The apple tree is our most popular garden tree. But novice gardeners sometimes have a lot of questions regarding the care of her. Many problems are caused by how to plant an apple tree in the fall. We will try to give the most detailed answer to this question.
Why is vaccination needed at all?
This is done immediately in several cases:
- When you need a new tree, but do not want to lose varietal properties. The fact is that all modern apple trees after propagation by seeds become similar to their wild ancestors, but not to cultivated trees. But after vaccination, it is possible to completely preserve all the best that was lovingly fostered by breeders.
- The same method can be used when there is not enough space in your garden, but there is a ready-made "platform" in the form of a low-value tree.
- With the help of vaccination, it is easy to restore a damaged plant.
Is it possible to plant an apple tree in autumn?
In fact, the best time for this action is spring, when the intensive movement of juice in the trunk has not yet begun. That is, they are doing this most often in late April, when the temperature reaches + 7 + 9 degrees Celsius.
Since it is possible to plant an apple tree in the fall at this temperature, you will succeed if you follow the procedures exactly. However, there is one “but”! Since vegetation processes stop in the fall, it is not recommended to conduct such an experiment with a shank or tree that already grows in the soil. You can ruin both the scion and the stock itself.
So how to plant an apple tree in the fall or not? Of course! You just have to dodge a little. To do this, you need a large and relatively warm basement. In it we drag the right amount of seedlings, plant them, and then plant them in a container of a suitable size.
Maintaining a constant and not too high temperature (15-17 degrees) in such a "bomb shelter", we maintain our grafted apple trees throughout the winter. After the favorable spring days, they can be pulled out and planted in the ground.
The methodology of the process is no different from the spring. Of course, before this you need to have a ready-made stalk, “equipped” with at least a pair of buds. Dirt from the bark must be removed carefully and completely. All tools, as well as the vaccination site and stock, are washed with clean boiled water.
However, before you properly plant the apple tree in the fall, it does not hurt to treat the tools with alcohol or another antiseptic.
The knife must be taken with the highest possible sharpness. If possible, it is better to use a dangerous razor. Cuts that were applied with a sharp tool heal much faster.
We will analyze the simplest vaccination, "for the bark":
- The main branch is cut so that at least 0.7 m remains to the trunk.
- The saw cut itself is carefully cleaned with a sharp knife.
- On a branch, a cut is made up to 6 cm long, and you need to make sure that the knife goes into the wood.
- Spread the rootstock bark.
- The graft cuttings are cut, and the cut should be oblique.
- After this, the scion is inserted behind the rootstock bark.
- The vaccination site is covered with var and bandaged with electrical tape or similar material.
Here's how to plant an apple tree in the fall! You may notice that there is nothing extremely complicated in this process.