transplanted wild apple trees, think they'll make it?
last spring/early summer i hand dug up half a dozen wild apple trees. i then put them in the garden for a few weeks, gave them lots of water and miracle grow. after , maybe 3 weeks, i moved them again to where i really wanted, dug holes, put some old sticks in the bottom of the holes so the roots weren't restricted, some miracle grow soil made for strees and shrubs, lots of water. they kept their leaves all summer, and i watered them every chance i got. the trees ranged in height from say 8' to 12'+. wasn't a lot of fun digging them, left a good root ball, but did have to cut the main roots. they were from one inch to say 3 inches in diameter. i stopped at the local nursery today, she said that you never try to transplant the wild apple trees, and that they are probably dead. she also thought that the big ones may have been as old as 10 or twelve years. i know that had they been left, some had had blossoms when i dug them and would have produced. the trees are in a semi-shaded area, with direct light only possible for 3-5 hours or so a day. i also limed and fertilized them. so, did i waste my time?
Pat
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qdm? that means the spot's are gone, right? they all fit into my pan, regardless of size, one small piece at a time.
RE: transplanted wild apple trees, think they'll make it?
If they had leaves last year and didn't drop them until the proper time in the fall, you are probably OK. You may want to put some mulch around the trees to keep the soil moisture up until the trees regrow their roots.
PS; you should never fertilize a newly transplanted tree. Wait till it's had a year to grow.
RE: transplanted wild apple trees, think they'll make it?
thanks for the tip, dan. any others? i plan on digging up as many as i can get. my uncle's farm is loaded with them, some are way to big to hand dig though. any thought's on what a good size tree for transplanting is? wild trees, i mean. and does anyone know at what size/ age/ diameter( take your pick) a wild apple tree might begin to bear fruit, that may help me to narrow down just what i am looking for. and why do the darn things need to grow in clumps, instead of just nice, single trees? it would make my job soooooooooo much easier digging them.
Pat
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qdm? that means the spot's are gone, right? they all fit into my pan, regardless of size, one small piece at a time.
RE: transplanted wild apple trees, think they'll make it?
Pat -
If they get enough moisture -the trees you trnasplanted should make it. Don't fertilize again though - or prune for a couple years until you observe vigorous growth.
I assume your "wild apples" are from stray seeds from a nearby orchard. Most old farm orchards in the Northeast were Grafted varieties like Macintosh, Johanthon, sometimes Pippins, Etc. My experience is that some seed grown trees get good apples (for deer - not usally really tasty apples) and some get almost none. And of course there is everything in between. There really is no way to know how soon you'll start to see apples. But Generally - "wild apples" are "standard size" - since dwarf and semi dwarf versions are results of the root stock on a grafted tree. That means with all the right conditions - you won't normally see apples till 7-10 years. The trees will grow 15-20 ft tall.
I've transplanted several - but have yet to have any of the small (5-6ft) trees I've planted over the last couple years get apples. I have trouble finding small wild apple trees on our property - since the deer selectively browse them away. What I do now, instead of move them - I cut around them to give them more light - and prune them back to iniate more blossoms/fruiting. Its been working OK.
transplanted wild apple trees, think they'll make it?
