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Plant fruit trees
Jackie Whittaker is planting several cordon-trained trees in a small space
Bare-root fruit trees, which are generally field-grown, can be planted from November onwards and are available from nurseries and specialist suppliers now.
I’m planting cooking apple ‘Arthur Turner’, eating apples ‘Sunset’ and ‘Kidd’s Orange Red’, a ‘Concorde’ pear and ‘Czar’ plum.
I’ve chosen cordon-trained trees on dwarf root stocks. This way I can get several trees in a small space and they’ll remain a manageable size to prune and train.
Bare-root trees mustn’t be allowed to dry out, so soak the roots for a few hours before planting.
If your soil is light or poor, dig in as much well-rotted manure or compost as possible.
Fruit trees should ideally be planted in a sunny position, so chose your spot carefully. If, like me, you are growing a cordon, you’ll need to prune it next summer to encourage good fruiting.
Ideally fruit trees should be planted in a sunny position. Click on image to enlarge
Step 1 Prepare your planting site thoroughly. If you’re planting a tree that needs training, make sure all your training wires and anchor points are secure. To support my cordons, I’ve fixed horizontal wires to my fence and tied sturdy canes to the wires at a 45 degree angle. I’ve spaced mine about 60cm to 80cm apart (24-30in). Click on image to enlarge
Step 2 Dig a hole deep and wide enough to take the tree roots comfortably and add manure or compost to the hole and the soil you have dug out. If you’re planting a row of trees it may be easier to dig a long trench rather than separate holes. Position your tree, spread out the roots and back fill the hole with soil, shaking the tree gently to eliminate air pockets. Click on image to enlarge
Step 3 Make sure that the point where the root stock is grafted to the scion (the upper part of the tree) is above soil level and then firm the soil around the tree. Tie the tree to the supporting cane at regular intervals using soft string and a figure of eight knot. Make sure you check the ties regularly to prevent them from rubbing and causing damage. Click on image to enlarge
Give the tree a good water and continue to water occasionally if your soil is dry. Step 4 Frost or strong winds loosen tree roots before they’ve had a chance to get established, so it’s a good idea to check your trees regularly and firm them back in if necessary. The only pruning needed at this stage is to cut back any long branches to three buds. Click on image to enlarge
