crown gall, bacterial canker, some nematodes. Not tolerant of wet soils.

Mazzard –  Standard rootstock for sweet cherries. Vigorous, more tolerant of wet soils than Mahaleb (but good drainage still required). Resistant to root-knot nematodes and oak-root fungus.

Myrobalan 29C – Shallow but vigorous root system. Tolerates wet soils. Immune to root-knot nematodes, some resistance to oak-root fungus. Trees reach larger size compared to Marianna 26-24. For apricots, plums, most almonds.

Nemaguard – Vigorous, resists root-knot nematode. Excellent for well-drained soils. In poorly-drained soil, plant on a hill. For nectarines, apricots, plums, prunes, almonds.

Domestic Pear Seedling – For European & hybrid pears. Vigorous, relatively tolerant of wet soils. Resistant to oak-root fungus. Long-lived trees reach 20-25 feet.

Semi-Dwarf (8-25 feet at maturity) Citation – Peaches and nectarines dwarfed to 8 to 14 feet. Apricots and plums dwarfed to 3/4 of standard. Very tolerant of wet soil, induces early dormancy in dry soil. Very winter hardy. Resists root-knot nematodes. Trees bear at young age. Pat. No. 5112. (Zaiger)

Maxma – For sweet cherries. In heavy soils, trees dwarfed to 12′-15′. Resistant to bacterial canker. Relatively tolerant of wet soils (good drainage still required). Trees begin bearing at young age.

OHXF333 – European & Asian pears on this rootstock are dwarfed to about 2/3 the size of standard (about 12-18′ if not pruned).  Widely adapted, disease resistant.  Trees on this may be held to any desired height by summer pruning.

M-7 & M-7A – Dwarfs to 65% of standard. Induces early and heavy bearing. Resistant to fireblight, powdery mildew, moderately resistant to collar rot. Good anchorage. Very winter hardy, widely adapted. Prone to suckering.

Marianna 26-24 – Shallow root system, much more tolerant of wet soils than Lovell or Nemaguard. Resistant to oak-root fungus, root-knot nematodes. Mature trees comparatively small. For apricots, plums, most almonds.

Dwarf or Miniature (4-12 feet at maturity) Geneva 969 – Extremely dwarfing rootstock for apples.  Trees Dwarfed to 8 to 10 feet.  Ideal for high density planting, small spaces in garden, tub growing.  Induces early and heavy bearing.  Small root system, young trees may need staking.  Good for container growing.

Zaiger Dwarf/Newroot  1 – Dwarfing rootstock for cherries.  Dwarf trees 8 to 12 feet unpruned.  Ideal for container growing. Promotes early bearing.

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