I'm curious to know what the most commonly used apple rootstock are at your PNW grafting events.

I think that the semi-dwarves are usually the most popular, but you've got to think about your particular situation. If you live in the country, you might want a standard so you can prune it tall enough that deer don't eat them, because they can't reach them. Or if you live in the city, you might want dwarf, especially if your lot is micro. I live in the suburbs and I have almost all semi dwarf, but that's just me. All the different ranges of each have their advantages: anchoring, drought resistance, etc.
John S
PDX OR

I wanted to know which specific rootstocks you typically use at your grafting workshops...

I seem to recall lots of M-9 stocks for sale as well as m-111. I think I also bought a Bud 9 there once.

And OHF 97, and 333 I think.

Be interesting to see what they can get this year. Most of the dwarfing stocks like M-9 are locked up by the big nurseries. I couldn't buy a single bundle of that this year. All I could get was eigth inch M-26's.

As I usually end up attaching that stuff …for around 7 hours straight, the one ‘souvenir’ I grab is an “HOS Rootstock Order Form” – Here’s the Apple selection from 2010:

EMLA 27
(4 to 8 ft)
P.22 (cold hardy)
(4 to 8 ft)
B.9 (cold hardy)
(8 to 12 ft)
Mark
(8 to 12 ft)
M.9 – T337
(9 to 13 ft)
NIC 29 (9)
(10 to 15 ft)
M.26 / M.26 Tall
(10 to 15 ft)
EMLA 7
(18 to 24)
EMLA 111
(30 to 34 ft)
Antonovka – “Extreme cold hardiness”
(35 to 40 ft) – ‘Standard’

It was too cold in my basement to dig for last spring’s list, but I don’t think they very all that much. And of course we also had Peach, Nectarine, Apricot, Plum, European & Asian Pear, Cherry and Quince …but no Persimmon rootstocks that year.

So members submit their variety and rootstock requests, and the grafts are done at the event?

Who has that number of varieties and sells broken bundles?

Or are some of you maintaining stool beds?

So members submit their variety and rootstock requests, and the grafts are done at the event?

Members, or the general public pay a modest admission, choose their scions from hundreds of pieces and multiple ‘varieties,’ migrate to the Rootstock table where our experts advise them on a rootstock, pay for the stock then head to the grafting tables. That’s where I hang out; we’ll make the graft for another modest fee (to the Society – it’s an all volunteer affair). I think we’re limiting the number of grafts to five - they may return to the end of the line for any more, but we’re not there to graft orchards.

Who has that number of varieties and sells broken bundles?

From what I’ve heard, we purchase the minimum amount of large quantities. We use this stock for our “make a tree” pre-ordered tree program from the Fall (AAFS) Show, and then use the remainder for various society projects.

Or are some of you maintaining stool beds?

No stool beds, just commercial certified rootstock. A lot of it’s grown around here and I’ve heard the suppliers are sympathetic to our cause – making custom fruit trees available to the general public …as we’re definitely no threat to their real customers ~