We plant an apple tree. How to plant an apple tree: instructions, features and recommendations How best to plant an apple tree

Apple trees can be planted in early spring or mid-autumn, at your discretion. Planting apple trees in the spring is preferable in the non-chernozem zone, with a dry cold autumn it is also better to choose spring for planting trees in the ground. In other cases, autumn planting is usually carried out, since it allows the root system to recover during the dormant period and prepare for the growing season.

It is worth planting an apple tree on your site once, and it will produce tasty fruits for at least 25 years, or even twice as much. This common fruit tree seems unpretentious, but many gardeners have learned from their own bitter experience that an apple tree requires constant competent care, including vaccination with other varieties, preventive measures against and other troubles. And most importantly, you need to know how to plant the apple tree correctly so that it takes root and starts growing.

In any case, whichever season you choose, the seedlings should stay at rest: in the spring - before the buds bloom, in the fall - after the leaves fall.

It is worth planting an apple tree on your site once, and it will produce tasty fruits for at least 25 years.

Having started planting apple trees in the first half of October, you need to have time to complete it at least two weeks before the onset of frost. Otherwise, new roots will not have time to form.

Apple tree planting video

Preparing the "house" for the apple tree

Stony, gravelly and swampy soils are not suitable for apple trees. It is desirable that the soil is easily permeable to air and water, and the groundwater is at least at a depth of two meters. If you are going to plant several apple trees, make a distance of 3 meters between the trees, and 6 meters between the rows.

The seedling pit must be prepared a month before planting. Dig in the soil a round, steep wall about one meter in diameter and about 0.7 meters deep. Carefully fold the fertile top layer separately from the bottom soil. In the center of the resulting hole, you will need to drive a stake up to 5 cm thick so that it protrudes 40 cm from the hole. The lower part of the stake should be burned to protect it from decay.

The seedling pit must be prepared a month before planting.

Prepare a fertile soil mixture for the apple tree by mixing the top layer of the excavated soil with peat, compost, humus, rotted manure, adding organic fertilizers (for clay soils, add more sand). Pour the soil mixture into the hole to the top, so that a small mound rises above the ground. This is necessary so that in a couple of years your seedling does not end up in the funnel, because the soil will still be compacted and shrinking. Since the pit is being prepared a month before planting the apple tree in the fall, you yourself will have time to see how much the soil will be compacted during this time. The remaining soil from the bottom layer of the pit is used to form a roller around the planting pit and is scattered along the row spacing.

Features of the pit depending on the soil :

• with clay soil, make the hole deeper, lay a drainage layer of stones or empty ones on the bottom cans, you can use tree pruning, then the roots will be provided with additional nutrition and a supply of air for several years;
• without a drainage layer, the pits should be made wider, about 0.4 meters deep, so that water in the fall in the ground does not stagnate and does not worsen the formation of roots;
• for sandy soil instead of drainage, you will need a water-retaining layer of silt or clay;
• if the groundwater passes one and a half meters from the surface, you do not need to dig a deep hole, you just need to dig up the soil, apply fertilizers and place the roots of the seedling in a small depression, sprinkling it with earth on top;
• when groundwater passes near the surface (less than one and a half meters), apple trees will have to be planted not in pits, but in mounds up to 1.5 meters high.

The crucial stage is planting a seedling in a hole

Inspect the purchased or independently harvested seedlings before planting: the roots on the cuts should have white color, if the color is brown, it means that the root system was frozen or dried. All damaged tissue will need to be cut, healthy tissue should be trimmed to living tissue by a couple of centimeters.

When covering the roots with earth, the seedling needs to be shaken a little

In a hole prepared in a month, make a hole according to the size of the root system of the seedling. At the bottom of the hole, you need to form a small mound of black soil so that the roots do not get burned by fertilizers. Insert the apple seedling into the hole so that the planting stake is located south of the tree, and root collar towered 5 cm above the ground. Determining where the root collar is located is quite easy - this is the place where the greenish color of the bark turns into light brown. The border of the transition cannot be buried in the ground, otherwise the apple tree will grow poorly, fruiting will begin late, and the harvests will be irregular. It is also undesirable to plant above the root collar - in hot weather, the roots will not have enough moisture.

It is more convenient to plant apple trees together, so that one person holds the seedling at the desired height, spreading the roots along the earthen mound, and the second sprinkles the root system of the apple tree with fertile soil, carefully tamping it, especially along the edges of the planting pit. When filling the roots with earth, the seedling needs to be shaken a little, then the soil will fill the voids between the roots, otherwise they will dry out.

