Anywhere from 4' feet to maybe 25' or more depending on the rootstock, variety, growing conditions and pruning and training.

In other words, "dwarf" isn't very meaningful other than denoting that if left to its own devices the tree should be smaller than average for the species.

With the right rootstock, say M9, and regular pruning you can keep an apple comfortably in 5ft by 10ft by 8-9 ft tall. This will produce quite well. A peach or nectarine would do better in 80-100 sq ft rather than 50 as with apple. A pear could be somewhere in this range. They want to grow straight up. But 8ft by 10ft by 12ft tall would work for most varieties of pear. There is quite a difference in cultivar vigor, so that would be something to consider as well. Asian pears are very productive and precocious and could be kept as small as an apple with regular pruning.

The Fruitnut

Ultimately, YOU are in control of how big(or small) your tree becomes. Choose an appropriate rootstock for your soil/site/zone, and PRUNE.

Check out the humorous, yet insightful article linked below

Here is a link that might be useful: Dwarf Tree? But it's so BIG!

Thanks for the details!

Here is what I found out about the rootstocks from the growers of the trees:

apples are on M26
peaches and nectarines on Lovell
cherries on Mazzard
pears on seedling.

Are these good rootstocks for small dwarf trees?

Low,

Of all the rootstocks you mention, only M26 is dwarf.

The pears on seedling want to be enormous, the cherries on Mazzard too. 30+ feet vigorously growing to try and get there.

Apples on M26 aren't super vigorous. It shouldn't be hard to keep tame with pruning, depending on variety and conditions.

Keepitlow,

Another apple dwarf is bud-9. Cherries can be grafted on gisela 5 rootstock with good dwarfing results. Also, I hear that northstar cherry is naturally dwarf and will not exceed about 8 feet. I don't have experience with pears peaches or nectarines.

You can keep any fruit tree on any rootstock the size you prefer. What is required is the determination to prune as OFTEN as needed. Be prepared to prune several times a year. My Bartlett pear is now the size I can pick without a ladder. Now I need a shorter species of deer to prevent their helping me with the pruning. Al

Thanks. Wonder why they sell these trees on non dwarf rootstocks and call them dwarfs then? Seems like it is misrepresentation.

They have some rationalization in calling trees dwarf as long as it creates a tree that is smaller than a natural seedling would typically be.

Unfortunately for a tree that would normally grow 40 feet, getting one on a dwarfing rootstock that will only grow to 25' isn't what homeowners are likely to be looking for when they hear the word "dwarf".

I think the bottom line is they use terms like dwarf and semi-dwarf for 2 reasons. Because that's what consumers want to hear, and because it is more complicated to explain than they would like.

Ideally every tree would be labeled with variety and the actual rootstock name.

Are trees mainly a product of their leaves? If we prune them to have less leaves, they will have less energy and grow smaller? Is that how it works?

How disappointing all this dwarf news is. It seems most of my trees are not of the right rootstock type and was I sold trees that wont grow to 10 or 12 feet as I was told.

So I'm hoping that keeping them cut back will make them fit. Can't afford to buy all new ones, but I don't mind to prune them.