Peach 'Babcock White'

Rootstocks

The height of all stone fruit trees sold is controlled by 2 parts: a “rootstock” or foundation and a “scion” or top portion which determines the fruit variety. A rootstock can be “seedling” or “standard” (which produces a full-size tree) or it can be “dwarfing” or “size-controlling”, which produces a smaller tree for easier care and harvest.

The biology of the scion and the rootstock combine to determine to the mature height of the tree. In some cases, a standard sized tree will be grown on a dwarfing rootstock or a dwarf tree will be grown on a standard rootstock. While dwarfing rootstocks have important advantages, rootstocks should be selected primarily for adaptability to the soil and climate of the planting site.

Fruit trees typically come from our suppliers designed as Patio, Dwarf, Semi-Dwarf or Standard sized.  Here's what that means.

Dwarf: Mature height will range up to 10 feet; often suitable for large containers or deep planters.

Patio: Same as Dwarf, but with a longer single trunk to grow more like a Standard.

Semi-Dwarf: Mature height will range up to 18 feet.

Standard: Mature height will range up to 25 feet.