Video about autumn planting apple trees

The seedling is tied with a free figure eight to the planting stake using plastic twine so that the tree does not settle. Two or three buckets of water are poured into the hole, then the surface of the earth is mulched with humus or the remaining excavated earth. In the future, it will be necessary to water the seedling once a week, thereby compacting the soil. If the apple tree has settled deeply along with the soil, gently pull it up to the root collar. Watering stops in August.

Planting an apple tree does not require special skills, it is only important to correctly dig a planting hole in accordance with the characteristics of the soil and accurately observe the planting depth of the tree.

Apple trees are one of the few fruit trees that can be grown in any region of our country. It is impossible to imagine a single fruit garden without them.

A huge number of varieties of this tree are known, from early to late ripening of fruits. And therefore, many people think that growing an apple tree is not difficult. However, this is not quite true. Planting and caring for an apple tree requires knowledge and skillswhich not all beginners possess.

A beautiful and abundantly fruitful tree is the result of a gardener's painstaking work. In order to grow a healthy and productive tree, you need to know well how to plant apple tree seedlings.

If you do not take into account the peculiarities of planting, then you can wait a long time for the harvest, when the tree will delight you only with beautiful foliage, or even the seedling may die altogether. So let's figure out how to plant apple trees correctly.

Choice of term

The main question that interests gardeners is how and when to plant apple trees? If you follow the planting rules, then good survival and rooting are possible. throughout the season.

However, according to experienced summer residents, optimal period for most regions of Russia are early spring or mid autumn.

Full information about what you get from this section.

By seasons

In the spring

It is better to plant an apple tree in spring late March - early April, in other words, when the air temperature is already stable above zero. On the planted seedlings, the buds should not be dissolved.

In this case, the planted trees should water abundantlywithout letting the roots dry out.

Read more about it in our instructions.

In autumn

The best time to plant in autumn is mid October, that is, two weeks before the onset of negative temperatures.

To protect young seedlings from freezing, seedlings planted in autumn need spud earth, humus or compost... Trunks desirable whitewash chalk solution. In winter, make sure that there is enough snow around the tree.

Planting apple trees in the fall is optimal.

In summer

In the summer, apple trees are planted in rare cases... In this case, it is necessary to carefully prepare the soil for planting, do not forget fertilizepay special attention watering.

If you have decided how to do it correctly, read the link.

Attention!At this time of the year, it is important to timely detect and apply measures against caterpillars that eat young leaves, destroy aphids and eliminate weed near the seedlings.

Distance selection

When planting several apple trees, the distance between them is maintained from three to five meters... The removal of seedlings from each other depends on the variety. Therefore, the question is not which apple tree is better to plant, but at what distance to plant an already purchased apple tree:

• Tall trees with a large crown are planted at a greater distance from each other;
• Dwarf and undersized varieties are planted at a distance of 2.5 to 3 meters.

Distance between trees when planting.

For more details, read here.

Features in the regions

Moscow suburbs

IN middle lane Russia, in particular, in the Moscow region, it is better to plant apple trees from mid-September to mid-October. This period of the year is characterized by high humidity, frequent precipitation, and this has a beneficial effect on the development of the roots of the seedling, they have time to get stronger.

Planting an apple tree in autumn Leningrad region principled no difference.

Siberia

It is necessary to plant apple trees in Siberia no earlier than mid-May... For cultivation in severe winters and short cool summers, you need to carefully approach choice of variety.

Large-fruited varieties will not grow in Siberia. Better to use winter hardy varieties that can withstand temperatures as low as -50 degrees.

How to plant a closed-root apple tree?

If you have already decided what kind of apple tree you want to plant in the country, it is better to purchase a seedling in a nursery or a specialized store... Apple tree seedlings are best bought with closed root system.

Advice!Plants with closed roots are not grown outdoors, but directly in plastic containers.

The advantages of such seedlings are high survival rate, since when planting, they are simply removed from the container along with the earthy clod, as a result of which their roots are not injured. These seedlings can be planted at any time of the year: in spring, summer or autumn... The question of how to choose a place for planting an apple tree, we will consider below.

Tips from experienced gardeners on how you can get here.

Planting pit preparation

It is better to plant apple trees in holes that are prepared in advance... If planting is planned in spring, holes are dug in autumn, for summer planting - in spring, for autumn they can be dug in summer.

