How to plant an apple tree

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Monday, 18 March 2019 at 11:49 am

Follow our step-by-step guide to planting an apple tree.

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Apples are easy to grow, but they need the right conditions if you want to have years of bountiful harvests.

The best time to plant apples is from late autumn to early spring, while they lie dormant. Choose a sunny, sheltered spot and give the soil a boost by forking in plenty of compost or well-rotted farmyard manure over a wide area around the planting hole – this will encourage the roots to explore outwards into the surrounding soil.

Once it has been planted, water the tree carefully and feed regularly with a liquid seaweed throughout the growing season.

Follow these easy steps to planting your apple tree.

You Will Need

Spade
Fork
Mycorrhizal fungi
Bamboo cane
Tree stake and tie
Secateurs

Step 1

Dig your planting hole

Dig a hole no deeper than the roots and just larger than their spread. Break up the soil at the bottom of the planting hole with a fork.

Step 2

Soaking a bare-root tree

Bare-root trees should be soaked in water before planting. If the tree is potted, make sure it's watered well before planting. Just before placing in the hole, dip the roots in mycorrhizal fungi, or for potted trees, sprinkle a handful over the rootball and in the planting hole.

Step 3

Lower the tree into the planting hole

Lay a cane across the hole at ground level, then lower the tree into the hole so the darker 'soil line' on the trunk is alongside the cane.

Step 4

Backfill the planting hole

Back-fill with soil, holding the tree at the right height and gently jiggle it to work the soil in around the roots. Firm gently as you go.

Step 5

Staking the apple tree

Drive in a stake at a 45º angle, pointing into the prevailing wind. Secure the stem to the stake one third of the way up the trunk.

Step 6

Start pruning after planting

New trees need early pruning to encourage the right branching form you're training them into. Start straight after planting.

Planting tips for best results

Stand bare-root trees in a bucket of water for an hour before planting to rehydrate roots
Tease out the roots of container-grown trees from the rootballs before planting
Keep a 1m-diameter area clear of weeds around young trees to reduce competition
Water new trees weekly throughout their first two summers and subsequent dry ones
Protect saplings against rabbits and deer with a spiral tree guard
Winter prune (Nov-Feb) and then in summer (Jul-Sep). The aim is to encourage fruiting spurs

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