our apple tree planting project

realspeed

realspeed

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Bazza
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We used to had 2 apple trees and a pear tree but they hardly had any fruit so we took them out. I suggested a little alteration in another part of another "flower" bed that had two huge bushes that did nothing apart from putting out a bit of greenery. So today started a project to have them out and replace with 2x apple and a plum or pear tree.

This is what we took out today

how it was

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now with the top removed we then cut up that which had been taken off and bagged up
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What a struggle to remove the stump. It took me 3 hours to clear around it with cutting roots, even then my son helped get it out of the ground. A real pig to shift, longest part was getting down to the main roots nearly 2ft below the surface. Filled a wheelbarrow full of earth that was removed and still had to dig out more

buy this time it was 4.30pm and getting dark

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Tomorrow that will be cut up, I have a chain saw, after the earth is removed from the stump. Then tackling the other tree on the left. This when all cleared should make a decent place for the new trees to go in. The Boss "er indoors" has to decide on which trees she wants, then go and get them
Our garage is full of bags of garden rubbish waiting to go down the council tip at the moment, but we do have a very large garage to store it all in

I will post more on here as we progress over the next few days/weeks depending on getting the new trees and weather etc
 
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BB
Thanks for the link, I have passed it onto the Boss so she can look at it
 
Great idea. Apples come on different rootstocks so its easy to find one of a suitable size for your garden. Some are self fertile but most need another tree for fertilisation so that will be easy as you going for two.

I think apple trees are a good addition to a garden. The blossom is attractive, the smaller birds check the bark for insects, blackbirds and wasps make use of the fallen fruit and you get some apples.

Dave
 
All sorts of reasons for lack of fruit! Have you checked if there are suitable pollinators nearby for your new trees. Crab apples will also do the job. Some are self fertile but I seem to remember cross pollination is generally better.

Don’t forget that fruit trees often vary in cropping from year to year and a big crop is often followed by a smaller one.

You might consider a ‘family tree’ where several varieties are grafted together which also solves the fertilisation problem.
 
That isn't a huge space to put 3 fruit trees in unless you are going for cordon or ballerina types. Be very careful in your choices of tree! And make sure you enrich the ground well before planting.
 
Also, in the original photo it looks like it has been clipped like a hedge which won’t be very conducive to cropping ;)
Edit: talking rubbish as usual :).
 
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sphexx said:
Also, in the original photo it looks like it has been clipped like a hedge which won’t be very conducive to cropping ;)
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I had to re-read the OP..........;)
 
Yeah, pulling out stumps is *hard*.

Interested in this project. We have a typical new build garden with fence, lawn and nothing else. Since we're in Kent, apples will be a backbone of the garden :) Interested to see what you plant.
 
JonathanRyan said:
Yeah, pulling out stumps is *hard*.

Interested in this project. We have a typical new build garden with fence, lawn and nothing else. Since we're in Kent, apples will be a backbone of the garden :) Interested to see what you plant.
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Kent Cob.
 
Until we actually clear the space we don't know the exact area we have available. Talked it over with the BOSS and she is thinking more of just 2 apple trees considering growth size.
At the moment all concentration is on removing last old bush now the big one has got out of the way. Next is to see anything else need recovering like pansies etc.
Once all that is done we can concentrate of getting the right fertilizer etc in so quite a bit to do yet.
went down the dump this morning to get rid of some of it and also chain sawed the rest of the trunk up shown in the last picture.
Tomorrow it is another trip to the dump and weather allowing start the removal of the other bush. Looks more like a hedge cutting job
 
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TBH, I'd be looking to plant the trees away from where there have been trees - they can be greedy bu99ers and might not have left much in the way of nutrients for the next inhabitants of that area. Choice of varieties is up to you the BOSS - I'd go for an eater and a cooker myself (or a dual purpose instead of a cooker).
 
That is why we are preparing the site now. First fertilizer then early spring next year possibly get the trees. Give the ground a chance to settle
 
day 2

Yet another trip to the dump completed this morning and attacked the other bush as well. Managed to get it out and just got to get the earth off the stump. still in bottom picture

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apart from that the area is now ready to prepared for whatever digging over and fertilizer.

