How to plant an apple tree if groundwater is close: variety selection and care rules

The proximity of groundwater is a factor that can kill a tree or put it at risk of permanent fungal diseases. The presence of an aquifer close to the surface of the soil is not a reason to abandon your own garden, it is enough to know how to plant an apple tree correctly if groundwater is close.

Effect of groundwater on apple trees

What threatens the direct proximity of the apple tree to groundwater:

• Constant contact with water will lead to rotting of the rhizome, as a result, the fruit tree will lose its pump, which produces the main portion of nutrition. The tree will be sick for a long time, which will affect the fruiting and quality of crops, as a result, it will die soon.
• The formation, located in close proximity to the roots, will be replenished with melt water when the snow melts. With an intense snowmelt process, a tree can be squeezed out of the ground, which will deprive it of part of the new roots and natural support of the soil.
• Excess moisture obtained during fruit ripening will affect the ratio of acids and fruit sugars in fruits.
• The humid environment near the tree trunk is a favorable microclimate for the reproduction of mosses, lichens, in which pathogenic mycelium feels comfortable.
• Minerals that come in large quantities from an underground source accumulate in the roots of the tree, which will also lead to disease and reduced yields.

In any case, constant contact of moisture with the roots of a tree is harmful. The selection or preparation of a site for planting should be given the same attention as when building a house.

Attention! Exceeding the allowable rate of sulfate and chloride content in water dictates special planting conditions, such groundwater should be located at a depth of no more than 3 m from the surface.

How high is the water level?

When examining the soil before laying the foundation, most amateur gardeners will find out about the close occurrence of groundwater, the presence of floaters on the site, which cause much more damage to the garden than a stable aquifer.

If such studies have not been carried out, then the depth of water can be determined by the depth of the wells installed in the area or based on the depth of the well for home water supply.

If the documents say "artesian well", then there is no threat to the garden, the water is at a depth of at least 10 m.

A well or a well in the area, the depth of which is not more than 2 meters, makes you wary for several reasons:

• In temperate climates, this is above the freezing point of the soil in winter.
• The roots of tall fruit trees can go 4-6 meters deep, direct constant contact with water is inevitable.
• When snow melts, lateral pressure is possible, the more intense spring natural processes, the greater the threat that the tree will be forced out of loose soil or broken in dense soils.

It is difficult to significantly increase the level of the fertile layer by transporting earth, sand and clay from the quarry, and this is a temporary measure - sand and peat will be washed out by spring waters, which will only delay the contact of the rhizome with water. The only way out is to choose a variety of apple trees with roots that do not reach the aquifer.

Attention! The aquifer can be uneven, its approach to the surface of the earth can be determined by the swarming of midges over a certain area of \u200b\u200bthe ground. No trees can be planted in this place!

Apple varieties for near groundwater

When choosing a variety for a site in close proximity to groundwater, it is preferable to choose columnar plants with spreading, horizontally growing roots. Dwarf or semi-dwarf rootstocks - what you need for low areas near natural reservoirs, shallow wells overlooking the surface of the keys. Virtually no variety on the seed stock is suitable for planting in this area.

Summer

President, Ostankino, Malyukha, Medok are the best early maturing varieties for growing in continental climates with a high level of aquifer.

Autumn

There should be apple trees of different ripening periods on the garden plot, if necessary, set up a garden with autumn varieties of apple trees, the roots of which will not tend to deep into the ground for many meters, pay attention to the following varieties:

• Vasyugan;
• Dialogue;
• Iksha;
• Chervonets;
• Amber necklace.

Iksha is characterized by increased keeping quality - up to 3 months, and Chervonets strikes with gigantism of fruits - up to 350 g.

Winter

It remains to supplement the garden with winter varieties, choosing for the Moscow region from several possible options that have received the most positive feedback from gardeners:

• Currency;
• Victoria;
• Coral;
• Moscow necklace;
• Natalyushka.

All of them belong to late-ripening varieties, they are stored for several months without losing their taste and presentation.

Preparation

At the site where there is a threat of spring groundwater rise, a drainage system is needed to divert water from tree trunks. The best option is if the runoff will not be made into a ditch or a nearby ravine, but into a special tank - a septic tank, a rainwater tank located under the drain from the roof of the house, a deep concrete well - a sump, an insulated cesspool.

Ways to plant trees if groundwater is close

Raising the level of the plot for planting an apple tree by leveling the neighboring hill is also an option if the soil is loamy or sandy loam. With less technical and physical costs, it is possible to raise only the place for the future planting of apple trees by compacting the upper layer with crushed stone, on top of which there will be a fertile soil layer. This method is used when planting tall trees, but imposes additional obligations on the owner to care for the plant - periodic replenishment of the layer of earth next to it.

Finding fertile land in the suburbs is an impossible task. Organic fertilizers are not suitable for all types of plants, it is easier to take the path of least resistance - choose a few undersized apple trees for planting. Of course, with each of them the harvest will be several times less than with one high, but there are a number of advantages in such plantings:

• Various ripening dates and taste characteristics.
• The area for planting 18 columnar apple trees will need the same as for placing one tall with a spreading crown.
• Columnar plants are characterized by early fruiting, the first harvest will not have to wait 7 years.

