How to transplant an adult apple tree to another place: when is it better in spring or autumn

If it was decided to transplant an adult apple tree, then you need to know how to do it right. There are many reasons why a tree transplant is needed. For example, lack of space, flooding of the site or disease damage. First you need to carefully prepare a new place and the apple tree itself, given its age. If the measures are not followed, the culture in the new place may not take root.

Why transplant apple trees

Replanting large apple trees to another place is carried out for the following reasons:

• the place is not suitable for the development of culture due to lack of light, poor soil, drafts;
• damage or thinning of the place where the trunk goes into the roots;
• lack of space;
• infection with diseases.

In order for a tree to take root in a new place, it is necessary to create favorable conditions. Trees that are no more than 15 years old are subject to transplantation. After this period, it makes no sense to carry out the procedure, since the likelihood of survival is very low.

Criteria for choosing a landing site

Before transplanting an apple tree, you need to choose the best place with good soil:

• You need to choose a piece of land where surface groundwater does not pass close.
• The site should be well lit and warmed up by the sun, as well as protected from through wind.
• Fruit trees and powerful shrubs should not be planted nearby.
• Loamy soil is ideal. Ground with gravel and rubble can lead to the death of a tree. Clay, peat and sandy soil is not suitable.

Under these conditions, the tree will get stronger faster and begin to bear fruit. In case of non-compliance with one of the conditions, it is necessary to apply fertilizer and drain the soil.

A 5-year-old apple tree already has a large root system and crown, so it will not be possible to cope with a transplant alone. To pull out the roots with an earthy clod, lay a crowbar or a wide wooden board. The roots that will go beyond the earthen coma are cut off. To hold the trunk in a new place, four supporting pegs are installed.

When to transplant a tree

To start transplanting, it is better to wait for the dormancy of the apple tree. The stage coincides with early spring or late autumn. Transplantation of an adult tree is also possible in winter, but only if the air temperature does not fall below -5 degrees.

If the air is very dry, with a low temperature, then it is better to transfer the transplant process to spring. If the soil on the site is depleted, then it is better to transplant in the fall.

The procedure is carried out only in the evening, as the plants complete the processes of photosynthesis during this period.

Spring

Spring transplant is suitable for those areas that are not rich in minerals and other beneficial substances. In the spring, the culture is transplanted until the moment when the buds begin to bloom.

Autumn

Experienced experts advise transplanting an apple tree of any age in the fall. During this period of time, the culture prepares for the winter cold, so it becomes less sensitive to various influences, and resistance to stress increases.

In autumn, they start work only after the leaves have completely fallen, but you need to try to be in time before the onset of cold weather. The roots of the transplanted tree should adapt to the new place, there should be no frost for another month.

If there is no time to wait until the foliage falls, then they are cut off. This is necessary so that the apple tree saves energy for adaptation.

Summer

The best time to transplant is considered to be the autumn or spring months. Summer is the best time for feeding or grafting. If there is a need for a summer transplant, then the following recommendations will come in handy:

• winter-hardy varieties of apple trees are most suitable for transplanting;
• an apple tree transplanted in summer needs additional fertilizing and watering;
• be sure to mulch the soil around the trunk;
• most of the leaves should be removed;
• foliage must be he althy and branches undamaged.

The best time is the beginning of July. A cloudy, calm day is suitable for transplantation, or evening hours are chosen for work.

Preparatory work

Dig a hole in a new area. If the transplant is carried out in the fall, then the deepening is done 4 weeks before the proposed procedure. For transplanting in the spring season, the pit is prepared in the autumn.

All damaged branches and roots are removed from the tree to be replanted. Too long parts of the root system should also be cut.

Required tool

The following inventory will come in handy for work:

• garden shovel and pitchfork;
• metal or wooden stakes;
• strong ropes;
• thick cloth or bag;
• pruning shears.

It will take several people to transplant a mature tree.

Preparation of the tree and transplant site

In order not to damage the culture, it is necessary to prepare for the transplant procedure:

• Pre-branch on the tree must be cut. If this is not done, then in the future there is a high risk of drying out of the shoots. The procedure improves immunity. The pruning length is determined by the age of the apple tree.
• Be sure to remove dry, damaged branches. The cut site is treated with a special healing agent.

Before you dig up an adult tree, you need to prepare a hole for planting in a new site. The hole is usually dug a couple of weeks before the transplant. It should be a third more deep than an earthen clod. For apple trees at the age of 10 years, the width of the earthy coma is 1.5 meters, at the age of 11 to 15 years - 2 meters.

A small layer of earth is laid at the bottom of the pit, which will settle in a month and will not pull the roots down. Then fertilizer is applied to the pit. Suitable composition of manure, river sand, compost and sawdust.

If groundwater is close to the surface of the earth, then it is first necessary to make a drainage 1.5 meters high (crushed stone drainage is installed at the bottom of the pit). Only after that they start digging a hole.

The process of replanting a tree

You need to replant a tree correctly:

• Dig up an apple tree along with an earthen clod;
• an apple tree is hooked with a wooden board or crowbar;
• fixing the crown and roots, the culture is moved to the planting pit.

