Take care of fruit tree plantings
Did you plant trees in the fall or have other young trees
planted in your area? Don’t forget about their post-planting and aftercare.
This is what determines whether our planted trees will take hold, whether they
will not dry out and how they will thrive in the years to come. So what can we
do for newly planted and young trees?
Soil care
A prerequisite for good rooting is sufficient care of the soil around the tree. Mulching is the ideal environmentally friendly solution.
Mulch should ideally be made with mature compost or manure, but freshly cut grass, straw, wood chips or hay can also be used in an emergency. Mulch should be layered to a maximum height of 10 cm and a diameter of 1.5 m to create a bowl in which water can stay. At the same time, take care not to drown the caraway seeds. Mulch ideally in the spring so that the material decomposes within a year.
Mulching achieves several important effects: it supports the soil life around the tree, interrupts the emergence and evaporation of water from the soil, and prevents the growth of grass, which is the tree’s main competitor for nutrients and moisture in the first years of its life.
If for some reason we cannot mulch a planted tree (for example, because of rodents), we can instead shallow hoe the area around the tree at least twice a year (to a depth of 5 cm) – this will ensure that water is not lost and prevent grass from growing.
Repair of fences and moorings
If the tree is not planted directly in a fenced yard, but in an open area, it must be protected against being bitten by wildlife. Welded wire mesh with larger meshes works best. These will prevent herbivores from penetrating the trunk, but at the same time allow the grower to clean the planting tray and unwanted caraway growth quickly without having to remove and re-install the protection. Twist a strip of netting around the tree and the anchor stake and anchor it firmly to the stake with either rope (recommended) or nails. Re-join the edges of the cylinder together with wire in enough places so that there are no large open gaps. Protection against damage (including anchoring) should be provided for at least 10 years of your tree’s life. It is advisable to check the functionality of the fencing over the years. Ensure that the tree does not grow into the fencing and that there are no large holes in the mesh where wildlife can damage the tree by nibbling.
Particularly in the first few years after planting, it is important to secure the tree trunk to the support post with a tether. Again, this should not strangle or abrade the tree trunk, but at the same time the tie should be strong enough to prevent the tree from being tilted excessively by the wind. The stake(s) should be placed firmly in the ground at all times to give the tree a real support. If the stake is rotting or not stable, it should be replaced with a new one.
Watering
If planted in autumn and sufficiently mulched, watering is not strictly necessary. However, if water is available, each tree is watered intensively (10-30 litres) at planting and only in the first two to three years during periods of extreme drought.
When planting in spring, water the tree heavily immediately after planting, and then do the same throughout the year, especially in periods of severe drought.