Compost First! Once the tree has been watered, it can get 2 to 3 inches of compost and amendments dumped around it. Rake your dumped compost into a circle around the tree, keeping the compost away from the trunk and thus thin at the center, helping the trunk stay aerated and resist rot. Thicken the compost layer as it spreads outward around the tree. Maintain the saucer water catchment as you go.
Mulch Second! Next we spread 4 to 6 inches of wood chips atop the compost. The thicker the mulch layer is, the better and longer the weed suppression will be. Spread your mulch thin near the trunk so it is not built up around the base of the tree. Thicken the mulch layer as it spreads outward around the tree, maintaining your saucer water catchment.
Resist combining these layers of compost and woodchips: It’s crucial to keep the nutrients in the compost close to your apple’s feeder roots just beneath the soil with the wood chips retaining moisture and suppressing weeds as the mulch on top.
Friends, keeping this ‘tree ring’ weeded in all seasons is key, so there are abundant nutrients always at the surface and no plants within a couple feet of it.
Fruition’s current online tree growing resources are focused on Apple Trees (and it is also true that Pears, Plums, Peaches, Apricots and Cherries require much the same site choice, planting, and basic care considerations!) On that note, we hope you'll enjoy Fruition's free full library of Growing Trees Resources. Also recommended are all books by the late Michael Phillips and the online resources at the New England Tree Fruit Management Guide. In the meantime, enjoy more Fruition tree growing resources:
Apple Tree Growing Guide
Fruit Q&Qs pre-recorded Webinar Library
and join us for future live Fruit Q&Q webinars here!
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