How to plant an apple tree

Apple trees are undemanding to care for and, with a little work, your trees will be strong and bear fruit abundantly. This is an article on how to properly plant an apple tree and seedlings.

Selection of seedlings

One-two-year-old trees are well suited for planting. The first ones take root better, the second ones will bear the harvest a year faster. In appearance, their difference is that two-year-olds have side branches.

It is possible to buy in garden nurseries or from private gardeners. When buying seedlings, it is important to know: variety, soil composition and care. It is also necessary to examine the roots. Important points:
1) There must be a triple branching, each of which is thirty centimeters;
2) The color of the slice must be white. If it is brown, dried or frozen, it will be necessary to cut it to a living root before planting, about two centimeters;
3) The root system must be moist;
4) And most importantly, a large number of fibrous roots (with their help, the seedlings gain moisture and nutrients).

When transporting a seedling, it is necessary to wrap the root system with a damp cloth in order to protect the roots from drying out. Before planting, it is advised to treat the root system with the classical method - wet it with a mixture of water, clay and cow dung, give time to dry. This method protects the root system from drying out and nourishes at the beginning when planting.

When and where to plant an apple tree?

Apple trees are planted when sap flow:
1) It's over - mid-autumn;
2) Has not started yet (after the ground thawed, until the buds started)

In the first case, it is necessary to prepare a landing site in a month.
In the second case, it is necessary to prepare from the fall or at least fourteen to twenty-one days before purchasing the tree.

A sunny place is important for seedlings, consider this when choosing a place.
When choosing a soil, only marshy and stony is not suitable. In other cases, you need to take into account the nuances. The soil is poor in microelements - fertilize more often. Dilute clay with drainage. Make a layer of clay in the sand so that the tree has time to absorb moisture. For insect pollination and increase yields, it is good to choose a place that is not blown by the wind. Another important aspect when choosing a location is that the groundwater should be below one hundred fifty to two hundred centimeters from the surface of the earth. Otherwise, the roots of the apple tree will sprout to the groundwater: the tree will stop growing, it will bear less fruit with each harvest and will start to hurt.

Pit preparation and seedling planting

The site for planting is a round recess, one meter in diameter and approximately seventy centimeters deep, look at the size of the root system. The walls are sheer.

To plant several seedlings, it is required to dig grooves for planting in a row at a distance of three meters from each other, between rows six meters. This will allow you to form the crowns of the correct shape.
The fertile layer of the excavated soil to one side, the lower part of the soil to the opposite. With clay soil, make a deepening and drainage (stones, wood fragments, cans). In sandy soil, put the clay on the bottom of the pit and crush it.

A wooden peg is required. The end that will be driven into the ground is burned. The stake must be positioned so that it protrudes forty to forty-five centimeters above the edge of the pit. Position at the base of the groove, sliding slightly south. Mix the first layer of soil from the hole with fertilizers. Lay black soil on top of the fertilizer so that there is no direct contact. For clay soil, add sand. Pour the prepared mixture into the hole, laying it with a mound - the soil will settle after a while.From the bottom of the earth from the hole, line it with a border around the hole. If there is land left, spread it between the rows.

When can you plant an apple tree?

A month later or in the spring, you can plant an apple tree. When planting, be guided by the climatic conditions. Plant in autumn, taking into account the fact that the apple tree must be taken before frost. And in the spring until the buds open.

Disembarkation requires two people. In order to correctly position the seedling. One holds on top and starts a tree into the hole from the north and makes sure that the root collar (the transition from green bark to brown) is located five centimeters above the edge of the hole, if it is higher, then there will be slow growth and late harvest. The second needs to carefully position the root system and fertile soil. Squeeze the ground gently, paying more attention to the edges of the pit. While digging in the roots with earth, shake the tree slightly so that the earth is evenly distributed at the root system, without gaps, so that they do not dry out.

How to care for an apple tree seedling

A tree is tied to a pin with a nylon cord, fixed with a "free eight" in two places. In order for the crown to take the correct shape, the top of an annual tree should be cut off at a height of seventy centimeters, and the side branches should be cut off for a two-year-old tree. When planting a tree, spill three buckets of warm water. Gradually, in a small volume, allowing water to saturate the soil. After watering, the soil at the trunk is mulched with the remnants of the earth, needles or sawdust. When planted in spring, the layer is created thicker in order to protect it from drying out.

Watering with warm water once every seven days. In dry weather - more often. Carry out the first irrigations with warm water, from about the third irrigation without heating. Watering until mid-August. There is no need to feed the first year.