Planting an Apple Tree in Autumn: A Newbie's Complete Guide

It is hard to imagine a fruit garden without an apple tree. This fruit tree, due to the variety of varieties, has taken root in almost all corners of our country. However, this does not mean that caring for him is very simple. Planting an apple tree in the fall allows you to grow a healthy and well-bearing tree.

When to plant

Autumn planting has several advantages over spring:

1. A wider variety of varieties, as it is in the fall that nurseries offer the bulk of seedlings.
2. The best survival rate of a seedling in comparison with a spring planting - biological processes slow down by the fall, so a young tree tolerates stress during transplanting more easily.
3. Minimal plant care after transplantation.

However, landing in the autumn months is not without some drawbacks:

1. In winter, a young and immature tree can die if the bark is damaged by hares and other rodents, for which care should be taken to protect the fence.
2. Autumn frosts are often unpredictable, so it is difficult to predict the optimal time for planting.

Nevertheless, it is a transplant in the fall that will give the tree more chances to get stronger in the spring.

Landing time recommendations

The success of the survival of the seedling is largely dependent on the correctly selected planting time.

Common symptoms

The main condition for choosing a planting time is to catch up to the first frosts so that the tree does not die from them. A sufficient period for rooting is considered to be 2-3 weeks. The temperature should be between 10 and 15 ° C. It is considered optimal for the formation of new roots in a tree.

However, it should be remembered that in different regions this time will be different depending on the climatic zone.

Table by region

In the Urals and Siberia, it is better to give preference to frost-resistant varieties of apple trees.

Good lunar calendar dates 2019

In 2019, it is best to plant apple trees at the following dates:

• September 8, 9, 13, 14, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24;
• October 15, 16, 20, 21;
• November 16, 17.

The moon affects the growth and development of plants, so a correctly selected planting date will allow you to get a stronger young tree.

How to choose a place and prepare a pit for landing

The plot for transplanting apple tree seedlings must meet the following requirements:

• have fertile soil;
• well lit by the sun;
• be protected from the north wind.

The apple tree has a well-developed root system, so it’s best to take root in loose soil rich in nutrients. But planting in clay and rocky soils, as well as in wetlands, would be undesirable. You should not plant a young tree in the place of an old apple tree - the land must definitely rest. To protect against wind, you can choose places near the walls of buildings or near the fence.

Pit preparation

The place for planting a seedling is prepared in advance.

1. For 2-3 weeks, you need to dig a hole 0.7 m deep and wide with vertical walls. The top fertile layer of the earth needs to be carefully folded nearby. If it is not possible to plant a tree except on clay soil, it is necessary to lay a drainage of stones at the bottom of the pit.
2. Then you need to prepare the nutrient mixture for planting - for this, a layer of fertile soil selected from the pit is mixed with compost and decayed manure in equal parts and several kilograms of ash are added. Such fertilizer will undoubtedly be useful.
3. Drive a wooden peg about 5 cm in diameter into the bottom of the pit to maintain the seedling. After this, it is necessary to fill the hole with the prepared mixture, forming a small mound in the middle - over time, the soil will sag greatly. On the sides, pour the lower infertile layer of earth in the form of a curb.

How to plant an apple tree in the fall: instructions for working with seedlings

Before planting, you need to dig a hole in the prepared pit so that the root system of the tree freely enters it.

1. Insert the seedling into the hole so that the root neck rises 5 cm above the ground. If this requirement is neglected, the tree will bear fruit worse. Before planting, remove the dry parts of the roots.
2. Sprinkle the seedling with the prepared mixture, periodically gently tamping it to prevent drying out of the roots in the voids.
3. After planting, the seedling trunk must be attached to the driven peg with a cord, wrapping it with an eight.
4. For a one-year-old seedling, it is necessary to trim the crown at a height of about 0.7 m for proper crown formation. In biennial trees, the side branches are similarly pruned. Pruning apple-tree trees is made only in the second year after planting.
5. Water the planted tree with 2-3 buckets of water.
6. After watering, to protect against drying out, mulch the soil near the trunk with sawdust or needles. The layer thickness should be about 5 cm.

Video: How to plant an apple tree

There are also a number of alternative planting methods, but they are more commonly used in spring. Read more about them in the article.

Winter preparations

With the onset of winter, the thickness of the mulch near the trunk of the seedling must be increased to 10-15 cm. This is necessary to protect the root system of the apple tree from frost. After snowfall, snowdrifts should be formed from it around the trunk - this measure will allow the tree to withstand extreme temperature drops. To protect against rodents, you can cover the seedling with spruce so that the needles are pointing down.

In cold regions of the country, it is advisable to take care of additional protection of young apple trees - a frame is formed around the tree, on which burlap is poured. From above it is covered with dry leaves. When warmer spring days come, such protection should be removed.

In many ways, the success of the survival of apple seedlings during autumn planting does not depend on the climatic conditions of a particular zone, but on the correct actions of the gardener. Subject to the norms of planting and subsequent care, young trees take root in most regions of the country without any problems.