In order for the planted apple tree to grow well and give an excellent harvest, it is necessary to choose a place and properly prepare the soil and a hole for planting a tree. Of course, you can always just bury the seedling in the ground, but in this case you run the risk that the tree may not take root or the fruiting will leave much to be desired.
Soil preparation
Before you start digging a hole for an apple tree seedling, you need to properly prepare the soil.
Usually, planting of apple seedlings, like other fertile trees, is carried out in autumn or spring.
In autumn, the land must be cleared of other crops and agricultural plants (if necessary) and dug up. Digging is best done in late summer / early autumn. In this case, the dug up earth will be able to accumulate enough nutrients and moisture. Weeds that have sprouted after digging must be removed. Dig should be at the level of the depth of the fertile layer, in order not to reduce the fertility of the soil by mixing it with infertile soil.
Some gardeners claim that it is not necessary to dig up the soil, but this carries a number of advantages that will positively affect the yield.
Benefits of pre-digging the soil:
- contributes to the accumulation of essential nutrients and moisture in the soil;
- larvae of various parasitic insects move from the lower soil level to the upper one and die with the first cold weather;
- contributes to the leveling of the fertile soil layer over the entire surface.
Also, do not forget that the earth must be sealed with mineral and organic fertilizers.
Spring tillage consists in loosening the surface layer that has undergone wintering. Loosening will break the formed soil crust, which was formed during the winter. Also, loosening will help to avoid the evaporation of excess moisture and the rapid drying of the soil.
Further soil preparation depends on its type.
Clayey
If you decide to plant an apple tree on clay soil, then it should be properly prepared.
First you need to dig clay soil to a depth of about 50 cm (optimal depth for planting an apple tree). Before planting an apple tree seedling, such soil must first be fertilized. For this, 1 sq. m of soil, the following substrates are applied: humus, sawdust, coarse river sand, rotted manure, peat and / or compost, lime, and fertilizers. All this will help create the most favorable conditions for the growth of the apple tree, as this will allow air to easily penetrate the soil, because it is precisely its lack that harms the apple tree. In order for the planted apple tree to take root better in the ground, of your choice, you should apply either mineral complex fertilizers (100-150 g), or superphosphate (70 g) and potassium fertilizers with a chlorine-free formula (50 g). Since clay soils are not very fertile, fertilizers must be applied.
The earth is mixed with river coarse sand, compost or peat in a ratio of 1: 1.
If you plan to plant not one or a couple of apple trees, but a large number at once, then it will be a very useful step to sow the selected area with lupine, mustard, phacelia or other green manure a year before planting. It is necessary to allow the sown culture to grow, but, in no case, not allowing flowering. Then everything is mowed, and the cut grass should be left on the surface of the site until the next digging.
Sandy
If you decide to plant an apple tree on sandy soil, then it also needs to be prepared.
A year before planting an apple tree, uncultivated sandy soils need to be dug up. The depth of digging should not exceed 50 cm. Then, the following substrates can be applied per 1 sq.m of soil: clay, compost, organic fertilizers or manure, humus, peat, lime, superphosphate, and also potassium.
In the same way, if it is planned to plant a large number of seedlings, it will be a plus to sow the soil with green manure before that (similar to that in the preparation of clay soils). Mow the grown grass and leave to lie on the ground until digging.
Actions in the preparation of sandy soils are in many ways similar to work with clay soil. The only difference is the addition of pure potassium and that sandy soils require more compost and peat. Clay soil should also be added.
landing pit
Pits for planting an apple tree must be prepared in advance (about three months before planting). It should also be remembered that the pits for planting an apple tree are not just holes in which the roots and earth seedlings are placed. The planting hole is a container for fertile soil and at the same time is a nutrient medium for the apple tree for the next five or seven years. In order for the tree to take root, every centimeter of the pit must contain substances that would contribute to the rapid development and growth of the seedling, and also make it stronger. In this regard, it is necessary to prepare a sufficiently large landing pit. For the vast majority of varieties of apple trees, the diameter of the planting hole should be at least 80 cm, and the depth should be about 80 cm. The exception is columnar apple trees. For this species, pits measuring 50x50x50 cm are suitable.
It should be remembered that the choice of a future planting site is very important, since low-lying areas are not suitable for an apple tree, since rain and melt water stagnate in them.
Pit preparation is as follows:
- the bottom of the landing pit is loosened with a shovel or pitchfork;
- the bottom and walls are filled with fertile soil. It consists of the top layer of the original earth, compost, rotted manure, peat, humus, and a mixture of clay and sand in a ratio of 1: 1;
- if the soil is acidic, then lime is also added to the pit;
- add 6-8 handfuls of mineral complex fertilizer;
- all components are poured into the pit in layers (layer thickness up to 20 cm);
- two handfuls of fertilizer must be added to each layer;
- it is necessary to fill the pit with all the components before the formation of the slide;
- the hill should rise above the edges of the planting pit at a height of about 20 cm. Otherwise, when the soil is compacted and shrinks, after a couple of years the seedling will end up in a funnel. This will lead to a decrease in its winter hardiness, and will also affect the volume of the future harvest;
- to prevent a burn of an apple tree seedling in contact with fertilizers, its roots and the upper part of the pit are covered with ordinary earth without any fertilizers, or a mixture of peat and earth is used in a ratio of 1: 1.
Scheme for preparing a landing pit for an apple tree
If the earth is clayey, then when preparing the pit, it should be added: two buckets of humus or compost, 1: 4 granulated superphosphate, a mixture of phosphate rock and superphosphate (1600-2000 g), potassium sulfate (120-150 g), wood ash (800-1000 g). In this case, it is necessary to increase the size of the pit itself in diameter up to 1,5 meters and a depth of up to one meter.
If the ground is sandy, then the same components should be added to the planting pit as with clay soil, plus add silt and clay or peat.
After the preparation of the planting pit has been completed, a hole is formed in it in accordance with the size of the earthen coma or the roots of the seedling and it is planted.
Video “Preparing a hole for planting an apple tree”
In the video you can see how to properly form a landing pit.
As you can see, in order for the apple tree to take root and annually delight with its fruits, and the apples themselves were tasty, before planting, you need to prepare not only the planting hole, but also the soil itself. By doing the above steps, you are very likely to get a healthy and strong tree that will bear fruit for a dozen years.