How to plant an apple tree in autumn: a step by step guide

The apple tree was domesticated on the territory of modern Kazakhstan, in the foothills of Alatau. From there, during the time of Alexander the Great, she came to Europe. The apple tree quickly spread and took its rightful place, first in the southern gardens, and then spread to other regions. It was believed that the fruits of this tree give a person eternal youth and even immortality. Interestingly, the Celtic paradise – Avalon in literal translation means “country of apples.”

We grow this crop because of its delicious healthy fruits, its unpretentiousness and durability. Even without special care, an apple tree can grow and produce crops in one place for decades. But proper agricultural technology significantly improves the quality and quantity of fruits, prolongs the life of the tree, its resistance to pests and diseases. Proper planting of apple trees in autumn or spring is of utmost importance. It depends on her whether our tree will grow healthy and prolific or will constantly get sick and give a meager harvest.

Apple planting time

When is the best time to plant apple trees, spring or fall? This question is often asked by beginner gardeners. Apple trees can be planted both in spring, preferably before the start of sap flow, and in autumn, after leaf fall. In order to choose the optimal time, you need to know some important points:

• When planted in spring, the apple tree has time to take root well before winter. But in the initial stages of growth, it requires abundant watering and protection from heat, which can come suddenly in the southern regions. But in the northern regions, early planting is preferable, it can be started when the ground warms up a little.
• If you plant an apple seedling in the fall, you don’t have to worry that it will suffer from the heat. Growth processes do not stop even in winter, they simply fade. By spring, the tree adapts to a new place and begins to actively develop.

So planting an apple tree in the fall is preferable in all regions, except for those where winters are always severe, besides, snow cover is weak or absent due to strong winds or other factors. This does not mean that in the north, trees of this species can be placed on the site only in spring, and in the south – on the eve of cold weather. We indicated the preferred landing dates, nothing more.

Separately, it should be said about trees grown in containers. It is believed that planting an apple tree with a closed root system is permissible even in summer, because the plant is transferred to the ground along with an earthen clod. This operation will be painless only in regions with a cold or temperate climate. Where the summer is hot, the dry tree will still be oppressed and will hardly endure the landing. It will need to be shaded, watered abundantly every other day, treated with anti-stress drugs. We advise you to postpone the planting time for a more suitable season, and provide the container with side holes and dig in the shade.

How to choose the right seedlings

It is important to choose the right apple tree seedlings. Probably, even experienced gardeners once bought a long-chosen variety from their hands, but they didn’t get what they wanted at all. You need to purchase planting material only in nurseries or garden centers.

How to choose a variety

Choose only zoned varieties. Even the best apple tree, planted correctly and on time, carefully groomed, but not intended for growing in your region, will not give a good harvest, and will only take up space on the site. But that’s not all.

Do not forget that most varieties of apple trees are cross-pollinated. This means that in order to get a good harvest, a tree needs a pollinator variety. Before planting apple tree seedlings in the fall, carefully study their features. It is possible that in order to get a crop of a variety you like, you will have to place a fruit tree on the plot that you do not need.

Age of planting material

No need to think that the larger the apple tree planted on the site, the faster you will get the harvest. Best of all take root 1-2-year-old seedlings. When planting older apple trees, you will have a lot of problems with care and still fruiting will be delayed for several seasons.

This does not apply to trees grown in closed containers, they can be of any age. Make sure that a large apple tree has the same large container – the disproportion in size between the underground and aboveground parts does not contribute to survival.

Sometimes nurseries sell adult fruit trees along with an earthy clod. It must be comparable in size to the crown and sewn into jute or burlap. Even better, if you are personally present when the tree is dug up – this way you can make sure that this was not done a month ago.

What to look for

To buy high-quality planting material that will take root well and produce a good harvest every year, carefully inspect the seedlings and pay attention to the following points:

• The grafting site should be smooth, well tightened. Any cracks or damage in this place are unacceptable – the life expectancy of such an apple tree will be short.
• Roots should be lively, well developed and branched. They are elastic, moist, do not break at the fold. If one good spine is scratched, it will reveal white wood underneath. A small amount of dry roots is allowed – before planting an apple tree in the fall, they can be cut.
• The bark of the tree should be smooth and undamaged.
• An apple tree with an open root system intended for planting in the fall should not be leafy.
• Pay attention to the root system – whether it is wrapped in a damp cloth, treated with clay, or protected from drying out in another way.
• If there are branches, they should be 45-90 degrees from the trunk. If the crown consists of vertical shoots, choose another seedling.
• Do not buy the largest apple tree, choose the one with the most powerful root.