Based on the same principle as a mound for a tall apple tree, a landing hole is being prepared, only much less materials will be required for this. To enrich the soil with organic matter, you can always dig a compost pit behind the outbuilding.In this situation, weeds, fallen leaves, spoiled fruits will not have to be taken out of the site, and there will be no need to think about the disposal of human waste. This is how our ancestors acted, there was no dirt or unsanitary conditions on the plots of zealous owners.

Pillow

One of the most important preparatory stages before planting is the creation of a pillow on which the seedling will have to be installed. The first layer, the most durable and unshakable, will be crushed stone, filling the recess by a third. Part of the soil selected from the planting hole is thoroughly mixed with 3/5-year-old humus. It pours out into the hole with a mound, which in turn is covered with a layer of ordinary soil. On top of it after 2 weeks (with autumn rooting) and you need to plant an apple tree.

Let the top layer of earth not be as dense as the roots of the apple tree will have to overcome in the next few years, but even such an obstacle will make them reach for nutrients, overcoming the barrier.

Planting apple trees on a hill (hill)

A small mound in the area where groundwater is quite high, this is one of the ways out if you need to plant an apple tree. Apple varieties for temperate climates are mostly adapted to the local climate with extreme temperature changes, B altic cold winds, constant storms.

Nevertheless, taking care of the straightness of the trunk, when planting a fruit tree on a mound, a hillock, it is necessary to think over the protection of an immature apple tree from the leeward side, so the plant will develop organically, and not one-sidedly, as happens with constant exposure to cold air currents moving in one direction.

Preparation of the seat occurs according to the general rules - drainage, nutrient layer, simple layer. In the absence of a natural hill, it can be created artificially by adding layers of sand, ash, peat.

Care

Each selected apple variety has its own care features, but for all the general steps:

• Loosening the soil in spring.
• Crown pruning.
• Introducing nutrients.
• Spraying with insecticides.
• Irrigation and soil drainage.
• Mulching the soil and painting the trunk.

All low-growing trees require a tie to a vertically mounted support, this will set the vertical direction of the trunk, which the weak roots are not able to hold in this position on their own during the first 2-3 years after planting.

Feeding

Feeding is carried out according to plan and as needed. The introduction of foliar dressings is dictated by the need for trace elements for the development of the plant, gaining strength.Each apple tree requires nitrogen in the soil at the flowering stage, the formation of ovaries. This element makes the soil more loose, breathable.

For maximum fruit quality and weight, substances such as phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium are required. They are introduced into the soil in dissolved form or scattered in doses near the stem of the plant. These are necessary measures, because microelements are needed in apple trees in small quantities, their excess will worsen the harvest in terms of taste and total weight of fruits, while individual apples will be gigantic.

Cutting

Mandatory preventive stage - pruning branches, weak shoots on thickening crowns. The need for unscheduled pruning arises among gardeners after harsh winters, if the trees have undergone frostbite. Long shoots of tall trees shorten in autumn to 60 cm of fresh growth. For dwarf apple trees, pruning is used to plan next year's harvest.

When an apple tree is affected by fungal diseases or insect pests, unscheduled pruning is carried out at any stage of plant development, no matter how painful such a surgical intervention is for it, it is necessary to save the tree as a whole.

Irrigation

Different varieties of apple trees react differently to drought and rain. For young trees, watering during prolonged dry periods is simply necessary. On sandy loam, watering is done once a week at the rate of 10 liters of water per meter of trunk height. On sandstones, watering is more scarce, but frequent - 1 time in 3-4 days.

Moisture intensively, evenly evaporates through the leaves of the apple tree on hot days. With its excess, the plant can get sunburn, so watering is done at sunset or sunrise.

Ways to protect the apple tree from groundwater

When planting a dwarf apple tree, it is not necessary to use open ground, it can be placed in a tall box made of planks filled with fertile soil mixed with compost.In areas with prolonged rains, this method of planting apple trees has its own reason - the outflow of excess moisture. The disadvantage of such a landing is the rapid freezing of the box, which is a threat to the root system. Slate or roofing material should be used as a waterproofing and insulating material. The same roofing materials will help in maintaining soil moisture during drought.

Creating a favorable microclimate for a short-growing plant is much easier than for a tall one - this is another argument in favor of columnar apple varieties.

Bitumenous and pressed covering materials are of no interest and repel rodents, which again speaks in favor of growing fruit crops in high boxes with a wall width of 2 by 2 m on bulk soils.

Specific planting for different soil types

When preparing a seat, it is extremely important to take into account the characteristics of the soil.If it is acidic, then this will lead to the reproduction of midges next to the trunk of the fruit tree. Accordingly, the larvae will be deposited in the bark of the apple tree, on the leaves, fruits. Such a dinner will attract birds long before the apples ripen, the harvest will be spoiled. The way out of this situation is to lower the acidity of the soil through special chemical compounds or furnace ash.

Dense soils for fruit trees are a drawback that does not allow the root system to receive sufficient water and air. Before planting, such soil is mixed with a nutrient mixture and sand to fill the planting hole, which makes the soil looser. Periodically, you will have to pour sand under the apple tree, on the soil above the root system, the sand, along with moisture, will go into the soil, loosening it in a natural way. Sandy soils before planting an apple tree, on the contrary, will have to be compacted with limestone and clay.

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