Stakes are driven in around the planted tree, humus is poured in mid-October, the soil is mulched and the trunk is bandaged.

During planting, you need to keep the same orientation of the tree as in the old place, so a mark is made on the trunk. The branches should be turned in the same direction of the world as before the transplant.

Digging Technology

In order not to damage all parts of the tree, it is necessary to dig it out correctly:

• Young and mature trees are dug up together with an earthen clod. First, the ground around the trunk must be well watered to make it easier to pull out the roots.
• The tree is inspected before planting. Cut off rotten roots and dry branches. Young seedlings are left in a basin of water for several days.
• It is recommended to make a mark on the trunk in the place where it begins to be seen from the ground. This will position the tree correctly in the new hole.

Diameter and depth of excavation of the root system depends on the age of the tree. So that it is not damaged, they begin to dig at a great distance from the trunk.

Transport regulations

Features of transportation depend on how far you want to move the apple tree. You need to dig up an apple tree carefully, trying not to damage the roots.

If the distance is small, then the dug up tree is placed on a dense fabric, and then dragged to the desired location.

If it is supposed to move over a long distance, then the crown is tied up with thick ropes, and the earthen lump is wrapped in dense material. In this form, they are dragged to a new site.

Landing at a new location

During the transplantation of apple trees, a number of rules are observed:

• do not touch trees that are over 15 years old;
• trees with a broken trunk cannot be transplanted;
• the crop is transplanted in autumn, leaving no leaves and fruits;
• a tree transplanted in autumn is insulated and mulched;
• The first year it is necessary to carry out pruning of branches, controlling growth.

Features of planting an apple tree in a new place depend on its age:

1. It is easiest to transplant an annual tree, as it is less damaged and gets used to a new place faster. The best time for digging is the end of September. The root after digging is shortened by a third. This contributes to the emergence of new root branches, which will better absorb moisture and nutrients.It is better to transplant in early spring.
2. An apple tree at the age of 2 to 3 years takes root well in a new place. Seedlings are planted in the prepared pits along with an earthen clod and a peg is set nearby to which the trunk is tied.
3. An adult tree at the age of 4-5 years is planted in the same way as a young one, but there are some peculiarities. Don't repot in the spring. You should choose a wide board that will serve as a lever while extracting the roots from the ground. Then the trunk is fixed with pegs.
4. Trees over 5 years old are transplanted according to the same rules as young ones. It is better to transplant in the spring. After transplantation, be sure to prune.

If you follow all the requirements and follow all the recommendations, the process will not be traumatic for the horticultural crop.

Features of transplanting different types of apple trees

Basically, all types and varieties of apple trees are transplanted according to the same scheme. Minor differences exist in the course and choice of transplant site. It is easiest to transplant columnar apple trees.

Columnar

The columnar apple tree is transplanted in the same way as other types of this crop. The main thing is not to damage the root branches and leave as much earth as possible on them. The best time is the first decade of April. The root system of this type of culture is compact and superficial, so the transplant procedure is easier.

Columnar apple trees do not develop well if there is excess moisture in the soil, so a drainage layer is arranged at the bottom of the pit. Since the root system is superficial, a thick layer of mulch is required.

Dwarf

Dwarf apple trees grow in both well-lit and shady areas. The distance between seedlings should be 3 meters. The hole to be dug is 58 cm wide.

Transplantation takes place according to standard rules. After transplanting, the ground around the trunk is trampled down and mulched. A recess for irrigation is made within a radius of 65 cm from the trunk.

Wildlife

Wild apple trees take root well in the spring, so transplantation is carried out in the last days of March. For a new place in the garden, choose a site that is as close as possible to the conditions of the previous growth. We are talking about the composition of the soil, the orientation of the branches of the tree.

Caring for a tree after transplanting

The transplanted apple tree needs to be provided with great attention and care. Therefore, the following tips will come in handy:

• The first time after transplanting, the tree is watered once a week;
• the first year after transplanting, the soil near the trunk does not need to be dug up;
• in autumn the soil is mulched with humus or peat;
• the trunk is tied with warm covering material;
• renewal pruning is done in the spring;
• remove all color from trees in the first year;
• must remove weeds.

A transplanted tree requires more care, be sure to protect the crop from frost, disease and rodents.

Terms of taking root in a new place

A transplanted tree takes root in a new place - it's a long process. The age of the tree and compliance with the conditions of care affect the survival time. The younger the transplanted apple tree, the faster it adapts to a new place and begins to bear fruit.

There are several reasons why the transplanted apple tree did not take root:

• buying the wrong seedling (for example, sick, weak or grown in the wrong conditions);
• excessive pruning of the root system before planting;
• inappropriate width and depth of landing pit;
• excessive deepening of the root neck;
• landing in an area where groundwater passes too close;
• waterlogged soil (heavy rain or improper watering);
• planting an apple tree near other fruit bushes and trees;
• wrong or untimely cropping;
• the transplanted tree was planted in a place where another tree used to grow.

If we take into account all these points, then the time for adapting an apple tree to a new place is reduced.

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