Rootstocks for apple and cherry: M9, Gisela 5 and Gisela 6.
Sady Stavropolya sells apple on dwarfing M9 rootstock and sweet cherry on Gisela 5 and Gisela 6. Below are stock, prices and the traits of each rootstock, along with other apple rootstocks for comparison.
Apple at the nursery is grafted on dwarfing M9 rootstock and sweet cherry on Gisela 5 and Gisela 6. On 9 October 2026 the stock was 715,184 apple saplings at RUB 360, 400 and 450 and 28,400 sweet cherry saplings at RUB 800. MM.106, M.26, 54-118 and B-9 are not on the price list and are described below for comparison.
Updated 08.11.2026 · stock as of 09.10.2026
Which rootstocks Sady Stavropolya sells
The nursery works with three rootstocks. Apple is grafted on M9, and sweet cherry on Gisela 5 or Gisela 6. The price depends on the crop and the grade of the sapling, and the cherry rootstock does not change it.
| Crop | Rootstock | Price per sapling | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | M9 | RUB 360 (1+), RUB 400 (3+), RUB 450 (5+) | 715,184 pcs, 17 cultivars |
| Sweet cherry | Gisela 5 | RUB 800 | 6,550 pcs |
| Sweet cherry | Gisela 6 | RUB 800 | 21,850 pcs |
M9: the apple rootstock
M9 grew out of a chance seedling called Jaune de Metz, found in France, and was classified at the East Malling station in England in 1917. It is a dwarfing clonal rootstock, so trees in a block grow evenly and the crown stays low.
A tree on M9 needs support for the whole life of the orchard, and a trellis or stake goes into the budget from the start. The University of Maryland calls M9 the reference rootstock of the NC-140 trials. Its weak points are high susceptibility to fire blight and a tendency to form burr knots on the rootstock stem.
Planting schemes on M9 run from 4.0 × 1.2 m (2,083 trees per hectare) to 3.0 × 0.9 m (3,704 trees per hectare). The arithmetic for each scheme is in how many saplings per hectare, the traits of the rootstock are covered in M9 rootstock for an intensive orchard, and grades 1+, 3+ and 5+ on this rootstock are described on the knip apple trees page.
Gisela 5 and Gisela 6: the cherry rootstocks
Gisela 5 (GI 148/2) and Gisela 6 (GI 148/1) were bred at Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany, from a Schattenmorelle × Prunus canescens cross. Both shrink the tree compared with Mazzard seedling rootstock but make it a different size, and size drives the rest.
| Trait | Gisela 5 | Gisela 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Tree size | 50–60% of full size | 80–85% of full size in the Pacific Northwest |
| Start of bearing | in the 2nd year after planting | a harvestable crop by the 3rd leaf, full crop by the 5th |
| Planting density | 1,240–1,980 trees per hectare | 740–1,235 trees per hectare |
| Water and heat | irrigation is essential, blooms earlier, higher spring frost risk | sensitive to heat |
| Fruit size | overcropping makes the fruit small | small fruit is less of a problem |
The sizes and densities in the table come from Oregon State University, and a tree on your site may differ. For Gisela 5 the sources name good drainage as a condition and advise against planting it on the site of an old orchard. The choice between the two by soil and scheme is covered in Gisela 5 or Gisela 6, and Lapins is available on both, as the Lapins sweet cherry trees page shows.
Other apple rootstocks for comparison
These rootstocks are not on the nursery price list. They are listed because buyers ask about them when they pick an orchard scheme.
| Rootstock | Origin | What is known |
|---|---|---|
| MM.106 | East Malling and the John Innes Institute (Merton), 1917, selected for woolly aphid resistance | semi-dwarfing, productive, needs no support; susceptible to fire blight and root rots, not recommended for poorly drained sites |
| M.26 | M.16 × M.9 cross of 1929, released in 1958–1959 | more vigorous than M9, bears early; susceptible to crown rot and fire blight, incompatible with Rome, Stayman and Golden Delicious in NC-140 trials |
| 54-118 | Michurinsk, Budagovsky school | semi-dwarfing, needs no support according to VNIISPK; a 5 × 3 m scheme gives 667 trees per hectare |
| B-9 | Michurinsk, Budagovsky began the work in 1937, M-8 × Krasny Shtandart | dwarfing clonal rootstock, hardier than M9, needs support |
| Quince BA-29 and Quince A | pear rootstocks | BA-29 is more vigorous than Quince A, and Quince C is weaker than both (Carrera, Ortiz, 1984) |
Xenia pear in the catalog is grafted on Quince A, and availability is checked on request. The University of Maryland calls B-9 a replacement for M9 in colder climates.
