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| Apple Blossoms in May |
Your first apple tree: Spring has arrived and this is the best time to plant your apple tree.
Locate your tree where it will get sun 6+ hours a day and ideally where your yard slopes in one direction to drain heavy rain. Drive a wood spike where you want to plant the tree and stand back to visualize a much bigger tree. Dig the hole twice the size of the tree pot and twice as deep, if possible. Remove the top layer of grass and subsoil and place it on a plastic tarp to keep your lawn clean. Place the clay, rocks and debris in another area of the tarp for disposal. I put the latter under my deck where the soil needs to be raised for drainage. Turn the sod upside down in the hole and water the hole and wait for it to drain. The sod will eventually decompose and provide nutrients to the tree.
Purchase some good garden soil and sheep or mushroom manure at your Garden Centre and mix it 50:50 with the native soil you removed from the hole. Do not use inexpensive black earth. It comes from bogs and is often referred to as black muck. Black earth turns to mud when watered and in my opinion should not be used in a garden. There is a reason it's only $1.00 per bag. The old proverb "dig a $20 hole for a $10 dollar tree" is soooo..... true when it comes to trees!
Ideally, you have watered the tree the day before you plant it. Remove the tree from the pot and place it into the hole. The tree soil should be a few inches above the native grass because it will settle with time. Use your smartphone compass app to determine the westerly direction and orient the tree so the graft is facing the westerly prevailing winds, otherwise the tree will bend and possibly break at the graft. (Look at the trees in your neighbourhood that are in the open field and you will notice they are all leaning towards the east, compliments of the westerly winds) Fill the hole 1/2 way around the tree and water generously. Finally, top up the soil and create a little volcano of soil to direct rain to the root and water once more.
Also, don't forget to place a good tree guard around the tree to prevent mice or moles from "girdling" the tree - eating the bark 360 ° and killing the tree. (this usually happens in winter under the snow) You may also want to drive two stakes (east and west sides) into the ground to support the tree from bending in the wind. Place the stakes on the west and east side of the tree. Pruning the tree at this time is also a good idea because the growth should go to the roots. Water the tree every week during the first year of growth. Now, go find a great recipe for apple crisp, my friend.
Locate your tree where it will get sun 6+ hours a day and ideally where your yard slopes in one direction to drain heavy rain. Drive a wood spike where you want to plant the tree and stand back to visualize a much bigger tree. Dig the hole twice the size of the tree pot and twice as deep, if possible. Remove the top layer of grass and subsoil and place it on a plastic tarp to keep your lawn clean. Place the clay, rocks and debris in another area of the tarp for disposal. I put the latter under my deck where the soil needs to be raised for drainage. Turn the sod upside down in the hole and water the hole and wait for it to drain. The sod will eventually decompose and provide nutrients to the tree.
Purchase some good garden soil and sheep or mushroom manure at your Garden Centre and mix it 50:50 with the native soil you removed from the hole. Do not use inexpensive black earth. It comes from bogs and is often referred to as black muck. Black earth turns to mud when watered and in my opinion should not be used in a garden. There is a reason it's only $1.00 per bag. The old proverb "dig a $20 hole for a $10 dollar tree" is soooo..... true when it comes to trees!
Ideally, you have watered the tree the day before you plant it. Remove the tree from the pot and place it into the hole. The tree soil should be a few inches above the native grass because it will settle with time. Use your smartphone compass app to determine the westerly direction and orient the tree so the graft is facing the westerly prevailing winds, otherwise the tree will bend and possibly break at the graft. (Look at the trees in your neighbourhood that are in the open field and you will notice they are all leaning towards the east, compliments of the westerly winds) Fill the hole 1/2 way around the tree and water generously. Finally, top up the soil and create a little volcano of soil to direct rain to the root and water once more.
Also, don't forget to place a good tree guard around the tree to prevent mice or moles from "girdling" the tree - eating the bark 360 ° and killing the tree. (this usually happens in winter under the snow) You may also want to drive two stakes (east and west sides) into the ground to support the tree from bending in the wind. Place the stakes on the west and east side of the tree. Pruning the tree at this time is also a good idea because the growth should go to the roots. Water the tree every week during the first year of growth. Now, go find a great recipe for apple crisp, my friend.
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