Knip apple trees wholesale, grades 1+, 3+ and 5+ on M9.

What a knip apple tree is

A knip tree (Dutch knipboom) is a two-year-old fruit tree with a one-year-old crown. The word “knip” goes back to the Dutch word for cutting: the crown starts from the cut made at the end of the first year. The technique was developed in the Netherlands for high-density orchards and has long been routine in Dutch nurseries.

The tree is grown in three steps:

1. First year. The cultivar is grafted on the rootstock, and the tree grows at ordinary nursery spacing as a single shoot without side branches.
2. End of the first year. The shoot is cut back, keeping only the top bud. The cut height depends on the cultivar and is around 50–80 cm above ground.
3. Second year. The top bud grows into a central leader, and side branches form on it during the season. These branches are called feathers: a feather is a branch that grows in the same year as the leader.

How a knip tree differs from a one-year whip

A one-year whip is a single stem without side branches, while a knip tree arrives in the orchard with its crown already formed. Trees with side branches start bearing sooner than whips, but they cost the nursery more: they are harder to grow and carry more risk.

The high cost of establishing an orchard makes early cropping important for payback, and in dense plantings branched trees are worth their price. In the first year after planting knip trees may crop lightly; in return they fill the orchard space with crown quickly and need less formative pruning.

Grades 1+, 3+ and 5+: how to choose

Grades 1+, 3+ and 5+ are the nursery’s own grading by the number of branches in the crown: 1+ is one or more, 3+ is three or more, 5+ is five or more. The higher the grade, the more branches the tree carries and the higher the price.

The more side branches a tree carries, the higher its early yield: a study in HortTechnology found exactly this for apple. For a dense orchard in Ontario, Canada, the recommendation is a tree at least 1.7 m tall with 6–10 branches of 12–25 cm, the lowest no closer than 60 cm to the ground.

• 3+ and 5+ suit a dense trellised orchard where early yield matters: branched trees are the choice for such plantings.
• 1+ is the lowest price of the three grades: it suits lots where the cost of the lot comes first.
• A mixed lot helps when the cultivar you need is not in the grade you want: several grades can be combined in one order.

Prices and stock by grade

All 17 cultivars in stock are grown on M9 rootstock, which is covered in the article M9 rootstock for intensive orchards. The price depends on the grade, not on the cultivar; the full cultivar list is in the apple sapling catalog.

On the minimum lot of 6,000 saplings the gap between grades 1+ and 5+ is RUB 540,000. The overall price list for all crops is on the sapling prices page.

Not every cultivar is in every grade. On 9 October 2026 the grade availability is as follows:

• grade 1+ only: Granny Smith, Inored Story, Jeromine, Golden Delicious Rangers;
• 1+ and 3+: Modì, Fuji, Gala Devil, Gala Schniga Red, Red King Roat;
• 1+, 3+ and 5+: Royal Gala, Crimson Crisp, Ambrosia, Williams’ Pride, Green Star, Geneva, Red Delicious Mema;
• 1+ and 5+: Pink Lady.

How to order knip trees

An order starts at 6,000 saplings; cultivars and grades can be mixed as long as each cultivar is ordered in multiples of 250. How many trees a hectare takes depends on the planting scheme, and the article how many saplings per hectare gives a worked example. Send cultivars, grades and volume to the trade desk at +7 905 405 15 68 or through the contact page form.

The contract calls for 30% on signing, with the balance due 10 days before pickup. Saplings are collected from the yard in Sunzha in October–November and March–April with a phytosanitary certificate; on the choice of planting season see spring or fall planting, and on handover see yard process.