To the bottom of the pit you need to leave a little humus, add phosphate and potash fertilizers, mix everything with fertile soil. This mixture must be poured in the form mound in the middle of the pit and sprinkle it on top with a layer of soil so that the roots do not touch the mineral fertilizers.

If near groundwater

In downstream areas, groundwater is close to the soil surface. Excess moisture can destroy the root system plants, and it can rot.

In this case, the seedlings are planted on artificially raised tubercles up to 70 cm high. Subsequently, earth is added to the hillocks to form a gentle slope.

The choice of apple trees depending on the water table.

Planting apple seedlings

An important condition for obtaining a beautiful and highly productive apple orchard is correct fit seedlings. First of all, you need to choose gradethat should take root and grow in your climatic conditions .

Important when buying age of young, it should be not older than 1-2 years... Than younger seedling, the faster it adapts and easier to root in the garden.

So, how to properly plant apple tree seedlings? When purchasing seedlings, you need to inspect tree trunk... A quality seedling should have it straight, even, with smooth bark, no damage, defects, traces of escaping resin... On the branches of a seedling there should be no leaves, since with blossoming leaves it will not take root well.

After planting young trees it is IMPORTANT to provide them with the necessary care. It consists in:

• Watering;
• Preventive work against pests and diseases;
• In feeding.

You can watch the video for planting apple seedlings:

Schemes

If you decide to plant several apple trees, then the distance between them depends from variety and specific type... For different varieties there will be different scheme planting apple trees:

• Vigorous varieties (Antonovka ordinary, Grushovka Moscow) is placed at a distance of 3-4 m, between rows 5-6 m;
• Low-growing varieties (Melba, Welsey, Spartan) are planted at a distance of 3-3.5 m, 4-5 m are kept between rows;
• Popular recently dwarf varieties planted in a row at a distance of 0.6 m, semi-dwarf after 1.2 m.

Important! Planting seedlings at a short interval leads to a lack of space for the root system of plants, and this will ultimately negatively affect their condition. A dense planting complicates the process of tree care and harvesting, due to a lack of sun and air, diseases and pests can appear. This negatively affects the ripening process of the fruits, impairs their taste.

For more information on planting apple trees, see the video:

Where to plant an apple tree on the site?

If you are concerned about the question of where it is better to plant an apple tree on a site, we answer - to plant an apple tree, you need to choose a site that answers following conditions:

• With sufficiently fertile land;
• Sunlit;
• Sheltered from the cold northerly winds.

Since apple trees have a powerful and developed root system, they grow better on soils containing adequate supply of nutrients... Planting apple trees is undesirable in clay soil, as well as swampy and rocky.

therefore the best waywhere to plant an apple tree on the site is on loose, light, chernozem soil.

Attention! It is not advisable to plant trees along the main path on garden plot... In the future, the crown of a mature tree may make it difficult to walk along this path.

How to plant apple trees on the site correctly also depends on their variety. For example, for dwarf apple varieties, the warmest areas protected from the wind are chosen. They can be placed against the walls of a house or along fences.

Many gardeners are wondering if it is possible to plant apple tree in place of the old apple tree... Doing so undesirable, as the soil needs rest.

A young plant will be extremely uncomfortable on nutrient-depleted soil. This can negatively affect the development of the young tree.

If you desperately need to plant an apple tree after an apple tree, then you need to dig out quite spacious landing pit - 70x80x100 cm, fill it fresh earth, you can from forest plantations by adding to it organic and mineral fertilizers (superphosphate, wood ash).

The soil

It seems like an apple tree and a not too capricious tree, but planting and caring for it in the open field requires knowledge of some nuances.

The productivity of apple trees also depends on the preparation of the soil, which is previously required. dig deep, enrich with nutrients... Practice shows that the best soil for the apple tree:

• Lightweight;
• Fertile;
• Slightly acidic;
• With the proximity of groundwater at least 1.5 - 2 m from the surface.

Usually, on clay soil fruit trees grow poorly, often get sick... Then it is not recommended to plant a tree in a hole. It would be correct to plant an apple tree on a specially created from fertile soil mound with a diameter of about 1 meter and a height of about 60-80 cm. In the future, the hill must be constantly expanded.

TIP! It is necessary to dig a shallow hole around the trunk circle and fill it with pebbles or sand. Such a drainage system will subsequently divert water from the tree during rains and melting snow.

If you follow the planting rules, and on heavy clay soil you can get good harvest apples. And what kind of soil the apple tree loves, you already know.

