How to transplant an apple tree in the fall to a new place 

From one apple tree, with good care, you can reap a good harvest. And if there are several trees, then you can provide the whole family with environmentally friendly fruits for the winter. But often there is a need to transplant plants to a new place. There are many reasons for this action. This may be the wrong planting of an apple tree in the spring, when the neck was deepened. Sometimes you have to move a fruit tree because of the wrong place initially chosen.

We will try to tell you more about the rules and features of transplanting an apple tree to a new place in the fall, taking into account the requests of gardeners. After all, even minor errors affect not only future fruiting, but can also cause the death of a tree. When asked whether it is possible to transplant an apple tree in the fall, we will answer unequivocally: yes.

Questions regarding the choice of time of year for transplanting apple trees of different ages to another place are of concern not only to beginner gardeners. Even highly experienced garden owners sometimes doubt the correctness of the upcoming work. First of all, when is it better to transplant – in spring or autumn.

Experts believe that the autumn transplantation of fruit trees to a new place is the most successful time, since the plant, being in a dormant period, receives less stress and injury. But at the same time, it is necessary to take into account the climatic features of the territory.

When to transplant an apple tree in the fall, gardeners are wondering. As a rule, 30 days before the onset of persistent frosts. And this is in central Our Country in mid-September, the end of October. The background temperature at this time is still positive during the day, and night frosts are still insignificant.

So, what conditions need to be considered:

Autumn must be rainy.

1. The transplantation of apple trees to a new place in the fall is carried out with the onset of dormancy, the signal for this is the fall of the leaves. Sometimes the tree does not have time to shed all the foliage, then it needs to be cut off.
2. Night temperatures at the time of transplantation should not be below minus six degrees.
3. It is better to transplant apple trees in the evening.

General principles of transplantation

If you want to learn how to transplant an apple tree in the fall to a new place, try to carefully read some of the recommendations. Moreover, they are common for trees that are 1, 3, 5 years old or older.

Transfer principles:

1. If you have planned to transplant apple trees, then you need to take care of the new place in advance. We’ll have to dig a hole in the fall. Moreover, its dimensions must be large so that the roots of the displaced tree are located in it freely both from below and from the sides. In general, to make the tree feel good, we dig a hole for an apple tree in a new place one and a half times more than the previous one.

   

2. A place for transplanting an apple tree in the fall to a new place should be chosen well-lit, protected from drafts.
3. The place should be on a hill, the lowland is not suitable, because the root system during the rainy season will be very waterlogged, which will adversely affect the development of the tree and fruiting.
4. Apple trees love fertile soils rich in microelements, therefore, when transplanting apple trees, humus, compost or mineral fertilizers are added to the pit (mix with compost and humus). They are placed at the very bottom, then covered with a fertile layer deposited while digging a hole. It is unacceptable to lay roots when transplanting apple trees in autumn or spring directly on fertilizer, as this is fraught with burns.
5. Apple trees do not tolerate acidic soils well, so a little dolomite flour should be added.
6. The occurrence of groundwater in a new place should not be high. If the problem cannot be solved due to the fact that there is no other place on the site, then you will have to take care of the drainage system. As drainage, you can use crushed stone, brick, stones or chopped boards. Moreover, this pillow is laid before the compost falls asleep.
7. You can correctly transplant an apple tree in a new place if you dig it carefully, leaving the main roots intact. The rest of the root system is carefully examined and audited. Roots with damage, signs of disease and rot should not be left on the tree. They should be ruthlessly removed. Places of cuts are sprinkled with wood ash for disinfection.
8. When taking out a large or small apple tree from an old hole, do not try to specifically shake off the soil. Remember, the larger the clod of earth, the faster the apple tree will take root.

If this is not possible, keep the seedling in water for at least 8-20 hours.

We transplant apple trees of different ages

As we have already said, spring or autumn transplantation is possible for apple trees of different ages, but after 15 years it is pointless to carry out such an operation for two reasons. Firstly, the survival rate in a new place is practically zero. Secondly, the life cycle of fruit plants is coming to an end. In a new place, you still can’t get a harvest. Why torture the tree?

Let’s look at how to properly transplant fruit trees of different ages to a new place, and find out if there is a special difference, including for columnar apple trees.

