Rootstock Guide & Planting Advice 

FRUIT TREE ROOTSTOCKS - Approximate Height Guide
Please note that heights are approx and for guidance only. The ultimate size of the tree will be influenced by the vigour of the actual variety. A weak growing variety grafted onto the most vigorous stock will not make a very large tree. I have tried to show this by overlapping some of the rootstocks in the table below the tree pictures. The tree shape, location and soil condition are also influencing factors.

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ORNAMENTAL TREES - Approximate Height Guide

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS (below photos)  photos ©Paul Jasper © all photos

Trimming - Two year Malus 'John Downie' half standards having a final trimming up. See Pruning' below. These trees have a 1 metre clear stem.	Lifting of trees. Trees are undercut using a special machine. This eliminates damage from spades and allows me to lift all of the root.	Labelling. Your trees are labelled individually with long lasting laser printed polyester labels with quantity, variety, age & rootstock clearly shown.

When your trees arrive - Place them in a shady place out of sunlight and frost. A garden shed or a garage is ideal. If unable to plant for more than a week, unwrap them, water the roots thoroughly and dig the bundles in to one or two large holes. They will be safe here throughout the Winter. Make sure you dribble some fine soil into any air pockets around the roots to deter mice. Keep an eye open for mouse or vole holes around the trees and lift and examine the roots if in doubt, its much easier to replace the bundles once the 'heeling in' hole has been dug the first time and better to be safe than sorry.

To Plant - Dig a generous sized hole and fork over the hard soil at the bottom of the hole thoroughly to help prevent waterlogging. Most trees are easy to establish but dislike waterlogged soils. Cherry and Sorbus are the least tolerant of this. Site a tree stake if necessary. Because your trees are barerooted it is possible to position your stake vertically in the planting hole. This gives better support than the more recent method of positioning the stake a distance from the tree and driving it in at 45 degrees. This method evolved to accommodate container plants where the roots are hidden by the potted compost and damage to the roots would result from a closer, vertically driven stake. If rabbits and hares are prevalent you must use spiral tree guards to prevent damage.  Photo right - shows my trees with their well formed root systems. This is the key to quick establishment after transplanting 

Add a handful of general fertilizer and a shovel of planting compost and mix these with the excavated soil. Replace the excavated soil mixture and take special care to see that the 'grafting point' (union), or 'kink' is above ground level with two or three inches to spare. If the union is buried the special rootstock will lose its control over both cropping and vigour of the tree. This is particularly important with fruit trees.

Water your new tree thoroughly (one bucket of water) and repeat weekly during the first growing season during dry spells if you're able to. If any 'suckers' appear remove them from below the grafting point. Suckers are far less of a problem with the new range of rootstocks we use today.
 

Apple reference books - I recommend 'The English Apple' by Rosanne Sanders and 'The Book of Apples' by Joan Morgan and Alison Richards.

....and finally
Take time to enjoy your planting. It shouldn't be a rushed job that 'has to be done' begrudgingly. Wait until the soil conditions are right or as near right as they can be, choose a nice day, well no rain at least! - Your trees will thank you later !

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