My husband & I have purchased 12 fruit trees to plant in our front garden. It is facing north west & has a tree line shelter on the north side.
I am trying to figure out the spacing of the trees - ideally I would like 2 rows of six. The trees we have purchased are as follows;
1 - Reliance Peach
2 - Garnet Beauty Peach
1 - Anjou Pear
1 - Combination Pear (Flemish Beauty, Comice, Red Bartlett, Seckel)
2 - Spartan Apple
2 - Super Dwarf McIntosh Apple
1 - Quince
2 - Veecot Apricot
Any suggestions would be most helpful as we are not planning on planting until mid to end of October.
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LizzyC2308
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applestar
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You need to indicate at least whether these are standard stock, semi-standard, semi-dwarf, or dwarf -- it would depend on the rootstock they are grafted on. List the rootstock for each tree if the information is available.
I would recommend GROUPING -- not Row so much as adjacent to each other -- the same family trees. In other words, apples, pears and quince in one group and peaches and apricot in another group. They will have similar Soil/fertilizer/watering and pests/diseases as well as temperature/sun requirements.
...do you have the trees now or are they expected to be delivered later on?
I would recommend GROUPING -- not Row so much as adjacent to each other -- the same family trees. In other words, apples, pears and quince in one group and peaches and apricot in another group. They will have similar Soil/fertilizer/watering and pests/diseases as well as temperature/sun requirements.
...do you have the trees now or are they expected to be delivered later on?
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LizzyC2308
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I am not 100% sure, because we purchased the Garnet Beauty Peach & Veecot Apricot at an auction, I believe they are standard
The only tree that is labelled dwarf is the McIntosh - so I am guessing the rest are standard stock.
I would like to plant in grouping - that would be ideal, we were thinking about leaving about 8-10 between each tree, does that sound like enough room?
We have all of the trees now, they are in pots & we have them placed approximately where we intend to plant them, but we don't want to plant them until the fall - late September to mid-October if that is correct? I didn't think we should be planting them now?
The only tree that is labelled dwarf is the McIntosh - so I am guessing the rest are standard stock.
I would like to plant in grouping - that would be ideal, we were thinking about leaving about 8-10 between each tree, does that sound like enough room?
We have all of the trees now, they are in pots & we have them placed approximately where we intend to plant them, but we don't want to plant them until the fall - late September to mid-October if that is correct? I didn't think we should be planting them now?
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ElizabethB
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Hi LizzyC
Welcome to the forum.
First issue - mature size. You must know the mature size of your trees in order to space them properly. If your trees have a 15' spread that means that the centers of the trees should be 15' apart. Your trees will not always be small. Do not crowd them.
DITTO Applestar on grouping your trees.
Planting
LSU Ag. Center has done lots of research on proper tree planting.
Dig a hole no deeper than the existing root ball. The existing root ball should be level with the surrounding ground. Dig hole 2 1/2 to 3 times wider than the existing root ball.
Regarding timing it is difficult to say without knowing your local. In south Louisiana we plant trees in January/February when the trees are fully dormant.
Do not amend the soil.
Set your tree in place. If roots are wrapped around the root ball loosen them or in extreme cases cut them. Chop up the soil. Return 1/2 of the soil to the hole. Water and lightly tamp to remove large open pockets. Add remaining soil and water again. Do not mound the soil up around the trunk.
Do not fertilize. Wait until after the last frost but before the trees put out new leaves. Use a balanced fertilizer like 8-8-8 or 13-13-13. Follow the application instructions on the package.
Good luck.
Welcome to the forum.
First issue - mature size. You must know the mature size of your trees in order to space them properly. If your trees have a 15' spread that means that the centers of the trees should be 15' apart. Your trees will not always be small. Do not crowd them.
DITTO Applestar on grouping your trees.
Planting
LSU Ag. Center has done lots of research on proper tree planting.
Dig a hole no deeper than the existing root ball. The existing root ball should be level with the surrounding ground. Dig hole 2 1/2 to 3 times wider than the existing root ball.
Regarding timing it is difficult to say without knowing your local. In south Louisiana we plant trees in January/February when the trees are fully dormant.
Do not amend the soil.
