Content:
- Where is it better to plant an apple tree on the site
- What soil does an apple tree like
- How to plant an apple tree in spring: a step-by-step guide
- How to plant an apple tree in autumn
- Planting a closed-root apple tree in spring and summer
- How to plant an apple tree in the Middle Lane and Yaroslavl in the spring
- Features of planting an apple tree in spring, purchased at the nursery
There are no apple trees in the rare garden. They grow almost everywhere: almost from the Far North to the southern regions of Russia. What gardener can refuse this tree, the fruits of which are good not only processed (jam, compotes, juices, jams, jam), but also fresh? Apples contain a huge amount of trace elements that are useful for the human body. In this regard, novice gardeners are concerned with an important question: how to plant an apple tree correctly and at what time of the year to do it?
It is best to plant trees in early spring and late autumn. In this case, the seedlings take root well and grow quickly. Recently, however, many nurseries have been offering gardeners a huge range of closed-root planting material (in pots and containers). Such seedlings can be purchased and planted in your garden not only in spring and autumn, but also in summer. True, in this case, you should pay attention to the weather conditions: if there is a strong heat, it is extremely undesirable to plant even such seedlings. The optimal time for planting seedlings with a closed root system is May-June, August-September.
Where is it better to plant an apple tree on the site
First of all, on the personal plot, you need to choose the right place where the apple tree will grow. This business needs to be approached seriously, it is unacceptable to plant seedlings anywhere. You should pay attention to the illumination of the site. The apple tree, like many other garden plants, does not tolerate shading by other crops. In no case should it be planted next to tall wild-growing neighbors (oak, pine, birch, maple). The best neighbors for her will be other apple trees, pears, plums, apricots (giving fruits with seeds).
Best neighbors are other apple trees
It is necessary to remember about the distance between plants. Tall apple trees are planted 5 m from each other, between medium-sized ones should be from 3 to 4 m, and undersized and dwarf apple trees can be safely planted at a distance of 1.5-2 m from neighbors.
Another important factor when choosing a location is that the site must be protected from cold northerly winds. The southern slopes are best suited. In addition, the apple tree has a negative attitude towards groundwater located close to the soil surface. It is strongly not recommended to plant trees on swampy, saline soils. Plants will be hard to grow, and if they do, they will not give a big harvest.
What soil does an apple tree like
The queen of the garden, as the apple tree is sometimes also called, is generally not demanding on the soil. It can grow well and bear fruit on completely different types of soil, but as previously mentioned, it is best to avoid saline and swampy areas.
The apple tree grows well and bears fruit on sod-podzolic, gray forest, chernozem soils. However, it is recommended to bring them to neutral before planting. In extreme cases, the soil for the apple tree should be slightly acidic. Also, apple plantings will grow well on loam and sandy loam soils.
Novice gardeners are often interested in how to plant an apple tree on clay soil? The landing in this case is somewhat different from the standard one. First of all, you need to know that it is not worth digging a planting hole deeply - a maximum of 50 cm. But the hole is made wide enough in width - about 1 m. All clay soil is thrown out of the hole and fertile soil is poured there. It is also recommended to add 3-4 buckets of humus or compost to each pit, mixing with soil.
What soil does an apple tree like
Experienced gardeners also recommend making drainage grooves for rainwater to drain. This should be done due to the fact that clay soil does not absorb moisture well, as a result, the water will stagnate, and this will negatively affect the growth and development of almost any garden culture. In this case, the drainage system is not necessary. Ditches or grooves will do the job well.
How to plant an apple tree in spring: a step-by-step guide
Most often, gardeners plant apple seedlings in the spring. This is explained by the fact that before the onset of low temperatures in the fall, the young plant adapts to the conditions of a particular area and leaves in winter already strengthened.
You can start planting trees in spring when the soil thaws and warms up. It is best to do this in the second half of April - first ten days of May.
Prepare the pit
A pit must be prepared at least a week before planting. They dig it 60 cm deep and 60-80 cm wide. If the soil is poor, then first fill it with good soil (compost, humus). You should also apply mineral fertilizers, which will provide the seedlings with nutrition in the first 2-3 years of their growth. To do this, add 50 g of urea or ammonium nitrate and 50 g of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers to each planting hole.
Before sending to the hole, the roots of the seedling are recommended to be placed in a solution with root for a day. During planting, the tree is not buried, since the grafting site should be 5 cm above the soil level. The planted plant is watered abundantly, 1-2 buckets of water are poured onto each seedling. After that, the hole is mulched to keep moisture in the soil longer.
How to plant an apple tree in autumn
An autumn planting of an apple tree is also practiced, but unlike the spring one, in no case should you be late with it. The seedling should settle in a new place (give new roots) before the onset of low temperatures. That is why in central Russia, the optimal time for planting young apple trees is early October. Most often, autumn planting is carried out in the southern regions, where there is stable warm weather throughout October. In the northern regions, planting apple trees in the fall is not recommended.
Add fertilizer
A planting hole for a seedling is prepared in a month or at least 2 weeks. The depth and width are the same as in spring - 60 and 80 cm, respectively. If the soil is poor, then it is enriched with compost or humus. Mineral fertilizers are also added - 50 g of urea or ammonium nitrate and 50 g of phosphorus fertilizers. The seedling should not be deepened; the root collar should be 5 cm above the ground level. In this case, the trees must be tied to a strong support, since winter strong winds can easily break a young plant. After planting, the apple tree is watered abundantly, 2-3 buckets of water are poured onto each seedling. The soil is mulched.
