Beginner gardeners are always interested in when an apple tree is planted: in autumn or spring. What are the techniques for a tree to grow strong and he althy? Usually, apple trees are planted in early spring, immediately after the onset of thaws, or in mid-autumn, about a month before the cold hits. The best soil for this tree is deep loam. If it is clayey, then an experienced gardener usually adds compost, peat and coarse sand to it. All this is necessary to ensure good drainage, since the tree dies if there is a lack of oxygen in the soil. If the land is sandy, then a very large amount of peat, humus, clay soil and compost will need to be added to it.
Apple trees are planted in autumn between the twentieth of September and the fifteenth of October. A pit for planting is dug at a different distance for each species: for vigorous ones - 5 square meters, for medium ones - four, for semi-dwarf ones - 3x4 meters, for dwarf ones - 2x3 meters. In depth, it usually reaches seventy centimeters, and in diameter - about a meter. You need to dig a hole about 7 days before the moment when the apple tree is planted. In autumn its bottombe sure to loosen to a depth of 20 to 30 centimeters with a shovel or crowbar. After that, various shards or nutshells are thrown at him. This method should provide the plant with good drainage.
After this procedure, a layer of humus (3 buckets) is poured into the pit and various organic and mineral fertilizers are added in the following proportions: 10 tablespoons of ash, 4 tablespoons of potassium sulfate and 1 full glass of superphosphate. After that, everything is mixed with a shovel, the remaining space is filled with fertile soil without the addition of fertilizers. A full landing pit should take the form of a small mound, into the center of which a stake is usually driven, rising half a meter above ground level. Planting an apple tree in the fall is usually done by two people. One gardener installs a seedling in the very center of the pit, lifting it so that the root collar is located about 5 centimeters above the base of the soil. The second one is engaged in the fact that he carefully straightens the roots of the plant, trying not to damage them, and falls asleep with a fertile layer of earth. After that, the soil is carefully trampled down, paying special attention to the edges of the pit. An apple tree is tied to the established stake with polyethylene twine and watered until the water stops flowing freely into the ground.
The timing of planting apple trees requires the strict execution of all instructions. In addition, if you forget about watering or choose the wrong soil, a young plant can easily die. Particular attention should be paid to culturesplanted between the rows of apple trees. The best choices are peas, radishes, beans, early cabbage, physalis, tomatoes and beans. This is due to the very shallow root system of these plants and their demanding regular care. Taking care of them, the gardener ennobles the soil around the tree, providing it with proper conditions.
It should be remembered that planting an apple tree in the fall means feeding the plant throughout the winter and covering the seedlings with a layer of mulch. The ideal option in this case would be to cover the trunk of an apple tree with a thick layer of coniferous needles. They will provide not only good drainage, but also excellent access of oxygen to the roots of the tree, and also will not let it freeze during frosts.