How to transplant young trees

If in the spring, when planting an apple tree seedling, an unsuccessful place was chosen, then in the fall you can transplant it, and it is almost painless. After all, a young plant that grew in the old place for no more than a year does not yet have such a large root system, and the roots themselves did not have time to go to the depth.

Landing site preparation

We dig a hole in a month, fill it with drainage and soil. Such a procedure is necessary in order for the earth to settle. In this case, it will not pull down the root collar and the place of the scion during transplantation.

Preparing an apple tree for transplanting

When the time comes to transplant the apple tree to a new place, the soil around the apple tree is shed, the apple tree is dug, going slightly beyond the perimeter of the crown. Carefully dig the soil, trying not to damage the roots. A tarpaulin or other dense material is spread nearby, the trunk is wrapped with a soft cloth and the tree is taken out of the pit.

Sometimes apple trees are dug up not on their site, but far beyond its borders. For transportation, dug up plants are placed in a bag, and then in large boxes, so as not to damage the roots and not disturb the clod of their native land. Skeletal branches are gently bent to the trunk and fixed with strong twine.

But before you take the apple tree out of the ground by the trunk, you need to make a mark on it in order to navigate along it when transferring the plant to a new place.

If all the leaves have not yet fallen off the tree, it can still be transplanted. But in order to stop photosynthesis and the expenditure of plant forces on it, the leaves are removed. In this case, the plant will switch to strengthening the root system and the growth of new lateral roots.

They make a small mound in the pit, put an apple tree. A strong stake is driven in nearby, to which you need to tie a tree. In order not to peel off the bark, a soft cloth is placed between the twine and the trunk. The twine is tied in the figure-eight method so that it does not stick into the bark of the apple tree when the plant begins to mature.

When an apple tree is transplanted, the top fertile layer is thrown over the roots. Having thrown a part of the soil, it is necessary to perform the first watering. Its task is to wash the earth down under the roots so that voids do not form. Then we fill the hole again with soil, tamp it around the trunk of the apple tree to ensure greater contact of the roots with the soil, and water it. When the tree is transplanted to a new place, you need to pour 2 buckets of water again. In total, three buckets of water are enough for a young apple tree, older plants need more.

If by chance the trunk or the place of the scion was under the ground, you need to gently pull the apple tree up, then trample the ground again. The earth must be mulched to prevent drying out. From the remaining soil, a side is made around the perimeter of the tree crown for ease of watering.

Experienced gardeners, when transplanting an apple tree, try not to carry out strong pruning of branches and shoots in the fall. This operation is left until spring. After all, winter can be too harsh, who knows how many branches will remain intact.

In the video, the gardener talks about the features of transplanting a young apple tree to a new place:

Transplantation of adult apple trees

Novice gardeners are also interested in how to transplant apple trees three years old and older to a new location. It should be noted that there is no big difference either in actions or in terms. Although the procedure itself is complicated by the fact that the clod of earth is large, the root system is powerful, it is impossible to cope with the work on its own.

Before transplanting adult apple trees in the fall, wait until the leaves turn completely yellow and fall off by 90 percent. Since the crown has already been formed on plants aged three years and older, it is necessary to prune before transplanting. First of all, broken branches are removed, then those that grow incorrectly or intertwined with each other. By the end of the procedure, the distance between the branches of the crown should be sparse so that sparrows fly freely between them.

Many gardeners have columnar apple trees growing on the site, which also have to be replanted. Immediately, we note that such plants are compact, low growth, which greatly facilitates harvesting. Despite the external effect, columnar apple trees have one drawback: they age faster than ordinary vigorous fruit trees.

With regards to transplanting to a new place, there are no problems. All actions are identical. You can transplant apple trees to a new place both in spring and autumn. Since the plants are compact, the root system does not grow much.

And the most interesting thing is that the deepening of the root neck on growth and fruiting does not adversely affect. The only thing to watch out for is that the water does not stagnate, especially if the soil is clayey.

Features of transplanting columnar apple trees to a new place in the fall:

Conclusion

As you can see, an autumn transplant of apple trees to a new place is possible for plants no older than 15 years. The main thing is to follow the requirements and recommendations. The terms are the same for everyone: you need to have time before the onset of frost, in the cool earth. Transplanted trees should always be watered abundantly. We hope that you will cope with the work, and the apple trees in the new place will delight you with a bountiful harvest.