Plant your trees in their permanent position as soon as you can after receiving them. If for any reason you are unable to plant immediately you can keep the trees for a few days in a cold but frost free garage or shed, preferably in their original packaging. If unpacked keep the roots in the polythene bag in which they were supplied and ensure that they stay moist and protected from frost. You can keep the trees for longer by heeling them in a temporary position in the garden. Dig a trench. Place the roots in the trench with the trees leaning at an angle. Cover the roots well with soil. In this way the roots will not dry out and will be protected from frost. It is best to plant trees before new root growth starts usually in early March. In any event you should plant before spring growth starts.
Planting trees
Do not plant if the ground is frozen or waterlogged. Do not dig the holes until you are ready to plant as they are likely to become filled with rainwater and waterlogged. Dig a hole that will accommodate the roots comfortably with room to spare in every direction. Loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole with a spade or fork. Prune back any excessively long roots. It is not usually necessary to rehydrate the roots particularly if your soil is reasonably moist at the time of planting but if the roots are very dry cut the tips off and place the roots in water for two hours before planting. We avoid washing the soil out of the roots after lifting because the remaining soil helps retain moisture on the roots.
If you have reasonable soil you should use the soil that you have dug out to fill in the hole. If your soil is very heavy you should mix in sharp sand and peat or compost. If it is very sandy you should mix in peat or compost. On the whole it is best not to change the soil around the tree too much from the surrounding area. You should also add some slow acting fertiliser such as bonemeal.
Plant trees at the same depth as they had been before being lifted. The soil mark should be easy to see. It is usually not more than 2 inches/5 cm above the highest roots. Avoid planting the tree too deep. In any event the union between the rootstock and scion (which is usually clearly visible as a kink in the stem and about 6 inches/15cm above soil level) should never be buried under the soil. When filling in the hole make sure that the soil gets round the roots and tread in well after planting.
All newly planted trees should be tied to stakes. Very dwarfing apples on M27 and M9 will need support throughout their lives. Other trees need staking for the first 4-5 years. For dwarf apple and pear trees being trained as dwarf pyramids or spindle bushes use a single long stake with 6ft/1.8m out of the ground. For trees being trained as bush, half standard standards use two short stakes with 2-3ft/0.6-0.9m out of the ground, with the tree tied in between. Put in the stakes in before you plant the tree to avoid damaging the roots. Make sure that the stake is far enough from the tree and use good tree ties to prevent the tree from rubbing against the stake.
If you have rabbits you must protect the trees against them. Do not leave trees out even for one night without protection. Use wire mesh rabbit fencing tied in the form of a loose cylinder around the tree. Plastic spiral guards are cheaper but less effective and durable, and can be harmful to the tree. Do not use forestry type plastic tubes which are not at all suitable for fruit trees.
Early care of trees
In dry conditions young trees may need watering. Unless the ground is very dry or you are planting very late in the season (after the end of March) it is not necessary to water when planting. Avoid over watering particularly in the spring as this will only encourage excessive leaf development, which the roots may not be able to support in hot dry summer conditions. It may also discourage roots from going deep.
Keep an area of at least 3 ft in diameter around each tree free of weeds and grass. Prevent young trees from producing fruit in their first year by removing blossom or young fruit. It is also particularly important to keep young trees free of pests and diseases so that they establish better.
Do I need a pollinator?
Some fruit trees are self-fertile and will produce a good crop on their own. Most however, require or will benefit from a pollination partner. The pollination partner must be a different variety of the same fruit species which flowers at about the same time and is compatible in other respects. Our database provides you with a very easy and quick method of finding suitable pollination partners. By clicking Show Suitable Pollination Partners on the descriptive page of a variety, you can see a full list of pollinators for that variety.
Pruning and feeding
Fruit trees need pruning both for shape and improved fruit production. It is important to prune young trees from the first year in order to develop them into the shape required, otherwise they will not develop into attractive trees.
Mature apple and pear trees need regular pruning to ensure a good crop. This is best done in late winter. Stone fruit do not need such regular pruning but should nevertheless be pruned to avoid overcrowding and to encourage replacement of older less productive wood with new growth. Stone fruit should not be pruned in the winter but in early spring after break of dormancy but before leaves are fully open. It is not possible to elaborate on the techniques of pruning here. Many good gardening books explain the techniques. In practice pruning is much less complicated than most books make it sound. We hope to add pages on pruning and training fruit trees on this website in the near future.
Feed the trees once a year with a general fertiliser in March before growth starts. Mulch around the trees with well rotted compost or manure.