What to check before ordering
- Support. Put the trellis or stake for M9 into the budget at once, because a tree on this rootstock needs support for the life of the orchard.
- Water. Gisela 5 needs irrigation, and with Gisela 6 the sensitivity to heat is worth weighing.
- The site. Gisela 5 needs drainage, and the site of an old orchard should be avoided for it.
- Cultivar and rootstock together. A cherry cultivar can come on both rootstocks, for example Lapins (2,600 saplings on Gisela 5 and 7,500 on Gisela 6 on 9 October 2026).
How to order saplings on the rootstock you need
A lot starts at 6,000 saplings in steps of 250 per cultivar, and the cherry rootstock is named in the request. Saplings are collected in Sunzha in October–November and March–April, and there is no delivery. Other prices are on the sapling prices page, the 2027 terms are on the pre-order page, and the loading routine is on the yard process page.
Match the rootstock to your orchard
Send the crops and the planting scheme. The trade desk will confirm stock by rootstock and issue an invoice.
Stock by rootstock as of 9 October 2026
| Cultivar | Rootstock | 1+ · ₽360 | 3+ · ₽400 | 5+ · ₽450 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambrosia | M9 | 8,500 | 19,755 | 14,817 | 43,072 |
| Williams' Pride | M9 | 10,400 | 8,000 | 5,020 | 23,420 |
| Gala Devil | M9 | 9,120 | 17,160 | — | 26,280 |
| Gala Royal | M9 | 18,000 | 70,000 | 58,000 | 146,000 |
| Gala Schniga Red | M9 | 41,890 | 25,705 | — | 67,595 |
| Golden Delicious Rangers | M9 | 10,000 | — | — | 10,000 |
| Granny Smith | M9 | 76,000 | — | — | 76,000 |
| Green Star | M9 | 15,270 | 20,360 | 15,270 | 50,900 |
| Jeromine | M9 | 8,938 | — | — | 8,938 |
| Geneva | M9 | 3,504 | 2,000 | 13,200 | 18,704 |
| Inored Story | M9 | 28,000 | — | — | 28,000 |
| Crimson Crisp | M9 | 39,821 | 2,035 | 15,745 | 57,601 |
| Modi | M9 | 44,000 | 5,000 | — | 49,000 |
| Pink Lady | M9 | 19,000 | — | 3,000 | 22,000 |
| Red Delicious Mema | M9 | 23,000 | 9,600 | 8,100 | 40,700 |
| Red King Roat | M9 | 8,200 | 7,000 | — | 15,200 |
| Fuji | M9 | 18,000 | 13,774 | — | 31,774 |
| Cultivar | Rootstock | ₽ / ea | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Lorenz | Gisela 5 | 800 | 200 |
| Sweet Lorenz | Gisela 6 | 800 | 5,900 |
| Samba | Gisela 6 | 800 | 3,000 |
| Lapins | Gisela 5 | 800 | 2,600 |
| Lapins | Gisela 6 | 800 | 7,500 |
| Summit | Gisela 5 | 800 | 1,250 |
| Summit | Gisela 6 | 800 | 750 |
| Ferrovia | Gisela 5 | 800 | 2,500 |
| Ferrovia | Gisela 6 | 800 | 4,700 |
Stock as of 09.10.2026 · price per sapling incl. VAT · lots from 6,000
What buyers ask first.
Which rootstocks does the nursery sell saplings on?
Apple is grafted on dwarfing M9, and sweet cherry on Gisela 5 and Gisela 6. No other rootstocks are on the price list for fall 2026 and spring 2027.How does M9 differ from MM.106?
M9 is dwarfing, and a tree on it needs support. MM.106 is semi-dwarfing and, according to the University of Maryland, needs no support, but it is not recommended for poorly drained sites. Only M9 is on the nursery price list.How does Gisela 5 differ from Gisela 6?
Gisela 5 makes a tree 50–60% of full size that bears from the 2nd year, but it needs irrigation. Gisela 6 makes a tree 80–85% of full size in Oregon trials, with a harvestable crop from the 3rd leaf.Does the rootstock change the sapling price?
The cherry rootstock does not change the price: a sapling on Gisela 5 and on Gisela 6 costs RUB 800 including VAT. The apple price depends on grade 1+, 3+ or 5+ and is RUB 360, 400 or 450.Is there apple on 54-118 or B-9 rootstock?
No, all 17 apple cultivars in stock are grafted on M9. The 54-118 and B-9 rootstocks are described on the page for comparison.How many saplings on M9 are in stock?
On 9 October 2026 the stock was 715,184 apple saplings on M9: 381,643 in grade 1+, 200,389 in grade 3+ and 133,152 in grade 5+.