Planting fruit trees
How do you plant an apple tree correctly? Should the rootstock be buried? How deep should a peach seedling be planted so it does not freeze in winter? Here are practical planting steps.
Step 1
Choose a sunny or partially shaded location with enough room for the plant to grow. Leave 2 m between a fruit tree and the neighbour's fence.
Step 2
Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot or roots. It should be about 40-50 cm deep. Loosen the soil at the bottom.
Step 3
Remove the plant from its pot and place it in the hole. Check that the roots have room and are not bent. Spread them gently, add compost, fertile peat or well-rotted manure, and fill the hole.
Step 4
When planting stone fruit, bury the rootstock 2-3 cm. When planting pome fruit such as apples and pears, leave the rootstock a few centimetres above ground. It is especially important not to bury the rootstock of plums, because it can produce shoots that compete with the tree.
Step 5
Firm the soil by gently walking around the filled hole so there are no air pockets. Make a watering rim. If the site is prone to waterlogging, make a mound so water does not collect around the roots.
Step 6
Water the newly planted tree generously, mulch the soil surface and secure the plant with stakes. Water a young seedling once or twice a week after planting.
Tips
- Add peat and compost to clay soil. Add plenty of peat, compost and well-rotted soil to sandy soil, and fertiliser if appropriate.
- Plant ordinary fruit trees 2.5-3 m apart, columnar apples 0.7-1 m apart and other columnar plants 1.2-2 m apart.