Detral
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Joined: Fri May 27, 2016 12:39 pm
Location: Alberta /zone 2-3

Planted an apple between spruces - Enough space for roots?

I had little space so planted an apple next to a large row of spruces on one side and a giant spruce on the other. Maybe about 10 feet away.

There is actually 6+ hours of sunlight on the tree despite the location. I read a study that "acidic soil" due to spruces is a myth (they tested soil levels and they are the same as elsewhere).

So my two big concerns for my little tree are due to the roots of the spruce. I hope my apples roots can find a way to grow despite the spruces roots being down there. I also worry that those roots are going to steal all the water. I plan on doing a lot of extra deep watering this summer. Does that make sense? Any other suggestions?

JONA
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Location: Sussex. England

hi Detral
I agree with you that the roots are going to have a battle for water and you will have to take care to give your tree plenty of water in the summer months.
After heavy rain....once the soil is very wet.....it would help to give the tree a heavy mulching of FYM or straw.etc.
This would help the soil retain the moisture.
Apple tree roots are relatively shallow so they come under water stress quite quickly.
The other thing that will help is to keep your tree pruned well so that it does not grow too large.
The larger it gets..the more space and water it needs.

Detral
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Posts: 18
Joined: Fri May 27, 2016 12:39 pm
Location: Alberta /zone 2-3

JONA wrote:hi Detral
I agree with you that the roots are going to have a battle for water and you will have to take care to give your tree plenty of water in the summer months.
After heavy rain....once the soil is very wet.....it would help to give the tree a heavy mulching of FYM or straw.etc.
This would help the soil retain the moisture.
Apple tree roots are relatively shallow so they come under water stress quite quickly.
The other thing that will help is to keep your tree pruned well so that it does not grow too large.
The larger it gets..the more space and water it needs.
Thanks John. I had thought maybe if it grew large it would compete more with the spruces but sounds like I should keep it smaller. Do you think I should keep doing the deep watering inevitably then? I'm ok with that, I just thought it would be ok after a few years. I'll definitely do the mulching.

JONA
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Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2014 7:11 am
Location: Sussex. England

I would keep watering in dry periods Detral with good deep watering once a week or so. Light waterings are never a good idea with apples as it just encourages the roots to refrain from seeking deeper for water.
As your tree gets older you can afford to leave it for longer periods and observe how it gets along on its own. It will be obvious if it comes under stress.
One thing that can be important with apples...
If you have a long dry period between blossom and June drop ...don't water during that period.
Sudden access to water at that period can encourage a tree to produce a growth surge. This can induce a heavy drop as the tree tries to grow rather than crop.
It's also the wrong time to add any fertiliser to the tree for the same reason.

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digitS'
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Location: ID/WA! border

You are probably getting the best advice from JONA.

I will just add my 2¢ about spruce.

I have a garden location near 4 different evergreens. The trees are all fairly large - Ponderosa pines, a larch, a hemlock, and 3 Colorado blue spruce. The spruce cause more difficulties in the garden than any of the others. Roots!

Steve



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