Watch a video where a specialist tells in detail how to choose seedlings:

Place to plant an apple tree

Before planting a garden, take an interest in where groundwater occurs.

• Tall apple trees growing up to 6-8 m have a root system that goes 3 m deep. They are only suitable for areas where groundwater is low.
• Medium-sized apple trees, the height of which ranges from 3-4 m, can be planted where the aquifer rises to 2,5 m.
• Dwarfs can be grown in areas where water lies at a depth of about 1,5 m.

Is it possible to plant apple trees in wetlands? First you need to take measures to divert water or arrange high ridges for fruit trees and shrubs with a powerful root system.

The plot for planting apple trees does not have to be flat. Well, if it has a slope of 5-6 degrees. Naturally, small apple trees cannot be grown under the canopy of large trees, such as walnuts. The landing site must be well lit. If it is protected from the wind, then it will be easier for insects to pollinate flowers.

The distance between the apple trees should be such that they feel free when they become adults. High varieties when grown are located 3-4 meters apart. For medium and dwarfs, the distance should be 3-3,5m and 2,5m, respectively. The free space between the rows should be almost twice the gap between the trees.

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Now let’s look at how to plant an apple tree in the fall. We will give instructions on how to prepare the tree itself and the pit. And to make it easier for novice gardeners, we will describe the planting process itself in the form of a step-by-step guide.

Planting pit preparation

A pit for planting an apple tree must be prepared in advance. Of course, it is best to dig it in the spring, but practice shows that this is done very rarely. Make sure that it is prepared at least a month before planting the tree.

The depth and width of the hole depends on the size of the adult apple tree.

Preparing a hole for planting an apple tree will require the application of fertilizers, a nutrient soil mixture. If necessary, the soil will need to be deoxidized, its mechanical properties improved, and drainage arranged if the groundwater is close.

Remove the top fertile layer of earth, the thickness of which is approximately the bayonet of a shovel, and fold to the side. Remove the rest of the soil from the site or scatter it between the rows. Mix fertile soil with compost, peat or well-ripened humus.

It is necessary to plant an apple tree in the fall in the ground already filled with fertilizers. Add to the planting mix for each hole:

• superphosphate – 300;
• wood ash – 1 l.

If the soil is too acidic, add 1 kg of lime or dolomite flour.

With a close occurrence of aquifers, make a hole for planting a tree a little deeper and lay gravel, crushed stone or broken red brick on the bottom. Fill with sand.

Fill the planting hole halfway, water well. Cover the rest of the mixture with cellophane or put it in bags. Landing hole prepared.

Preparing an apple tree for planting

Before planting an apple tree in the fall, carefully inspect the root system if the tree was not sold in a container. Cut off any broken, dry, or rotted shoots with a sharp knife. Soak the root of the tree for a day. An apple tree can stay in water for longer, but it must be borne in mind that potassium is washed out of the plant. Add any soluble fertilizer containing this element to the liquid. If you have a root or heteroauxin, dilute it in water to soak the roots according to the instructions – this will greatly speed up the survival of the tree.

Shorten the stem to a height of 90 cm, cut all branches (if any) located below 40 cm from the grafting site into a ring, and cut the rest into 2/3.

The planting process

Now we need to properly plant an apple tree seedling. This is a very important stage in the life of a tree. To make it easier for novice gardeners, we will write out the rules for planting point by point.

1. Fill the bottom of the hole with a mound of pre-stocked planting mixture.
2. Place a tree on its top so that the roots are evenly distributed along the sides and in no case bend upwards.
3. Proper planting of an apple tree implies that the grafting site will be 5-6 cm above the ground. To make this easier to check, place a shovel on the sides of the hole.

   

   It is easier to plant a tree together.

4. Hold the seedling upright and fill in the hole, gently tamping the ground from the edge.
5. When the apple tree is planted, compact the soil with your foot.
6. Stick a strong peg into the soil at some distance from the trunk and tie a tree to it in 2-3 places with a thick rope or strong pieces of cloth. The knots should be loose and not cut into the bark.

   

7. Form a ledge from the ground around the edge of the planting hole and water, spending 2-3 buckets of water per tree.
8. When the liquid is absorbed, check the grafting site, add soil, mulch the near-stem circle with peat, humus or straw.

Watch a video showing how to plant fruit trees the right way:

Conclusion

As you can see, there is nothing difficult in planting an apple tree, it is much more difficult to choose the right seedling. Have a good harvest!