When to plant apple trees: time and planting rules
The apple tree is one of the most popular trees in a summer cottage or garden plot. Often, amateur gardeners do not make do with one variety of apple tree, but plant several at once in order to enjoy the harvest for as long as possible. But in order for the apple tree to produce a good harvest, it is necessary to follow some rules, including the time frame for planting seedlings. Let's figure out the timing of planting an apple tree.
In principle, you can plant an apple tree at any time, but the most successful periods will be spring and autumn. Each of these periods has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let's consider autumn and summer planting of apple trees.
Content:
Planting in autumn
The main advantage of planting an apple tree in autumn is that over the winter the seedling has “mastered”, grown into the soil, strengthened the roots, and with the onset of spring the plant will begin to actively grow and develop. If we talk about numbers, then most often the planting of seedlings begins in early October to give the roots enough time to strengthen well.
The best thing apple tree planting in autumn it is suitable for the southern regions of the country, as well as for areas where the soil is rich in black soil. The soil for an apple tree should be loose and well-permeable to water and air.
- It is advisable to start preparing a hole for planting an apple tree at least a month in advance. To do this, you need to make a recess about a meter in diameter and about 70 cm deep.Do not forget that the top layer of soil should be deposited separately from the rest of the soil, as it is more fertile.
- You will need to secure a stake in the center of the hole; it should protrude about 30-40 cm above the ground surface. Do not forget to first burn the side of the stake that will be in the ground, this will protect it from rotting.
- Next, prepare a mixture for the apple tree from a fertile layer of soil, compost, humus, manure, peat and organic fertilizer. The hole should be filled completely with this nutrient mixture.
- Then, at the appointed time (in early October), you can plant the apple tree seedling in the prepared place. It is necessary to make a small hole, at the bottom of which a little black soil should be poured.
- Lower the rhizome into the hole, making sure that the driven peg ends up on the south side of the tree trunk. The seedling should be planted in such a way that the root collar of the trunk rises above the ground at a height of approximately 5 cm.
- The seedling needs to be tied to the driven peg, this is done to avoid settling of the tree. Then the hole is filled with water, about 3-4 buckets. Next, the hole is covered with earth.
Planting in spring
Plus apple tree planting in the spring is that by the onset of severe winter the trees have already become sufficiently strong and confidently and easily survive the winter. Spring planting of apple trees begins at the beginning of May or at the very end of April, when the ground has just recovered from winter and thawed.
A characteristic feature of spring planting an apple tree is abundant and frequent watering at the very beginning, in order to avoid drying out of the roots.
A week before planting the seedlings, it is necessary to prepare the ground and make a hole. If the soil is good, then the depth of the hole should not exceed 60 cm.If the soil is not very good, then you should dig a hole at least 70 cm deep. The diameter of the hole should be approximately 60-80 cm, depending on the soil.
Before planting an apple tree in spring, it is worth thoroughly moistening the roots of the seedlings. To do this, leave the apple tree seedlings in a container with plain water for a day. This way, the roots will be saturated with moisture, this will help protect them from drying out.
The rest of the preparation and planting of seedlings is carried out similarly to the planting rules described above.
A characteristic feature of spring planting an apple tree is abundant watering. The young seedling is well filled with water until the ground stops absorbing all the moisture. And in order to prevent evaporation of liquid and the appearance of weeds, the soil surface is covered with dry grass and humus.
Summer landing
Planting an apple tree in the summer happens extremely rarely; most often it is a necessary measure. tree transplantation from place to place. In this case, it is worth paying special attention not only to soil preparation, but also to watering and increasing feeding of the seedling.
Planting time and tree age
The time of planting the apple tree also depends on the age of the tree. For example, in spring it is better to give preference to young plants whose age does not exceed 2 years. For more mature seedlings, autumn is also suitable. And if we talk about completely mature trees, then the time for replanting them should be chosen in the fall or even in winter, when the tree is in a state of complete dormancy. In this case, the apple tree will better tolerate all changes in location and will not die.
Some mistakes when planting apple trees
No matter what time it is to plant an apple tree, you should avoid some serious mistakes:
- You should not chase a large size of seedling when purchasing; often large seedlings actually turn out to be bad and do not take root well.
- You cannot plant young seedlings in soil that is not properly prepared, otherwise you risk simply ruining the plant.
- Don't get carried away mineral fertilizers When preparing a hole for a seedling, you can “burn” the roots of the plant.
- Very early planting of seedlings with an open root system.
Apple trees are very unpretentious in care, easy to plant and resistant to various weather conditions. Thanks to their positive qualities, apple trees have long been established in summer cottages throughout the country, delighting gardeners with their harvest. To successfully grow apple trees on your own plot, an amateur summer resident will not have to make any special efforts.
Rules for planting apple trees on video:
Interesting information about the vegetable garden
Comments
From early childhood, my grandmother talked about the process of planting apple trees and that it was best to do it in autumn or spring. Here, I refreshed my memory))
I’ve been wanting an apple tree for my dacha for a long time, but I still haven’t gotten around to it. We just have to wait until autumn.
I realized my mistake!! I always bought large seedlings because I thought they would take root easier, but as a result, almost half died. Thanks for the advice.