Planting an Apple Tree - Basic Rules and Recommendations

Features of planting an

apple The very first thing is the time when young trees are planted; here you need to pay attention to the climatic features of the region, as well as the characteristics of the variety. The best time for planting apple trees is autumn or spring, if you have snowy winters, you can plant trees in autumn, if there is little snow, but the frosts are strong enough, then it is better to move the planting to spring( March-April).This is especially true of apple trees planted in the ground with close water occurrence.

Most of all apple trees love loamy soil, if the soil is clay, then you need to make sand, compost or peat. And vice versa: clay, compost, peat, humus should be added to the sandy soil. Soil air exchange is very important for these fruit trees. In the year when the planting is done, you should not make additional feeding, but you need to ensure regular watering.

Planting an apple in the fall - rules, terms

Autumn planting is good for saplings in that it gives them the opportunity to settle down, strengthen the root system, “get comfortable” in a new place during the whole winter period. The trees are best planted by the last days of September( the 20th) - approximately until mid-October( 14-17).If you live in the southern regions, then it is recommended autumn planting of apple trees. The soil for seedlings should be crumbly so that it can pass air well, moisture.

If you do everything according to the rules, then the place for the apple should be prepared in advance:

1. About a month before planting the seedling, dig a hole about 70-80 cm deep, 1 m in diameter. Separate the upper fertile layer of the earth and set aside side by side.
2. Take a strong wooden peg, hammer it in the middle of the fossa, it will be a support for the future tree, it will not allow it to settle. The count should protrude from the ground somewhere 40-50 cm; that part of it that will be in the soil can be pre-burned to prevent rotting.
   
3. Now we are preparing a fertile mixture: we combine together a previously separated layer of soil, compost, peat, manure, humus, and then we fill the pit with this compound.
4. We plant an apple tree: we first make a small hole, at the bottom of which we pour black soil. After that, we deepen the roots of the seedling with the prepared mixture, making sure that the peg is located on the south side. The place where the roots pass into the trunk is called the root neck. When the seedling is deepened, this place should rise above the soil level of about 5 cm.
   
5. Carefully tie the tree trunk to the peg, fill the hole with 3-4 buckets of water.
6. 

The distance between the apple trees when planting should be at least 2.5 meters - this applies to ordinary trees. For vaccinated, weakly growing representatives - not less than 3.5 meters, if there are many seedlings - they are arranged in rows, the row-spacing should be approximately 5 meters.

As for especially tall, high varieties, the distance between the rows should be at least 6 meters, and the difference between the trees should be at least 4 meters. If you plan to plant one apple tree, then the distance to other trees or bushes should be no less than 3.5 meters.

Apple - planting in the spring

From about the 20th of April, you can begin to plant the apple trees. The advantage of spring planting is that by the onset of winter cold the tree will already be stronger, it will transfer wintering more comfortably. If an apple tree is planted in the spring, at first it needs to provide regular abundant watering so that the root system does not dry out.

Approximately a week before planting, it is necessary to prepare in advance a place for a sapling. If the soil is suitable for a tree, the depth of the pit should be no more than 60 cm, if the soil is problematic, then not less than 70 cm. The hole diameter should be approximately 60-90 cm.

The root system of the apple trees should be well moistened before planting.roots of seedlings in a bucket of water( per day).After planting, fill the hole thoroughly with water until it is no longer absorbed by the soil. To prevent moisture evaporation, you can cover the ground near the seedling with dry grass. When a young apple tree is planted in the spring, the rules for planting are the same as in the fall( root collar above the soil, a peg, etc.).

Planting an apple tree with a high standing groundwater

What should I do if the groundwater in your area comes very close to the ground? If in such conditions you plant an apple tree in the usual way, it will simply die due to contact of the roots with moisture, lack of air. Here it is necessary to give the roots the direction of surface growth( to prevent contact with water).Exit - plant an apple tree on an artificial hill.

Apple tree - care and planting of seedlings in conditions of close groundwater:

1. We find the most elevated part of the site with a diameter of about 2 meters, we dig it.
2. From the old wooden planks( the old wood goes faster) we mount the box, about a meter × meter, 80 cm height is enough. We install the construction on an elevation, it will hold the poured earth.
3. We pour manure, fertilizers( superphosphate) inside the box on the excavated soil, and fill it with fertile soil. Here you need to pre-attend to the presence of soil, as you need it quite a lot.
4. On the resulting mound we plant a sapling in compliance with all the rules of planting, after which the structure is poured from all sides with earth.

As the tree increases in growth, the amount of land must also increase( by pouring).With the onset of winter time, the tree should be provided with additional protection against frost, and in summer - against drought. In this design, the soil freezes, dries out much faster than during normal planting.

