How to plant an orchard correctly

The first thing to do before planting fruit trees is to choose a location. At least five meters from the house, so that the roots do not destroy the foundation, and the branches do not destroy the roof. To the side of the path, so that half of the tree does not end up on the side of neighbors in the future.

Let’s indicate the basic rules:

• Cherry. Loves sunlight very much, but at the same time it needs to be protected from the wind. The distance between the cherries should be at least three meters;
• Pear. Usually, a tall tree that takes up a lot of space is enough for one in the yard to harvest enough for a year. The nearest trees and buildings should be six meters away;
• Apple tree. They are different, including small ones, but it is better to leave a distance of five meters to neighboring trees. Apple trees love the sun, they are not afraid of tall snowdrifts;
• Plum. He is afraid of high snow cover, it is better to plant plum trees on the south side of the house, so that the building protects from the wind. The distance between the plums must be at least three meters.

It is better to plant trees at a distance of at least two meters from lighting cables, gas pipelines, sewers, water pipes, and heat pipes. The indentation should also be made three meters from the fence, and four meters from the mast or support of the lighting network..

To the beds with vegetables from large trees should be five to six meters, small – three meters. At the same time, it is better to plant trees on the north side of the garden so that they do not shade your tomatoes and peppers too much..

As for the neighborhood, pears and apples, cherries and dogwood, plums and apricots feel good next to them. But cherries are a bad neighbor, an individualist who negatively affects other fruit plants. The walnut is too toxic for all other plants – even weeds will not grow under it.

Now choose the variety of apples, pears, cherries that you want to see in your garden. It is very important that the variety of fruits corresponds to the climate of your region, there are frost-hardy species intended for growing even in rather harsh conditions.

Having decided on the type of fruit, we go for the seedlings. It is best to buy them from specialized nurseries with an impeccable reputation. In addition, here are some tips:

• young, annual seedlings take root best of all. These are thin trees up to one and a half meters high, no more;
• at the top of the seedling there must be large buds. If they are not formed, something is wrong with the tree;
• the seedling should be free of damage, growths, even, attractive;
• the roots should not be dry, without sagging and cracks, from 25 cm long.

An important question: buy seedlings with an open or closed root system. In the first case, trees are sold in pots, buckets, with roots hidden in a lump of earth. In this case, the seedlings tolerate transportation easier, quickly take root, because the roots do not dry out. But it is impossible to assess the state of the root system.

We advise you to choose seedlings with closed roots only if you completely trust the seller, you are sure that the nursery offers quality products. Otherwise, it is better to choose a seedling with an open root system so that you can assess its condition..

Having chosen the seedlings, we proceed to planting:

1. Broken roots should be removed and dried ends from the rest should be cut off;
2. It is very important that the root collar of the plant is exactly on the ground surface! Therefore, when digging a hole, take measurements, check if you dug too deep. Bury the seedling so that the root collar is three to five centimeters above the ground – after tamping the soil and watering it will drop just to ground level;
3. Usually, for annual seedlings, a hole up to 80 cm deep is enough, taking into account the fact that you will pour compost or mineral fertilizers on the bottom;
4. Apply the soil around the seedling carefully so as not to damage the roots. When planting, the tree should be shaken off so that the soil fills all the space between the roots;
5. Water the planted plant abundantly;
6. Do not forget to mulch the tree trunk circle so that weeds do not appear around the tree, and the soil keeps moisture longer.

It is important to correctly fertilize the hole: mineral additives should be mixed with the ground and placed on the bottom. Above is a layer of humus and fertile soil so that the roots of the plant do not come into direct contact with mineral fertilizers – they can simply burn out!

At the bottom of the hole, we make a mound of fertilizers, humus and soil, on which the seedling is placed so that the roots hang down a little. And then carefully fill it with soil.

For thin seedlings, support is important, take care of this, tie the tree to a peg.

As for the best time to plant trees, in the southern regions it is autumn, and in areas with a colder climate – spring, before the active appearance of leaves.