The apple tree is the most popular fruit tree not only in the central zone of Russia, but now in Siberia.
Thanks to selection, several frost-resistant varieties were bred, but the question is still relevant for the gardener, what time of year is it more correct to plant this crop.
When is the best time to plant an apple tree?
The climatic features of the regions of the country can limit not only the choice of apple varieties, but also oblige the gardener to adhere to a strict planting schedule.
So, for those living in the southern and central regions of the country, the planting time for any variety is usually autumn.
Eastern Siberia and Primorye was not the most favorable place for the growth of the apple tree, but thanks to the new varieties, it takes root quite well in the spring, closer to mid-May.
In addition to the climate and taking into account the season, attention should be paid to the variety and age of the tree.
There are several frost-resistant varieties... These are seedlings of young trees of Antonovka, Medunitsa, Charodeyka, Gift of Autumn, Young Naturalist, Bessemyanka Michurinskaya and Silver Hoof.
Planting in the fall and its features
Depending on the region, the cold can be felt at different times. The fact of the onset of frost is the starting point for planting an apple tree.
The best way to determine the moment when to plant an apple tree - focus on leaf fall, all work with tree planting is best done only after it is over.
Usually, the tree will take from 15 to 25 days to root, depending on the variety, in the interval from September 20 to October 20.
That is, you have almost a month to plant even an apple orchard, but now let's talk about the features of autumn planting.
Considering the mostly harsh landing areas, there is one small drawback in terms of extra work.
Young seedlings are more vulnerable to freezing than old trees, therefore, after planting, their roots should be covered with wide spruce branches, or crushed cut grass should be used.
but the autumn option has an undeniable benefit:
- competently planted seedlings in the cold period perfectly take root and get stronger, and with the arrival of spring they start sharply in growth;
- later in the spring, there will always be more benefit for the roots of the tree from moist soil with rotted compost;
- autumn planting helps to develop frost immunity in the apple tree.
How to plant a tree in spring
If for some objective reason you did not manage to plant an apple tree in the fall, there is always a fallback option. Of course, he will make you hurry up a little, since you will have significantly less landing time than in autumn.
This period usually lasts less than a month, you should hurry finish work by mid-May... Again, we point out the positive and negative aspects of landing.
Let's start with the good in spring there is no longer any need to fear the freezing of tree roots... However, a number of problems await you when choosing a spring planting:
- during the winter, moisture goes into the ground, and the new tree will have to be watered systematically and abundantly;
- planting material is always more expensive and it is more difficult to find quality material even in nurseries.
The soil dries quickly in spring, which will negatively affect the spring planting of the apple tree, if it does not maintain the humidity at the same level.
By placing the roots of the tree in cool water per day, you thereby saturate them thoroughly even before planting in the ground.
Crushed dry grass or humus will help to consolidate the resultthat will need to be laid in the base of the apple tree trunk. This will prevent the top layer from drying out and the rapid growth of weeds.
Major mistakes
What can be called a serious mistake in planting an apple tree? Gardeners still admit most of the violations when planting, and only a part when caring for a tree. The most important points are listed here
When disembarking
Planting an apple tree too deep in a hole the roughest, and, perhaps, the most important oversight of novice gardeners.
The tree will grow very slowly, since the border of planting relative to the root collar (section of the trunk from root to crown) is not correctly determined.
Beginners, buying a bush from the nursery, which can additionally have a graft above the root collar, up to about 8 cm, often confuse them when planting a tree before it.
The norm for planting is the location of the root collar at ground level or a couple of centimeters higher.
Where is the root collar on the trunk? It is not difficult to determine by running a wet rag over it. So, where the color will change from green to brown, there is that very border.
When leaving
Watering a tree, including when planting, with abundant mineral fertilizers will destroy the microflorain which positive bacteria are no longer able to survive.
Observe the proportion as instructed by the fertilizer manufacturer on each package, do not use urea and ammonium nitrate in the first year of the tree's life.
The same can be said for organic tree feeding. In no case you cannot use fresh or poorly rotted manure.
By introducing such a bait, you will doom the apple trees to death, since the ammonia and hydrogen sulfide released by the fresh manure displace oxygen from the soil under the root.
How to choose the right seedlings
The main purpose of the selection is to correctly determine the condition of the seedling, that is, its suitability for growth and effective fruiting.
Failure to understand the basic attributes of a good tree will cause the fruit tree to either take too long to develop or dry out.
The size and number of roots of the apple tree have enormous importance on its engraftment. In pursuit of a perennial huge sapling bush, in the hope of growing a powerful apple tree, can lead to sad consequences.
Pay attention to the condition and quantity them in the root system. A large seedling, of course, has a lot of them, and for the most part they are damaged, since they were grown in nurseries and dug out by a mechanized method (plow).
Having planted such a bush, it will be necessary to urgently cut off all branches of the crown of the tree, otherwise the branches will dry out due to the broken roots or will hurt.
The one-year-old has a small root and is always whole... Well, in addition, you should not rush to buy an apple tree with an open root system ahead of the planting date, which is equally true for any planting season. The bush simply will not take root, but it will already be difficult to save it.
There is one way out: put it in the basement before landingwhere the temperature is maintained from 0 to -40 C.
Site preparation
First, choose a suitable place and dig a hole. Preparation for planting may differ depending on the nature of the land cultivation and its composition.
As a general rule, you can plant a tree in a hole only 10-12 after preparation of the place... The hole should be such that the root can easily intervene in it without bending.
During this time, the soil will warm up and settle down, and the root will no longer fall below the root collar. The exception is the autumn planting, so you need to withstand 3-4 weeks.
It is advisable to divide the selected land into two parts: upper and root. Then all the land must be cleared of weeds. At the time of planting, usually the upper soil is covered under the root.
Prepare at least 800 grams of ash and fertilizer for each bush... If it is humus, then no more than one bucket. The dose of mineral fertilizers is very small, usually no more than 1 kg.
And once again about the types of soil, since the preparation method will depend on this:
- with fertile soil and careful loosening, the pit is 35 cm in depth and 45 in width;
- with heavy soil 70 in depth and a meter in width;
- if this is earth, which includes crushed stone and coated clay, then try to dig a hole 90 cm long, and make its width a little more than 120 cm.
The prepared soil is poured into a hole and loosened again... Then they leave a recess for the root and wait for the planting date.
Tree planting technique
All dry shoots are cut off from a young tree... It is usually rational to leave no more than five. Then a wooden peg is knocked out into the root hole 2/3 of its length, and then the root of the tree itself is lowered.
Then the earth is gradually poured into the hole and rammed layer by layer. This should be done almost to the very edge of the pit, leaving a pit to retain water.
To avoid breaking the tree trunk, tie it with twine to a peg... Only after this procedure can you water abundantly at the root, up to about 5 buckets of water, depending on the planting time.
The remaining pit should be mulched with sawdust or humus.
Seedling care
Pruning dry branches and systematized timely watering are the ingredients for successful apple cultivation and frost resistance of the tree.
Constantly loosen the soil under the bush and prevent weed growth.
If flowers appear in the second year, they are usually removed.as it is a barren flower. After the first harvest of fruits, rivet the branches, removing the dry ones.
Until mid-summer it is important to do at least five nitrogen feedings, based on mineral and biological fertilizers.
Parting words for a novice gardener
Hope that these simple tips will help you not only correctly plant an apple treebut also regularly get a good harvest of fruit.
To do this, monitor the condition of the tree annually, cut off diseased branches and do not forget to water on time.