The nursery I get my trees from sells bare root Antovanka for only $2. They claim they are originally from Russia, and are supper hardy and a heavy producer after 5 years. With them being bare root, can't there apples turn out to be anything. Does anybody have these planted? If so how do you like them? I bought a few 2 years ago and they are growing fast.
Antovanka bare roots
- Thread starter ruskbucks
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greyphase
5 year old buck +
I planted some back in 2008. I've top worked most of them over to disease resistance varieties (Galarina, Liberty, Enterprise, Florina). The one I didn't top work had apples on for the first time last year. It had crab apple sized fruit that dropped in late summer. They were bitter to my taste but the deer ate them up.
Apple Junkie
5 year old buck +
I seem to recall reading somewhere that Antovanka rootstock actually looks different than say a B.118, and that the Antovanka roots are thicker and not as numerous as other semi-standard rootstocks.
I used to buy "standard" apple trees from Miller Nursery, and I seem to recall the roots themselves were always fewer, but thicker, than the roots of the B.118 I get from Cummins or Starks Bros. now. Is this just my imagination, or is there something to this?
I used to buy "standard" apple trees from Miller Nursery, and I seem to recall the roots themselves were always fewer, but thicker, than the roots of the B.118 I get from Cummins or Starks Bros. now. Is this just my imagination, or is there something to this?
rocksnstumps
5 year old buck +
Some others in the past have commented on here what you are seeing and SLN nursery has this to say about antonovka......
So What Is "Standard"? Although the word “standard” implies that all apples grafted onto standard rootstock grow to be about the same size, this is not the case. For instance, Red Delicious or McIntosh seeds from cannery waste have often been used to grow “standard” rootstock. Growing in Zone 6 or 7, trees grafted to these rootstocks will often reach a mature height in excess of 30 feet, necessitating a 40-foot orchard spacing and long ladders. In contrast, Malus antonovka, a “standard” seedling rootstock, when grown in Zone 3 or 4 without pruning, will produce a 15 foot tree. (See photo below) The same tree can be kept at 10-12 feet by annual pruning. We use Antonovka for our apple rootstock. It is the most tried-and-true rootstock known, having been used for 500 years in Russia. Northern grown and well pruned apple trees on Antonovka rootstock are equivalent to “semi-dwarf” trees in size, yet still retain the necessary vigor to flower, fruit and become dormant within the time constraints of a short growing season.
Why Don't My Apple Trees Seem To Have Much Root?
If you have ever purchased apple trees from other nurseries, especially dwarf apple trees, you may have noticed that their roots look quite different from the roots on our trees. An apple tree on a standard seedling rootstock (like ours) is often much more “carrot-rooted” than its counterpart on dwarf stock. Dwarfing rootstocks are produced by “stooling”, a process in which branches are bent to the soil and rooted along their length. This produces trees with many tiny fibrous roots, but no main tap root. Fibrous roots are efficient at getting water but have little sugar storage capability. On the other hand, standard rootstocks are grown from seed. They are “real trees” and, when dug, often exhibit pronounced taproots. Their side roots are often minimal, limiting their ability to get water, but their large tap root has tremendous sugar storage potential and so holds good reserves for growth. With adequate water, they will establish much more securely than their dwarf counterparts.
