Ordering, Delivery Method, & Planting Care
Thank you for your interest in growing heritage apple trees. Many of our offerings were grafted from historic orchards where they have resisted pest, disease, and drought in Colorado for over 100 years. Many represent rare and endangered varieties you might not easily find elsewhere. Most have been DNA tested to confirm identity or uniqueness. Our tree sales support our preservation work. We are grateful for your support.
- Membership Discount
- Local Pickup
- Shipping
- Tree Guarantee
- Container / Pot Size
- Rootstock Types
- Planting Advice
Membership Discount
Current MORP members receive tree discounts. Use coupon code MEMBER ($10 off each tree) OR coupon code BULK ($30 off each tree when buying 30 trees or more). Do not combine these coupons. Inquire about your membership status at morporchard@gmail.com or renew/become a member today to qualify for discounts by adding an Annual Membership or Sustain-a-Tree Membership to your shopping cart, or at the Join Us page.
Local Pickup
Q. I just placed an order. What are your hours and when can I pick it up? A. Any day/time is fine for pickup so long as we know when to expect you as we do not have farm hours. Schedule pickup time several days in advance to receive directions by emailing morporchard@gmail.com. Do not visit without confirmation otherwise you may miss us. Please pickup up your order within 2 weeks of purchase. If you fail to pickup your order, no refunds, credit only towards future tree purchase. Cannot guarantee same choice of varieties.
Q. Where do I pickup my trees? A. The tree pickup location is in McElmo Canyon located in Southwest Colorado 20 minutes west of Cortez. Once you request and receive confirmation for a pickup date (or date range) you will receive detailed directions to McElmo Farm where the MORP nursery is located. We do not have farm hours, visit by appointment only.
Q. When I pick up my order can I meet with you and tour the nursery/farm/orchard? A. We cannot commit to being present at time of pickup. Your trees will be located at the pickup spot so you can get them at your convince on the day or date range you scheduled. Most often we are out in the field working. However, we would love to meet you! The best way to do so is to attend a MORP event.
Q. I would prefer to purchase trees in person vs online. Can I visit the nursery for you to help me pick some out? A. We are not set up as a retail nursery with hours of operation, but you can purchase trees online anytime of year for local pickup within 2 weeks of order. If you need help choosing please email your preferences and questions about what you seek in an apple(s) and how many trees you plan to purchase. We will gladly help! To select and buy trees in person, MORP presents two annual events . Mark your calendars for the Summer Heritage Apple Tree Sale on the third SAT in June, and the Orchard Social and Fall Heritage Apple Tree Sale on the second SAT in October.
Q. Where is your nursery and orchard? A. MORP owns a 36 historic orchard property known as the Orchard Hub located at 13729 Road 29, Dolores, CO. MORP’s other orchard locations (through MOU’s) are at the historic Gold Medal Orchard in McElmo Canyon and the Dolores Community Heritage Orchard next to Joe Rowell Park. The MORP nursery (tree pickup spot) is located on MORP Cofounders McElmo Farm & Orchard. MORP has been honored to work in hundreds of historic orchards. Thank you to the orchard owners who shared their trees and family stories with us.
Shipping
Q. Is shipping available? A. Shipping is available only for TREES that have a “shippable size” listed under the Delivery Method dropdown at the product page of the tree you wish to buy. At checkout, do not select shipping if you have any non shippable items in your cart. If you do so, we will refund those items minus a 5% restocking fee. You can filter for shippable products under Product Categories at the Shopping page.
Q. Where do you ship? A. We ship within the contiguous United States. We do not ship to Alaska or Hawaii.
Q. How much is shipping? A. We have included shipping and handling costs in the price of “shippable size” trees so you are not surprised at checkout. Trees are sent USPS and are expected tot arrive in 3-7 business days from the time we ship. If you desire faster shipping, please contact us for a quote and provide shipping address.
Q. When do you ship? A. We work to ship every week on Mondays. Our trees are potted so we can ship year round but recommend the windows of 1) March 15 – June 15 and 2) Sept 15 – November 15. Please do not place your order until you are within 2 weeks of your desired ship date. Although, it could take longer for your order to ship depending on weather factors undesirable for shipping and other orchard projects we may be busy with. You may order outside our recommended time frames but at your own risk/judgement as our tree guarantee does not apply during that time.
