To plant young trees in open ground, a hole should be dug with a depth of 40 centimeters to 1 meter, depending on the type of tree. On the territory of most summer cottages, a ball of fertile soil is about 30 centimeters, and then clay begins.
Many amateur gardeners are not worried about this, and the prepared pit is covered with organic and mineral fertilizers. The first few years, young trees grow well, develop and bear fruit, but at a certain point they begin to dry out, wither and disappear. The main reason for this phenomenon is considered to be the lack of micronutrients, because the effect of the applied fertilizers ends, and it is not possible to draw them from the soil, since the root is surrounded by impenetrable clay.
The root system of such a tree develops only within the limits of the excavated pit and a "flowerpot effect" is formed. The growing root fills the entire volume of the pit - this leads to a shortage of its nutrition and, as a result, death.
In the case of a small layer of fertile land in the summer cottage or a close location of groundwater, the standard method of planting seedlings of fruit trees is not suitable. Then it is recommended to use other landing methods: mounds or grooves.
The grooving method is perfect in cases where there is not a large amount of soil with high fertility or the possibility of fertilizing to increase the fertile area.
First, you need to prepare a pit the size of the root system of a young tree, without affecting the clay layer. In different directions from the dug pit, four holes 1 meter long and about 20 centimeters wide should be dug. The prepared trench must be filled with organic matter, which can be: small branches, wood chips, bark, needles, shavings, thyrsus. It is not recommended to use grass, paper, leaves, food scraps, since they have a short decay period.
The prepared organic matter must be pre-soaked for one day in a special solution. For its preparation, it is necessary to combine 12 grams of superphosphate and potassium salt, 20 grams of sugar, a drug to stimulate root formation. All ingredients are dissolved in one bucket of water, which is filled with organic matter. The prepared organic material is laid in a dense layer in the pit so that it can reach the roots of the fruit tree.
At the next stage, water is poured into the pit, the seedling is installed and the pit, together with the grooves, is covered with soil. At the same time, you do not need to plant a young tree too deep in the pit. The root collar of a young tree should be at ground level. After all, it is in this area that the root grows into the trunk.
The advantages of this method are that at first the young tree will be able to feed from the soil layer.Then, when the root system begins to actively develop, it will be able to replenish the necessary supply of trace elements from adjacent grooves in which organic waste is located. This will form a healthy and powerful root. After a few years, the filler of the grooves will shrink a little, so they need to fill up the earth or mulch the surface with organic materials.
Planting fruit trees on a mound
In the presence of land plots with a high level of humidity, wetlands, and also if the ball of fertile soil does not exceed 20 centimeters, the method of planting on hills is used to plant seedlings of young trees. The essence of the method is to independently create the necessary fertile soil layer in its absence.
To implement it, you need to stock up on a sufficiently large amount of land. Indeed, for each fruit tree, it is necessary to build an embankment up to 50 centimeters high and 1 meter in diameter.
Before planting, you must first dig up the area to a depth of 10 centimeters. Then you need to drive a stake into the ground and pour an earthen mound of the required size around it. A fruit tree sits in the center of the embankment, the trunk of which is attached to a hammered peg.
Over time, as the root system of the seedling develops, fertilization of the earthen mound with organic and mineral substances should be carried out. Every year it is necessary to expand the tree feeding area: from 30 centimeters to 4 meters in diameter. Before the seedling begins to bear fruit, the bed will be fully formed.
Planting fruit trees followed by mulching
If there is a small fertile sphere of earth and there is no close location of groundwater to the surface, for planting fruit trees, you can use the method of planting in small pits with mulching.
To do this, you must first prepare an area of one and a half meters. Several buckets of humus, manure and compost are scattered on it. You also need to scatter 50 grams of urea, 150 grams of superphosphate and 40 potassium sulfate. The garden needs to be dug up.
In the middle of the prepared area, you need to dig a pit according to the size of the root system of the fruit tree, while you do not need to go deep to the clay layer. The tree is set in a hole and covered with soil, but do not plant the tree too deeply. Next, the fresh seedling is watered.
If, after planting, the earth has settled a little, you should fill it up and mulch using straw, grass, rotten sawdust, peat, which are covered around a tree trunk about five centimeters thick. This method will help protect the underdeveloped root system from a lack of moisture and nutrients that are so necessary for its development and strengthening.
In the future, mulching should be continued, but at the same time it is necessary to retreat from the tree trunk by 20 centimeters. This will help avoid purulent processes.
The listed methods of planting seedlings contribute to the growth of a fertile layer around the tree, which feeds on the root. Regardless of the method of planting a tree, in the first two months, you need to water the seedlings abundantly, at least once a week.
