Planting shrubs best time
When is the best time to plant trees, shrubs and flowers for the best results?
October 16, 2018
When is the best time to plant trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses?
The best time to plant any plant is during the dormant season – in North America, this is usually late fall through early spring. While it’s okay to plant during the rest of the year, it will require more maintenance from you in the form of watering, fertilizers, etc. You can plant in the hot, dry summer but fall is really a great time to plant large shrubs and trees, as they bulk up their existing root systems over winter, letting them drink more water.
Many people feel that spring is the ideal time to plant, but in fall it’s cooler, you’ll use fewer resources, and you’ll help pollinating insects find food in a time of year when they typically struggle. Unless you like hot, sweaty days, save yourself some effort and plant in the fall. Also, wildflower seeds, for example, planted in the fall have a chance to “settle” over the winter, and seeds planted in fall often bloom a full two weeks earlier than plants planted in spring. Container grown plants such as those from Direct Native Plants are dormant, as other plants will be over the fall/winter – but they are already established, meaning they easily out-compete other plants in their surroundings. Just be aware that plants in the dormant stage won’t typically show visible foliage until after they ‘winter over’- especially perennials.
Gardening in the fall provides a longer period with more ‘good’ days, as compared to the often tumultuous spring season. Plus, if you plant in fall you’ll end up ahead of the game and won’t have to rush to get everything done after winter. In fact, a good strategy is to plant perennials when you plant your fall bulbs. Weed control in fall is also easier since the weeds in your soil are dormant, unlike in spring when those weeds are highly energized and ready to wreak havoc in your garden. This situation really helps you as a gardener – in the fall you could clear your grow-site one weekend and plant the next. In the spring, however, you have to clear and plant the same day, or the weeds will overtake your desired crop.
During the fall and winter, after the temperature drops, most trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers go through a dormant period, where they are not growing as many new roots. Instead they are storing energy in the roots to be used during the next growing season. Planting in fall allows these plants to establish root systems that they can then bulk up over the winter. Also, in fall, there’s usually more rain– which means less maintenance for you.
Native trees, shrubs, and perennials can be planted at this time of year, as they will get several weeks of warm soil temperatures for the plant roots to establish before soil temperatures drop. You won’t see a lot of growth above ground, but trust us – the roots are flourishing and will do better than plants just starting to get their roots out during spring.
Need native plants shipped direct to incorporate in to your design? Shop our inventory of container-grown established natives at Direct Native Plants!
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Categories: Native Plants and New Gardeners
This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 16th, 2018 at 4:18 pm.
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Are you thinking of adding fresh plants to your home’s landscape? Putting in a new tree, shrub, or bush in your garden can provide your space with a boost of color and decoration. If you want to give your plants the best chance of survival, put them in the ground in the fall!
Shrubs are a perennial woody plant, commonly used in landscaping for their low maintenance and ornamental value. Most shrubs and trees enter a dormant period during the fall and winter, so it is best to plant around this time to let them establish themselves. This is much better than forcing them into a hot dry summer, as they just won’t have the resources to survive.
Read on for more information about the best time to plant!
If you are looking for ideas of things to plant, you may want to consider planting a blueberry bush.
Not only is it beautiful, but it will yield delicious and healthy harvest!
What You’ll Learn
Plant in the Fall
The best time of year to plant a tree or shrub is in the autumn. Fall planting ensures that root systems can be established before spring comes. The same can be said for most trees. They will be ready to produce new growth and flowers all summer long!
If it is currently early spring in your area, most perennial trees and shrubs can also be planted at this time. However, the best time is early-to-mid fall, after the heat of summer has gone. This gives the small tree or shrub enough time to establish a healthy root system before spring.
If you need to plant in the spring, you should aim for just after the last frost of winter. The spring is actually the recommended time of year for many trees to be planted. Check for information about your specific tree species for the best recommendations.
The cool air and warm soil of early fall give your plant roots the conditions they need for success.
If planted in the summer season, the roots will usually dry up, as they only occupy the surface layer. When given enough time to establish, the roots can weather the heat of summer and pull moisture from deep below the ground.
Steps for Planting
The steps for planting a shrub, bush, or small tree are all quite similar. Again, the best time to plant is in the fall. While planting in the spring can be viable, your trees and plants will not show the same level of growth as a fall planting.
Step 1: Prepare the Hole and Dig
The planting location of your shrub is essential when it comes to the longevity and viability of the plant. Always avoid planting too close to other woody plants, as they will have to compete for nutrients. Check any other requirements for your specific plant, including sun exposure, water requirements, frost tolerance, and specific time to plant.
