How to plant a tree

How to find the best landing spot

Most trees will grow well in flat areas where moisture does not stagnate. If there are no such conditions, you must first level the places of future landings - add or remove a layer of soil and walk along the surface with a rammer. Drainage at the bottom of the planting pit will cope with waterlogging of the soil.

To provide adequate lighting, place trees on the south and southwest sides. It is also important to keep a distance between seedlings - as they grow, they should not obscure each other and interfere with development. Therefore, keep in mind what size they will reach in the future, and take this into account when marking plantings so as not to get dense jungle instead of a beautiful garden.

For example, vigorous apple and pear trees can reach a height of 5-6 meters, so they need to be placed 4-6 meters apart. The height of undersized ones, as a rule, does not exceed 2-3 meters, and they can be planted at a distance of 1.5-3 meters. Plums, cherries, cherries, apricots and peaches need a distance of 3-4 meters.

At the same time, vigorous trees should be planted at a distance of at least 5 meters from residential buildings and 4 meters from the neighbor's fence. The distance for medium-sized people is at least 2 meters, for short ones - at least 1 meter.

Think in advance where and what trees you want to plant, and only after that go for seedlings.

How to choose a seedling

For young trees, it is better to go to trusted sellers or to specialized nurseries that guarantee good quality seedlings and their conformity to the variety.

It is better to choose the so-called zoned varieties: they are specially bred taking into account the climate in different regions. For example, trees suitable for cultivation in the south are unlikely to overwinter in the central zone.

The optimal age of the seedling is from one to three years. Of course, older plants look prettier, and it seems that they will bear fruit faster. But the older the tree, the larger its root system. This means that she will suffer more from digging and transplants to a permanent place, and this will not have the best effect on survival.

Seedlings can be sold with a closed and open root system. In the first case, they will be planted in pots or containers with soil. The roots of such trees are protected and continue to develop, so after landing in a permanent place, the tree will take root faster. Another plus is that such trees can be planted during the entire growing season.

Seedlings with an open root system are deprived of these advantages. When choosing them, it is necessary to ensure that the roots are protected from drying out: they are covered with wet sawdust or are in a container with a special clay mash. The buds of such trees should be alive, but dormant.

Whatever root system you choose, pay attention to the condition of the trunk and root collar - the places where the roots directly connect to the trunk. They should not have mechanical damage, dark spots, traces of fungal diseases and rot.

When to plant a tree

Trees with a closed root system can be planted from early spring to late autumn - from April to October. In the spring, you have to wait until the snow melts, and the temperature stays above 0 degrees. In summer, avoid too dry and hot weather. But in the fall, you need to have time before frost.

Trees with an open root system are preferably planted at rest - in early spring or late autumn, when the temperature does not drop below 0 degrees. At this time, the kidneys are asleep.

When choosing a time, be guided by the climate in your area. In the south, it is preferable to plant trees in autumn: the heat here can come already in early spring, and therefore young seedlings can get sunburned before they have time to fully take root. In the central regions, you can choose both seasons due to the temperate climate. But in the north, spring tree planting will be the best option - this way you will exclude the death of a fragile seedling from severe winter frosts.

In addition, it is important to remember that for planting in late autumn it is necessary to choose only winter-hardy varieties. Otherwise, the tree runs the risk of freezing before it begins to take root.

How to store seedlings before planting

Seedlings with a closed root system do not require special preparation. If you do not have time to plant them in the fall, in winter they can be stored in the basement or on a glazed balcony at a temperature of 0 to 4 degrees Celsius.

With seedlings with an open root system, everything is a little more complicated. If you buy them in late spring or summer, when the buds are already budding, plant the trees as soon as possible, rather than trying to save until the fall: this way they are more likely to survive. If you buy them in the fall and plant only in the spring, place the roots in plastic bags with damp peat or sand and send them to winter storage. All in the same basement or on a glazed balcony.

How to prepare a planting hole

For spring planting, it is better (but not necessary) to prepare a hole in the fall. So the soil has time to settle, and the nutrients are evenly distributed. For autumn gardening, you can prepare a hole at any time, starting in spring, but not less than a month before the planned planting of a tree in the ground.

Dig a hole of the right size

The diameter of the planting hole should be twice the diameter of the root system of the seedling, and the depth should be three times the length of the roots. When digging, you need to lay off the upper, fertile, layer of soil on one side, and the lower one on the other.

Make a drainage layer

This is necessary if groundwater is high on the site - in such cases it is often flooded in early spring. Expanded clay, broken brick or crushed stone is suitable for drainage. At the bottom of the pit, you need to put at least 10 cm of material. This will protect the roots of the seedling from rotting.

Fill in fertile soil

In equal proportions, mix the excavated topsoil with peat, compost or humus. If the soil in the area is clayey, you can add another part of the sand. For extra nutrition deposit 50 g of wood ash and 15–20 g of nitroammofoska. Pour all the components together with the soil to the bottom of the pit, mix well again and pour plenty of water.

Wait for the ground to settle

This will take at least 14 days, and even better to wait a month. By this time, the soil will have time to settle down enough, and the planted tree will subsequently not go deep into the ground after rains and watering.

How to plant a tree

After the soil in the hole has settled, slightly loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole and start planting the seedling.

Put the tree in the hole

The root neck should be flush with the ground. If it is lower, there is a risk of rotting and even death of the tree.

In order not to be mistaken, you can put a long board or stick on top of the pit. If the neck is lower, add fertile soil to the bottom of the pit, if higher, dig out unnecessary soil.

Gently straighten the roots of the tree so that they look to the sides, not up. Sprinkle them with earth, slightly compacting the soil around the trunk.

Install the support peg

Carefully drive a peg 1.5–2 m long into the soil so that it is sufficiently stable, and tie the trunk to it. This will give the tree the support it needs until it gets stronger.

Water the seedling

Make a watering hole 5 cm deep with a diameter of 20-30 cm around the trunk - to do this, remove the soil from the center to the edges with a chopper or a small spatula. Gently pour plain water into the hole in small portions, allowing it to soak. For a young tree, two buckets of 10 liters will be enough.

Mulch the trunk circle

This technique will prevent the soil from drying out and will not allow weeds to germinate. Peat, compost, dry leaves, wood chips or rotted sawdust are suitable as mulch. They need to be poured in a layer of 3-5 cm around the trunk along the diameter of the landing pit.

How to care for a tree

In the first year, caring for a young tree does not cause much trouble. It is enough to follow just a few simple rules:

• Cover the trunk of the seedling from root to lower branches with garden whitewash to protect the young bark from the sun. burns.
• Refrain from top dressing, because all the necessary nutrition was introduced when planting in the ground.
• Periodically loosen the soil around the trunk and remove weeds.
• In case of severe drought, water the tree abundantly with water.
• Remove young growth around the trunk so that the tree does not waste its strength on its growth.