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Just measured and it about 20ft cleared, so looks like just 2 apple trees
 
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JonathanRyan said:
I'm still confused - are you planting apples or cobnuts?
You could fit 3 or 4 M27s in that space. They could shelter below the fence line.
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There’s such wide choice in small apple trees these days, some suitable for pots and the ‘stepovers’ that are only 2 foot tall or less. Given there’s a fence, and depending on aspect, cordons or similar might do.
+1 for mention of M27 (Malling dwarfing rootstock #27). I briefly did a holiday job helping Codling Moth in Apples research at East Malling Research Station in 1961 . Spent a lot of time cutting up apples looking for the maggots.
 
Might just about get away with a peach if it's a sheltered spot with plenty of sun.
 
Nod said:
Might just about get away with a peach if it's a sheltered spot with plenty of sun.
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Easiest fruit to grow, if you like them, is Fig Brown Turkey.
 
We've had about 10 properly ripe and un-nibbled off our (Brown Turkey) fig in the dozen or so years we've had it! Doesn't help that we're away just as the bu99ers are ripening so the birds get the bulk! We console ourselves with the fact that we're in Crete and the wild figs there are far better and perfect when eaten warm from the tree (after a quick rinse to get the dust off.)
 
Nod said:
We've had about 10 properly ripe and un-nibbled off our (Brown Turkey) fig in the dozen or so years we've had it! Doesn't help that we're away just as the bu99ers are ripening so the birds get the bulk! We console ourselves with the fact that we're in Crete and the wild figs there are far better and perfect when eaten warm from the tree (after a quick rinse to get the dust off.)
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I get plenty of ripe ones but you do have to beat the birds to them. I find I have to check and pick every morning since they don’t really ripen off the tree — maybe picked half a day early they do. They droop as they swell and ripen so can just about be spotted visually.
 
Ordered 2 apple trees this evening a James grieve and a fiesta both compatible with each other. M27 size. A!so 2 x bags of rootgrow with support stakes
 
James Grieve is excellent — and considered dual purpose I think. My parents planted one in 1938 and it kept us going through WW2.
 
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Just unpacked in here. Too windy outside to leave as is incase they fall over

Massive great stakes to give them support as well, not those that came with the tree as in photo
 
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Jesus you expecting a hurricane?Those stakes are big enough to moor a ship.
You only need to support the main stem low down to prevent the root ball moving. The actual tree doesn’t need supporting
 
Depends how deep you pounded the stakes. I always tried to get them down a yard or so and at the very least 2'. If there was ANY sign of rocking, I'd heave the stake out and try again.
 
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thank you for the help with stake height , now down to what James suggested. They wont shift as banged in with a sledge hammer
 
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realspeed said:
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thank you for the help with stake height , now down to what James suggested. They wont shift as banged in with a sledge hammer
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It’s always a difficult balance. Root growth anchoring the stem in the ground responds to wind movement of the stem so other things equal you get a stronger tree by planting a really tiny one with no staking. You can’t really do that with grafted apple trees because they are necessarily larger and if you don’t stake them wind rock will be excessive and stop them rooting properly. I think the modern compromise is roughly what you’ve done, very firm stake but tree tied low down — usually people put the stake at an angle.
 
Update 3 months on


I was worrying if these new apple trees would survive all this wet weather. So just been out to check and very tiny red tips on the branches have got a bit bigger



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FOtIGBd
So fingers crossed so far so good as they say
 
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Check the "instructions" on the tree to see if you're supposed to allow it to fruit in its first year. When I did a C&G (IIRC) in horticulture some years back, it was usual to allow the tree to flower but to remove any embryonic fruits so the tree put as much energy as possible into establishing a better root system.
 
Nod said:
Check the "instructions" on the tree to see if you're supposed to allow it to fruit in its first year. When I did a C&G (IIRC) in horticulture some years back, it was usual to allow the tree to flower but to remove any embryonic fruits so the tree put as much energy as possible into establishing a better root system.
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+1
 
yes that is what we plan to do, to stop them fruiting in the first year. Thanks for the reminders
 
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