Planting an apple tree at a high level of groundwater is possible with the help of another method - the concrete “cushion”.To do this, pre-dig a hole about 60-80 cm deep, diameter - 90-100 cm, at the bottom of this pit equip concrete slab. Thus, the roots of an apple tree, reaching concrete, having met resistance, will grow to the sides( horizontally).

Sometimes gardeners do not resort to digging holes, but simply lay solid materials on the ground( slate, board), sprinkle a hill of fertile soil up to 70-80 cm in height — seedlings are planted.

Planting apple seedlings with closed root system

At plant shows or nurseries, apple seedlings are often sold in pots or appropriate containers. These trees quickly take root in a new place, comfortable landing, as their roots are not injured during the process.

Planting apple trees with a closed root system is as follows:

1. Making a pit for a sapling about 50-60 cm deep, about 1 m in diameter.
2. Remove the bottom layer of the soil pit, fill it with fertile soil mixed with compost, you can also add one or two handfuls of complex mineral additives.
3. In the poured fertile soil we make a depression, in its dimensions similar to the volume of the tank in which the seedling was purchased. We water this recess, a tree too( so that it is easier to get it).
4. Carefully turn the container upside down, extract the seedling together with the earthy clod - thus, the root system is not disturbed. We place the tree in the recess, and the level of the earthen lump should coincide with the level of the new soil( or slightly rise above it, 2-3 cm).For the correct location of the root collar of the seedling, the fresh soil should not be poured on top of the “native” land, but should be filled on the sides.
   
5. Carefully install a supporting peg next to the earthy clod, so as not to disturb the root system, then we tie up the tree.
6. Fill the remaining space with earth, water it a little. We ram the edges of the pit, about 20 cm along the entire perimeter, pour about 2 buckets of water( in several steps).
7. Mulch the land with fertile soil.

Seedlings with a closed root system can be planted at any time from spring to autumn.

Apple care

In the first year of planting, pruning can be done - if the apple seedling is powerful, well developed, has branches not less than 40 cm long. If the tree is rather weak, then pruning should be postponed to the next year. This process is recommended in the spring. Thus, the central conductor is shortened by 2 or 3 buds - this is done so that the side shoots gain strength and grow more actively. Skeletal branches subordinate to the main conductor - they must be located below it. The subsequent care of an apple tree in the first year of life consists in timely watering and prevention from diseases, pests.

The very next year, pruning of branches takes on a formative character. For the harmonious development of the crown, young shoots are shortened, all the branches that grow inside the crown, as well as those that grow from the trunk at an acute angle are cut. Almost always one strong escape escapes forward, which competes with the central guide. It should be cut off, and the main conductor should be shortened again by 2-3 buds.

Skeletal branches should also be trimmed in concert with other branches. The more branches of the second and third order will be - the stronger will be the branch of the first order. This gives power for the future, because once the branches will have to withstand the weight of numerous fruits. For the harmonious development of wood, yield and long years, the annual pruning should be carried out - crown shaping.

The care of the tree circle in the first years of the tree’s life consists of regular weeding. Before the beginning of fruiting, you can mulch the circle with hay, and after that it is allowed to sow with a thin lawn. In summer, young apple trees are watered about once a month, pouring 3 buckets of water under each tree. If summer is very dry, and the tree grows on sandy soil, then watering should be increased to 1 or 2 times a week. Water is calculated for older apple trees in the following way: how many years does a tree have, how many buckets of water should it consume.

For fruit-bearing trees, there is a kind of irrigation scheme:

• until bud time;
• 20 days after flowering;
• one month before picking the fruit;
• after the final harvest.

When the fruits are removed from the branches, it is impossible to water the tree - the apples will crack, poorly stored.

Top dressing, fertilization

Young trees in the spring make a solution of urea( 2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water) - this is a root dressing. For foliar( May-June), the “Ideal” or sodium humate is well suited in solution( 1 tbsp per 10 liters of water).In September, it is recommended to carry out another root feed with a phosphorus-potassium solution( 2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water).

A peculiar seasonal feeding scheme for adult apples implies 4-time fertilizer application. The first is scattering and plunging 500 g of urea under each tree into the soil, the second at the beginning of flowering, infused for several days a mixture of potassium sulfate, urea, superphosphate( 80 /50/ 100 g per 20 l of water).The third - after the fall of color, a mixture of nitrophoska, sodium humate( 100/2 g per 20 l of water) and the final, after removing the fruits - a bucket of humus under each tree.

Prophylactic treatments for pests and diseases should also take place, they can be combined with fertilizer. Planting an apple tree is the beginning of a long journey from a young sapling to an adult spreading tree with bulk sweet fruits.