Once you have found your site, use a rake to remove any leaves, litter, and old mulch away from the area that your shrub will be planted.
Next, dig a hole that is at least twice the size of the roots of the shrub. Once the dirt has been removed, loosen the soil around the sides of the hole to allow the plant’s rooting systems to travel easier.
Soil fertilizer is not necessary when planting in the fall season. Fertilizer can be added when the weather starts to warm and new growth will occur.
Step 2: Transplant
Now that your hole is prepared, you can remove the plant from its container. Some plants come balled and burlapped and can be planted directly in the ground. However, if the material is synthetic, make sure to remove it before planting. The synthetic material will not decompose.
Before transplanting, inspect the root ball for compacted roots or circular, container-shaped growth. If present, you may break these spots up to allow for more dispersed root growth. Do not worry about hurting the plant or its roots. If you don’t break them up, the plant will continue to be root-bound and will not reach its full potential.
You can now place your root ball in the hole, backfilling with soil to support the plant. The top of the bare root should be just below the surface of the ground. Lightly tamp down your soil to eliminate air pockets. Do not heavily compact the soil.
If you live in a place with cold winters, you may be interested in reading our article about what to do with plants in the winter.
Step 3: Water
Water the newly planted shrub, ensuring that the entire root ball is moist. If your soil settles and uncovers the roots after watering, make sure to add more soil, and lightly tamp down.
Step 4: Add Mulch
Add a layer of mulch around 3 or more inches. This could be shredded leaves, wood chips, or other organic material that you have available. Mulch helps newly planted trees and shrubs retain moisture in their root areas. It also provides a barrier against weeds, ensuring that the new plant does not have to compete for nutrients.
Tips for Raising a Healthy Bush
For the first few weeks, be sure to water your plants just about every day.
After that, read the signs that your plants give you and slowly scale back your watering schedule. Once the dormancy of winter arrives, your watering schedule should be drastically reduced. When the spring warmth arrives, be sure to keep an eye on moisture levels.
You can create a fence around your new shrubs to defend against pesky animals. Too much animal activity can damage trees and the rest of your garden plants. While this usually isn’t a problem in the late fall and winter, the spring and summer animals can cause quick damage to your foliage.
Pruning a bush may help keep it healthy. For shrub-type plants, you can thin out dead, damaged, and diseased branches as often as possible. Trees will need different methods of pruning, depending on the species. Generally, fall and winter are the best times for pruning most trees.
When the summer growing season arrives this year, you can enjoy the vibrant growth and blooms from your trees and plants. You will be proud that you planned ahead and planted the previous fall! Next year, your neighbors might take note of your wisdom and do the same!
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Rules for planting fruit trees and shrubs
It is possible to plant fruit and berry plants with an open root system (ACS) in the spring from the moment the soil thaws until the buds swell (this is only 10-15 days), in the fall from the beginning of mass leaf fall until the onset of frost.
Apple trees, pears and stone fruits are planted in the spring as early as possible, seedlings of fruit bushes are planted, even when the buds have already blossomed a little. Saplings of fruit trees and shrubs in containers are planted throughout the season, from mid-April to mid-November. Summer planting of leafy seedlings from containers is best done in cloudy, rainy weather.
For laying an orchard, it is preferable to choose large, well-developed 1-2 year old seedlings that will quickly grow and in a few years will be able to begin to bear fruit. Under fruit and berry crops, it is customary to make pits round, choosing a diameter and depth depending on the type of fruit crops, soil type and groundwater occurrence.
On light loams with deep groundwater (about 2 m), pits for apple and pear trees on a vigorous rootstock are dug with a diameter of at least 1 m and a depth of 60 cm. For trees on a semi-dwarf rootstock, the diameter of the pit is 1 m and a depth of 40 cm.
90 cm, depth 40 cm. Cherry, plum, sea buckthorn, chokeberry, irga are planted in pits with a diameter of 80 cm and a depth of 40 cm. Planting pits for raspberries, blackberries with a diameter of 50 cm, a depth of 30 cm. a pit 50-60 cm deep and wide.
On heavy clay soil, the pits are made wider, but smaller, because due to the poor permeability of the clay, the water will stagnate and the roots will begin to rot. On dense, heavy soils, it is necessary to loosen the bottom and side walls of the pit with a fork or shovel, otherwise the roots of the planted plants, reaching the compacted layer, will loop and remain in the limited volume of the planting pit. If the soils on the site are heavy and the groundwater level is at a depth of less than 1.5 m, drainage should be constructed. Alternatively, in such places it is possible to plant trees and large shrubs on ridges and artificial elevations.
