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Mettais cider apple tree plant at producer prices for professional apple growers

Scion, distaff, half stem, tall stem - How to choose?

Understanding the Different Forms of Fruit Trees and Their Planting

Arboriverse , a specialist in the production and supply of professional fruit trees, offers a wide range of plants adapted to your needs and your growing objectives. Discover the characteristics of scions, cattails, half-stems and high-stems, and how to choose and plant these trees on your plot.


The Different Forms of Fruit Trees

1. Scion

  • Benefits :
    • Attractive price.
    • Flexibility: possibility of shaping the tree according to your needs.
  • Disadvantages:
    • Requires training.
    • Late production (4 to 5 years).
  • Location:
    • Spacing: 3 to 4 m.
    • Tutoring: recommended for 1 to 2 years.

2. Distaff

  • Benefits :
    • Perfect for small gardens or high density crops.
    • Fast production: fruiting in 1 to 2 years.
  • Disadvantages:
    • Shorter lifespan.
  • Location:
    • Spacing: 5 to 7 m.
    • Tutoring: recommended for 2 to 3 years.

3. Half-stem

  • Benefits :
    • Good production.
    • Accessible size for maintenance.
  • Disadvantages:
    • Requires more space.
    • Production in 2 to 4 years.
  • Location:
    • Spacing: 5 to 10 m.
    • Tutoring: necessary for 3 to 4 years.

4. High-top

  • Benefits :
    • Longevity and high production.
    • Promotes biodiversity.
  • Disadvantages:
    • Significant space (8 to 10 m between trees).
    • Late production (5 years minimum).
  • Location:
    • Spacing: 8 to 10 m.
    • Density: 150 to 250 trees/ha.

Criteria for Choosing the Right Tree Shape

  • Available space: Choose cattails for small gardens or scions for personalized management. For larger spaces, tall stems or half-stems are ideal.
  • Desired production: rapid production favors cattails, while sustainable production favors tall stems.
  • Maintenance: Half-stems are more accessible, while high-stems require little intervention after establishment.
  • Biodiversity: tall stems are best suited to creating natural habitats.

Tips for Planting Your Fruit Trees

1. Soil preparation

  • Analysis and amendment: test the soil and enrich it with compost.
  • Drainage: Avoid compacted or wet soils.

2. Planting

  • Planting hole: adapted to the size of the roots (60x60x60 cm for scions, up to 1 m for tall stems).
  • Positioning: The graft point must be at least 7.5 cm above the ground.
  • Watering and mulching: essential for recovery.

3. Layout and orientation

  • Spacing: respect the recommended distances according to the type of plant.
  • Orientation: north-south for optimal sunshine.

4. Pollination

  • Varietal compatibility: Mix compatible varieties.
  • Pollinators: Plan for 10 to 12% pollinator trees in your orchard.

Why Choose Arboriverse?

  • Professional quality: grafted plants produced by specialist nurserymen.
  • Producer prices: excellent value for money.
  • Fast delivery: throughout France, directly to your orchard.
  • Technical support: personalized advice and free quotes within 48 hours.

Take advantage of our producer prices to buy your fruit trees!

Plant your grafted fruit plot with Arboriverse today.

Request a free quote and benefit from expert advice.

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Mettais cider apple tree plant at producer prices for professional apple growers

Technical sheet of the Mettais variety

  • Skin color: Yellow streaked with red
  • Size and shape: Small (40 grams), general shape not specified, skin marked with brown dots
  • Tree size: Vigorous, upright, then drooping cone-shaped, large
  • Fruit maturity: End of October
  • Fruit taste: Bittersweet. Fragrant and colorful juice, sweet to taste.
  • Fruiting period: September
  • Disease resistance and storage: Slightly susceptible to powdery mildew, leaves slightly susceptible to scab and caterpillars. Average storage life (1 to 2 months).
  • Variety Yield: Medium to High
  • Is this variety self-fertile? No, requires cross-pollination.
  • Commercial use: Cider production
  • Comments: Fruits tend to "flour" quickly. Can be blended with sweet varieties to enrich the final flavor profile.

