How to properly plant fruit trees in autumn

Advantages and disadvantages of autumn planting of fruit trees

Planting fruit trees in autumn has some advantages:

There is a larger selection of seedlings in the fall than in the spring.

By autumn, the soil becomes more moist and loose, which means that the seedlings will not need a lot of watering.

If seedlings are planted in autumn in time, they will have time to get stronger and take root. The root system will have time to grow young roots. In the spring, these seedlings grow several weeks earlier than those planted in the spring.

The autumn planting of seedlings also has disadvantages:

Seedlings that are not well cared for may not survive the winter.

In cold periods, young seedlings can be attacked by rodents.

How to choose a landing site

For fruit trees, the most suitable is the southern side of the site, where the groundwater does not lie too high. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the compatibility of plants so that they do not oppress each other.

For example, it is better not to plant an apricot next to a cherry, but an apple tree is satisfied with a neighborhood with a cherry plum and a peach.

Autumn planting of fruit trees: preparation

The size of the planting pit will depend on the size of the root system. For stone fruits, holes 60 cm deep and 40 cm in diameter are usually enough. The seed pit will need more - up to 80 cm deep and the same in diameter. With a strong growth of the root system, the planting hole is increased, since if the roots bend inward, the tree will develop poorly and hurt.

Drainage is poured at the bottom of the pit (for example, pebbles, crushed stone), and the upper soil is removed and mixed with top dressing (compost, rotted manure). Also, a peg can be installed at the bottom of the pit, which will act as a support for the seedling.

How to plant correctly

The root system of a young tree is straightened, placed in a hole and sprinkled with nutritious soil by 10-15 cm. Then it is watered with 2-3 buckets of water. Then the pit is completely filled with soil and is not additionally moistened. It is necessary to ensure that the root collar is located above ground level.

It is often not necessary to water the seedling, since by autumn the soil is already sufficiently moist. Everything will depend on weather conditions. The main thing is to follow one rule: when watering seedlings, you need to ensure that the water reaches the root system. It is best to water the tree abundantly, but not often. If the year is rainy and damp, then in the fall it is enough to water the seedling only once - when planting.

Frost protection

The roots of a young seedling need to be provided with sufficient frost protection and conditions under which moisture evaporation will be slower. For this purpose, the soil around the tree is mulched with sawdust, fallen leaves, grass cuttings or compost.

It is better to postpone whitening of the trunks of young seedlings until a later time, when the tree will already bear fruit. Since if you whitewash seedlings with a smooth bark, its pores will clog, and gas exchange will slow down. It can also burn the bark.