When digging a hole, the upper, humus layer of soil is set aside, and the lower soil is removed.
The pit is filled with a fertile substrate, which is prepared by mixing the top layer with soddy and leafy soil, peat, humus and sand in different proportions, depending on the crop being planted. Organic and mineral fertilizers are added to the bottom of the pit, but in such a way that the roots of the seedlings do not come into direct contact with them. When planting, one should not abuse the application of mineral fertilizers, with a single application of large doses of mineral fertilizers, the roots of the seedling are unable to effectively supply the plant with moisture. A stake is set in the center of the pit, to which a tree will then be tied. The tree is installed on the north or northeast side of the stake (it will protect the tree from overheating by the sun's rays). You need to tie the tree up with a figure eight so that it does not hang on the stake after the soil has settled.
The general rule for planting all fruit seedlings: before planting, the container with the seedling must be immersed in a container with water for 1-2 hours , so that the earth ball is soaked with water.
Planting depth is also important. The root neck of the seedling should not be buried. In this case, the trees suffer more from frost, burns, cancer and leaf spot. Many gardeners confuse the root collar with the grafting site. To correctly locate the root neck, wipe with a damp cloth part of the trunk (stem) and the beginning of the main (skeletal) roots. You will notice that in one place the bark on the tree changes color: from greenish it becomes light brown, this place is the border of the root collar. When planting, the root neck is placed 3-6 cm above the soil level; after the earth has set, it will be at the level of the soil surface.
When planting, the soil around the seedlings is compacted, and earthen rollers 10-15 cm high are arranged on top along the contour of the planting pit, and, regardless of the weather, they are watered abundantly (2-3 buckets of water for each plant). After watering, the hole is mulched with a layer of peat, compost or old foliage. This will not allow moisture to evaporate quickly and a crust does not form on the surface of the soil.
After planting (after 7-10 days), they are watered with a root formation stimulator and foliar top dressing is carried out. Good results are given by epin (7-10 drops per glass of water) and zircon (1 ml per 10 liters of water).
Below we consider the planting of the main fruit crops in more detail.
Planting grapes
The vine needs to be given the warmest place in the garden, it can be a wall of a house, a garage, or an outbuilding. Do not allow rainwater to run off the roof onto the vines.
The distance between plants is 1 m. When planting several bushes, they dig a trench. Root collar at ground level. The optimal acidity of the soil is pH 6.5-7.5. Soil - rotted manure (or peat compost), 150 g of superphosphate and 800 g of wood ash.
Mix the fertilizer well with the rest of the nutrient mixture. Be sure to install supports and drainage.
Drainage: put river pebbles, gravel or broken bricks at the bottom of the pit. In June, grapes are fed with a solution of mineral fertilizers: for 1 plant 40 g of urea, 80 g of superphosphate and 30 g of potassium chloride, 10 liters of water. In July, foliar top dressing of weakened plants can be done with nitrogen fertilizer 40 g of urea or 15 g of ammonium nitrate per 10 liters of water. Organic fertilizers must be embedded in the soil. Water the grapes at least 8 times a season in a bucket per plant. After watering, it is necessary to loosen the soil. It is imperative to cover the grapes for the winter. Cover the root neck with dry leaves and spud 15-25 cm, sprinkled with peat or earth.
Planting cherries and sweet cherries
The distance between plants is 1.5-2 m. The root collar is 3-5 cm above ground level. Soil mixture: leaf or garden soil, sand (3: 1).
10-15 kg of organic fertilizers, 150-300 g phosphorus, 40-80 g potash or 500 g ash. Liming is carried out on acidic soils. Nitrogen fertilizers are applied in spring, phosphorus and potash fertilizers in autumn. Organic fertilizers can be applied in autumn and spring (8-10 kg per 1 sq.m.).
Young plants in the dry season are watered often and plentifully. In autumn, the soil is dug up to a depth of 15-20 cm. In the season, the soil is loosened 3-4 times. The best place for cherries is open sunny spaces with good aeration. For cherries, choose the warmest, most elevated and protected from cold winds areas.
Planting blueberries
The soil when planting blueberries should have a pH of 4.0 to 5.2. It is recommended not to use organic fertilizer, only peat or softwood sawdust can be used. The soil must be with good drainage. Groundwater should not exceed 50-60 cm of depth to the surface of the earth. Otherwise, it is necessary to make a bulk furrow for planting.
