Empire Apple - Semi-dwarf

OUR WARRANTY

We take great pride in the quality of our nursery stock and the care it receives at our nursery. We guarantee our plants to be true to name as labelled, to be alive and well when you receive them and, when given proper care and attention, to leaf out and grow.

• If, upon receipt, you are not satisfied with the quality and condition of your plants, you may return them for a full refund.
• Claims for damaged or unsatisfactory stock or shortages must be made within five days of receipt of order.
• If, after following the enclosed planting instructions, your plants do not leaf out and grow, we will replace them one time, the following season, provided you pay the cost of shipping and handling.

All claims must be made by June 1, 2026. In all cases, our liability is limited to the purchase price of the stock.

We do not recommend or encourage ordering varieties that are clearly incompatible with your climate and will notify you if anything you order will not be covered by the warranty due to incompatibility. In addition, we cannot be held responsible for losses that result from any extreme climatic event such as those that are occurring with increasing frequency.

Betulaefolia (Betula)

Standard rootstock for Asian and flowering pears. More vigorous than Calleryana; unpruned tree height of fruiting varieties 15-25 feet, but tree may be held to any height with summer pruning. Tolerates wet soil, dry soil, alkaline soil. Resistant to pear decline. More cold hardy than Calleryana, to at least -10° F.

Citation (Cit.)

Peaches and nectarines dwarfed to eight to fourteen feet, apricots and plums dwarfed to twelve to eighteen feet. Very tolerant of wet soil, but not drought tolerant (induces early dormancy in dry soil) so needs very regular water in hot climates. A top dressing of mulch can help maintain soil moisture. Resists root-knot nematodes. Induces heavy bearing at a young age. Very winter hardy. Strong and well anchored. Pat. No. 5112 (Zaiger)

Geneva 935 (Gen.)

New dwarfing apple rootstock that keeps trees at eight to ten feet.  Very cold hardy and very fireblight resistant.  A precocious bearer of large fruit, it resists crown rot and root rot and suckers very little.

Lovell (Lov.)

Vigorous, standard rootstock for plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots, prunes, almonds. More tolerant of wet soils than Nemaguard, also more cold hardy. Susceptible to nematodes in sandy soils. Provides good anchorage and high degree of disease resistance. Unpruned tree height of standard varieties 15-25 feet. Size can be controlled further with summer pruning.

M 111

Excellent all-around rootstock for apples. Induces bearing at a younger age than standards. Tolerates wet soil, dry soil, poor soil, soil with high temperatures. Resists woolly apple aphids, collar rot and fireblight. Apparently resistant to oak root fungus. Trees dwarfed to 80-90% of standard, or about 15-25 feet, but can be further controlled with summer pruning. Very cold hardy, does not promote early bud break, Used in Ontario, Canada. Rarely suckers.

M7 (EMLA-7)

Dwarfing rootstock for apples.  Unpruned tree height is two thirds the size of standard or about twelve to twenty feet.  Induces early and heavy bearing.  Resistant to fireblight and powdery mildew, moderately resistant to collar rot.  Has good anchorage.  Very winter hardy, widely adapted.

Mahaleb (Mah.)

The most winter hardy of the commonly used cherry rootstocks. Resists crown gall, bacterial canker, some nematodes. Not tolerant of wet soils. Standard varieties slightly dwarfed to about 85% of their height on Mazzard, or about 25-35 feet. Can be held at any height with summer pruning. Induces early, heavy bearing. 

Marianna 26-24 (Mari.)

Standard rootstock for apricots, plums, prunes, most almonds. Mature trees comparatively small, 15-20 feet if unpruned, but can be kept smaller with summer pruning. Shallow root system, much more tolerant of wet soils than Lovell or Nemaguard; is not tolerant of hot soils. Has tendency to sucker. Resistant to oak root fungus, root knot nematodes, root rot.

Maxma 14 (Max.)

Cherries are dwarfed to 2/3 of standard, about fifteen feet. Very precocious and productive. Extensive root system with good anchorage.  Tolerant of wet soils.  Resistant to nematodes, bacterial canker and iron choloris. Very little suckering.

Mazzard (Mazz.)

Standard rootstock for sweet cherries; unpruned tree height of standard varieties is 30-40 feet. Trees may be held to any height with summer pruning. Vigorous, more tolerant of wet soils than Mahaleb, but good drainage still required. Resistant to root knot nematodes and oak root fungus. Well anchored. Relatively cold hardy.

Myrobalan 29C (Myro.)

Excellent, all-around rootstock for apricots, plums, almonds. Shallow but vigorous root system tolerates wet soils and is widely adapted; is more deeply rooted than Marianna. Resistant to root knot nematodes and has some resistance to oak root fungus. Unpruned tree height of standard varieties 15-25 feet, but can control size further with summer pruning. Winter hardy in Michigan.

Nemaguard (Nema.)

Standard rootstock for nectarines, peaches, apricots, plums, prunes, almonds. Vigorous, resists root knot nematode. Excellent for well drained soils. In heavy or poorly drained soil, plant on mound or hill. May not be winter hardy below 5°F. Unpruned tree height of standard varieties 15-25 feet. Size can be controlled further with summer pruning.