Mettais: An authentic variety for exceptional red ciders

The Mettais cider apple tree is a traditional Normandy variety, renowned for its small fruits with intensely colored juice, perfect for producing unique red ciders. Ideal for market gardeners and professional producers, this robust and vigorous apple tree meets the requirements of high-stem and traditional orchards while offering a flavor profile marked by balanced bitterness and refined aromas.

At Arboriverse, your specialist wholesale supplier of cider apple plants, we select plants from Mettais to guarantee abundant harvests and ciders with an inimitable character.


Fruits with a unique profile for authentic ciders

Mettais apples are distinguished by their rustic appearance and exceptional taste quality:

  • Caliber: Small, with an average weight of 40 grams, perfect for optimized transformation.
  • Shape: Spherical, slightly flattened, typical of old cider varieties.
  • Skin: Rustic texture with brown dots, reminiscent of its traditional origin.
  • Flesh: Colorful and fragrant, a major asset for red ciders.
  • Juice: Rich in pigments and aromas, producing a cider with a unique red hue, sought after in the specialty cider market.
  • Taste: A subtle balance between sweetness and bitterness, ideal for ciders with character.

The juice of Mettais apples is prized for its intense colors and aromatic qualities, perfect for premium vintages.


A calendar adapted to the needs of producers

Flowering and harvest

  • Flowering: Mid-May, compatible with many pollinating varieties.
  • Maturity: Apples reach full maturity between October and early November, ensuring a harvest in a key period for processing.

Rapid transformation

Mettais apples "flour" quickly, making them ideal for immediate processing into cider after harvest, thus preserving their aromas and exceptional color.


A vigorous tree suitable for traditional orchards

Tree characteristics

  • Vigor: Medium, ideal for balanced development in traditional orchards.
  • Port: Semi-erect with a well-structured structure, facilitating maintenance and harvesting.
  • Recommended rootstocks:
    • M9 EMLA for more intensive orchards.
    • MM106 for a balance between vigor and production.

Resistance and maintenance

  • High resistance: Good tolerance to scab and canker, reducing the need for phytosanitary treatments.
  • Moderate susceptibility: Requires increased vigilance against powdery mildew and fire blight, especially in dry climates.

The Mettais offers rapid fruiting, allowing a return on investment from the first years after planting.


Pollination: essential to maximize yields

The Mettais variety is self-sterile and requires the presence of other compatible varieties to ensure effective pollination.

Recommended pollinating varieties:

  • Little Yellow
  • Sweet Coët Line
  • Red mullet from Dol
  • René Martin
  • Windmill
  • Christmas in the Fields
  • Guillevic

Planting several compatible varieties guarantees regular and abundant production.


A unique commercial asset: red cider

Mettais is a prized variety for producing red ciders, a rare and sought-after product on the market:

  • Intense red tint: Brings a strong visual identity to the vintages.
  • Complex aromatic profile: A controlled bitterness and rich aromas make this an ideal cider for blends or single-variety vintages with character.
  • Premium positioning: Red cider from the Mettais variety is ideal for craft markets or niche products.

Origin and recognition

Norman heritage

Originating from Amfréville-la-Campagne (Eure), the Mettais variety reflects Normandy's cider-making heritage. Its adoption in regions such as Seine-Inférieure is a testament to its quality and robustness.

Recognized by professionals

Although it does not benefit from official certification, this variety is widely appreciated for its agronomic and cider-making qualities.


Why choose Mettais with Arboriverse?

  • Certified quality: Carefully selected plants for optimal production.
  • Personalized technical support: Benefit from expert advice to optimize your returns.
  • Professional service: Fast delivery tailored to the needs of professional businesses.
  • Unique added value: Produce a distinctive red cider, sought after in craft markets.

The Mettais cider apple tree is a must-have variety for producers looking to stand out with a premium red cider. With its small, intensely colored fruits, fragrant juice, and robustness, it's perfect for unique, artisanal vintages.

Contact Arboriverse, your specialist cider apple tree plant wholesaler, today to integrate this exceptional variety into your orchards and enhance your cider production.