On a personal plot, it is necessary to dig a hole with a diameter of 40 cm and fill it with a substrate that contains acid peat and soil in a ratio of 1: 1. Seedlings are planted 5-10 cm deeper than it grew before. If planting occurs in the fall, then top dressing is not performed. In the spring, fertilize with mineral fertilizers that acidify the soil. After fertilizing, it is imperative to shed water. You can use different mineral fertilizers, but in no case overfertilize with nitrogen.
In autumn, it is recommended to make ground bedding (mulch) with sawdust, bark or peat. Flowers during flowering tolerate temperatures of -2°C, if the temperature is lower, then it must be protected by spraying or otherwise. For planting, choose sunny, windless places. During fruiting, each bush requires 8 liters of water per day. To achieve a large berry, it is recommended to cut the branches, leaving the bush with 5-7 branches. Berries are formed on the branches of the previous year.
Pear planting
The distance between plants in groups is 3-4 m. The root neck is 3-4 cm above the soil level. When planting under one tree, 60 kg of rotted manure or humus, 1.5 kg of superphosphate, 0.7 kg of potassium chloride and 3 kg of lime are added. Prefers slightly acidic soils or neutral (pH 6-6.5), well aerated soils.
Fertilizers are applied once every 2-3 years in the spring at the rate of 4-5 kg of peat or manure per 1 sq. m. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied in the fall. In dry weather, water after 20 days. Pears are loosened to a depth of 10 cm. They are mulched with rotted manure, peat, compost with a layer of 6-8 cm. In the spring, 2-3 weeks before the start of the growing season, broken, dry and diseased branches are cut out, and the crown is thinned out. Tops are cut out as they appear.
Planting honeysuckle
The distance between plants is 1.5-2 m. The root neck should be at ground level, when planted 3-5 cm higher.
Soil mixture: soddy land, humus or peat and sand in a ratio of 3:1:1. Optimal soil acidity pH 7.0-8.5. Drainage: A layer of broken brick or gravel 5-7 cm. Early in the spring, feed the plants with mineral fertilizer at the rate of 20-30 g/sq. m, before flowering, 3 liquid top dressings are produced: 10-20 g of nitroammophoska per 10 liters of water.
Foliar top dressing: 0.1% urea, 1% superphosphate, 0.5% potassium chloride. Summer sprinkling alternates with foliar top dressing. In autumn, wood ash (100-200 g / sq.m.) is brought in for digging. The recommended rate of fertilizer application per planting pit for honeysuckle is 5-7 kg of manure, 50-80 g of superphosphate and 40-50 g of potassium salt.
Watered 7-8 times a season, 1.5-2 buckets of water per plant. In the first year, water more and more often, then watering is reduced to a bucket. In hot weather, young plants are watered more often and more abundantly. Loosening is carried out 4-5 times a season when weeding or in case of soil compaction.
They loosen a shovel on a bayonet, since the depth of the roots is 40-50 cm, the trunk circle is large 1-1.5 m. Mulch with peat. layer 5-7 cm.
Planting gooseberries
Gooseberries are planted in an ordinary way with an inter-row space of 1.3-1.5 m, and distances of 1 m between plants. Gooseberry care is mainly limited to weeding, which is best done by hand so as not to damage the roots located close to the surface of the earth, watering and top dressing. The nutritional needs of gooseberries are met by creating a new protective layer once a year from compost and other organic fertilizers - bone and blood meal, etc. It also performs a protective function and contributes to the rapid fruiting of plants.
Planting raspberries and blackberries
Planted in a sunny position protected from the wind. Raspberries do not tolerate close groundwater and soil salinity. The distance between the bushes is not less than 0.7 m. The root neck is at ground level.
The soil is a mixture of peat and sod land (1: 1). 4-5 kg of humus or compost, 100 g of superphosphate and 50 g of potassium sulfate are added to the planting pit. Optimum soil acidity pH 5.8-6.7 On acidic soils, apply lime at the rate of 200-400 g per 1 sq.m.
Supports are required. Annually (3 times a season) fertilize with urea. 1st - in May, 2nd - two weeks later, 3rd - two weeks after the second (5 mg / l each). After 2-3 years, phosphate fertilizers (superphosphate -30 mg / l), potash fertilizers (potassium sulfate - 15 mg / l) are applied. Organic fertilizers are applied in the fall when digging plants. When planting, water 1 bucket per plant, then as needed. After planting, mulch with peat, humus, foliage, bark, needles or black plastic wrap.
