Purchasing fruit tree seedlings

[TRAILRIDER]

Can anybody tell me if very small fruit tree seedlings are sold anywhere online or in store? I would be interested in 12" or less trees. Thanks Mary.

[Katey]

Most fruit trees (apples, pears, peaches, cherries, plums, etc) are grafted, meaning that the top of one tree is connected to the roots of another. This isn't done until the tree is a certain size, so you probably won't find trees much smaller than 3-4 feet. They're still pretty spindly at that stage... why are you looking for such small ones?

[TRAILRIDER]

Thanks, good advice there. I just like raising them from little ones. I prefer to raise from seeds, but it looks like every seed I find will be from a hybrid. Mary.

[WisJim]

Look for a place that sells wildlife or reforestation seedlings. They may have seedlings of some fruit trees. Of course you will not know what the fruit will be like, especially with apples.

[Mallow]

If you are getting apple trees the rootstock makes a world of difference. It controls what type of soils they are good in along with how large the tree will eventually get. I would recommend getting them at least 3-4' tall and a 1/2" or so in diameter. I researched several online sellers before going with acnursery.com for my order. They have a good reputation along with decent pricing if you are ordering several. I won't link some of the worst rated places but the ratings site is at davesgarden.com. There are some you definitely want to stay away form online and make sure you check them out before ordering.

[uyk7]

Try Arborday.org.


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[highlands]

Ours were a bit bigger than that. We got them from http://www.sln.potsdam.ny.us/ and were very pleased with them.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org

[Mallow]

Originally Posted by uyk7

Try Arborday.org.


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I had looked at them too until i read some of the reviews for arborday.org. I still made a donation but didn't want any of the plants.

http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/91/

That is the reviews for Arborday

[Mallow]

Originally Posted by highlands

Ours were a bit bigger than that. We got them from http://www.sln.potsdam.ny.us/ and were very pleased with them.

Glad you pointed this one out. I was looking for a good place to buy some nut trees to plant. They have very good reviews it seems.

[mooman]

http://www.willisorchards.com

The smallest they have is 1-2ft graft. I have ordered fruit and berry trees from them two years in a row and will be ordering from them again.

If your not concerned with the ultimate size of the tree you could just plant seeds from regular apples. It would be a hybrid yes, but there would be a one in a million chance that it is the next FUJI. From what I understand (and somebody correct me if I'm wrong) the hybrid apples would not be terrible tasting apples, they would just not be true to type. I've eaten apples from wild grown trees before and they were good.

Or.....

grafting seems like a fascinating skill to learn and there are plenty of resources at the library. These days I'm sure you could find somewhere to order root stock online. I know it's on my "To Do List".

[cowboy joe]

Check with your local Dept of Soil Conservation or Cooperative Extension. Many sell rootstock / seedlings one or twice a year. I bought 10 black cherry a fews years back for ~$12. These were about half a foot high including the roots.

Here is an example:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_for...09brochure.pdf

Too late to order from the Saratoga Nursery this year. Apparently, they will ship orders UPS...don't know if this means out of state but you can always ask.

[haypoint]

I buy all my apple seedlings from Lawyer Nursery. They have several different fruit tree rootstocks, apple, pear, peach, plum, etc. The ones I buy are about 16-20 inches tall.
They are in Plains, MT and have trees in Washington state. They come well packaged.
They are less than a buck each.
But the planting season is long past. Try again in the spring.
You can graft right after you plant next spring, but you have to collect scions (bud stock) much earlier.

This place is near me(Incidentally, I think trees grown in your local climate will respond better, although I have never researched that) Notice on the page I am linking to the trees are 1 year old, yet seem to be 6 ft tall or more.
http://www.centuryfarmorchards.com/n...mages2008.html

[NostalgicGranny]

Originally Posted by uyk7

Try Arborday.org.


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Out of the 13 trees we ordered from arbor day only 5 are still alive just a few months later. Don't think I will ever buy tree's from them again.

[uyk7]

Out of the 13 trees we ordered from arbor day only 5 are still alive just a few months later. Don't think I will ever buy tree's from them again.

Of the ten free trees I received, only about two are still alive. They say to contact them if they don't grow and they will replace them but since they were free I'm not goint to worry about it. I only mentioned AD because their prices are low and the plants are small.


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