Correct planting of an apple tree in a box

Over time, old fruit trees reduce productivity. And then the owner of the garden thinks about how to keep your favorite apple tree variety... There are several ways to propagate an apple tree.

Most often used for this cuttings and bends... If you manage to root the stalk, you can get the same variety.

Rooting in a box.

One of the reliable methods is rooting in a box... The rules for planting an apple tree in this way are as follows:

1. A ready-made mixture is poured into a prepared box for indoor plants or ground with sawdust;
2. The twigs are buried in the soil;
3. The boxes are moved to a warm place. It is advisable to ventilate the room periodically;
4. A swelling on the bud shoot means that it has taken root.

Such cuttings still very fragile roots, so transplant a permanent place in the garden is not necessary in spring, but in the fall... Until that time, a box with young trees, regularly watering, can be kept in the garden. Over the summer, full-fledged seedlings will grow from them.

Saplings from old trees

You can plant your favorite apple variety by growing root-own seedling... Better get it on in the springwhen intensive sap flow begins:

1. On the branch, you need to make small cuts about 1 cm, hang a plastic bag with earth on this place. The incision must be in the ground;
2. The bag is tightly closed with rope or tape. Thus, a small greenhouse is created in which young roots grow;
3. In autumn, the package must be removed, cut off the stalk below the regrown roots and planted as an independent seedling.

Experienced gardeners say that an apple tree can be grown independently even from a seed. This process is troublesome and not always effective. For this you need:

1. Remove the seeds from the apple, rinse them well under running water;
2. Then they need to be soaked in water at room temperature for three days. In this case, you need to change the water every day;
3. On the third day, you need to add a growth stimulator;
4. Swollen seeds must be stratified. To do this, they need to be placed in a container with wet sawdust or sand. Then this container should be placed on the lower shelf of the refrigerator for a month or two;
5. It is necessary to periodically check the condition of the seeds, to prevent the planting from drying out;
6. Sprouted seeds must be transferred to a box or wide pot with drainage and nutritious soil laid on the bottom. Here the sprouts will get stronger and will be ready for transfer to a permanent place in the summer cottage.

As it follows from the above, even an inexperienced gardener can cope with this task, knowing how to plant an apple tree from an old apple tree, as a result of which your favorite apple varieties will remain in your garden.

Conclusion

Knowing how to plant an apple tree correctly and what kind of care it needs, you will receive more than one year high-quality and bountiful harvest.

In one of our next articles, we will also look at the question of how to plant an apple tree and a pear tree correctly and whether there are differences in their planting.

There are no apple trees in the rare garden. They grow almost everywhere: almost from the Far North to the southern regions of Russia. What gardener can refuse this tree, the fruits of which are good not only processed (jam, compotes, juices, jams, jam), but also fresh? Apples contain a huge amount of trace elements that are useful for the human body. In this regard, novice gardeners are worried about important question: how to plant an apple tree correctly and at what time of the year to do it?

It is best to plant trees in early spring and late autumn. In this case, the seedlings take root well and grow quickly. Recently, however, many nurseries have been offering gardeners a huge range of closed-root planting material (in pots and containers). Such seedlings can be purchased and planted in your garden not only in spring and autumn, but also in summer period... True, in this case, you should pay attention to the weather conditions: if there is a strong heat, it is extremely undesirable to plant even such seedlings. The optimal time for planting seedlings with a closed root system is May-June, August-September.

Where is it better to plant an apple tree on the site

Primarily on personal plot you need to choose the right place where the apple tree will grow. This business needs to be approached seriously, it is unacceptable to plant seedlings anywhere. You should pay attention to the illumination of the site. Apple tree, like many others garden plantsdoes not tolerate shading by other crops. In no case should it be planted next to tall wild-growing neighbors (oak, pine, birch, maple). The best neighbors for her there will be other apple trees, pears, plums, apricots (giving fruits with seeds).

Best neighbors are other apple trees

It is also necessary to remember about the distance between plants. Tall apple trees are planted 5 m from each other, between medium-sized ones should be from 3 to 4 m, and undersized and dwarf apple trees can be safely planted at a distance of 1.5-2 m from neighbors.

Important! Columnar apple trees are planted even less often. The optimal spacing between them is 50-60 cm in a row and 1 m between rows.

Another important factor when choosing a location is that the site must be protected from cold northerly winds. The southern slopes are best suited. In addition, the apple tree has a negative attitude towards groundwater located close to the soil surface. It is strongly not recommended to plant trees on swampy, saline soils. Plants will be hard to grow, and if they do, they will not give a big harvest.