Planting plums and cherry plums
Plum is photophilous. The distance between plants is 4-5 m, for low-growing varieties 2.5-3 m. Keep in mind that plum is a more heat-loving crop compared to cherries.
Plum prefers fresh fertile or clay soils, does not tolerate stagnant waterlogging. Soil mixture: sheet earth, humus, sand (3:2:1) with the addition of lime or dolomite flour (200-300 g) per planting hole.
Watering is required when planting and in the next 3-4 days. Relatively well tolerates a short drought. Young plants in the dry season require more frequent watering. Loosening is carried out to a depth of 5 cm in order to destroy weeds. In early spring and late spring - early summer, fertilizing with nitrogen-containing fertilizers is carried out; autumn - potassium-phosphorus. Mulching the trunk circle with peat, peat compost, wood chips. The thickness of the mulched layer is 8-10 cm.
Planting currants
Planted obliquely, at an angle of 30-40 degrees. It is very important to deepen the root neck of blackcurrant by 5-8 cm. With such a planting, the part of the stem that is in the ground gives a lot of basal shoots and additional roots.
A strong bush is formed. For red and white currants - vertical planting - so that the root neck is at the level of the soil. The distance between plants in a row is 1.5 meters, between rows - 2 meters. Currants can also be placed in a checkerboard pattern, this is even better - it is more convenient to care for, pick berries, and the bushes will be treated kindly by the sun.
Thoroughly mix a bucket of humus, 200 g of superphosphate, 50 g of potassium sulfate, 150 g of wood ash with the top fertile soil layer. Never use potassium chloride. Currant is very affected by chlorine. Cut the seedling before planting, leave 5-7 buds. This will help form a good bush in the future. Do not water the bushes every day a little bit. It harms the plants. A crust forms, the soil is compacted, the roots do not have enough air. Moisture evaporates faster. Water currant bushes once every two weeks, but plentifully. At least 3 buckets per bush, and more in case of drought. After a day or two, when the soil dries up, loosen it and mulch it with peat, humus, old sawdust or straw, forest litter.
Mulch will retain moisture, reduce weeds, and make it easier to care for plants.
Planting an apple tree
The root neck is 5-7 cm above the soil level. 2-3 buckets of compost or humus, 200-300 g of superphosphate and 60-80 g of potassium salt are added to the planting pit. Optimal soil acidity pH 6-6.5. With strong acidity, the soil is limed (1 kg of lime is added), and instead of superphosphate, phosphate rock is added.
Organic fertilizers are applied once every 2-3 years in the spring at the rate of 4-5 kg of peat or manure per 1 sq. ). Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied in the fall (30-40 g of superphosphate, 20-25 g of potassium chloride per 1 sq m).
After planting 2 buckets of water per 1 plant. In dry weather, water once a week. Loosening is carried out in the spring when weeds are removed to a depth of 20-25 cm; mulching with humus or peat with a layer of 5-7 cm. In the spring, 2-3 weeks before the start of the growing season, dry, broken, diseased branches are cut out, and the crown is thinned out.
Tops are cut out as they appear.
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To the listPlanting fruit trees and shrubs in autumn
The time has come for planting fruit trees and shrubs in autumn. It starts in early September and ends, as a rule, in the third decade of October (depending on the climate of a particular region).
We have received many questions from you on this very important topic, and we will try to answer the most common ones.
Are there any special features of the autumn planting of fruit trees and shrubs?
Galina Pervova, Perm region .
Of course there are. And the main thing is that in autumn the period of rooting and survival of plants is much shorter than in spring.
On the other hand, the range of plants offered is much wider, and the quality of the material just dug out is much higher. Yes, the price is lower.
Although if you buy seedlings from us, the quality of the plants we offer with ZKS is the same both in spring and in autumn.
And the varieties correspond to the passport, which cannot be said about market products.
There is a terrible sorting, and there are a lot of cases of sale of diseased and pest-infested bushes and trees. We don't have that.
Planting of fruit trees and shrubs with ZKS ensures quick establishment and minimum care. I planted such seedlings on my site, spent one or two waterings, and then autumn rains and moderate temperatures will help the plants quickly prepare for the coming winter, because root growth continues even at a temperature of + 3 degrees.
The main thing is to plant on time! Plants should have at least a month before a hard frost to establish and adapt.
In the middle lane, in the Urals and Siberia, the deadline for planting fruit trees and shrubs is October 12th.
