Best apple tree size for whitetail habitat improvement?

[Bowhunter]

I'm going to be putting in a small orchard strictly for whitetail habitat improvement, but wasn't sure about which size tree to go with?

I know most go with a full size tree, but wasn't sure if you'd loose anything to a semi dwarf size tree or not? I'm particularly looking at putting in Enterprise, and a Gala for a pollinator tree. Planning on putting in only 6 trees for now. Any advice is much appreciated.

 

[Native Hunter]

Don't do any dwarfs.

Go about 50/50 with full sized trees and a good semi dwarf such as MM111 or B118. Most northerners go with B118 and really like them. They are cold tolerant and are the best in sandy soils for sure. However, they are not recommended for wet spots.

The semi dwarfs will give you apples in a short time to keep you from going crazy while waiting up to 12 years to get apples from the full sized trees. Then, once the full sized trees start bearing you will love them much more than the semi dwarfs, because of how much more fruit they make. Best wishes!

 

[Native Hunter]

One more thing - I read your post a little closer. Don't put in any Galas. They are one of the most disease prone varieties of apples going. They get hammered by everything - including fireblight. You would never be happy with that variety in a deer planting.

 

[Bowhunter]

One more thing - I read your post a little closer. Don't put in any Galas. They are one of the most disease prone varieties of apples going. They get hammered by everything - including fireblight. You would never be happy with that variety in a deer planting.

What would be a better choice for a pollinator tree for Enterprise?

 

[JDunham]

I have Liberty and Goldrush with my enterprise and they do a fine job of pollinating each other.

 

[Native Hunter]

What would be a better choice for a pollinator tree for Enterprise?

Here is a link that gives you 64 choices. If it were me I would have a Black Oxford and Red Delicious. I know that those apples will grow well in the North. There are several other good choices in that list. Priscilla is a good one and one of my favorite apples.

https://www.orangepippintrees.com/pollinationchecker.aspx?v=1580

 

[j-bird]

I only have semi-dwarf trees. Dwarf trees I feared would be too short to protect and maintain well from and for the deer. The fruit soonest but if the tree doesn't get big enough to keep the browse pressure off of or I have to cage the entire tree from the deer what good is it? Standard sized trees I fear would be too big for me to properly take care of, require far more room than I may have AND take longer to fruit. Semi-dwarf trees allow me to plant an "orchard" in my perennial clover plots. I can get my small tractor under them for mowing and I can reach the tops of them with my pole saw. Mine (bought as 3 gallon trees) started fruiting about 5 years after planting. I am happy I selected semi-dwarf trees. I can cage the trunks from the deer and critters and now the apples can fall to the ground outside those cages for the critters to have. I trim mine to have their first real branches roughly 5 feet off the ground once the tree is developed enough to support doing that.

 

[g squared 23]

Galarina is an improved, more disease resistant Gala if you're partial to getting a G. Definitely stick to disease resistant varieties. I don't know much, but I learned that one the hard way.




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[Chestnut Valley Farms]

Listen to NH he has got as green thumb when it comes to apples and all other trees!

If this orchard is mostly for the deer I would consider including some crabs... Cant go wrong with enterprise though. I have a couple and have been very impressed with their growth and DR. If I could only plant 6 apple trees in your area it be a chestnut crab, kerr crab, wickson crab, liberty, enterprise, & Arkansas Black.. If your anything like the rest of us you will add more Lots of other fun varieties to look into!

 

[cagantpr]

The MM111 and B118 root stocks that Native mentioned are on taller side of "semi-dwarf" and have been highly recommended on this and the previous forum which shall go nameless. Before I found these forums and understood that, I planted 60 or so "semi dwarfs" that I have since found out to be on M7 root stock. Its my understanding that M7 is more of a mid height semi dwarf but seems to be the easiest root stock to find for sale. I believe the big box store trees are mostly on M7. My original 64 trees came from Wallace Woodstock and were marketed as their Deer Plot Collections.

Having said that, I have been pleased with my M7. After 5 years, all of my original trees had their first scaffolding well above the 4 foot concrete wire cages. Now, after 8 years several of my best trees have 20 foot tall central leaders.

Through the years, I have added crabapples and pears to my mix as I added new locations or as some of my original trees just up and died. I think if I could do it all over again, my deer only orchard plots would be 33% pears, 33% crab apples, and 33% M7 apples.

Good luck. Your journey promises to be both frustrating and fun!

 

[Mennoniteman]

For deer habitat I'd definitely have a few pears. Don't plant the trees until you are ready to put a protectors and wire around them or your deer and rabbits will just have free lunch at your expense.

 

[THE LLC]

I have several on semi rootstock that produce well, but I will never plant anything that isn't on full size rootstock again.

 

[BigJ]

Plant a full size tree fifteen years ago ... if you can’t do that get one in the ground ASAP