What soil does an apple tree like

The queen of the garden, as the apple tree is sometimes also called, is generally not demanding on the soil. It can grow well and bear fruit perfectly on different types soil, but, as previously mentioned, it is best to avoid saline and swampy areas.

The apple tree grows well and bears fruit on sod-podzolic, gray forest, chernozem soils... However, it is recommended to bring them to neutral before planting. In extreme cases, the soil for the apple tree should be slightly acidic. Also, apple plantings will grow well on loam and sandy loam soils.

Important! It is recommended to lay apple orchards in areas where vegetables previously grew. Experienced gardeners are advised to refrain from planting seedlings in places where similar trees have recently been uprooted. The soil should rest for 5 years. At this time, it is better to plant garden crops there.

Novice gardeners are often interested in how to plant an apple tree on clay soil? The landing in this case is somewhat different from the standard one. First of all, you need to know that it is not worth digging a planting hole deeply - a maximum of 50 cm. But the hole is made wide enough in width - about 1 m.All clay soil is thrown out of the hole and fertile soil is poured there. It is also recommended to add 3-4 buckets of humus or compost to each pit, mixing with soil.

What soil does an apple tree like

Experienced gardeners also recommend making drainage grooves for rainwater to drain. This must be done due to the fact that clay soil does not absorb moisture well, as a result, the water will stagnate, and this will negatively affect the growth and development of almost any garden culture. Wherein drainage system do not have to. Ditches or grooves will do the job well.

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

Most often, gardeners plant apple seedlings in the spring. This is explained by the fact that before the onset of low temperatures in the fall, the young plant adapts to the conditions of a particular area and leaves in winter already strengthened.

It is possible to start planting trees in spring when the soil thaws and warms up. It is best to do this in the second half of April - first ten days of May.

Prepare the pit

A pit must be prepared at least a week before planting. They dig it 60 cm deep and 60-80 cm wide. If the soil is poor, then first fill it with good soil (compost, humus). You should also apply mineral fertilizers, which will provide the seedlings with nutrition in the first 2-3 years of their growth. To do this, add 50 g of urea or ammonium nitrate and 50 g of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers to each planting hole.

Important! It is advisable to prepare a pit for spring planting of an apple tree in the fall.

Before sending to the hole, the roots of the seedling are recommended to be placed in a solution with root for a day. During planting, the tree is not buried, since the grafting site should be 5 cm above the soil level. The planted plant is watered abundantly, 1-2 buckets of water are poured onto each seedling. After that, the hole is mulched to keep moisture in the soil longer.

Important! It is better to install a strong peg next to the seedling, to which the tree should be tied. This is necessary so that the young apple tree does not break strong wind.

How to plant an apple tree in autumn

An autumn planting of an apple tree is also practiced, but unlike the spring one, in no case should you be late with it. The seedling should settle in a new place (give new roots) before the onset of low temperatures. That is why in central Russia optimal time for planting young apple trees - early October. Most often, the autumn planting is carried out in the southern regions, where the weather is stable throughout October. In the northern regions, planting apple trees in the fall is not recommended.

Add fertilizer

A planting hole for a seedling is prepared in a month or at least 2 weeks. The depth and width are the same as in spring - 60 and 80 cm, respectively. If the soil is poor, then it is enriched with compost or humus. Mineral fertilizers are also added - 50 g of urea or ammonium nitrate and 50 g of phosphorus fertilizers. The seedling should not be deepened; the root collar should be 5 cm above the ground level. In this case, the trees must be tied to a strong support, since winter strong winds can easily break a young plant. After planting, the apple tree is watered abundantly, 2-3 buckets of water are poured onto each seedling. The soil is mulched.

Planting a closed-root apple tree in spring and summer

Seedlings with a closed root system have a particular advantage over conventional planting material. They can be planted in open ground almost any time of the year. However, in the hot season, it is better to plant seedlings with a closed root system in cloudy weather or late in the evening when the air temperature drops and the sun goes down.

Preparing a pit for a seedling with a closed root system is no different from a standard planting, but there is one difference - a tree planted in summer must first be protected from the bright rays of the sun. For this, four strong pegs are driven in around the young plant. A thin material is attached to them. An old sheet will work, but not a thick one. She will dissipate sun rays and will protect the young plant from sunburn.

