Dense trees planting is one of the ways to obtain high yielding from area unit soon after establishing an orchard. Diminished space occupied by trees in dense planting systems also brings about their weaker vegetative growth. Another factor influencing growth and yielding is planting trees in ridges. Investigation was conducted in the orchard belonging to Research – Development Station in Samotwór, owned by Department of Horticulture at Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences. It aimed at the assessment of growth and yielding of four apple cultivars: ‘Piros’, ‘Sunrise’, ‘Pinova’ and ‘Ligol’, growing on two dwarf rootstocks M.9 and P 22. The trees were planted in ridges in high density. Two – year – old trees were planted in the spring 2004. Research covered the years 2004–2008 and was carried out as two – factorial experiment. The first factor involved particular way of planting trees – traditional or in ridges. The type of rootstock used constituted the second examined factor. The trees on M.9 rootstock were planted in 3.5 m × 0.5 m spacing (5714 trees·ha^-1), while apple trees on P 22 rootstock followed the spacing of 3.5 × 0.3 m (9523 trees·ha^-1). In the case of young trees growing densely, the effect of planting in ridges on growth and yielding was strictly related to apple cultivar and rootstock. Among the trees on M.9 rootstock, the highest yield was collected from cultivar ‘Ligol’. The trees of ‘Piros’ cv., planted in ridges provided the lowest yield on both used rootstocks. The negative effect of ridges on total yield for ‘Ligol’ and ‘Sunrise’ cvs. on M9 was noted. No differences were observed in the total yield from trees of ‘Pinova’, ‘Ligol’ i ‘Sunrise’cvs. on rootstock P 22. Method of planting had no effect on the yield of each cultivar on this rootstock. Cultivar ‘Ligol’ on M.9 rootstock, characterized the strongest growth. Among the trees on rootstock P 22, cultivar ‘Sunrise’ grew the weakest. Planting in ridges, reduced the growth of ‘Ligol’ on M.9 and ‘Piros’ cvs. on P 22 rootstock. Dense planting of trees in ridges did not affect yield and vigour of four cultivars of apple trees on two dwarfing rootstocks. In the conditions of high density trees response to planting in ridges was diverse and depended on a cultivar, the kind of a rootstock and the age of trees. Dense planting of trees in ridges did not provide favorable conditions for growth and fruiting of the examined apple trees cultivars in the first five years after planting.

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