Apple tree transplant: when is the best time to do it, instructions

By planting an apple tree in your garden, you will receive a tasty and large harvest for more than a dozen years. The apple tree is the most common fruit tree in our country. It can be found in absolutely any garden. But it requires constant attention and supervision in order to bear fruit for a long time. It is necessary not only to plant it correctly, but also to take care of it, and sometimes there is a need for its transplantation. However, it should be remembered that this process is stressful for the tree. In order for the transplant to be successful, certain rules must be followed.

When is the best time to transplant?

Many people wonder when and how to transplant an apple tree correctly? Indeed, its productivity, as well as life expectancy, depends on how correctly a tree is transplanted.

Professional gardeners say that the most suitable moment for transplanting a young apple tree is mid-autumn or early spring. But summer is not particularly suitable for this procedure. The choice of transplant time depends on your preferences, but there are some nuances:

• it is best to transplant in the spring if your land is located in the non-chernozem zone;
• if the autumn was cold and dry, then it is better to transplant in the spring too;
• in spring, transplantation is best done on non-sunny days;
• in all other cases, transplantation is carried out in autumn.

In order to properly transplant an apple tree in autumn or spring, it is necessary to wait for the dormant period of the tree. In the spring, the transplant process should be completed before the buds open, and in the fall, it is worth starting only after all the leaves have completely fallen off. If you transplant an apple tree in the fall, then you need to have time to finish everything before the onset of frost (preferably two weeks, or even a month before them), otherwise the roots will not have time to adapt to a new place of growth. If, nevertheless, there is a need to transplant apple trees with leaves, then it is best to transplant them in the evening. At this time, the processes of enhanced evaporation of water by the leaves are completed, and the process of photosynthesis is also completed.

Large and adult apple trees can be transplanted in winter. But in this case, the air temperature should not be lower than 5 °C.

It should also be remembered that when transplanting apple trees, you need to maintain the previous orientation of the tree in space. Orientation is understood as the direction of the branches of a tree to the cardinal points.

Instructions

How to transplant an apple tree correctly will prompt the following points:

• first you need to prepare everything you need for transplanting: garden tools, thick ropes, cloth tapes, boards for roots or matting, water, stretch marks and planting stakes;
• prepare a hole for a transplanted apple tree in a new place. The size of the hole should be increased by approximately 1,5 times the size of the earthen coma that the tree to be transplanted will have. The pit is cleared of weeds. The soil over the entire surface of the pit must be filled with limestone and organic matter (subject to high acidity of the soil);
• prepare the stakes that you will use to support the transplanted apple tree (their number is at least three);
• on the stem with paint or chalk, mark the sides of the horizon;
• the apple tree, as far as possible, is dug up with the main roots, as well as a large clod of earth;
• the entire volume of the root system during transplantation should be at least half of the total volume of the crown;
• do not shake the earth from the roots;
• before digging, as well as during transportation, the trunk should be tied with a soft cloth. This is done in order not to damage the stem bark;
• an earthen ball should also be packed in a net, matting or sheathed with boards;
• skeletal branches must be carefully bent to the trunk;
• if there is such an opportunity, then it is better to immediately plant a tree in the chosen place, since the less time has passed between digging and planting, the more successful the engraftment will be in a new place;
• you need to plant a tree in a new place while maintaining the same orientation (orient yourself according to the marks on the stem);
• place an earthen clod in the planting pit in such a way that the root neck is slightly above ground level;
• cover the roots with fertile loose soil without gaps;
• the transplanted tree should be well watered;
• tie the apple tree to stakes.

There are small additions to the above instructions regarding the soil into which the tree will be transplanted:

• if transplanted into clay soil, then the pit should be made deeper. At its bottom you need to put a drainage layer (empty cans, stones, wood trimmings). Drainage will provide the roots with additional nutrition and air supply for a couple of years;
• if transplanted into sandy soil, then a water-retaining layer of clay or silt is placed instead of drainage.

Video “Apple transplant”

You can watch the correct transplantation process on the video.

How to transplant an adult apple tree?

Sometimes there is a need to transplant an adult apple tree. Before transplanting, you need to make sure that this procedure is necessary.

Adult apple trees can be transplanted provided they are less than 15 years old. At the same time, for dwarf rootstocks, this period can be extended.

In this case, for a successful transplant, you need to keep the main roots intact, as well as their branching, and prevent the roots from drying out. Proper pruning of the crown, preventing the tree bark and branches from drying out, and providing the apple tree with nutritious, good soil and proper care will also significantly increase the chances of a good engraftment in a new place.

If you follow the basic rules, then the transplant will take place for the apple tree with minimal stress. This procedure is an important part of care, and if all the subtleties are observed, the transplanted apple tree will be able to please you with its harvest for a long time.