Note! In extreme heat, it is recommended to abandon planting apple trees with a closed root system. It is better to land on days when the air temperature during the daytime does not rise above 25 ° C, taking into account the long-term weather forecast

Planted seedlings with a closed root system are thoroughly watered. Immediately after planting, 2 buckets of water are poured onto each plant. Watering is done throughout the season: in dry weather 1 time per week, and in cool weather - 1 every 2 weeks. In this case, the soil should also be mulched so that the moisture does not evaporate quickly.

How to plant an apple tree in the Middle Lane and Yaroslavl in the spring

It is necessary to start planting in Central Russia and Yaroslavl in the spring season only when the soil thaws to a depth of 60 cm and warms up. As a rule, this period occurs in late April or early May. A pit is prepared before planting. It is dug to a depth of 50-60 cm and 80 cm wide. The pit is filled with fertile soil, since it is no secret that many summer residents of the Moscow region have heavy and clayey soil.

Important! If the soil is clay, metal sheets can be driven into the ground along the edges of the planting hole. They will prevent excess moisture from getting to the root system of the tree.

Organic matter (compost, humus) and mineral fertilizers are added to each pit. The seedlings are attached to strong supports so that the strong wind does not break them. For columnar apple trees, dough is not required, since they themselves do not grow too large. After planting, the trees are abundantly watered and mulched. Sawdust, humus, compost or peat can be used as mulch.

Features of planting an apple tree in spring, purchased at the nursery

IN last years many summer residents, including beginners, tend to buy planting material not from ordinary sellers in the market, but in special nurseries. This is explained by the fact that they will not slip a "pig in a poke" there, but offer the variety that the gardener was looking for. In addition, nurseries often offer interesting varieties and species.

It is also necessary to plant the seedlings purchased in the nursery correctly, first of all, by choosing them the best place in the country. The seedling area should be sunny and protected from strong winds... To do this, you should study the wind rose and in no case should you plant trees where the north wind often blows (the most dangerous for many cultures). Apple trees grow well on almost all types of soils, but they do not like clay, swampy and salty soils. Loamy and sandy loam, light soils are well suited for her. A seedling bought from a nursery is also watered abundantly and attached to a peg so that a hurricane does not break it.

The plot must be sunny

Wherein experienced gardeners do not recommend grabbing all saplings in nurseries. First of all, you need to find out what varieties the garden center offers. It is advisable to write them down and study them calmly at home (you can find descriptions and instructions for growing any varieties on the Internet). Next, you should pay close attention to the winter hardiness of the variety. If the seedling does not withstand severe winters, and its planting is designed in such an area, then it is better to abandon this variety and choose a more frost-resistant one.

In addition, you need to pay attention to the age of the seedling. One-year-olds and two-year-olds take root best of all, but three-year-olds will adapt for a long time after planting. Considering all these conditions, it is not difficult to choose a variety that will not only perfectly accept and grow, but will also give an excellent harvest of delicious apples in a couple of years.

Probably no plot, garden or courtyard is complete without planting apple trees. Almost every gardener knows how to plant and how to feed the soil to increase fertility. But no one can answer for sure - when to plant apple trees? Let's try to find the answer to this question.

Choosing the season

The basic rule of planting apple trees is bury seedlings during sleep. For young seedlings, transplanting to a new place is very stressful. Just imagine, another land, food (after all, the composition of your soil is different from the soil in the nursery or the soil of the neighbor from whom you purchased the seedlings). A young plant will have to get used to everything new. Here gardeners have noticed that trees in a state of sleep tolerate transplanting to a new place much better. After waking up, the seedlings get used to the new habitat much faster.

Based on this, it turns out that the most the best time the year for planting apple trees is winter. But unfortunately, this is also not an option, because the fragile root system of young trees will not withstand planting in cold, frozen ground. So when should you plant apple trees? During sleep (in winter) - it is impossible, in a hot period (in summer) - it is also not recommended. There are only two spaces left suitable for planting: autumn - sleep time, spring - before the activation of vegetation processes.

Variety of varieties

Features of planting apple trees depending on the variety:

• Columnar apple trees are best planted in the spring, as they penetrate the ground to a shallow depth. During the growing season, the roots will have time to firmly "grow together" with the soil. By winter, you will have to carry out certain measures in order to insulate the root system.
• For planting dwarf apple trees, you must choose the season in accordance with the weather conditions in certain climatic zones.

When to plant apple trees in autumn?

