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I live in NW Montana. Last year I was zone 4, this year it changed to 5a? I am looking at planting a dwarf Honeycrisp tree with possibly a Zestar or Cortland, also in dwarf, as a pollinator. My research show they are both compatible. Here are my 2 main issues, deer and ground squirrels. I have a large unheated greenhouse (polycarbonate? and red cedar frame) and raised garden beds with deer fence around all of it, as well as hardware cloth under the entire fenced in garden area mainly to keep ground squirrels from tunneling in. So I will have to put my apple trees in containers/planters inside the fence line. Would a 22"x22"x22" square planter be big enough for a dwarf tree? Should I put them in the unheated greenhouse over winter? Is M9 or M26 rootstock what I should be planting? I assume you ship to MT? Anything else I should thinking of in terms of best success? I really appreciate any advice you can offer before I make this investment in apple trees. If I can get this to work, I might try a couple of cold hardy peaches as well. Thank you so much!
M9 would be superior to M26 for this circumstance, but we don't carry a lot of trees on M9. You might consider M27, which is very similar to M9 in mature size despite being a "mini dwarf". Regardless of which rootstock you go with make sure you apply deep mulch and permanent irrigation. Both Zester blooms a bit too early for cross pollination, but Cortland should do fine, and yes we ship to Montana. Hope that helps!
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Approximately, how big are the trees shipped in the 10" sleeves?
14" to 18" tall seedlings
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What is a good pollinator that’s also a mini dwarf or dwarf? I noticed you said the cider trees but unfortunately I don’t know what those are. Thank you
Check out our Apple Growing Guide. Anything in the mid through later groups, except for Cosmic Crisp, will work.
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Will a mini dwarf Honeycrisp apple pollinate a dwarf Fuji apple tree?
Yes it will!
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Are there any cider apples that will pollinate these?
Pretty much all the cider apples will cross pollinate with Honeycrisp
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Can a Honeycrisp and Sunrise be used to pollinate each other?
No, they are too far apart. Sunrise is an early bloomer (Bloom Group 2) and Honeycrisp blooms much later (Bloom Group 4). Refer to the Apple Growing Guide for a full explination of Apple Pollination.
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Will honey crisp and cosmic crisp pollinoses each other
They will not! Cosmic Crisp is not pollen compatible with either Honeycrisp or Enterprise apples as they are too closely related.
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Will two of the same variety apple tree cross pollinate if they need a pollinator?
No, grafted and named apple trees like Honeycrisp are functionally clones, and if a plant is not self fertile it cannot pollinate a clone of itself. Apple trees need another variety that blooms at the same time, with compatible pollen, for successful fruit product. Please refer to our Apple Growing Guide for a complet list of bloom times and pollination details.
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Will a Dolgo Crabapple serve as an adequate pollinizer for Honeycrisp apple?
Depends on the season. Crabapples are long bloomers, but pollen can be affected by a number of conditions.
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Is early pink lady a good pollenizer?
Yes that should work fine.
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What is the 10" sleeve? I am looking at the honeycrisp apple tree.
That is the size of the pot that it is being shipped in. A 10 inch sleeve is 10 inches deep.
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Is Granny Smith a good pollinator?
It is actually!
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How big are the trees when they are sold? (I need to plan how large a hole to dig)
4'-5' tall whips, possible side branching. Dig your hole as deep as the root system (which varies) and 2-3 times as wide for best results. A 3 foot diameter hole is usually a good starting place.
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How tall will the 3 tier espalier honeycrisp tree be when fully grown?
These are on a semi-dwarf rootstock, so up to 15' tall, but as an espalier you will probably keep it pruned smaller.
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Is a Johagold a good polinizer for Honey Crisp?
Jonagold is a polyploid apple and does not provide compatible pollen for diploid apples. Check out our Apple Growing Guide for a full run down on apple pollination!
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Will you be shipping dwarf fruit trees this fall?
No, fruit trees are only available to be shipped during the shipping season - late winter through late spring - of any given year. Potted plants like blueberries and select vines and figs will be available for fall shipping.
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Can I use another honeycrisp as a pollinizer ?
No, as a grafted clone you will need another apple that is unrealted (so Cosmic Crisp is not an option either). Check out our Apple Growing Guide for more information.