Planting a closed-root apple tree in spring and summer
Seedlings with a closed root system have a particular advantage over conventional planting material.They can be planted outdoors almost at any time of the year. However, in the hot season, it is better to plant seedlings with a closed root system in cloudy weather or late in the evening, when the air temperature drops and the sun goes down.
Preparing a pit for a seedling with a closed root system is no different from a standard planting, but there is one difference - a tree planted in summer must first be protected from the bright rays of the sun. For this, four strong pegs are driven in around the young plant. A thin material is attached to them. An old sheet will work, but not a thick one. It will scatter the sun's rays and protect the young plant from sunburn.
Planted seedlings with a closed root system are thoroughly watered. Immediately after planting, 2 buckets of water are poured onto each plant. Watering is done throughout the season: in dry weather 1 time per week, and in cool weather - 1 every 2 weeks. In this case, the soil should also be mulched so that the moisture does not evaporate quickly.
How to plant an apple tree in the Middle Lane and Yaroslavl in the spring
It is necessary to start planting in Central Russia and Yaroslavl in the spring season only when the soil thaws to a depth of 60 cm and warms up. As a rule, this period occurs in late April or early May. A pit is prepared before planting. It is dug to a depth of 50-60 cm and 80 cm wide. The pit is filled with fertile soil, since it is no secret that many summer residents of the Moscow region have heavy and clayey soil.
Organic matter (compost, humus) and mineral fertilizers are added to each pit. The seedlings are attached to strong supports so that the strong wind does not break them. For columnar apple trees, dough is not required, since they themselves do not grow too large. After planting, the trees are watered and mulched abundantly. Sawdust, humus, compost or peat can be used as mulch.
Features of planting an apple tree in spring, purchased at the nursery
In recent years, many summer residents, including beginners, tend to buy planting material not from ordinary sellers in the market, but in special nurseries. This is explained by the fact that they will not slip a "pig in a poke" there, but offer the variety that the gardener was looking for. In addition, nurseries often offer interesting varieties and species.
It is also necessary to plant the seedlings purchased in the nursery correctly, first of all, choosing the best place for them in the country. The seedling area should be sunny and protected from strong winds. To do this, you should study the wind rose and in no case should you plant trees where the north wind often blows (the most dangerous for many cultures). Apple trees grow well on almost all types of soils, but they do not like clay, swampy and salty soils. Loamy and sandy loam, light soils are well suited for her. A seedling bought from a nursery is also watered abundantly and attached to a peg so that it will not be broken by a hurricane.
The plot must be sunny
At the same time, experienced gardeners do not recommend grabbing all saplings in nurseries. First of all, you need to find out what varieties the garden center offers. It is advisable to write them down and study them calmly at home (you can find descriptions and instructions for growing any varieties on the Internet). Next, you should pay close attention to the winter hardiness of the variety. If the seedling does not withstand severe winters, and its planting is designed in such an area, then it is better to abandon this variety and choose a more frost-resistant one.
In addition, you need to pay attention to the age of the seedling. One-year-olds and two-year-olds take root best of all, but three-year-olds will adapt for a long time after planting.Considering all these conditions, it is not difficult to choose a variety that will not only perfectly accept and grow, but will also give an excellent harvest of delicious apples in a couple of years.
We planted four apple trees on the site, guided by your recommendations, all took root. That really one tree did not want to be accepted for a long time. Let's see how they will survive the winter and cold.
On our site, one apple tree in the first year of flowering gave some apples, but this year it did not even bloom. Other apple trees have bloomed as expected and the harvest is there. What could be wrong? We take care of apple trees in the same way.
There are a lot of nuances in planting any material, and when you plant a whole tree, you need to take it very seriously. For example, we planted a new apple tree in place of the old one, and it took root very badly with us, and then completely disappeared. Now it's clear why.
It seemed to me that there is nothing easier than planting the most ordinary apple tree, but here it turns out there are many all sorts of nuances that must be taken into account if I want a really good apple tree for myself.
How many nuances when planting, I had no idea that the apple tree needs such aspects. I want to note the structure of the article, the most important points are highlighted in red, this is a very correct decision, since the emphasis immediately falls on the main requirements for planting apple trees.
The apple tree does not belong to picky trees, as a rule, if the soil is normal and there is enough light, then this is more than enough for this tree, I have dwarf trees growing at a distance of a meter from each other and there are no problems.
This year I cut down all the apple trees in the garden. In the fall I was going to plant new ones, but it looks like I was late, we already have frosts and in some places even snow is already lying. Thanks for the article, for recommendations on the timing of planting, I will wait for spring.
It turns out that planting an apple tree is not such a difficult task, but you still need to use the recommendations from the article and choose the right place for planting, and most importantly, plant a delicious variety of apples.
It is imperative to choose zoned apple varieties for planting. The preparation of the planting pit must be taken seriously: add all the necessary nutrients and trace elements. And most importantly, when planting, do not deepen the vaccination site.
Thanks to the author for all this information. Some, like me, do not know how to plant an apple tree correctly. And I have long wanted to buy a seedling and grow my own tree with fruits. Good article.
I planted three different varieties of apple trees in my garden last spring. I bought seedlings in a nursery outside the city. In the spring of this year, two of them bloomed, but the third did not. Probably, she did not survive the winter well, because there were such severe frosts.
I plant seedlings in the fall. Prepare a hole in advance with a diameter and depth of about a meter. I fill up the prepared mixture of earth, rotted manure, compost, sand, phosphate and wood ash.
When installing a seedling, I make sure that the grafting site is above the ground.
I tie the planted seedling to a peg and water it.
They take root well. Try it.