In any region, it is recommended to plant apple trees no later than 30 days before the onset of the first frost. In the northern regions, it is advisable to finish planting apple trees until early September... In central Russia, this period begins in mid-September and ends in early October. IN southern regions the climate allows planting up to the end of October. If for some reason you did not manage to plant the seedlings within these terms, it is better to postpone planting until spring. If you are late with the planting dates, the seedlings may freeze, since the root system will not have time to get stronger and the plant will not receive normal nutrition in winter.

When to plant apple trees in spring?

If you have decided to plant apple trees in the spring, then it is advisable not to delay with this either. Planting seedlings it is recommended to produce in early springbefore the buds begin to open. In the northern regions, this period shifts to early May. In central Russia, this period begins closer to mid-April.

Important: before the onset of heat, a month must pass so that the root system is well established, otherwise the apple tree will hurt and grow weak.

Planting pit preparation

Landing pit size apple seedlings depends on the nature of the soil on the site and how it was prepared.

• If the soil is fertile on the site, and a deep digging was carried out, then the hole can be made small so that it is suitable for placing the roots of the seedlings. The pit should be approximately 35 cm deep and 45 cm wide.
• If the soil on the site is heavy enough, and a deep digging was not done, then the pit should be larger. The depth should be 70 cm and the width should be 100 cm.
• If the subsoil on the site is chalk clays, crushed stone and marl, and the soil has not been prepared, then the depth of the pit should be at least 90 cm and the width 120 cm.

Desirable prepare planting holes in advance... For planting apple trees in spring, pits should be prepared in autumn. For planting in the fall, pits need to be prepared a month before the intended planting.

Landing technique

Planting an apple tree two year old seedlings... Their height should be at least 60 cm, with 3 shoots. However, developed annuals even surpass biennials in terms of survival. Have annual plant there is usually no lateral branch, so it should be "scanned". To do this, measure 70 cm from the ground on the seedling, count 5 well-developed buds and cut the plant above them. This procedure is carried out in the spring if the disembarkation was made in the fall. And if the landing was made in the spring, then the procedure is carried out immediately after planting.

A stake is placed in the center of the pit. About they cover the ground at 3/4 depthmixed with humus and mineral fertilizers, based on the pit: 100 g of potassium sulfate, 20 kg of humus, 500 g of superphosphate. The covered earth is slightly compacted and an apple tree seedling is placed on the north side of the stake. The roots are gently straightened and sprinkled with earth.

In order for the soil poured onto the roots to adhere more tightly, it must be compacted several times. This must be done very carefully. Then I make a hole around the planted seedling and water the plant. The hole diameter should be slightly more size pits. 5 buckets of water are enough for watering. After the water is absorbed, the soil is mulched with sawdust or humus (layer 10 cm). To prevent a young tree from swaying from the wind, it is tied to a stake with twine.

Now you know how and when to plant apple trees. You can choose the most suitable period and feel free to start landing. If you do the planting correctly and do not make mistakes, your tree will grow up healthy. And then very soon you will be able to enjoy the taste of juicy fruits grown by yourself.

For everyone who cannot imagine their life without gardening, apple trees are of great interest. Every year, with the arrival of spring, our hands itch to renew the garden with new tenants. And not without reason: if you follow the rules for planting apple trees and correctly choose the optimal time, very soon young apple trees will delight you with their first harvest. So, today we will try to figure out how to properly plant an apple tree seedling at home, so that it will take root safely.

How to choose the best time to board

The correct planting of the apple tree must be done before the buds begin to bloom on the trees. Otherwise, if you plant the trees a little later, a sharp increase in temperature indicators may not affect the seedlings in the best way - they are rapidly losing their qualities. You can determine how much the soil for the apple tree is ready for planting using an ordinary garden shovel: if the bayonet enters the ground without undue effort, then the time has come. When the soil has completely thawed, it will be too late to plant apple tree seedlings: now the tree does not have enough moisture, and the risk of diseases will increase accordingly. And the burning spring sun will burn young leaves mercilessly.

Choosing a variety for your region

When planning to plant an apple orchard with your own hands, choosing varieties according to your preferences, it is important to take into account several factors. First, how much the variety you have chosen is adapted for the region of residence, and secondly, what are the indicators of its productivity in the given climatic conditions. Another important point in the choice of fruit trees is the timing of fruit ripening.

Gardeners distinguish several groups:

• summer or early apple trees - those that bear fruit in August and are stored for a very short time (for example, the well-known White filling);
• autumn - the peak of fruiting occurs in September. Such apples can be stored for about a month;
• winter - the harvest is harvested from the end of September, and such fruits are stored for almost six months.

