Dates for planting apple trees in autumn in central Russia

Who does not want to have on their site apple trees? After all, the fruits from your own trees are much healthier and tastier. But apple trees need to be planted and cared for correctly. To renew the garden, you need to plant new apple tree seedlings from time to time. Most often, gardeners do this in the fall. If you follow the rules and timing of planting, the trees take root well and bear fruit in the future.

The fact is that in the fall the root system has time to recover and strengthen in the soil. About the right one planting apple trees in autumn in central Russia will be discussed in our article.

When to plant apple trees

You can plant apple tree seedlings in central Russia in a new location in spring or autumn. But gardeners who have been growing apple trees for more than one year prefer autumn plantings.

What motivates them:

1. Firstly, gardeners save their family’s budget. The assortment of apple tree seedlings in autumn is much larger, and their cost is pleasantly surprising compared to spring.
2. Secondly, it often rains in the fall, and this has a beneficial effect on the rooting of young apple tree plantings.

But novice gardeners cannot always navigate the timing of planting apple trees in the fall; as a result, the seedlings cannot survive the winter.Isn't it a shame? We will also try to talk about mistakes and ways to overcome them.

Let's look at the timing of planting apple tree seedlings in central Russia in the fall:

1. Gardeners pay attention to various factors. One of them is the beginning of leaf fall and freezing of the soil. It is during this period of autumn that you need to keep up with the restoration of the garden.
2. Work on planting apple trees begins in mid-September. Earlier dates are undesirable due to long daylight hours and elevated air temperatures. These factors can cause premature awakening, therefore, the apple tree seedling will “work” not to strengthen the root system, but to develop the buds. Consequently, in the winter in the middle zone, the newly planted apple tree will leave weakened.
3. But you can’t hesitate either. If the average daily temperatures in autumn are negative, then you are already late for planting.

Features of the autumn technique

1. Young apple trees are planted from September 15 to October 15.
2. It is imperative to take into account the climate of the region: the specific timing of the first frosts in the fall. Even in central Russia, in different regions and regions, the timing of planting apple tree seedlings varies.
3. Soil temperature is another important consideration. The dormant period of plants begins in the fall with the beginning of leaf fall. At that time, the apple trees no longer grow, but the roots increase in size as long as the soil temperature remains at least plus four degrees. Experienced gardeners have special thermometers in their arsenal.
   

Features of choosing seedlings

Not only planting dates need to be taken into account when planting a garden in central Russia in the fall. The choice of planting material is of great importance. Only good seedlings will delight you in the future with a rich harvest of tasty and aromatic apples.

So, what you need to pay attention to:

1. First of all, you need to decide what varieties of apple trees will grow on your site. Preference is given to regionalized varieties that are already adapted to the conditions of the region. The main classification of apple trees is based on the timing of fruit ripening. They are early-ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening. In central Russia, late-ripening (winter) apple tree varieties do not have time to reach technical maturity, so it is better not to purchase seedlings, although they retain their taste and beneficial properties all winter.
2. The second point that should also not be overlooked is the place where the seedling was purchased. You should not chase cheapness and buy young apple trees from random sellers. Your best bet is to contact your local nursery or garden center. In this case, the seedlings will be healthy and strong.
   Apple trees are sold with a closed or open root system. Planting material grown in special containers is more viable. Apple trees have a well-developed root system, therefore, the survival rate is high. In addition, transportation is convenient because the roots do not break off. It’s easy to check the viability of the apple tree’s root system. If you turn the pot over and remove the apple tree seedling, you will see that the roots occupy the entire container.
   
   But even here there may be pitfalls. Unscrupulous sellers do not always care about the cleanliness of the soil. And with it they are often brought to the site of the disease.
3. The size of the apple tree seedling is also important. Do not choose overgrown plants.The age of a tree that can take root should be no more than three years. If the seedling is only one year old, then it is easier for it to form a shape. It is better to purchase annual apple trees with a closed root system. But plants aged two or three years, with open roots, will take root better and will not experience stress.
4. You also need to consider what your apple tree will be like in a few years. Tall plants produce more fruit, but caring for them is also much more difficult.
5. The scion method is also important. If a clonal rootstock was used, the apple tree will not be tall. It is identified by the beard on the adventitious roots. The first fruits from such plants are harvested two years after planting.

