Grafted apple trees are often a flavorful top connected to a weak root. Weak root = smaller trees that can be planted closer together and are easier to pick. If you plant apple seeds, you will probably get a ginormous tree with fruit only useful for cider making (a la Johnny Appleseed’s business model) because they don’t taste good either fresh or in baked goods.
Weak roots are also used with grafted trees for another reason, the tree will carry fruits earlier and more numerous at the start.
A tree with normal or strong roots might carry a lot of fruits after 10 years when it got pretty big, but before it is just a few.
But strong roots also go deeper, so less/no watering is needed, which is why I prefer strong roots, I don’t have to make money with the trees in my garden after all.
Grafted apple trees are often a flavorful top connected to a weak root. Weak root = smaller trees that can be planted closer together and are easier to pick. If you plant apple seeds, you will probably get a ginormous tree with fruit only useful for cider making (a la Johnny Appleseed’s business model) because they don’t taste good either fresh or in baked goods.
Weak roots are also used with grafted trees for another reason, the tree will carry fruits earlier and more numerous at the start.
A tree with normal or strong roots might carry a lot of fruits after 10 years when it got pretty big, but before it is just a few.
But strong roots also go deeper, so less/no watering is needed, which is why I prefer strong roots, I don’t have to make money with the trees in my garden after all.