Tree Guarantee
LOCAL PICKUP GUARANTEE: We guarantee that our trees are healthy at the time of purchase and pickup. We further guarantee that trees are living things and that there are many ways to kill them. We gladly offer feedback and advice, but not refunds or replacements – EXCEPT for at the time of PICKUP. If you have unresolved concerns please let us know BEFORE you take your trees home. If we are not available at the time of pickup, leave behind any trees you are not happy with and we will refund you. Please “talk tree care” with us anytime before or after your purchase. Your success is important to us.
SHIPPING GUARANTEE: If you order trees to be shipped during our recommend times of year 1) March 15 – June 15 and 2) Sept 15- November 15, we guarantee healthy trees of your chosen variety will arrive at your doorstep. We will delay shipping during those time frames if there are hazardous weather conditions within the shipping route. If you have any concerns about the condition of your order please document / photograph issues within 24 hours of arrival and notify us within two weeks of purchase. Depending on the condition of your order and concerns you may have, we will give full or partial refund or store credit at our discretion . We further guarantee that trees are living things and that there are many ways to kill them. Once they are in your care, we gladly offer feedback and advice but not refunds or replacements. Your success is important to us. Thank you for your perseverance in this challenging and rewarding work of being a fruit grower.
Container / Pot Size
LOCAL PICKUP: Available for local pickup in 3 gallon pots. They average 4 feet tall and will fit in a standard sized vehicle, no trailer needed. If you are able to lay down backseats you can fit up to 20 trees in your car or about 50 in a truck if laid on side and stacked. If traveling in a pickup bed we recommend a camper top or tarp to prevent wind damage and tags from flying off, especially if traveling long distances.
SHIPPING: Our shippable size trees are grown in 4 x 4 x 10 inch Anderson Band pots. They average 24 – 30 inches tall, are nicely rooted, and ready to plant! Please unpack and water immediately upon receipt. Plant as soon as possible.
Rootstock Types (select depending on availability)
The majority of our trees are currently available on Malus domestica rootstock. Not all rootstock types listed below are currently available. You can filter for available rootstock type at the righthand sidebar at the product page.
Malus domestica Standard sized seedling rootstock. This is what trees were historically grafted on. These will be large trees that will grow for a century or more due to their cold hardiness and drought tolerance. Plant 25 feet or more apart.
Bud 118 Semi Dwarf rootstock, about 85-90% size of standard. Sometimes referred to as a “semi-standard” or even a standard. Said to be resistant to fireblight. Plant 20-25 feet apart.
M111 Semi Dwarf rootstock, about 60-85% size of standard. A good compromise if you want a slightly smaller tree. Plant 15 feet or more apart.
M7 Semi Dwarf, Smaller than M111. Probably not as long lived, but produces sooner. Longer lived than M26. Plant 12 feet or more apart.
M26 Dwarf, Short lived (a few decades), fast producing, needs staked, not drought tolerant or as cold hardy, plant as close to 1-2 feet apart.
Planting advice
Most of this advice is applicable throughout the US, but if you live outside the arid SW please consult with local experts on regional issues, especially pertaining to recommended watering schedule and soil conditions.
- Trees are happiest in the ground, not in a pot, so plant and water immediately for best success.
- Select a site with good soil drainage and good air flow. Avoid cold sinks.
- Space standard apple trees 25 feet or more apart; semi dwarf 15 feet or more; dwarf 8 feet or less
- Dig hole 2-3 times wider than the rootball and just deep enough to allow rootball to be level with top of soil line. Build water well and add mulch.
- Do not add hot compost, manure, or fertilizer to planting hole. Back fill with native soil mixed with one third composted compost or quality potting soil. Water in and tap down air pockets. Mulch with no more than 1-2” of compost per year.
- Protect your tree from deer, rodents, bear, and other mechanical damage. Good fence and tree guards are essential. Paint lower south trunk with plain white latex paint diluted with 50% water to protect from sun scald. Some tree guards will also serve this purpose. Reposition tree stakes, guards, limb spacers, ID tags, etc., EVERY year.
- Proper watering is key. Takes experience to learn as needed amount/frequency depends on the weather & site conditions, age & condition of tree, season & dormancy, and other factors. Rule of thumb: MULCH & water slowly and DEEPLY to get water down and out into the soil profile, ~20 gallons per time. Repeat when the top of the soil begins to dry. Flood, drip, or micro sprinklers are best. Overhead watering causes disease and sunburn and often does not water deep enough. Water more frequently to establish a tree (up to 3x per week in the heat of summer). Decrease frequency as trees establish (~ 1x every other week for mature trees). Remember to water newer trees 1x per dry winter months.