As for the seed rootstock, it is determined by the main root and lateral roots. On each lateral root, small roots that perform a suction function are clearly visible. Typically, strong and tall apple trees grow on such a rootstock. But they begin to bear fruit late. The wait for the first apples will be less than six days.

So, we talked about planting dates and rules for choosing apple tree seedlings in central Russia, and now we move on to the issue of planting.

Features of planting apple trees in autumn

Fruit trees do not grow well in waterlogged soils containing large amounts of gravel. They like light soils with good aeration. You also need to pay attention to the occurrence of groundwater. They should be no higher than two meters. Apple trees are planted at a distance of at least three meters so that overgrown trees do not touch each other with their crowns. As for row spacing, it is better to stick to a step of six meters.

Digging a landing hole

If you decide plant in autumn apple trees on a plot in central Russia, then you need to decide on the timing of digging a hole.As a rule, it is prepared 30 days before planting so that the soil has time to settle. The pit should be round in shape with a diameter of about a meter and a depth of at least 0.7 meters. The width of the bottom and top of the recess is made the same in size.

When digging a hole, the soil is laid out on both sides. Fertile soil is placed in one, and the soil that you will remove from below is placed in the other.

As soon as you dig a hole, immediately drive a strong peg at least five centimeters thick in the center, to which the stem of an apple tree seedling is tied. Since the stake will be in the ground and exposed to moisture, it will begin to rot over time. The peg should be 40 centimeters higher than the pit.

If the seedling has a closed root system, then support is not needed.

Filling the hole

To plant an apple tree in central Russia and other regions, you need to prepare the right soil. To the soil selected from above, add peat, humus, compost or manure, as well as organic fertilizers.

Mix the soil with nutritional supplements. At the bottom of the hole we pour drainage: medium-sized pebbles. They are necessary to maintain water balance. But if your soil is sandy, then stones will not help. In this case, a water-retaining layer is necessary. For this, clay or silt is used.

Then we load the hole with fertile composition to create a hill in the center. Before planting the apple tree, the ground will settle. The soil taken from the bottom of the hole is scattered between the rows to make a ridge for irrigation.

Rules for planting seedlings

When the time comes to plant seedlings with an open root system, the soil in the planting hole will already have time to settle. After inspecting the apple tree and cutting off brown or damaged roots, we make a depression in the hole and a hill in the center.

1. We place the apple tree seedling on a hill and straighten the roots. An important point is that the support should be on the south side of the plant. Make sure that the root collar and the grafting site do not sink into the ground, but rise above it at a height of 5 cm. Novice gardeners may not understand what we are talking about. So, the root collar is the point where the green bark turns brown. If this place is underground, then the apple tree will lag in growth in the future, therefore, this will negatively affect fruiting. Sometimes the apple tree dies because of this.
   
2. When planting seedlings with a closed root system, dig a hole in proportion to the size of the pot and cover it with fertile soil with nutritional supplements, without damaging the soil woven by the roots.
   
   Make sure that the horse neck is not closed.
3. Regardless of what kind of root system the plant has, after first covering the roots with soil, pour water into the hole. She pushes the earth down, the voids between the roots are filled. They do this until the pit is filled to the top. In total, when planting an apple tree in a hole, you need to pour at least four buckets of water.
4. When the hole is filled, the earth is compacted and the young plant is tied to a support. Do not pull the string tightly, because the tree will grow.

Care after landing

Whether or not your seedling takes root depends on the gardener:

1. Firstly, good luck awaits you if the deadlines for planting the apple tree were met and the seedling itself was healthy. As we have already said, in central Russia it is September 15 – October 15.
2. Secondly, after thoroughly watering the seedling, mulching is carried out.

For this, humus or peat is used. If it doesn’t rain constantly in the fall, you need to water the planted plants at least once a week. There is no need to spare water, but there is no need to bring it to the state of a swamp.

Useful tips from Oktyabrina Ganichkina:

Conclusion

As you can see, planting apple tree seedlings in autumn not only in central Russia requires certain knowledge and skills. Before you get started, re-read the article and watch the video. Everything taken together will help you cope with your plan. After all, the garden on the site is not only about delicious apples, but also about the joint work of the whole family in caring for the apple trees planted in the fall.

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