Antonovka Seedling Apple Rootstock

Malus rootstock 'Antonovka seedling rootstock'

Antonovka (100%) is an old apple variety from Russia that is one of the few apples which produces true-to-name from seed. The fruit is large, round, and yellow, but only of average quality. Its most important characteristic for a rootstock is its known extreme hardiness--- down to 50 below zero. This makes it great for very extreme climates. Should be used when a cold-hardy, full sized apple tree is desired. It produces hardy, vigorous, well branched trees with excellent root systems. Grandpa would recommend it for "deer apples" orchards.

Pricing

Antonovka Seedling Apple Rootstock, EACH    -    $3.99 Antonovka Seedling Apple Rootstock, Bundle of 10    -    $29.00

USDA Hardiness Zone 4-8

Homeowner Growing and Maintenance Tips Apples are probably the easiest trees to propagate. Grandpa recommends "chip" budding, which is easy to learn and highly successful. Since we cannot ship these early enough in the season, we do not recommend "bench grafting". You usually can start chip budding when your scionwood is mature and buds are developed and readily and easily cut and removed from your scion stick. Usually by August in most areas.

A Little History Russia and the surrounding parts of the continent are the "home" of apples. Apple breeders have visited many regions where relatively high-quality apples grow in large groves of seedlings. They suspect that these seedling stands carry many unique genes which would help improve commercial varieties, so they bring back seeds harvested from the best selections. Why these areas have such good seedling apples is not completely known, but one theory is that since bears love apples, they help select for good traits and pass the best seeds around through their feces!

Characteristics & Attributes