In addition, vigorous and semi-dwarf trees are distinguished, the difference between which is in height and spreading. Having an idea of \u200b\u200bvarietal varieties, you can choose the best option... So, for the northern regions, winter varieties are not suitable (they will not have time to ripen before the onset of cold weather).

How to select the perfect seedling

Before planting an apple tree (or several apple trees) of the selected variety, you still need to pick up a high-quality seedling. In order for the planting material to take root and meet your expectations, you need to take into account several nuances:

• try to purchase seedlings of fruit trees in special farms or shops - so there are more chances that you will get a high-quality tree and will belong to the desired varietal variety;
• the seedling should be about 1.5 m tall, have no visible damage on the bark, have several branches and a well-developed root system.

Processing a seedling before planting

In order to plant apple tree seedlings at home according to all the rules, it is important to know how to prepare them for the process, and not to skip such a preparation stage as pruning.

At the same time, it is important to completely cut off the top of the seedling, leaving several buds that will give life to the side branches. In addition, the pruning must also comprehend those buds that are directed upwards, otherwise they will grow up vertical branches that will compete with the main trunk. And one more thing: before planting an apple tree, be sure to find out what maximum height the tree can reach. This will give you the opportunity to properly prune the seedling and correctly choose a place for it on the territory of the apple orchard so that further care for an apple tree at home was not difficult.

Soil preparation

To know how to plant an apple tree correctly, it is important to do everything correctly preparatory stages... Preparing a pit for planting an apple tree at home is a procedure that should be done two weeks before planting an apple tree. At the same time, the size of the planting pit for the apple tree will directly depend on the type of crop: if you chose tall tree, then prepare a hole about 1 m in diameter and at least 0.7 m deep.

The planting depth of an apple tree of a medium-sized variety will be only 60 cm, with a hole diameter of 1 m.But for dwarf trees it will be enough to prepare a planting pit 50 × 90 cm in size.When preparing a pit for planting an apple tree on the site, try not to mix different layers of excavated soil: the upper, throw more fertile soil to one side, deeper layers to the other. The bottom of the dug hole needs to be loosened and a drainage layer laid out - for example, from broken brick. So the earth will not be washed out of the apple tree hole, saving nutrients and useful minerals.

Step-by-step planting instructions

Do you want to know how to properly plant an apple tree on the site at home, observing the optimal planting scheme? We will try to bring detailed manual by the main stages:

1. The bottom of the planting pit, previously dug and prepared, is sprinkled with a small layer of fertile soil - it will provide the necessary nutrients for the apple tree.
2. The remainder of the fertile soil is mixed with mineral fertilizers (potassium sulfate and superphosphate) and the hole is completely filled with the resulting mixture so that a small mound is formed.
3. In the very center of the resulting small slide, we install a peg-support for the seedling, place the tree itself, carefully spreading the roots.
4. Now it's time to cover the roots with earth, pressing it lightly. Here it is important to ensure that the root collar protrudes several centimeters above the soil surface.
5. That's all, the tree has been planted, it remains only to strengthen it, fix it near the support, and water it well.

The apple tree is a rather unpretentious tree, its planting and subsequent care does not require special efforts from the gardener. Therefore, even a beginner can easily cope with the task if he remembers some of the features of planting garden apple trees with a closed root system:

• so that the planted trees grow evenly, they must be securely fixed. To do this, near the planting site of the apple tree, you should install three support pegs, tie the apple tree to them and leave it for the whole summer or even longer;
• it is not enough to know how to plant young apple trees correctly, you still need to properly care for them. So, you should not fertilize trees with fresh compost (or manure) - this increases the risk of developing diseases;
• before planting a tree, feed the root system with a weak solution of mullein and clay - this "cocktail" will not let the roots dry out;
• do not mix fruit trees;
• when choosing a place for planting, take into account the characteristics of the chosen apple tree: you may need additional space to raise unnecessarily spreading branches on the trellis.

And one more thing: sometimes novice gardeners, trying to rejuvenate orchard, practice replacing old trees with new seedlings. At the same time, experienced gardeners do not practice this. So is it possible to plant an apple tree in the place of the old one?

The answer is clear: this is not worth doing. It is necessary to follow the rules of crop rotation, and do not plant stone fruit after stone fruit (or pome fruit after pome fruit). And then, over the years of its life, the former tree not only depleted the soil, but also pretty much supplied it with inhibitors that would not benefit the young plant.

Apple Planting Video

In this video you will learn how to plant an apple tree correctly.