Old Home X Farmingdale 333 (OHxF 333)

For European and Asian pears. Trees dwarfed to two thirds the size of standard, or about twelve to eighteen feet. Easily kept smaller with summer pruning. Productive and precocious. Highly resistant to fireblight and pear decline and moderately tolerant of crown gall. Well anchored and does not sucker. Highly resistant to winter injury. Widely adapted.

Paradox

Vigorous hybrid rootstock for walnuts.  English varieties on Paradox fast growing and productive at a young age.  More tolerant of wet soil than Northern California Black, but less resistant to oak root fungus.

Viking

Standard rootstock for almonds and peaches.  Highly adaptable and deep rooted, tolerant of wet and clay soils.  Vigorous, precocious, productive.  Resistant to nematodes.  Suckers very little, if at all. (Zaiger)

How To Order

Please note that our shipping season extends from the beginning of January to the first week of March. Your order cannot be shipped prior to that because our growers have to wait until the plants are dormant before they can ship to us. Hence, we do not receive our stock until the end of December.  We cannot ship after the first week of March because we do not have cold storage and, under normal circumstances, most trees start breaking dormancy shortly thereafter.

Most of our trees are 5/8" caliper and will be about three to three and a half feet when you receive them.  They will be bare root which means that they are dormant with no leaves, no soil around the roots and no pot.  The roots will be packed in moist moss to keep them in good condition during shipping.  Blueberries, figs and olives, as well as some berries and pomegranates, are shipped in pots.  Planting of potted items can be delayed if necessary, but bareroot trees need to be planted as soon as possible after receipt.  Please remember that they are very resistant to cold when dormant, so do not hesitate to plant unless the weather is particularly foul. 

• We do not charge your credit card until right before we ship your order.
  
• We ship only within the United States. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Shipping & Handling

Orders within the continental United States are shipped by UPS, so please make sure that we have your street address.  Orders to Puerto Rico and Alaska are shipped by Priority Mail so we will need your correct mailing address.

• Please note our minimum shipping charges listed in the right column.
• IMPORTANT: Orders will not be filled or held until full payment has been received. Orders for which payment has been made by check will not be shipped until the check has cleared. We reserve the right to cancel orders or add a 15% restocking fee per item on orders to which excessive changes have been made.
• When your order is shipped, you will receive an email through UPS with the tracking number.  Please make sure that you give us your correct email!  For orders to Puerto Rico and Alaska, we will email you to let you know that your order has shipped so that you know to be looking for it.

Shipping For Orchard Supplies And Tools

Add 15% of purchase price unless otherwise specified.

Roses

Roses are shipped in January only. If your order contains roses in addition to trees or other items and you choose February or March shipping, the roses will be treated as a separate order and will be shipped in January.  To save on shipping costs, you may want to have your entire order shipped in January.  If climatic conditions in your area prevent planting by our shipping deadline, you may keep plants dormant by storing them at 35°F. Keep roots moist during storage. Additional storage information is available upon request.

Agricultural Regulations

Agricultural regulations prevent us from shipping some varieties of plants to certain states. If this should apply to any plants in your order, we will notify you by email, phone or mail.

Wyoming and Hawaii

Sorry, but we cannot send shipments to Wyoming or Hawaii at this time.

Shipping Charges

Shipping Charges For Puerto Rico and Alaska

TO BE DETERMINED BASED ON ESTIMATED WEIGHT AND BOX SIZE.

1. Dig a hole at least wide enough for the roots of your tree so that none of them are bent. Make it deep enough for the tree's roots to be completely covered. A wider hole is better, if possible, since that will make it easier for the tree to grow.
2. Chip away at the sides of your hole to break any compacted soil - this will make it easier for your tree's roots to grow beyond the initial hole.
3. Most bare root trees from Bay Laurel Nursery do not need to be staked. But if yours does, use at least a five or six foot garden stake hammered about two feet into the bottom of the hole a little off center on the southern side, if possible.
4. Make a mound of soil a few inches high in the bottom of the hole with what you dug out. Pat the soil down.
5. Carefully place your fruit tree into the hole, centered on the mound and spreading its roots. The tree has a graft union (sometimes called a bud union) visible where the root stock is grafted to the trunk. This should be placed slightly above the existing ground level. It is better to plant a little high than low since trees often settle.
6. Amending the soil with nutrients may be necessary.  However, it is better not to overdo it since doing so will create an artificial environment for the tree that in the long run will stunt growth. Check with your local garden center and buy whatever amendment is recommended for your soil. DO NOT USE REDWOOD COMPOST OR MANURE AS THEY MAY CAUSE BURNING. Many garden centers now promote organic gardening, so  it should be easy to find one in your area that can help you to produce fruit that is grown without harmful chemicals.
7. Start filling in the excavated soil that you have amended into the hole, carefully covering over just the roots. Gently pat down the soil a little and then water to help the soil settle around the roots.
8. Continue adding layers of soil, repeating the process of patting it down slightly and watering to help the soil settle and fill in any air holes. Fill in up to the original ground level.
9. Use any leftover soil to build a raised circle around the tree to keep water in. Ideally, the circle should be about four feet in diameter. Placing organic material such as leaves, mulch or bark inside the circle can help protect the tree's roots and help with water retention.  Make sure that you keep any mulch away from the trunk of the tree.
10. Overwatering before leafing out is the biggest cause of tree failure!  While the trees are dormant, they are using no water, so it is very important to not water them any more than is absolutely necessary to prevent the roots from drying out.