Set your tree in place. If roots are wrapped around the root ball loosen them or in extreme cases cut them. Chop up the soil. Return 1/2 of the soil to the hole. Water and lightly tamp to remove large open pockets. Add remaining soil and water again. Do not mound the soil up around the trunk.
Do not fertilize. Wait until after the last frost but before the trees put out new leaves. Use a balanced fertilizer like 8-8-8 or 13-13-13. Follow the application instructions on the package.
Good luck.
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LizzyC2308
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I would add on thing too Lizzy.
That Mcintosh ...as you know this is on a very dwarfing stock I'd suggest you plant it a little further away from the others trees. If you don't it could well be effectively smothered by them as they grow. Taking its light by shading.
Also check the Spartan very carefully for any sign of canker. They are a variety that is natorious for the problem.
That Mcintosh ...as you know this is on a very dwarfing stock I'd suggest you plant it a little further away from the others trees. If you don't it could well be effectively smothered by them as they grow. Taking its light by shading.
Also check the Spartan very carefully for any sign of canker. They are a variety that is natorious for the problem.
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applestar
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OK, let's try to figure this out then. You said northwest-facing "front garden" -- front of the house? With a treeline on the north side? Is the area naturally divided by a walkway or driveway up to the house?
Are we talking about an area that is far enough from the house that the house shadow won't be an issue? I would assume in Canada, the house casts a long shadow during all but the summer months? What are the dimensions of the planting area?
I think the peach/apricot group should be the West side one of the 2 groupings -- they would need the warmer, more protected location and they would tend to be shorter than the apple/pear group except for the dwarf apple tree (which may need a separate or at least specialized location).
This would put the apples and pears closer to the treeline. What are the trees? Are there any cedar or juniper among them because that could be a problem....
...I think we need to discuss how you will be keeping the potted trees alive and healthy until later in the fall, too.... My understanding is that container-grown trees can be planted at any time of the year, and sooner they are planted, the sooner they can begin to establish roots. This might particularly be important for the peaches which I believe are least hardy. I remember buying container-started apple and pear trees from a reputable on-line source. I ordered in the summer and they shipped them as soon as the weather cooled down enough for inter-state delivery in September and I was instructed to plant within a week or heel-in under a pile of mulch in their treepots if unable to plant right away. I was less sure about heeling-in than planting so I planted right away after keeping them under a dappled canopy of trees for a couple of days to acclimate and recover from the shipping, watering twice a day.
Are we talking about an area that is far enough from the house that the house shadow won't be an issue? I would assume in Canada, the house casts a long shadow during all but the summer months? What are the dimensions of the planting area?
I think the peach/apricot group should be the West side one of the 2 groupings -- they would need the warmer, more protected location and they would tend to be shorter than the apple/pear group except for the dwarf apple tree (which may need a separate or at least specialized location).
This would put the apples and pears closer to the treeline. What are the trees? Are there any cedar or juniper among them because that could be a problem....
...I think we need to discuss how you will be keeping the potted trees alive and healthy until later in the fall, too.... My understanding is that container-grown trees can be planted at any time of the year, and sooner they are planted, the sooner they can begin to establish roots. This might particularly be important for the peaches which I believe are least hardy. I remember buying container-started apple and pear trees from a reputable on-line source. I ordered in the summer and they shipped them as soon as the weather cooled down enough for inter-state delivery in September and I was instructed to plant within a week or heel-in under a pile of mulch in their treepots if unable to plant right away. I was less sure about heeling-in than planting so I planted right away after keeping them under a dappled canopy of trees for a couple of days to acclimate and recover from the shipping, watering twice a day.
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LizzyC2308
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I have drawn up a crude drawing of the proposed area - it is not to scale but gives you an idea of what we are looking for.
All of the trees with the exception of the quince have NO fruit on them, so they may be ok to plant now I suppose, but in reading on the internet, I had thought fall was the best time to plant. We have them placed in their containers in the area we intend to plant & have been watering them daily.
The drawing is attached. Our house faces the West (270 degrees)
All of the trees with the exception of the quince have NO fruit on them, so they may be ok to plant now I suppose, but in reading on the internet, I had thought fall was the best time to plant. We have them placed in their containers in the area we intend to plant & have been watering them daily.
The drawing is attached. Our house faces the West (270 degrees)
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