Before the onset of cold weather, do not forget to insulate the near-stem circles of young plants. To do this, use fallen leaves (30 cm layer) and spruce branches.
A few years ago we bought a plot.
First, they built a house and planted a garden. Fruit trees were planted this spring, and we plan to plant fruit bushes in the fall. Tell me, which ones are better for us to plant now, and which ones to leave for spring?
Marina Tkachenko, Moscow region
Planting shrubs on a new site is a very responsible business, because it is with their help that a landscape relief is created, future planning is emphasized and a gradual transition from a residential area to an orchard, and then to a recreation area and outbuildings is ensured.
Fruit and ornamental shrubs serve as capacious, bright and beautiful border sections between them.
As a rule, fruit shrubs take root very quickly and well in a new place. Almost all of them love the sun (then the fruits and berries will ripen faster, be larger and sweeter), neutral soils (with the exception of blueberries, which bear fruit only on acidic lands), and do not tolerate stagnant melt and rain water.
Plant them, as a rule, in planting pits with a depth of 30-40 cm and a diameter of 40-50 cm. The distance between the bushes is 1.2-1.5 m. compost, sand and leafy soil. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers and wood ash are added to each pit.
If you want to taste the first berries in a year, be sure to plant black, red and white currants, gooseberries and honeysuckle in autumn.
In general, rose hips, hawthorn, barberry, viburnum, sea buckthorn, blueberries, and black chokeberry take root very well in autumn.
It is better to leave the planting of common and remontant raspberries, as well as blackberries and blackberries, in the spring. The terms of their autumn planting are more compressed - until September 25, since they take root more difficult.
Read more about how to plant fruit shrubs and how to take care of them in the future in our articles:
grow garden raspberries”, “How to grow currants”, “How to grow rosehips in the garden”, “How to care for remontant raspberries”, “Viburnum in your garden”, “The best varieties of sea buckthorn do not have thorns”.
Tell me, please, is there any difference between spring and autumn planting of fruit trees, and how to plant them correctly?
Marina Samoilova, Chelyabinsk region
Absolutely. The composition of fertilizers applied during planting is fundamentally different. In the spring, nitrogen fertilizers are first applied to the planting pits. They are necessary for young plants in the spring to give a powerful impetus for rapid growth and development.
When planting in autumn, it is strictly forbidden to apply nitrogen nutrition for any crops!
All plants fall asleep in autumn. Their leaves fall, sap flow stops, they enter a state of rest. And seedlings of fruit trees are in this state. They only continue to grow roots, which ends after the soil freezes.
If you feed them with nitrogen in this state, they will “wake up” and begin to form new buds. The plant will enter a state of stress, which will weaken it so much that it may not be able to endure the approaching cold weather.
The main fertilizers for autumn feeding are phosphorus-potassium with a whole range of microelements and useful substances.
Planting holes for fruit trees are made large enough so that roots in loose, fertile soil can easily develop, then the rooting process will go faster.
Usually, the dimensions of pits for planting fruit trees are: depth - 45 - 50 cm, width 55 - 65 cm. Distance between seedlings - 3.5 - 4 m.
fertile aside. If your soils are heavy, clayey, lay a drainage of crushed stone or broken bricks at the bottom with a layer of 10 cm. It will help retain moisture in the root layer.
Planting soil is prepared from a fertile soil layer, rotted manure or compost, sand and leafy soil in equal quantities. Fill the hole with this mixture by 1/3 and add to each 2 tbsp. spoons of superphosphate, a tablespoon of potassium sulfate and a liter jar of wood ash.
If your soils are acidic, add a glass of dolomite flour or crushed chalk to each planting hole.
Before planting, drive a planting stake, 1.5 - 1.8 m long (depending on the size of the seedling), into the middle of each hole, to which, after planting, you will tie the young tree so that it does not break off under the weight of snow or from strong winds.
Then two of you land. One person holds the seedling, the second one covers its roots with earth. After planting, the soil around the roots is trampled down so that no voids form between the roots, the seedlings are watered abundantly (2 watering cans for each), and the tree trunks are mulched with fallen leaves or straw.
We bought a plot, but there are no fruit trees on it. Only vegetable gardens and greenhouses. We want to plant apple trees, pears, apricots, cherries, cherries and plums in the fall. Tell me, is it possible to plant heat-loving trees in the fall, or is it better to wait until spring? And yet, will almonds grow in our conditions?
Andrey Orlov, Yekaterinburg
Yes, in your zone you can safely plant all the crops you listed in the fall except for almonds.
