Here is a case where you can be led astray by certain suppliers. These St.
Lawrence people do not believe in dwarf trees for the Northern climates. I
consider myself in a Northern climate in a suburb north of Chicago. I have been
growing
dwarf and semi-dwarf trees for over 20 years and do not see the problems that
St. Lawrence refers to. I know people in the northern reaches of Canada growing

fruit on dwarfing rootstock, so I don't understand their position. I find that
dwarf
trees do fruit earlier than standard size trees and they are much easier to
maintain.
No climbing up with huge ladders to get your fruit. I have had dwarf trees
produce
fruit in their second and third years in the ground. You cannot say that for a
standard
size tree that usually takes about 7 years (I am refering to apples here). I
think getting the correct rootstock to give you the size of tree you want is the
biggest concern a potential fruit tree buyer should consider. A good warning
sign is when
the catalogs do not specify the exact rootstock used for the tree you select.
They
will just specify it is a dwarf or a semi-dwarf. Better nurseries give the
actual type
of rootstock used. A little research will then tell you what size tree to
expect. The
other problem is that nurseries occasionally specify something as being on
dwarfing
rootstock, but it turns out to be a full size tree. Unfortunately, you cannot
pin this
down until you receive the tree and see if there is a tell tale graft, which
usually appears as a bulge in the lower part of the trunk. Although it is
becoming less common in these days where big corporations are buying out ma and
pa nurseries and making trees on an assembly line, there are still a few
reliable nurseries out there
which can be trusted. Send me an email if you want some of my recommendations.

Sherwin D.

symplastless wrote:

Here are some common problems of trees. Hopefully this information will
help you avoid them.
BTW a good nursery is
http://www.sln.potsdam.ny.us/

Many tree problems are associated with the following:

Troubles in the Rhizosphere
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/RHIZO.html

Unhealthy Trees from the Nursery / Improper Planting
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/sub1.html and
Look up "Tree Planting"
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/RHIZO.html

Improper Mulching - http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/sub3.html and
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/M/index.html Look up "Mulch"

Improper Pruning
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning/

Improper Fertilization (See A Touch of Chemistry)
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/CHEM.html

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Arborist
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.

"Rachael Simpson" wrote in message
...
howdy everyone!

we are thinking about trying to re-do our front yard. right now, it's
kinda on the hideous side. having trouble getting the grasses to grow.
yard's too sandy or something. no problem with weeds and trees, but
anyway - my question this time is this:

I get flyers in the mail quite often from different nurseries advertising
for "dis-count" prices on their flowering trees and fruit trees. i just
don't know much about whether or not those companies are safe to order
from. can any one tell me some companies like this (with true discount
prices) that have good reputations? i can't afford the local nursery
prices. way too high.

thanks,
rae