Management 1 Planting
Pre-planting: the trees
Trees for planting, unless they are very large, are bare-rooted or potted.
Once you receive bare-root trees, heel them immediately provided the soil is not frozen or excessively wet. If it is, keep the trees in their packaging in a cool frost-free place and ensure that the roots are kept moist, if necessary opening the packaging periodically to moisten them. .
Potted plants are less delicate, but can be killed by sub-zero temperatures. To miniimize this they can be plunged if kept outdoors.
Pre-planting: the site
Dig ample planting pits. If the site is pre-staked, dig the pits on the side of the stakes away from the prevailing wind. Loosen the soil at the base of the pit ie. below the root zone.
Contrary to popular advice, all newly-planted trees (however vigorous the rootstock) should be staked until established otherwise they will be liable to socketing (wind-rock). Temporary stakes needn't be durable or otherwise of commercial quality. Dwarfing rootstocks have weak roots and are likely to need a stake throughout their lives. A permanent stake also helps to support a heavy crop and provides an anchor to which trained branches can be tied.
Depending on the nature of the soil, consider adding around 10 litres of peat or other organic matter and 30 grams of fertilizer per tree, divided equally between the volume of soil below the base of the pit and the soil waiting to be back-filled round the roots. On wet sites avoid organic materials that are poorly aerated when wet, and if fertilizer is not added use organic materials (like garden compost, farmyard manure) that are well rotted so that they don’t create a demand for nutrients as they decompose further.
Planting
Check that the roots of your trees are moist, if necessary re-hydrating them by soaking just before planting. Spread the roots as you back-fill, ensuring that they’re not constricted by the sides of the pit, and take care to plant to the correct depth ie. that the root-shoot junction is at the level of the soil surface after firming. The graft union should be at least 10cm clear of the soil level and the main stem should be about 8cm from any permanent stake to allow for stem growth. Be sure to plant before the root system resumes growth (which is surprisingly early, as the buds swell), because the new roots, which are a conspicuous white, are very fragile.
Tie the trees to permanent stakes in a figure-of-eight arrangement to avoid constriction, and use a smooth binding to avoid abrasion. First loop the binding loosely three or four times, then wind one end over the cross-over of the loops between the tree and the stake, forming a buffer and tensing the tie.
Post-planting
If necessary protect individual trees against rabbits and other small mammals with a mesh or spiral guard. Mammals eat apple bark in winter, girdling the tree in severe cases. It is difficult to control grass growth within a loose mesh guard (without herbicide), while the closer-fitting spiral may abrade the tree or predispose it to canker or collar rot. Both kinds of guard protect the tree against lawnmower or strimmer damage, and against other casual damage, largely by increasing the visibility of the tree. Prunings left in the inter-row early in winter can attract small mammals, sparing the trees, since bark on small-diameter shoots is relatively easy to eat. Roe deer can browse to a height of 1.5m (Hodge & Pepper, 1998).
Inspect ties at least once a year to ensure that they are loosened, tightened or renewed before there is any constriction or abrasion of the main stem. If the trees are to be eventually unstaked, move the ties downwards, loosen them or remove them to allow the main stem increasing freedom to flex, strengthening it, but without risking wind-rock.
While the tree is establishing itself, the area around the base should be kept free of competing weeds and grass. A weekly watering during dry periods may be advisable, but avoid over-watering (particularly a little and often) as this tends to inhibit root extension growth.
Reference
Hodge, S. and Pepper, H. (1998). The prevention of mammal damage to trees in woodland. Practice Note FCPN 3 The Forestry Authority, 231 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh, EH12 7AT. ISBN 0-85538-373-9.